MJ's albums are all over the chart right now, but I can't help noticing the albums people are buying are all the earlier ones. Off The Wall was nowhere near as successful in it's day as later blockbusters like Bad and Dangerous, but those albums are nowhere to be seen while Off The Wall and even Jackson 5 compilations are selling like hotcakes.

I'm seeing posters of him in shop windows and people's cars and all the pictures are from the 70s or 80s when he was young, gifted and black (he was always black of course, but you know what I mean). I've seen some posters of him from 1987 when he was caramel coloured, but none after that.

Is history saying that the later MJ was shit? Or is it because the later MJ is associated with disturbing behaviour and people see the younger MJ as less tainted?
[Edited 7/15/09 8:41am]

"It doesn't matter if you're black or white".

It does matter, however, if you put out good music. Maybe people think Mike's music wasn't as strong as it was during Off the Wall, Thriller and even Bad.

midnightmover said:

Off the Wall was about as successful as Dangerous in the US. Anyway, Bad and Dangerous weren't too far behind Off the Wall in terms of sales last week.

AlexdeParis said:

I don't live in the US. Michael's biggest album here was Bad, but no-one's interested in it now. Why is that? Dangerous was also much bigger here and internationally than OTW or the Jackson 5 stuff. OTW's sales AT THE TIME were only about 7 million worldwide. Dangerous and Bad's sales AT THE TIME were about 20 million. Even History sold about 15 million in it's first year, yet people are neglecting those years in favour of J5 stuff and earlier albums. Why is this?

Rogue588 said:

Well thats ridiculous.

midnightmover said:

People buying the stuff they don't already have?

BTW, the possessive pronoun you're looking for is "its."

AlexdeParis said:

I'm hoping that your dishonesty is not typical of all respondents because I'd like to have a serious discussion here. (Dishonest because you're deliberately dodging the issue).

BTW, my possessive pronoun was just fine. Very weak diversion tactic there.

AlexdeParis said:

Worldwide sales were as follows:

Off The Wall - 20 million
Thriller - 109 million
Bad - 30 million
Dangerous - 32 million
HIStory - 20 million (40 million units aka 2 disk set)
Blood On The Dance Floor - 6 million
Invincible - 10 million

Dangerous was a lot bigger in the US than Off The Wall as far as publicity and output. The tour, the Black or White video controversy, the Super Bowl, the plethora of videos, the Oprah interview. That was miles above any promotion he did for Off The Wall, or even Thriller. His first solo tour wasn't until 1988's BAD tour. Thriller had 3 videos, plus a making of. Off The Wall had what....3 videos?

ernestsewell said:

Agree. Those later MJ albums were MUCH MORE high profile and sold much more. But dude, Thriller DID NOT sell 109 million.

midnightmover said:

Thriller did at least 65 million, which is still pretty huge.

And I don't think it's Michael's changes that people just prefer one side, they're basically preferring early Epic solo MJ if anything because I've yet to hear about people buying his Motown albums or his albums with his brothers yet.

midnightmover said:

Dude, numbers are inflated all the time. To say it sold 100 million is an easy assumption. Might have sold more, might not have. That album was in circulation and popular for 2+ years. Came out in Dec 1982, and was still popular in 1984 during the Victory Tour, well into the fall. LOTS of promotion, magazine covers, tabloid stuff, etc etc. I didn't make those numbers up either.

ernestsewell said:

You're darn right numbers are inflated all the time. For instance Invincible did not sell 10 million. But no-one in their right mind believes Thriller sold ANYWHERE NEAR 100 million copies.

ernestsewell said:

No you're right, you didn't. Raymone Bain did.

