Stranger In Moscow is way too low! :o

 

Beat It is also too low probably but I won't grumble at any of the others so far...

42. DANCING MACHINE The Jackson 5 1974 (367800)

 

No-one will know this huge 1974 US hit, it was a return to the big-time there, and was a huge UK flop, annoyingly. I loved it, they were getting more adult, but it was their final Motown biggie bar a couple of minor releases. Michael's voice had broken by now and was the first track featuring grown-Michael vocally. The boys did the Doo-Wops on Stevie Wonder's hit at the time, You Haven't Done Nothin', but I havent included that one as official...

 

Stranger In Moscow is way too low! :o

 

Beat It is also too low probably but I won't grumble at any of the others so far...

 

I hadn't heard Stranger for years until yesterday, and it does sound pretty good I have to say...!

41. LEAVE ME ALONE Michael Jackson 1989 (370850)

 

I don't own this track. I refused to buy it after it was added to Bad as a bonus CD track when I'd bloody gone out and bought the vinyl album day of release. How very dare they! Great video though, the song is still underwhelming though I can see why he needed to say it after 6 years of mania media.

 

pause for tonight, more soon. I think I'm going to use this rundown as an aide-memoire for a soon-to-be Quickie MJ Rate as in the one I ran for Abba a couple of years ago. Some time after it's complete that is.... :)

Leave Me Alone I don't find underwhelming, it is a great dancey track I think!

Leave Me Alone I don't find underwhelming, it is a great dancey track I think!

 

I obviously must have liked it enough to rate it 41, so maybe put it down to sour grapes that he started that trend for "bonus" tracks on albums as a way of selling more albums to non-fans :lol:

40. SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) The Jacksons 1979 (422950)

 

My fave of the Jacksons disco era, excluding the Philly sound of another track....

 

39. LOOKING THROUGH THE WINDOWS The Jackson 5 1972 (454900)

 

I still adore this one, it's under-rated generally and in this rundown, Michael has a great vocal lead, and the brothers have some great harmonies on a great song, a lost artform this century. You can skip the Sonny & Cher chat intro - or not.

 

38. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US Michael Jackson 1996 (460300)

 

Love the rhythm track on this one, and the Brazil video - apparently there's an alternate prison video - presumably on his mind at the time, but I've never seen it.

 

Leave Me Alone and They Don't Care About Us are both :wub:

 

I hope my favourite is still to come but I'm not sure whether it would be or not...

37. SHE'S OUT OF MY LIFE Michael Jackson 1980 (495350)

 

Oh this is way too low, a minor US hit, a huge UK hit, heart-felt vocal performance, and just lovely Off The Wall track. If you don't cry while singing along to it you have a heart of stone :P

 

36. NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE The Jackson 5 1971 (496100)

 

Picture this: 13-years old, a reel-to-reel tape deck I can record off the radio, and suddenly finding a radio station in Singapore running the US Top 10 countdown. 2 Jackson 5 singles, fresh off seeing them on US variety shows broadcast on local TV, and this one especially - a gorgeous ballad. Bliss. Still have the recordings from the early summer of '71. Gloria Gaynor turned it into a rousing frenetic disco anthem 4 years later, but this is still fab.

 

35. WANNA BE STARTIN' SOMETHIN' Michael Jackson 1983 (499500)

 

An early Thriller goodie, fab rhythms on this one too, and soooo catchy. Annoyingly he couldnt be arsed to do a video as he was probably still working on THAT one....

 

 

 

34. ANOTHER PART OF ME Michael Jackson 1988 (567700)

 

Into the half-millions and the first one up which topped my chart (or the least successful Number One if ya like). I saw Captain Eo, his 3-D sci-fi space-ego extravaganza, at Epcot in Florida, and was very taken by the bits of this he used in an all-dancing space finale, so was rather happy to see it on Bad, and eventually a later single. I was less happy to see a live performance as the official video so here instead is the Captain Eo clip and the slower version towards the end. Imagine it on a huge screen, loud and in 3-D. The single version is the best version of the 3 though.

 

 

33. ROCKIN’ ROBIN Michael Jackson 1972 (573400)

 

Ah, this was huge in the UK, the Jackson 5 were on actual Top Of The Pops doing their single and this one. It was a very catchy and poppy and instant appealing cover of an oldie, fine for a 14-year-old kid, but not as great as his other solo singles that year, and a bit flattered by it's chart position in the rundown.

 

32. SMOOTH CRIMINAL Michael Jackson 1988 (583550)

 

The best bit of the tedious Moonwalker, which I endured at the cinema at the time, and a Bad track which didn't appear to be an obvious future fave in those days. It was the Alien Ant Farm cover that changed all that, but it was a moody, strong single in it's own right. Shame about that film though.

 

31. GOT TO BE THERE Michael Jackson 1972 (590000)

 

Michael's very first solo track, a big UK hit, and yes there are a lot of early tracks in the rundown - hey I was a fan from Day One, and the same age, what can I say to all you latecomers!!? :lol: I love this slushy ballad, his soaring vocals are awesome.

 

Hi John,

 

It doesn´t matter witch track is the number 1.

They are all 60 (or more) great :heart:

 

In Holland we had also a MJ day on Radio 10 http://www.radio10.nl

It´s every year now!

The King never dies!

Leave Me Alone and They Don't Care About Us are both :wub:

 

I hope my favourite is still to come but I'm not sure whether it would be or not...

 

 

Hi dandy, if your fave is Who Is It, yes it's still to come, 4 tracks off that album all peaked at 2 in my charts, if it's not - probably is anyway, I think the only major track that won't feature is You Are Not R.Kelly. Spoiler! I never rated it.....