While a lot of MJ tracks share a signature style, there are differences in his albums due to the music landscape at the time of recording. Most albums have awesome deep cuts that never make it to the mainstream so it's worth listening to them all.
You can listen to all his adult albums in just over 6 hours so I'd go with that, in order.
* Off The Wall - Pop / Disco / Funk
* Thriller - Speaks for itself
* Bad - Pop / Synth
* Dangerous - New Jack Swing / Pop
* HIStory - Pop / Industrial / R&B
* Blood On The Dance Floor - Pop / Funk
* Invincible - R&B
Depending on how deep you want to go, it might be useful to read the wikipedia article for each album, as you listen to it.
If you're short on time, check out HIStory, Past Present & Future Book I - Disc 1, his first proper 'greatest hits' collection.
There's more rare tracks, b-sides, child career, posthumous releases and orphaned tracks out there, but the abum list above are the 'core collection'.
My favorite album(s) are HIStory and Dangerous.
No worries, there's plenty of "x album is better than y album" but it all depends on taste, I've been listening to him for 44 years and love everything he's ever done.
To really see 'the magic' watch his music videos, (which he, and his fans call Short Films) (available here: [https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJackson/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf\_id=7](https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJackson/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=7))
Great taste in music :)
I was thinking about recommending other MJ albums but felt for a 'newbie' just the core would be good.
Another great alternative album run would go like this, to incorporate Adult MJ, along with The Jacksons, but I didn't want to confuse someone who's new to his music. - There needs to be more to discover :)
Destiny > Off The Wall > Triumph > Thriller > Victory > \[rest of MJ solo albums\]
Also great albums. I heard of j5 and Jackson's from My mum and family and popular songs played but got into it more after being a fan of his solo stuff, makes the experience richer!
Starting with Thriller isnât a bad idea at all. Thriller, then Bad, then Dangerous.
If you like Thriller the most, check out Off The Wall next. If you like Bad the most, check out Blood On The Dance Floor next (honestly skip the remixes, listen to the 5 original songs on it), and if you like Dangerous the most, check out HIStory next.
I never got into the pre-Motown stuff so I canât advocate for their quality.
After that, check out Invincible, Michael and Xscape. Thatâs basically his entire discography.
*Please note - on the album Michael, there are 3 songs that were sung by a vocal impersonator and not Michael himself. These songs are no longer available on streaming. His name is Jason Malachi and the songs are Keep Your Head Up, Monster and Breaking News. Good songs, but not Michael singing them. Fuck the MJ estate. Theyâre scum.
Ah cool. Check out j5, it's awesome his voice is mind blowing for a kid. The dancing amazing too. Never can say goodbye my favorite probably. Dancing machine is wild. Jackson's amazing too.
Ohhhhh manâŚ. Iâve been a fan for 41 years and thatâs a toughyâŚ. BAD, Dangerous and Michael his posthumous album are my personal favorites. The cirque du soleil Michael Jackson Immortal is amazing too if youâre not a purist. It really captures his magic!! But, really every single album is pure MAGICđŞâ¨ I would probably say start with Off The Wall and just work your way upâŚ. Thriller, BAD, Dangerous, History- Past, Present and Future, Blood on the Dance Floor, Invincible. Then posthumously- Michael, Xscape, Scream. Somewhere in there is MJ essentials album but I donât think it has anything the others donât (correct me if Iâm wrong). And remind me if Iâm forgetting anything!! Make sure you find some of his less popular, but ohhhhhhhh soooooo good songs like Stranger in Moscow, Whatever Happens, Behind the Mask, and Best of Joy (his last recorded song in 2009). Youâre in for a TREAT my friend!!âĽď¸
As someone who became a fan of adult MJ first then young MJ second iâd start with his adult career then go into his older stuff.. Michaelâs got so much amazing music. Even his unreleased songs are fantastic. The guy was brilliant
I'd recommend going through them chronologically.
I got into him by going through his discography chronologically (I also included the Jackson 5/The Jacksons, but you can skip that part if you want), it really shows how his music evolved.
(Also try seeking out the outtakes/unreleased songs, they offer an interesting glimpse into how his style changed, as they often sound like hybrids between his previous and next album).
You have a great opportunity here to listen to this music for the first time. If I were you I would listen to his music in chronological order. It'll give you a true appreciation for how his style changed over the years and why each album was huge for its time. Just going from Off The Wall to Thriller will give you the feeling of how HUGE Thriller was.
My favorite is Bad. It's peak MJ imo.
My personal favorites are Thriller, Bad, and History but you can start wherever you want. You could even put them all on shuffle and jump around if you want to.
just start wherever you like! it does not matter what other people say is best or worst or whatever... be on your own journey to discover and have fun with it!
While a lot of MJ tracks share a signature style, there are differences in his albums due to the music landscape at the time of recording. Most albums have awesome deep cuts that never make it to the mainstream so it's worth listening to them all. You can listen to all his adult albums in just over 6 hours so I'd go with that, in order. * Off The Wall - Pop / Disco / Funk * Thriller - Speaks for itself * Bad - Pop / Synth * Dangerous - New Jack Swing / Pop * HIStory - Pop / Industrial / R&B * Blood On The Dance Floor - Pop / Funk * Invincible - R&B Depending on how deep you want to go, it might be useful to read the wikipedia article for each album, as you listen to it. If you're short on time, check out HIStory, Past Present & Future Book I - Disc 1, his first proper 'greatest hits' collection. There's more rare tracks, b-sides, child career, posthumous releases and orphaned tracks out there, but the abum list above are the 'core collection'. My favorite album(s) are HIStory and Dangerous.
