What makes a legend? Is it raw talent? The ability to be groundbreaking? A knack for controversy? The right collaborators and influences? Or some crazy stew comprising all of these elements? Whatever the combination, even the least sympathetic music fan can admit that Michael Jackson has-or had-all of these characteristics. Whether you're talking musical or statistical, there's no doubt that he's a legend.
From the second his first official single-"I Want You Back", recorded with his brothers in the Jackson 5-became a hit at the dawn of 1970-Michael was setting records and breaking them. I could take up this whole review listing his accomplishments-but here are just a few: he was the youngest artist ever to perform a #1 record, The J5 were the first act to have their first four singles hit #1 on the pop chart, Michael was the first child star to prove that you can be even more successful as an adult, 1979's "Off The Wall" was the first album by a solo artist to spawn four Top Ten singles, "Thriller" broke that record. "Billie Jean" was the first record to be Number One on three different singles charts simultaneously (pop, R&B, dance). He was the first artist to have the #1 pop single and album and #1 R&B single and album simultaneously. He was the first artist to pull 5 Number One singles off off one album ("Bad"), and.."Thriller" is still the best selling studio album in history. (Sigh)...I'm out of breath. And, I might add, he did this all before his 30th birthday.
But you know what? Statistical accolades aside, it's about the
music, man! All of the awards and record-breaking would mean nothing if the songs backing it up weren't good, and the fact of the matter is that sonically, "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" are classics, and "Dangerous"-with a minor edit, would be the same. The quality of the man's music was never even average-until 1995's "HIStory" came along.
"HIStory" really marked the beginning of the end for Michael Jackson. It's where his ego took over his records. Not many people would have the balls to force fans to buy an entire album of new material in order to get a greatest hits album, which essentially was the gambit proposed here. To be fair, Michael may not have been in the best state of mind during the time period this album was released during. He was less than two years removed from a child molestation scandal that threatened to derail his career, as well as being in the middle of a dubious marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. With recent events in mind, Michael went off to the studio to make the most autobiographical album he'd ever made. References to the molestation scandal permeate almost every note sung on this album. While Michael may have viewed this as his look at societal ills, the general public (not to mention the mass media, clearly overjoyed at the fact that the biggest superstar-a black guy to boot!-had his career irreperably damaged) saw it as Michael bellyaching. Which he was, in a way. So while the greatest hits disc (subtitled "HIStory Begins") manages to house some of the best music recorded by anyone during the years 1979-1991, the disc of new material ("HIStoy Continues") is cluttered and unsettingly dark and paranoid. And, in the end, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth with the exception of a few moments reminiscent of classic MJ.
Now, there's not a whole lot I need to say about Michael's music pre-"HIStory". But I'll try to say it anyway. First off, Michael's decision to pair with producer Quincy Jones to make his first post-Motown solo record was a stroke of genius. Their first album together-1979's "Off The Wall" was a genius meld of disco with pop and funk sensibilities. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" perfectly captures the rush of the post-disco ever, with swirling strings, an insistent bassline, and Michael leaking falsetto all over the speakers. More than anything, it takes you immediately back to a time when listening to a MJ record was
fun!. On "Rock With You", Mike turns the tempo down slightly to create a romantic yet still danceable classic, while "She's Out Of My Life" was the first sign of Michael's addiction to corn, although he manages to cut through the cheese with a searing vocal performance on this otherwise maudlin ballad-crocodile tears and all.
"Billie Jean" and "Beat It" are high-water marks in American music. Period. Michael's whole career would go on to be defined by these two songs, which are more alike than one might think. They both come from the same vaguely dark corner of Mike's mind, although "Billie Jean" is pure dance/funk, while "Beat It" synthesizes dance with cockrock, courtesy of Eddie Van Halen's blistering solo on the bridge. The price of "Thriller" would be justified with these two songs alone. From that album, "HIStory" also adds the campy-yet-still funky title track and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", on which Michael's herky-jerky vocal rides atop a deliciously itchy funk groove-although all any one remembers of that song is "ma ma say ma ma sa ma ma coo sa".
"Bad" found Michael struggling with the monster that he created, and marks the first point where unlistenable Michael began to rear his ever-changing head. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a ridiculously hackneyed easy listening ballad, but thanksfully redemption is served in the form of the delightful shuffle groove of "The Way You Make Me Feel", the uplifting gospel goodness of "Man in the Mirror" and even the I'm-trying-too-hard-to-keep-up-with-Black-music cartoon funk of "Bad". Besides, admit it, you get a kick out of hearing Michael sing "your butt is mine".
Finally, Michael goes 1 for 3 with the songs from "Dangerous". "Black Or White" was an unsuccessful attempt to marry "Beat It" and "Man in the Mirror", while "Heal The World" could easily have been recorded by John Denver. "Remember The Time", however, was one of MJ's last classwic singles. Over a rubbery synth groove produced by new-jack king Teddy Riley, Michael exhibits all the ingredients to his success: great melody and vocal harmonies, a fun hand-clapping groove, and that intangible "ear candy" aspect that makes you sing along and snap your fingers. Close your eyes and enjoy these moments folks, 'cause Disc 2 is another animal entirely.
"HIStory Continues" serves many purposes, or at least it was meant to. A) It was meant to prove that MJ still had what it took to survive in an ever-changing musical landscape. B) It was meant to set Mike apart as a bad muthaf***a-the pure bile spewed on this album is scary, and C)It provided Mike's whole take on the scandal. The results are occasionally decent, but moreso, they just show an egomaniac trying to play for public sympathy. It's not endearing-and proved to be the first chip in my lifelong hero worship of the man.
