| The Definitive Collection | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | August 25, 2009 | |||
| Recorded |
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| Length | 65:20 | |||
| Label | Universal Motown | |||
| Producer | Harry Weinger | |||
| Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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The Definitive Collection is a compilation album by American singer Michael Jackson released by Universal Motown on August 25, 2009 (four days before what would have been his 51st birthday), and the third album to be released since his death, [1] [2] being released exactly two months later.
The Definitive Collection charted on number 39 on the Billboard 200 and number 17 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. [3]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said: "Released roughly three days after Michael Jackson's passing, The Definitive Collection is a 19-track collection of highlights from his Motown recordings, including the hits he had with his brothers in the Jackson 5. This emphasizes Michael's solo hits over the Jackson 5's—there are ten cuts of him alone, nine with his brothers (and one of those is an alternate 'minus mix' of 'I'll Be There')—which skews this a little bit toward puppy love over bubblegum, something that may be a little too syrupy for some listeners, but there's no denying that for fans lacking a collection of Michael's earliest hits, this is a useful compilation, gathering 'I Want You Back', 'ABC', 'The Love You Save', 'Who's Lovin' You', 'Never Can Say Goodbye', 'Got to Be There', 'Rockin' Robin', 'Ben', and 'Dancing Machine' in one place." [4]
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [3] | 39 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [5] | 17 |
Cameo is an American funk band that formed in 1974. Cameo was initially a 14-member group known as the New York City Players; this name was later changed to Cameo.
"Come See About Me" is a 1964 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label. The track opens with a fade-in, marking one of the first times the technique had been used on a studio recording.
"I Want You" is a song written by Leon Ware and Arthur "T-Boy" Ross and performed by American singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye. It was released as a single in 1976 on his fourteenth studio album of the same name (1976) on his Tamla label. The song introduced a change in musical styles for Gaye, who before then had been recording songs with a funk edge. "I Want You", among other similar songs, gave him a disco audience. Ware, who produced the song alongside Gaye, also was attributed with the single's success.
Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 is the debut studio album from Gary, Indiana-based soul family band the Jackson 5, released on the Motown label on December 12, 1969. The Jackson 5's lead singer, a preadolescent Michael Jackson and his four older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon, became pop successes within months of this album's release. Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5's only single, "I Want You Back", became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 within weeks of the album's release. The album reached number 5 on the US Pop Albums chart, and spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the US R&B/Black Albums charts. To date, the Jackson 5's debut album has sold estimated 5 million copies worldwide.
Got to Be There is the debut solo studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Motown on January 24, 1972, four weeks after the Jackson 5's Greatest Hits (1971). It includes the song of the same name, which was released on October 7, 1971, as Jackson's debut solo single.
Ben is the second studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released by Motown Records on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of the Jackson 5. It received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben, however, was more successful on the music charts than Jackson's previous studio album, peaking within the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. Internationally, the album was less successful, peaking at number 12 in Canada, while charting within the top 200 positions in Australia and France.
Music & Me is the third studio album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on April 13, 1973 on the Motown label and to date has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. It was arranged by Dave Blumberg, Freddie Perren, Gene Page and James Anthony Carmichael and remains Jackson's lowest selling album. In 2009, the album was reissued as part of the three-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.
Forever, Michael is the fourth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Motown Records on January 16, 1975. The album is credited as having songs with funk and soul material. Eddie Holland, Brian Holland, Hal Davis, Freddie Perren, and Sam Brown III served as producers on Forever, Michael. It is the final album before Jackson's solo breakthrough with his next album, Off the Wall (1979) and has sold 1 million copies worldwide.
The Essential Michael Jackson is a greatest hits compilation album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on July 19, 2005, by Sony Music's catalog division Legacy Recordings as part of The Essential series. The two-disc compilation features thirty-eight hit songs by Michael Jackson, from his days at Motown Records with The Jackson 5 in the late 1960s and early 1970s to his 2001 hit "You Rock My World".
This article presents the discography of The Jackson 5, an American family band from Gary, Indiana.
Sharissa Dawes is an American singer. Born in New York City's borough of Brooklyn, Bronx raised, she began her musical career in the R&B group 4KaST. 4KaST released their 1998 debut album, Any Weather, on RCA Records, which was promoted with the singles "Miss My Lovin'" and "I Tried". After her time in the groups, Sharissa worked as a backing vocalist before she signed to Henchman/Motown Records.