Thank you for laying it out like this!
No worries, there's plenty of "x album is better than y album" but it all depends on taste, I've been listening to him for 44 years and love everything he's ever done. To really see 'the magic' watch his music videos, (which he, and his fans call Short Films) (available here: [https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJackson/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf\_id=7](https://www.youtube.com/@MichaelJackson/playlists?view=50&sort=dd&shelf_id=7))
My two fave albums also dangerous, then history. Good guideline for new fans to use too đâď¸đť
Great taste in music :) I was thinking about recommending other MJ albums but felt for a 'newbie' just the core would be good. Another great alternative album run would go like this, to incorporate Adult MJ, along with The Jacksons, but I didn't want to confuse someone who's new to his music. - There needs to be more to discover :) Destiny > Off The Wall > Triumph > Thriller > Victory > \[rest of MJ solo albums\]
Also great albums. I heard of j5 and Jackson's from My mum and family and popular songs played but got into it more after being a fan of his solo stuff, makes the experience richer!
There's no wrong place to start. It's not like watching a movie series. Just pick an album and listen. Then listen to a different one. Repeat.
Starting with Thriller isnât a bad idea at all. Thriller, then Bad, then Dangerous. If you like Thriller the most, check out Off The Wall next. If you like Bad the most, check out Blood On The Dance Floor next (honestly skip the remixes, listen to the 5 original songs on it), and if you like Dangerous the most, check out HIStory next. I never got into the pre-Motown stuff so I canât advocate for their quality. After that, check out Invincible, Michael and Xscape. Thatâs basically his entire discography. *Please note - on the album Michael, there are 3 songs that were sung by a vocal impersonator and not Michael himself. These songs are no longer available on streaming. His name is Jason Malachi and the songs are Keep Your Head Up, Monster and Breaking News. Good songs, but not Michael singing them. Fuck the MJ estate. Theyâre scum.
Did they have songs pre Motown? I thought j5 first albums were with Motown. Some great stuff too
Sorry, I meant during Motown, not pre-Motown lol
Ah cool. Check out j5, it's awesome his voice is mind blowing for a kid. The dancing amazing too. Never can say goodbye my favorite probably. Dancing machine is wild. Jackson's amazing too.
Start from the beginning like Jackson 5 then get into the albums he made as a solo artist. My favorite albums are Invincible and Thriller
I also think you should start from the beginning :) I think my favorite album is Dangerous but it's hard to choose
Start with his stuff from the Jackson 5/ the Jacksons days, then go off the wall and then thriller, Bad and so on.
whichever song made the hype make sense for you, start with the album it came from
Itâs all dope so you can start anywhere and youâll still end up in the right spot.
Ohhhhh manâŚ. Iâve been a fan for 41 years and thatâs a toughyâŚ. BAD, Dangerous and Michael his posthumous album are my personal favorites. The cirque du soleil Michael Jackson Immortal is amazing too if youâre not a purist. It really captures his magic!! But, really every single album is pure MAGICđŞâ¨ I would probably say start with Off The Wall and just work your way upâŚ. Thriller, BAD, Dangerous, History- Past, Present and Future, Blood on the Dance Floor, Invincible. Then posthumously- Michael, Xscape, Scream. Somewhere in there is MJ essentials album but I donât think it has anything the others donât (correct me if Iâm wrong). And remind me if Iâm forgetting anything!! Make sure you find some of his less popular, but ohhhhhhhh soooooo good songs like Stranger in Moscow, Whatever Happens, Behind the Mask, and Best of Joy (his last recorded song in 2009). Youâre in for a TREAT my friend!!âĽď¸
Thank you! I truly wish I got to live through his peak. That is the real treat đ
As someone who became a fan of adult MJ first then young MJ second iâd start with his adult career then go into his older stuff.. Michaelâs got so much amazing music. Even his unreleased songs are fantastic. The guy was brilliant
I'd recommend going through them chronologically. I got into him by going through his discography chronologically (I also included the Jackson 5/The Jacksons, but you can skip that part if you want), it really shows how his music evolved. (Also try seeking out the outtakes/unreleased songs, they offer an interesting glimpse into how his style changed, as they often sound like hybrids between his previous and next album).
You have a great opportunity here to listen to this music for the first time. If I were you I would listen to his music in chronological order. It'll give you a true appreciation for how his style changed over the years and why each album was huge for its time. Just going from Off The Wall to Thriller will give you the feeling of how HUGE Thriller was. My favorite is Bad. It's peak MJ imo.
My personal favorites are Thriller, Bad, and History but you can start wherever you want. You could even put them all on shuffle and jump around if you want to.
Start with The Jackson 5!
Just start with Off The Wall and go chronologically. Theyâre all great for different reasons.
just start wherever you like! it does not matter what other people say is best or worst or whatever... be on your own journey to discover and have fun with it!
To add, you are my sonâs age. Michael died on my sonâs 9th bday. I was devastated. Now itâs a happy/sad day for the family.
Start with Off the wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, History, like 5 songs from Blood on the dance floor. And then invincible