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 | MJJ Productions, Legacy, Epic, Sony BMG | |||
| Producer |
Michael Jackson Various | |||
| Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative covers | ||||
 UK iTunes & Amazon UK cover | ||||
 UK physical set | ||||
| Singles from The Ultimate Collection | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone (2004) | [2] |
The Ultimate Collection is a box set by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 16, 2004 by Epic Records and consist 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 on July 25, 2005. The album has been certified Platinum by RIAA for the shipments of at least 1 million units in the USA.[4]
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 Your 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".
The song "The Way You Love Me" was updated 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:
- "Enjoy Yourself" is 15 seconds longer than the album version.
- The full version of "You Can't Win" was only available on the 12-inch single.
- "Sunset Driver" was originally set to be one of the track listings for the album "Off the Wall," but was set for this album instead.
- "Someone in the Dark" was first released as a two-part song on the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial double LP, and re-issued on the 2001 special edition of Thriller.
- Both the early version of "Dangerous" and "Monkey Business" were previously available only on the rare 2001 special edition acetate of the Dangerous album.
- "Someone Put Your Hand Out" is a Pepsi-supported cassette single released in Europe to promote the Dangerous World Tour.
- "On the Line" was part of the "Ghosts" boxset released in 1997, but containing an earlier fade out.
- "You Are Not Alone" is 15 seconds longer than the album version, featuring more vocals.
- "We Are Here to Change the World" is a previously unreleased song from the Disney short film Captain EO.
- Fourteen previously unreleased songs and demos are included, such as "Beautiful Girl," "Cheater" and the demo to "We Are the World".
Track listing
| Disc 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
| 1. | "I Want You Back" | The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, Alphonzo Mizell) | Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | 2:58 |
| 2. | "ABC" | The Corporation | ABC | 2:57 |
| 3. | "I'll Be There" | Berry Gordy, Bob West, Willie Hutch, Hal Davis | Third Album | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Got to Be There" | Elliot Willensky | Got to Be There | 3:23 |
| 5. | "I Wanna Be Where You Are" | Arthur "T-Boy" Ross, Leon Ware | Got to Be There | 2:59 |
| 6. | "Ben" | Walter Scharf, Don Black | Ben | 2:44 |
| 7. | "Dancing Machine" (Single Version) | Hal Davis, Don Fletcher, Dean Parks | Dancing Machine | 2:37 |
| 8. | "Enjoy Yourself" (Alternate Version) (recorded 1976, during The Jacksons sessions) | Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff | The Jacksons | 3:40 |
| 9. | "Ease on Down the Road" (featuring Diana Ross) (from The Wiz) (recorded August 1977 & 1978, during The Wiz sessions) | Charlie Smalls | The Wiz | 3:19 |
| 10. | "You Can't Win" (alternate version recorded for Epic Records, original version from The Wiz) (recorded August 1977 & 1978, during The Wiz sessions) | Charlie Smalls | The Wiz | 7:18 |
| 11. | "Shake a Body" (Early Demo) (previously unreleased) (recorded August 1978, during Destiny sessions) | Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson | 2:09 | |
| 12. | "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (Single Edit) | Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson | Destiny | 3:44 |
| 13. | "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" | Michael Jackson | Off the Wall | 6:04 |
| 14. | "Rock with You" (Album Version #2) | Rod Temperton | Off the Wall | 3:39 |
| 15. | "Off the Wall" | Rod Temperton | Off the Wall | 4:06 |
| 16. | "She's Out of My Life" | Tom Bahler | Off the Wall | 3:38 |
| 17. | "Sunset Driver" (Demo) (previously unreleased) (recorded August 1978 & 1979 – 1982, during Off The Wall & Thriller sessions) | Michael Jackson | 4:03 | |
| 18. | "Lovely One" | Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson | Triumph | 4:50 |
| 19. | "This Place Hotel" (a.k.a. "Heartbreak Hotel") | Michael Jackson | Triumph | 5:44 |
| Disc 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
| 1. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" | Michael Jackson | Thriller | 6:03 |
| 2. | "The Girl Is Mine" (featuring Paul McCartney) | Michael Jackson | Thriller | 3:42 |
| 3. | "Thriller" | Rod Temperton | Thriller | 5:58 |
| 4. | "Beat It" | Michael Jackson | Thriller | 4:18 |
| 5. | "Billie Jean" (Album Version #2) | Michael Jackson | Thriller | 4:53 |
