''The Essential Michael Jackson'' is a

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...

by American singer

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 ...

. It was released on July 19, 2005, by

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...

's catalog division

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

as part of ''The Essential'' series. The two-disc compilation features thirty-eight hit songs by Michael Jackson, from his days at

Motown Records 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 ''mot ...

with

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

in the late 1960s and early 1970s to his 2001 hit " You Rock My World". On August 26, 2008, ''The Essential Michael Jackson 3.0'' was released in the United States as a limited edition containing an additional disc of seven songs performed by Jackson. A re-titled release in the United Kingdom was planned on July 6, 2009, as ''The Hits'', but was cancelled upon Jackson's death. As of 2021, the album was certified 5× platinum in the United States for over 2.5 million copies sold. Worldwide, the compilation has sold an estimated 6 million copies.

Impact of album after death

Following Jackson's death on June 25, the album sold 102,000 units in the US on the chart week ending July 1, 2009. The following week the album sold 125,000 units in the US on the chart week ending July 8, 2009 and was the fourth biggest-selling album of the week.https://www.mtv.com/news/c8ojrs/michael-jackson-dominates-billboard-charts As of 2021, the album was certified 5× platinum in the United States for over 2.5 million copies sold. Worldwide, the compilation has sold an estimated 6 million copies.

Track listing

European & international version

American & Canadian version

American limited-edition 3.0 bonus disc

Japanese version

Qobuz.com Studio Masters (digital version; 24bit/96kHz)

* All attempted recreation of single edits are restored to actual single versions on digital edition with the exception of Off the Wall, which is an further edit of U.K. 7" remix and Will You Be There, which is radio edit with newly added string intro, both versions are exclusive to this release. * Enjoy Yourself, Blame It on the Boogie, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough and Black or White are restored to album lengths on digital edition. * The uncut version of The Lady in My Life was announced on Legacy Recordings' website to be released on 2008's 3.0 edition bonus disc, but eventually omitted for unknown reasons. However, this version is previously available on the 2002 compilation The Songs of Rod Temperton, which has become a much sought-after item among Jackson collectors upon release, despite the fact that the version on the compilation is an inferior tape transfer with heavy, irreparable distortion due to tape degradation. * A U.K. exclusive edition of this compilation was renamed as The Hits (with the same font as the five-album box set The Collection) and given a colorized version of cover in 2009.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

External links

* *https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/509540145314151655/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Essential Michael Jackson, The 2005 greatest hits albums Michael Jackson compilation albums Albums produced by Michael Jackson Epic Records compilation albums Legacy Recordings compilation albums Sony BMG compilation albums