1 Hidden Gem From Every Michael Jackson Album
3. HIStory: Past, Present And Future Book One - This Time Around
In the mid-Nineties, mired in controversies and with his popularity on the wane, Michael Jackson made the savvy decision to combine his new album with a Greatest Hits collection. This probably resulted in many people buying the album who wouldn’t have done so otherwise. It’s equally likely that many people quickly set the new songs aside in favour of revisiting the classics.
Of course, Jackson scored some new massive hits with this record, including You Are Not Alone, Scream and Earth Song. The new material amounts to much more than some sort of bonus disc. That being said, when was the last time you went back and listened to Tabloid Junkie or his saccharine cover of Charlie Chaplin’s Smile?
Next time you do pull this one out for a listen, look beyond the slew of hit singles and give This Time Around another go. The track reprises the taut, funky production that revitalised the King Of Pop’s sound on Dangerous and features a guest verse from The Notorious B.I.G. Back in 1995, that New Jack Swing sound didn’t feel as fresh as it had done in 1991, but over 20 years later, who cares? You can slot This Time Around on a playlist right next to Jam or Who Is It? and it still sounds great.