| 6. | "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (Demo) (previously unreleased) (recorded April & October – November 8, 1982, during Thriller sessions) | Michael Jackson, Greg Phillinganes | 3:46 | |
| 7. | "Someone in the Dark" (Edited Single Version) (recorded June 1982, during E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial sessions) | Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Rod Temperton | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | 4:54 |
| 8. | "State of Shock" (featuring Mick Jagger) | Michael Jackson, Randy Hansen | Victory | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Scared of the Moon" (Demo) (previously unreleased) (recorded 1984 – 1985, in Thriller-era) | Michael Jackson, Buz Kohan | 4:41 | |
| 10. | "We Are the World" (Demo) (previously unreleased) (recorded January 28, 1985) | Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie | 5:20 | |
| 11. | "We Are Here to Change the World" (from Captain EO) (previously unreleased) (recorded 1986, during Captain EO sessions) | Michael Jackson, John Barnes | 2:53 | |
| Disc 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
| 1. | "Bad" (7' Single Mix) | Michael Jackson | Bad | 4:07 |
| 2. | "The Way You Make Me Feel" (Album Version #2) | Michael Jackson | Bad | 4:58 |
| 3. | "Man in the Mirror" | Siedah Garrett, Glen Ballard | Bad | 5:20 |
| 4. | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (Radio Edit) (featuring Siedah Garrett) | Michael Jackson | Bad | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Dirty Diana" (Album Version #2) | Michael Jackson | Bad | 4:41 |
| 6. | "Smooth Criminal" (Album Version #3) | Michael Jackson | Bad | 4:17 |
| 7. | "Cheater" (Demo) (previously unreleased) (recorded March 13 & 17, 1987, during Bad sessions) | Michael Jackson, Greg Phillinganes | 5:09 | |
| 8. | "Dangerous" (Early Version) (previously unreleased) (recorded 1985 – 1989 & September 1990 – February, August 22 & October 29, 1991, during Dangerous sessions) | Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley | 6:40 | |
| 9. | "Monkey Business" (previously unreleased) (recorded 1989, during Dangerous sessions) | Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell | 5:46 | |
| 10. | "Jam" (featuring Heavy D) | Michael Jackson, René Moore, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley | Dangerous | 5:39 |
| 11. | "Remember the Time" | Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson, Bernard Belle | Dangerous | 4:00 |
| 12. | "Black or White" | Michael Jackson; rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell | Dangerous | 4:16 |
| 13. | "Who Is It" (IHS Mix) | Michael Jackson | 7:57 | |
| 14. | "Someone Put Your Hand Out" (previously unreleased) (recorded 1987, 1990 & 1991 – April 1992, during Bad & Dangerous sessions) | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley | 5:25 | |
| Disc 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
| 1. | "You Are Not Alone" (Extended Version) (recorded September & November 6 & 8, 1994 – March 1995, during HIStory sessions) | R. Kelly | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | 6:03 |
| 2. | "Stranger in Moscow" | Michael Jackson | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | 5:44 |
| 3. | "Childhood" (theme from Free Willy 2) | Michael Jackson | HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | 4:28 |
| 4. | "On the Line" (from Get on the Bus) (recorded 1995 & January – July 1996, during HIStory & Get On The Bus sessions) | Michael Jackson, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds | 4:53 | |
| 5. | "Blood on the Dance Floor" | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley | Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Fall Again" (Demo) (previously unreleased) (recorded 1999, during Invincible sessions) | Walter Afanasieff, Robin Thicke | 4:22 | |
| 7. | "In the Back" (previously unreleased) (recorded 1994 - 2004, during HIStory & Invincible sessions) | 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 | Invincible | 6:26 |
| 9. | "You Rock My World" (Album Edit) | Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Nora Payne | Invincible | 5:09 |
| 10. | "Butterflies" | Andre Harris, Marsha Ambrosius | Invincible | 4:40 |
| 11. | "Beautiful Girl" (Demo) (previously unreleased) (recorded 1998 & 2004, during Invincible sessions) | Michael Jackson | 4:03 | |
| 12. | "The Way You Love Me" (previously unreleased) (recorded Mid 1998 – 2004, during Invincible sessions) | Michael Jackson | 4:30 | |
| 13. | "We've Had Enough" (previously unreleased) (recorded 1999 – 2000, during Invincible sessions) | Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Carole Bayer Sager | 5:45 | |
- The Jackson 5 perform tracks 1-3 and 7 (disc one). The Jacksons perform tracks 8, 11-12, 18-19 (disc one) and track 8 (disc two).
