Customer Rating: 
Summary: Genius in Gloves
Comment: Before he was Whacko Jacko, he was a brilliant musical star, a man who revolutionized expectations of what a recording artist could do.
Michael Jackson had a moment of star-crossed genius when he (along with a dream team that included Quincy Jones, among others) recorded Thriller, an album to this day is a benchmark of how pop can be both immaculate and stunning at the same time.
What happened after is stuff of legend.
Michael Jackson became a man obsessed...not just the tabloid crap that dominates his legacy, but with topping his best work. The evidence here is that he often touched moments for pure brilliance ("Man in The Mirror," "Black and White") but also trapped himself into self-repetition ("Dirty Diana" aping "Beat It" and "Billie Jean"). There are also moments when Jackson's self proclaimed hype made the songs into self-parody ("Your butt is mine...?" from the squeaky clean Bad). He at times seemed so desperate to shatter expectations that he seemed tone-deaf to what his audience expected or what his limits could be, like the controversial crotch grabbing/property smashing coda to the original "Black and White" video.
Since "Number Ones" is presented in chronological order, you can also hear how Jackson starts to short circuit by the time he gets past the Dangerous period. "You Are Not Alone" is the last really good song on this CD, and there are five more left. (I'm counting the superfluous live rendition of "Ben.") "Earth Song" is trite, and the material from Invincible sounds forced, almost desperate. From a lesser R&B singer, they would have been passable, but from a man who once contractually demanded that anyone who wanted face-time with the star refer to him as "The King of Pop," second tier didn't cut it.
However, when you listen to those songs that made Jackson a super-nova....the insistent dance-pop of "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough," the driving paranoia of "Billie Jean," the snarling "Smooth Criminal" and just the memory of Jackson moon walking, you can forgive him for a lot of his indiscretions.
