The Ultimate Collection (Michael Jackson album)

The Ultimate Collection
Box set by Michael Jackson
Released November 16, 2004
Recorded 1969–2004
Genre Pop, R&B, rock, Hip-Hop, new jack swing, funk, soul
Length 70:48 (Disc 1)
48:18 (Disc 2)
71:06 (Disc 3)
62:28 (Disc 4)
122:05 (DVD)
Label Epic, Legacy
Producer Michael Jackson
Various
Michael Jackson chronology
Number Ones
(2003)		 The Ultimate Collection
(2004)		 The Essential Michael Jackson
(2005)
Alternative covers
UK iTunes & Amazon UK cover
UK physical set
Singles from The Ultimate Collection
  1. "Cheater"
    Released: September 14, 2004 (promo)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Rolling Stone (2004) [2]

The Ultimate Collection is a limited edition box set of Michael Jackson's music, consisting of four audio CDs and one DVD. Selling over a million copies[3], the DVD marked the first appearance of Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour, which was later released as an individual title in 2005.

Contents

Album information

Much of the music is drawn from the height of Jackson's career, particularly from the principal seven albums: Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix and Invincible. Notable tracks on the box set include the first release of the demos of songs such as "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)", "Shake a Body", "Cheater" and the original demo of "We Are the World" featuring Jackson as a soloist. The set also contains 8 unreleased songs, including "In the Back", "Beautiful Girl", "The Way You Love Me" and "We've Had Enough", all written by Jackson.

The song "The Way You Love Me" was remixed for the posthumous album Michael with the title "(I Like) The Way You Love Me", and was released as a single on July 8, 2011.

Rarities

The Ultimate Collection box set also contains songs previously out of print:

Track listing

Disc 1

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "I Want You Back"   The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, Alphonzo Mizell) 2:58
2. "ABC"   The Corporation 2:57
3. "I'll Be There"   Berry Gordy, Bob West, Willie Hutch, Hal Davis 3:56
4. "Got to Be There"   Elliot Willensky 3:23
5. "I Wanna Be Where You Are"   Arthur "T-Boy" Ross, Leon Ware 2:59
6. "Ben"   Walter Scharf, Don Black 2:44
7. "Dancing Machine" (Single Version) Hal Davis, Don Fletcher, Dean Parks 2:37
8. "Enjoy Yourself"   Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff 3:40
9. "Ease on Down the Road" (featuring Diana Ross) (from The Wiz) Charlie Smalls 3:19
10. "You Can't Win" (from The Wiz) Charlie Smalls 7:18
11. "Shake a Body" (Early Demo) (previously unreleased) Randy Jackson, Michael Jackson 2:09
12. "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (Single Edit) Randy Jackson, Michael Jackson 3:44
13. "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough"   Michael Jackson 6:04
14. "Rock with You"   Rod Temperton 3:39
15. "Off the Wall"   Rod Temperton 4:06
16. "She's Out of My Life"   Tom Bahler 3:38
17. "Sunset Driver" (Demo) (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson 4:03
18. "Lovely One"   Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson 4:50
19. "This Place Hotel" (a.k.a. "Heartbreak Hotel") Michael Jackson 5:44

Disc 2

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"   Michael Jackson 6:03
2. "The Girl Is Mine" (featuring Paul McCartney) Michael Jackson 3:42
3. "Thriller"   Rod Temperton 5:58
4. "Beat It"   Michael Jackson 4:18
5. "Billie Jean"   Michael Jackson 4:53
6. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (Demo) (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, Greg Phillinganes 3:46
7. "Someone in the Dark"   Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Rod Temperton 4:54
8. "State of Shock" (featuring Mick Jagger) Michael Jackson, Randy Hansen 4:30
9. "Scared of the Moon" (Demo) (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, Buz Kohan 4:41
10. "We Are the World" (Demo) (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie 5:20
11. "We Are Here to Change the World" (from Captain EO) (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, John Barnes 2:53

Disc 3

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Bad"   Michael Jackson 4:07
2. "The Way You Make Me Feel"   Michael Jackson 4:58
3. "Man in the Mirror"   Siedah Garrett, Glen Ballard 5:20
4. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (featuring Siedah Garrett) Michael Jackson 4:13
5. "Dirty Diana"   Michael Jackson 4:41
6. "Smooth Criminal"   Michael Jackson 4:17
7. "Cheater" (Demo) (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, Greg Phillinganes 5:09
8. "Dangerous" (Early Version) (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley 6:40
9. "Monkey Business" (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell 5:46
10. "Jam" (featuring Heavy D) Michael Jackson, René Moore, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley 5:39
11. "Remember the Time"   Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson, Bernard Belle 4:00
12. "Black or White"   Michael Jackson; rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell 4:16
13. "Who Is It" (IHS Mix) Michael Jackson 7:57
14. "Someone Put Your Hand Out"   Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley 6:03