| DVD: Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour (previously unreleased) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Jam" | Michael Jackson, René Moore, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley | 8:16 |
| 2. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" | Michael Jackson | 5:13 |
| 3. | "Human Nature" | Steve Porcaro, John Bettis | 5:02 |
| 4. | "Smooth Criminal" | Michael Jackson | 6:00 |
| 5. | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (duet with Siedah Garrett) | Michael Jackson | 4:45 |
| 6. | "She's Out of My Life" | Tom Bahler | 4:53 |
| 7. | "I Want You Back/The Love You Save" | Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, Deke Richards | 2:17 |
| 8. | "I'll Be There" | Berry Gordy, Bob West, Willie Hutch, Hal Davis | 4:33 |
| 9. | "Thriller" | Rod Temperton | 5:51 |
| 10. | "Billie Jean" | Michael Jackson | 7:44 |
| 11. | "Workin' Day and Night" | Michael Jackson | 10:04 |
| 12. | "Beat It" | Michael Jackson | 7:24 |
| 13. | "Will You Be There" | Michael Jackson | 6:51 |
| 14. | "Black or White" | Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell | 6:38 |
| 15. | "Heal the World" | Michael Jackson | 8:53 |
| 16. | "Man in the Mirror" | Siedah Garrett, Glen Ballard | 13:28 |
Limited Japanese Edition bonus tracks
| Disc 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
| 11. | "Blame It on the Boogie" | Michael G. Jackson-Clark, David Jackson-Rich, Hans Kampschroer, Elmar Krohn, Thomas Meyer | Destiny | 3:34 |
| Disc 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
| 6. | "Human Nature" | Steve Porcaro, John Bettis | Thriller | 4:05 |
| Disc 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
| 3. | "Another Part of Me" | Michael Jackson | Bad | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Heal the World" | Michael Jackson | Dangerous | 6:25 |
The addition of "Another Part of Me" pushes the number of tracks down by one (i.e. "Someone Put Your Hand Out" starts off Disc 4).
| Disc 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
| 12. | "One More Chance" | R. Kelly | Number Ones | 3:49 |
- The Jacksons perform track 11.
Sampler CD
| Sampler CD | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "I Want You Back" | The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, Alphonzo Mizell) | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Rock with You" | Rod Temperton | 3:39 |
| 3. | "She's Out of My Life" | Tom Bahler | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" | Michael Jackson | 6:03 |
| 5. | "Billie Jean" | Michael Jackson | 4:53 |
| 6. | "Scared of the Moon" (Demo) (previously unreleased) | Michael Jackson, Buz Kohan | 4:41 |
| 7. | "Bad" | Michael Jackson | 4:07 |
| 8. | "Man in the Mirror" | Siedah Garrett, Glen Ballard | 5:20 |
| 9. | "Cheater" (Demo) (previously unreleased) | Michael Jackson, Greg Phillinganes | 5:09 |
| 10. | "You Are Not Alone" (extended version) | R. Kelly | 6:03 |
| 11. | "Beautiful Girl" (Demo) (previously unreleased) | Michael Jackson | 4:03 |
| 12. | "We've Had Enough" (previously unreleased) | Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels, Carole Bayer Sager | 5:45 |
Someone Put Your Hand Out
"Someone Put Your Hand Out" (on disc three of The Ultimate Collection) is a song originally written by Michael Jackson with Teddy Riley in 1987 for the Bad album and re-written 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 (source needed)(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".An instrumental version of the song was played by Michael Jackson's band during some of the concerts of the Dangerous World Tour. 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.