American music artist Marvin Gaye released 25 studio albums, four live albums, one soundtrack album, 24 compilation albums, and 83 singles. In 1961 Gaye signed a recording contract with Tamla Records, owned by Motown. The first release under the label was The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye. Gaye's first album to chart was a duet album with Mary Wells titled Together, peaking at number forty-two on the Billboard pop album chart. His 1965 album, Moods of Marvin Gaye, became his first album to reach the top ten of the R&B album charts and spawned four hit singles. Gaye recorded more than thirty hit singles for Motown throughout the 1960s, becoming established as "the Prince of Motown". Gaye topped the charts in 1968 with his rendition of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine", while his 1969 album, M.P.G., became his first number one R&B album. Gaye's landmark album, 1971's What's Going On became the first album by a solo artist to launch three top ten singles, including the title track. His 1973 single, "Let's Get It On", topped the charts while its subsequent album reached number two on the charts becoming his most successful Motown album to date. In 1982, after 21 years with Motown, Gaye signed with Columbia Records and issued Midnight Love, which included his most successful single to date, "Sexual Healing". Following his death in 1984, three albums were released posthumously while some of Gaye's landmark works were re-issued.
Switch is an American R&B/funk band that recorded for the Gordy label in the late 1970s, releasing songs such as "There'll Never Be", "I Call Your Name", and "Love Over & Over Again". Switch influenced bands such as DeBarge, which featured the siblings of Switch band members Bobby and Tommy DeBarge.
98 Degrees and Rising is the second album released by American boy band 98 Degrees. Released by Motown on October 20, 1998, it features the Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 singles "Because of You" (#3) and "The Hardest Thing" (#5), cover versions of Mark Wills' "I Do " and Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life", the duet "True to Your Heart" with label mate Stevie Wonder, which was featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 Disney film Mulan, and the song "Fly with Me", which was featured on the soundtrack album for the 1999 film Pokémon: The First Movie.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by rapper Nas released through Columbia Records on November 6, 2007. It features twelve of Nas' singles from his Columbia releases from Illmatic to Street's Disciple and two new tracks. Nas' 2006 studio album Hip Hop Is Dead was overlooked because it was released by Def Jam and not Columbia. Nastradamus and The Lost Tapes were also left out. The collaboration made with Cee-Lo for the Rush Hour 3 soundtrack is also included on the album. Greatest Hits debuted at No. 124 on the Billboard 200, selling about 6,800 copies, and No. 20 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. As of August 2008 the compilation has sold over 20,000 copies in the US.
Runaway Love is an EP by American recording group En Vogue. It was released by East West Records on September 21, 1993, in the United States. The EP followed their multi-platinum hit album Funky Divas in 1992. The EP contains the title track, "Runaway Love" featuring FMob, known as Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster.
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met while working on the 1978 film The Wiz. Several critics observed that Off the Wall was crafted from disco, pop, funk, R&B, soft rock and Broadway ballads. Its lyrical themes include escapism, liberation, loneliness, hedonism and romance. The album features songwriting contributions from Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Rod Temperton, Tom Bahler, and David Foster, alongside three tracks penned by Jackson himself.
"We're Almost There" is a 1975 song released as a single by American singer Michael Jackson, the first release from his final Motown album, Forever, Michael.
The Stripped Mixes is a collection of American singer and former Jackson 5 member Michael Jackson's classic songs. The songs featured on the album are mainly from Jackson's career as a member of the Jackson 5 from the late 1960s to the 1970s. Songs credited to Jackson as a solo artist are from his albums during his Motown era. Other songs included on the album are "stripped" mixes of Jackson material, meaning the songs are of a quieter tone and most of the drums have been removed.
Michael Jackson's This Is It is a posthumous two-disc soundtrack album by American singer Michael Jackson. Released by MJJ Music on October 26, 2009, This Is It features previously released music, as well as six previously unreleased recordings by Jackson. This Is It was released to coincide with the theatrical release of Michael Jackson's This Is It, a concert film documenting Jackson's rehearsals for the This Is It concert series at the O2 Arena in London. This Is It is the sixth album to be released by Sony and Motown/Universal since Jackson's death on June 25, 2009.
