Customer Reviews

Greatest Hits - HIStory, Vol. 1

5 star:		(79)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am truly struggling this evening with the news of Michael Jackson's untimely death and to be candid with anybody reading this I simply can't stop thinking about it. How sad. I was shocked beyond belief and my heart also goes out to his family and his children.

We get terrific music from Michael Jackson here; he's at the top of his game on every track. The selection of songs is quite good and the sound quality on this album is excellent. I like the artwork, too.

"Billie Jean" starts the album off with one of Michael's greatest hits--ever. "Billie Jean" has a great beat for dancing that's catchy as well; and Michael's excellent diction enhances his performance all the more. The musical arrangement is perfect for Michael's vocals and "Billie Jean" just plain sounds great. "The Way You Make Me Feel" has a pop flavor with just a slight twist of rock thrown in for a good effect; I really like "The Way You Make Me Feel." Those extra vocals make the number stronger, too. Listen also for another fine Jackson tune, "Black or White." "Black or White" is remarkably catchy and I could never tire of hearing Michael Jackson perform this song; he does it without ever letting go of a superfluous note! "Black or White" is memorable, too--this music is all THAT good.

"Rock with You" impresses me greatly; it has a softer pop flavor to it that it easy on the ear yet still quite good for dancing--and that's quite a feat! "She's Out of My Life" is clearly a masterpiece even if the lyrics aren't all that happy; Michael sings this with all his heart and soul. "Bad" is very strong; it's also great for dancing even today and Michael sings "Bad" faultlessly--awesome! "Bad" has great percussion and the beat is really something. In addition, there's another gem in "Man in the Mirror." I have fond memories of when "Man in the Mirror" was first released; I ran out to buy the 45rpm record and I played that record so much I must have worn the grooves off the vinyl!

"Thriller" is the title track from a blockbuster album if there ever was one; "Thriller" is a big, big highlight of this album. It's got an excellent beat and Michael does this one to perfection--and beyond! "Beat It" has another good beat and Paul McCartney joins Michael Jackson for "The Girl Is Mine," a softer pop song. "Remember the Time" takes the listener for a turn into a different type of ballad altogether; and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" still sounds just as good today as it did the day Michael first released it! "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is another Michael Jackson song I love to hear and after a prelude to "Heal the World" we get the full version of this tune; and it leaves me stunned with its natural beauty.

Despite the fact that Michael is no longer with us, he will live on forever through his music and his artistry. I highly recommend this album for his fans; and this also makes an excellent starter CD for people just discovering the singular talent of The King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

I always wanted to buy a MJ album, and when History was released back in 1995 as a double cd, I didn't buy it. It was expensive and I was only interested in the first cd with the big hits, not the second which had only new material. Well, they have finally released the first cd of big hits seperately and I'm extremely happy!

I can't say that I'm a big MJ fan, like I said this is the first album that I own by him, but one can't deny that he's truly one of the all-time greats. This cd is full of classics, only a couple of other artists have as many hits (Beatles, Elvis, Whitney, Madonna, etc.).

I love all the songs, the only complaint that I might have is the exclusion of "Smooth Criminal", and to a lesser extent songs like "Leave Me Alone". But it's understandable because if they put everything on this cd, then nobody would buy his older albums. So it's okay, the cd contains a lot of classics so it's no problem that a couple are missing. In my opinion, this is a cd that should be in everybody's collection. If you want to buy a MJ album, this is the perfect choice!

Basically, I simply can't see the need of this re-release of the first disc of the HIStory set - HIStory was certainly a release no-one should miss, and even if the second disc contained several missers or mediocre songs ('Smile', 'Chieldhood', 'Come Together', 'This Time Around', '2Bad') it did contain a fair share of classics proving that Michael has - or had at that time, Invincible might certainly question this - not lost his touch as the King Of Pop - take songs like 'Scream', 'They Don't Care About Us', 'Stranger In Moscow', 'Earth Song' and 'You Are Not Alone'.

Instead, I think Michael should have waited a couple of years and grapped the opportunity to release a double CD with ALL his greatest hits - because there are SO many fantastic songs NOT included here - let me mention: 'Off The Wall', 'Workin' Day And Night', 'Human Nature', 'Say Say Say', 'Liberian Girl', 'Dirty Diana', 'Smooth Criminal', 'Leave Me Alone', 'Jam', 'In The Closet', 'Who Is It', 'Give In To Me', 'Will You Be There', 'Dangerous', the above mentioned HIStory songs, and from his recent Invincible release 'Cry' and 'Speechless'.

All of these songs are masterpieces, and many of them MUCH better than some of material included on this CD, even if all these songs are excellent.