Anyway, back to the music again. I guess the instance most indicative of the fact that MJ was following instead of leading was the fact that he linked up with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis-who are best known for being the production masterminds behind his sister Janet's records. It seemed like an acknowledgement that he was not "The" Jackson anymore. The two siblings collaborated for "Scream", a loud, industrial-meets-funk/rock track that manages to be listenable despite it's noisiness and the fact that Janet's vocals are so buried in the mix you can barely hear them. This is also Michael's vulgar album-the language is fairly salty-certainly for a Michael Jackson record-so you better put the kids away since there's an F-bomb, several "sh*ts", and a few 'a*ses", not to mention Biggie Smalls' liberal use of the "N" word on one track.
There are few other good moments here. "Stranger in Moscow" is a haunting midtempo song on which the feeling of Michael's loneliness is palpable. It seemed to me like the most surefire pop hit on the album, but wound up being buried as the album's fourth single. Nevertheless, this remains one of MJ's best ballad performances. "This Time Around" is a bare bones funk record on which Michael announces that he's "takin' no sh*t" and then recruits the Notorious B.I.G. for what I feel is Biggie's most awesome guest verse ever. There's also the deliriously danceable "Tabloid Junkie" where MJ disses the likes of the National Enquirer over a frenzied post-new jack beat.
On "Earth Song", Michael tackles the destruction of our land with more fervor than anyone singing about the environment could ever have a right to. It's the rare sappy MJ song that actually works. "They Don't Care About Us" is pure blind rage attached to a bare bones handclap. Slash shows up later to add some blistering guitar. Years later, this song is probably best known as the "kick me, k*ke me" song, a lyric which branded MJ as an Anti-Semite although anyone with half a brain can see that the lyrics are only used to underscore what Michael feels is a very strong comparison between the way Blacks and Jews are treated in society.
So, does the amount of good on this album override the bad? Not a chance. First off, Michael goes all Streisand on us with "Childhood", an overly melodramatic ballad that's topped by the even more melodramatic "Little Susie", the tale of the abduction of a little girl set to a faux-classical arrangement. This song will make you find all of your Michael jackson records, toss them in the air and shoot them with a pellet gun, it's that bad. "You Are Not Alone" may have been a Number One hit, but it's a decidedly average, kinda dull R. Kelly ballad that sort of drones on despite a winning vocal performance from Michael.
"Money" is a classic MJ dance groove. One problem, though, Michael's
rapping. If there's anything pop musicians (Madonna, Prince, George, Janet) really need to know, it's that they SHOULD NOT RAP!! "D.S." is Mike's attempt to bash the molestation case's prosecutor, Tom Sneddon. While the lyric sheet says "Dom Sheldon", that's clearly not the name Michael is using on the song's chorus. "2 Bad" contains a cringe-inducing rhyme from Shaquille O'Neal, who raps about as well as he shoots free throws, and "HIStory" is a messy blend of audio recordings detailing well-known moments in world history, spliced in with militaristic verses and a smoothed-out chorus. Ambitious, yes? Listenable? No.
Finally, Michael drops the cover bomb on us not once, but twice. His version of the Beatles' "Come Together" was originally on the "Moonwalker" video back in the Eighties, and is essentially a synthed-up 80s version of the classic, minus the undercurrent of druggy menace found in the Beatles' original version. Finally (thankfully!) Michael closes the album with a well-sung version of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile", which skirts on the edge of decent rendition and cheesy piece of s*it.
As the catalog exploitation of Michael Jackson begins in earnest (his upcoming box set will be the fourth MJ compilation released in a 12-month space), it seems incredibly unnecessary to own this double-album set. While there's no denying the excellence of the music included on the first disc, you could just as easily make a second disc filled with the songs Michael didn't include on here ("Off The Wall", "Smooth Criminal", "Say Say Say", "PYT", etc.). Besides, a compilation containing songs from "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" doesn't necessarily make sense when, quite frankly, you should own both albums anyway.
"HIStory Continues" isn't a total disaster. Although some songs here are indeed agonizingly bad, there are a couple of moments where the old Michael shines through. On the whole, though, nothing on here really justifies the purchase. Thankfully, "HIStory Begins" is now available separately from it's former partner.
I wish I could say that Michael Jackson has not been instrumental in his own demise. This "HIStory" set is the perfect example of that. What should've been a triumphant look at one of the most successful careers in music history instead turns into an overblown spectacle of anger and ego, making it quite dfficult (although not impossible) to listen to the earlier (good) material on Disc One without being jaundiced by the significantly weaker material on Disc Two.
"HIStory: Past Present & Future: Book 1" by Michael Jackson Rating: "HIStory Begins": 4 out of 5 stars..."HIStory Continues": 2 out of 5 stars
Repeat: "Begins": "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Rock With You"..."Continues": "Tabloid Junkie", "This Time Around", "Stranger in Moscow"
Skip: "Begins": "Heal The World", "Black Or White", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"..."Continues": "D.S.", "Little Susie", "Childhood"
Great Music to Play While: Watching your heart break as you're disappointed by your idol for the first time.
OTHER MJ STUFF The Jacksons-"Destiny" The Jacksons-"Live" The Jacksons-"Victory" The Jacksons-"2300 Jackson Street" The Jacksons-"The Essential Jacksons" The Jacksons-"The Jacksons Story" Michael Jackson-"Off The Wall" Michael Jackson-"Thriller" Michael Jackson-"Dangerous" Michael Jackson-"Invincible" Michael Jackson-"Number Ones" 
