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First, the bad news, this should have been a 5-star rating, but the five cuts from from "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" should have been remastered. I have both on vinyl so I know they can sound better than this. These cuts sounded dark and closed-in, with minimal soundstage; fairly shallow front to back layering was all that was evident, giving them that cardboardy digital sound that was endemic among early analog-to-digital mixers and encoders of the early eighties, and nowadays in compressed files of the MP3 ilk. The good news? I became a Michael Jackson Fan last night listening to "Number Ones". The dull sounding, digitally massacred, sonics of the first five songs left me wondering if something had gone terribly wrong with my playback chain consisting of Krell amplification (400 Watts per channel), Oppo BDP-83 SE multiformat disc player, Martin-Logan Aerius-CLS electrostat speakers, and B&W 800 ASW powered subwoofer, with Kimber Kable KCAG interconnect. Not so, because when "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" from the album "Bad" came up, it was jaw-dropping time. By the time "Bad" was recorded the engineer(s) doing the mixing and digital encoding had absorbed this digital engineering learning curve and on "Bad", Quincy Jones is clearly at the top of his game in this regard. All the remaining 13 cuts on this release are 5-star on sonics and performance. Let me be clear, up to this point I've only been talking about the sonics, that is how the recording sounds, this encompasses many things, microphone placement, recording venue, mixing and engineering and the constraints that studio and live recoding equipment impose on the final product. It does not include an evaluation of the talent and performance of the muscians, nor the artistic contribution of engineers like Quincy Jones. These elements are the basis of the performance evaluation. The "Number Ones" track list contained tracks that were unfamiliar to me and that selection was fortuitous as it showcased MJ's vocal talent in such a way that allowed me to connect to his music in an emotional way. (I was a little ashamed of myself for writing him of as just another AM radio pop artist.) So starting tomorrow, I'm going to start looking for some of his later work in SACD or at least remastered Redbook CD. Michael Jackson, you were the Michael Jordon of music, the Frank Sinatra of swank and on stage swagger, and I owe you an apology for discounting your considerable vocal talents and song writing ability. I may be within spittin' distance of my golden years, but I still enjoy well recorded and performed pop music. BartoffRead full review
Most every extra special hit that you enjoy from Michael is on this album. You can listen to the tracks over & over again & not get tired. For those who may not be fans this will more than likely turn your head. For those who ALREADY are fans this will be something to be treasured for years to come. Well worth the money!
Excellent music
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
There isn’t any words to describe michaels talent,
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Awesome it’s great
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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