I've seen listed - with no details - a forthcoming Cd and DVD combi-release titteled #1's - let's see what this brings, but probably not a complete collection of Michael's best works, unfortunately.

I'm a big fan of Michael Jackson, and I'm very pleased with this greatest hits album. It has all of my favorite Michael Jackson songs from the '80s including "Beat It", "Bad", "Heal The World", "Black & White", and "Billie Jean". "Beat It" is probably my most favorite Michael Jackson song...I just love the music video. If you are a fan of Michael Jackson then you must get this collection of his greatest hits from the early years of his career. Awesome CD! The King of Pop is here to stay!

What a year MJ is having. First fans are treated with re-releases of OFF THE WALL, THRILLER, BAD and DANGEROUS, as well as his first new album in over 6 years, INVINCIBLE, but also this repackaged greatest hits album. Before this was only available on his 1995 Double CD HISTORY. No new tracks, just the same CD only its available as a single CD. Hits include Billie Jean, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man In The Mirror, Got To Be Startin Something, Black Or White, and many others. This is now Volume 1, so I'm assuming that Vol 2. (whenever that comes out) will include hits from the new CD on HISTORY, as well as other hits from INVINCIBLE, and who knows what else. To me these songs represent his glory days as an artist, his unmatched success. I don't think he will ever find this success again after all the media exposure he's had in past years, but its a nice reminder and retrospective of a great career by a great artist.

I am a HUGE MJ fan and love all the songs on this CD (esp man in the mirror, beat it, black or white, bad, etc.), however i do not see the point of epic records releasing this cd. Fans have just been given excellent special editions of all the albums from which these tracks originate and a great new album, so why did they bother re-releasing a history cd which all fans more than likely already own? Also, would it not have been better to wait until, say, new xmas and include more up to date tracks from history, blood on the dance floor and invincible? By releasing this collection (no songs are less than 10years old) all epic are doing is giving critics a reason to write 'mike is past it'.

To conclude, excellent songs, killer beats, great ballads, strange release date and selection. If you haven't already got history (the 1995 double album) then get this... NOW! You'll love it, MJ truely is the king of pop!!!!

This is the same set of songs from disc one (HIStory Begins) of Michael's HIStory Past Present and Future Volume I CD. So if you already have that and are not a crazed fan, you may want to pass on this, otherwise you're in for a real treat. From touching ballads (She's Out Of My Life), dance grooves (Wanna Be Startin' Somethin') and inspirational songs (Man In The Mirror), this CD covers all the bases and all his solo albums from Off The Wall to Dangerous. It's hard to imagine a better collection of his greatest hits. After one listen it's sure to become a staple of your CD collection.

If you already own the 1995 album,HISTORY-PAST,PRESENT AND FUTURE BOOK 1,you don't need this album since every track on this album is already on HISTORY. This is the second compilation for Michael Jackson since he signed with Epic Records. Many tracks are even on 2003's NUMBER ONES.

I have a lot of memories of listening to Michael Jackson's music throughout my life. I have the song "Thriller" on a record, and my parents have always told me that I used to dance to it when I was about 3. I know that had to have been something, because these days, I literally refuse to dance, unless it's slow dancing.

Like I did when I was a kid, I still like listening to Michael Jackson's music. For many years, I waited for him to release an album full of his greatest hits. I've seen and looked over his History album several times, but I was never convinced enough to buy it since it was a double cd, and because I only wanted the songs that were on the first cd.

Well, all I can say is it's about time. I'm super glad that MJ decided to release this album, which is the first cd (alone) from his Greatest Hits History album. It has almost all the MJ songs that I like the best, including "Thriller," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Billie Jean," and others. There are songs included from years that span the decades of the 70's, 80's, and 90's.

Even though he's been involved in many controversies, and even though that's all that some people might think of when they hear the name Michael Jackson, there is no denying that he has made some GREAT, unforgettable music!

If you want a compilation of Michael Jackson's best music, but you don't want to get the entire 2-cd collection, Vol. 1 - Greatest Hits History would be a spectacular buy.

For true Michael Jackson fans, a 28-page color booklet is included with the cd. It has photos, credits, various people saying what they think about Michael Jackson, it mentions each of the hundreds of awards that MJ has won, and more.

What more can I say. Michael Jackson is great. This is a very well put together CD with the song "Billie Jean" as the opening and "Heal the World" as the closing song. This CD contains all the songs from the good years of Michael. I'm not really interested in his new CD's but I'd still like to have them for the sake of my collection. Greatest Hits History is a very great CD and I don't think any Jackson fan could live without it.
Bottom Line: Vol 1. Greatest Hits History: Michael Jackson kicks
butt