Disc 4

No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "You Are Not Alone (extended version)"   R. Kelly 6:03
2. "Stranger in Moscow"   Michael Jackson 5:44
3. "Childhood" (theme from Free Willy 2) Michael Jackson 4:28
4. "On the Line" (from Get on the Bus) Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Michael Jackson 4:53
5. "Blood on the Dance Floor"   Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley 4:12
6. "Fall Again" (Demo) (previously unreleased) Walter Afanasieff, Robin Thicke 4:22
7. "In the Back" (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, Glen Ballard 4:31
8. "Unbreakable" (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.) Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Nora Payne, Robert Smith 6:26
9. "You Rock My World (album edit)"   Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Nora Payne 5:09
10. "Butterflies"   Andre Harris, Marsha Ambrosius 4:40
11. "Beautiful Girl" (Demo) (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson 4:03
12. "The Way You Love Me" (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson 4:30
13. "We've Had Enough" (previously unreleased) Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Carole Bayer Sager 5:45

DVD - Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour (previously unreleased)

  1. "Intro"
  2. "Jam"
  3. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
  4. "Human Nature"
  5. "Smooth Criminal"
  6. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (Ft. Siedah Garrett)
  7. "She's Out of My Life"
  8. "I Want You Back/The Love You Save"
  9. "I'll Be There"
  10. "Thriller"
  11. "Billie Jean"
  12. Black Or White "Black Panther" Video Interlude
  13. "Workin' Day and Night"
  14. "Beat It"
  15. "Someone Put Your Hand Out" Instrumental
  16. "Will You Be There"
  17. "Black Or White"
  18. "Heal the World"
  19. "Man in the Mirror"
  20. "Rocket Man"

Limited Japanese Edition bonus tracks

Disc 1
No. Title Writer(s) Length
11. "Blame It on the Boogie"   Michael G. Jackson-Clark, David Jackson-Rich, Hans Kampschroer, Elmar Krohn, Thomas Meyer 3:30
Disc 2
No. Title Writer(s) Length
6. "Human Nature"   Steve Porcaro, John Bettis 4:05
Disc 3
No. Title Writer(s) Length
3. "Another Part of Me"   Michael Jackson 3:55

The addition of "Another Part of Me" pushes the number of tracks down by one (ie. "Someone Put Your Hand Out" starts off Disc 4).

Disc 4
No. Title Writer(s) Length
12. "One More Chance"   R. Kelly 3:49

The Ultimate Collection Sampler CD

  1. I Want You Back - 2:58
  2. Rock With You - 3:39
  3. She's Out Of My Life - 3:38
  4. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - 6:03
  5. Billie Jean - 4:53
  6. Scared Of The Moon (Demo) - 4:41
  7. Bad - 4:07
  8. Man In The Mirror - 5:20
  9. Cheater (Demo) - 5:09
  10. You Are Not Alone - 6:03
  11. Beautiful Girl (Demo) - 4:03
  12. We've Had Enough - 5:45

Someone Put Your Hand Out

"Someone Put Your Hand Out" (disc two of 'The Ultimate Collection') is a song written by Michael Jackson with Teddy Riley and recorded in April 1992, having failed to make it on to Jackson's 1991 album Dangerous. It was released May 1992 in Europe as an exclusive Pepsi promotional single, to promote Jackson’s upcoming Dangerous World Tour. 500,000 copies were made available by collecting a winning token from certain Pepsi products. It was also released as part of an exclusive Pepsi promotional pack in June 1992 throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. The promotional pack included a Michael Jackson poster, a promotional sticker, a press release about Jackson’s upcoming 'Dangerous World Tour' and a cassette single of "Someone Put Your Hand Out". In 1993 the song was also planned to be released in the United States as a promotional CD for the Sony Walkman. Customers who purchased a special Michael Jackson signature Sony Walkman would receive a bonus CD featuring "Someone Put Your Hand Out" as well as other rare Jackson songs and remixes of his hits. However, this promotion was withdrawn following the 1993 child sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson.

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Rolling Stone (2004) review
  3. ^ "RIAA Diamond Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=4&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=Michael%20Jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved October 30, 2009.