''Scream'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

by American singer-songwriter

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, released on September 29, 2017. The album compiles songs around a

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

theme. It is the eleventh release by

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

and/or

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

since Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.

Background

A 17-second teaser was released on Michael Jackson's official

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page and

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...

page on September 6, 2017, just after a 3D version of the 1983 " Thriller" short film premiered in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy. Later that day, the album was classified as a "

album" with mysterious theme songs. The track "

Blood on the Dance Floor x Dangerous "Blood on the Dance Floor x Dangerous (The White Panda Mash-Up)", often shortened to just "Blood on the Dance Floor x Dangerous", is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. A mashup by The White Panda, it was released digitally on Sep ...

(

The White Panda ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

Mash-up)" became available for purchase in digital format. Another track, " Thriller (

Steve Aoki Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive.

Midnight Hour Remix)" was also released digitally on September 29. However, this remix was not included on the album.

Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews with most reviews criticizing the album's tracklist. Joel Garcia from ''Evo News'' highlighted the fact that a few songs actually are Halloween-related, while other songs ("Leave Me Alone", "Scream", "Unbreakable", among others) have little to nothing to do with the theme of the album: " he rest of the songsare instead about either failed relationships or Jackson’s thoughts on the media." On a similar note, Dan Weiss from ''Consequence of Sound'' questioned the inclusion of said songs, but he praised the inclusion of lesser-known tracks (including "Somebody's Watching Me").

Commercial performance

It debuted at number 28 in France, selling 3,300 units. In the United States, it debuted with 14,000 units, including 11,000 from pure album sales, in its first week of release, charting at number 33 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Track listing

* Track 14 contains vocals and musical elements from "

Blood on the Dance Floor Blood on the Dance Floor may refer to: *'' Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix'', a 1997 album by Michael Jackson ** "Blood on the Dance Floor" (song), a 1997 song by Michael Jackson from the album *Blood on the Dance Floor (band) Bl ...

", "

Dangerous Dangerous may refer to: Film and television * ''Dangerous'' (1935 film), an American film starring Bette Davis * '' Dangerous: The Short Films'', a 1993 collection of music videos by Michael Jackson * ''Dangerous'' (2021 film), a Canadian-Ameri ...

", "

This Place Hotel "This Place Hotel" (originally named "Heartbreak Hotel") is a 1980 song by the Jacksons, written by Michael Jackson. While his brothers did not sing background vocals, they were credited with playing percussion on the album while brother Tito co ...

", "

Is It Scary "Is It Scary" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. The song was originally written to have been featured in the 1993 film ''Addams Family Values'', but the plans were canceled after contract conflicts. The song was later relea ...

" and " Leave Me Alone".

Charts

Weekly

Year-end

References

{{Authority control 2017 compilation albums Epic Records compilation albums Halloween albums Michael Jackson compilation albums Compilation albums published posthumously