Timmy84 said:

I'm seeing compilations near the top of the charts with pictures of an Afro-wearing MJ on the front. I'm hearing "Blame It On The Boogie" and other group songs, and I'm seeing pictures of Mike all from the 70s and 80s. It's like his career stopped after he lost his last bit of melanin or something.

midnightmover said:

You sure? Maybe it's in England (he was always a big draw over there throughout his career). But I know it's not in America...for some reason. I know some J5 hits have been getting some digital sales tho.
[Edited 7/15/09 9:59am]

Timmy84 said:

Yeah. I've been in HMV where the chart albums are laid out and I'm seeing Mike's black face all over it. And like I said, the posters I'm seeing all feature the black (or sometimes caramel) Mike.

midnightmover said:

maybe people already own those albums on cd, i didnt have off the wall on cd i still have the album. my favorite mj is when he was with his brothers,mike and his brothers had some JAMS,far as the pictures i got a couple tshirts and posters and they are all when he was a handsome black man.i always had problems lookin at the pale skin mj.

Although people are grieving the passing of Michael in general I do believe everyone wants to remember a particular time in Michael life. So you get those who want to remember him as he was when he was a little boy with an afro, those who want to remember him how he was during the Thriller era and those who want to remember him how he was in more recent years.

What I notice now is that I am seeing quite a few people with T-shirts of Michael during his J5 days, now I grew up during the J5 era and I can't even remember peeps wearing t-shirts of the Jackson 5 back then.

whatsgoingon said:

I'm remembering him as the coming-of-age MJ (1976-1982).

whatsgoingon said:

Same here. I'm seeing posters of him with his Afro too.

I've seen a combo of both pre-vitiligo and post-vitiligo shirts. I've seen ones with afros and posters from thriller and bad era, but I also saw poses from Dangerous and Ultimate collection. Some of the tourist stores have random white shirts with dangerous and history tour pics ironed on to them, just to attract customers.

As much as people are buying Thriller, the numbers ones and essential collection are his saving grace too, as people will hear those and some may want the actual albums with them, so eventually they will sell. It's all about age too, most people my age who remember mj remember first hearing of him during Dangerous during grade school, where for me it was a year before Bad came out.

alphastreet said:

I have always seen peeps wearing Thriller/Bad/Dangerous T-shirts, that has always been a given. But since his death it's like people want to reclaim Michael the way he use to be, in all his natural glory. I first notice this with the people who gathered outside the Apollo in Harlem, but now it seem to have spread. It's like lots of people are saying "this is Michael and this is how I will be remembering him"

My mj t shirt that I always had is also from the Thriller era and he looks beautiful there. That's the one I've been wearing, and I also have a Thriller album and afro mj button I've had for years. I have a button too of him in court with the bunny ears I found at Kensington Market one time and was like WTF but i bought it for keepsakes, though I wouldn't wear it.

I also have an I heart mj button, but i place of mj is him on his toes from the number ones cover.

Michael is BLACK, and always has been black. I love him no matter what, before or after Vitiligo, i think michael is beautiful

I was tempted to buy Off the Wall today at Target, but had to control myself a bit because I've spent so much money on MJ cd's as of late.
[Edited 7/15/09 11:49am]

midnightmover said:

WTF are you talking about? Common sense says that people would purchase the albums they don't already own.


No, it wasn't.

"it's" = "it is"
"its" = belonging to it

I guess most people were buying CDs because it was all about cassette tapes and LP's back in the day when the last bought MJ albums.
[Edited 7/15/09 12:03pm]

ernestsewell said:

I explicitly mentioned the US, where I believe Off the Wall and Dangerous are both certified as 7x platinum.

AlexdeParis said:

I think it's fair to say more people owned Thriller than Dangerous, yet it's not Dangerous they're buying is it? The videos I'm seeing being played are all earlier ones too. You are trying to dodge that issue. My hopes of an honest discussion are fading fast.



The fact that you're making such a pedantic point shows you have an agenda to try and divert attention from the real issue. Why else would you be so churlish?

Rogue588 said:

I think his music was still as strong but a lot of folks couldn't get past his image. Its sad that the biggest pop star in the world had to go thru the vitilago with the tabloids and everything and still people question his trying to be white, skin bleeching etc. All they have to do is look at pics for proof:

http://floacist.wordpress...l-jackson/