Number Ones＜完全生産限定盤/Red Vinyl＞

数々の偉業とともに語り継がれる "キング・オブ・ポップ"=マイケル・ジャクソン
2003年リリースのナンバーワン・ヒット・アルバム『ナンバー・ワンズ』を初アナログ盤化(レッド・ヴァイナル)

世界中のあらゆるチャートを制し、数々の偉業とともに語り継がれる"キング・オブ・ポップ"=マイケル・ジャクソン。2003年にリリースされた、彼にしか成しえないナンバーワン・ヒット・アルバム『Number Ones』(ナンバー・ワンズ)が初のアナログ盤として登場。13曲もの全米No.1ヒットを放ち、15部門のグラミー賞を受賞し、前人未到の7億5千万枚以上のセールスを誇るマイケル。このベスト盤は、「今夜はドント・ストップ」、「ビリー・ジーン」、「BAD」など、ビルボードHOT100チャート/R&Bチャート/全英チャートなどヨーロッパ諸国のナショナル・チャートなど世界中の様々なチャートを制したナンバーワン・ソングを網羅した、まさに究極のベスト・オブ・ベスト・アルバム。
また、『ボヘミアン・ラプソディ』製作陣×ジャファー・ジャクソン (マイケル・ジャクソンの甥) 主演による、伝記映画 『Michael/マイケル』が、2026年6月に日本公開決定。劇場でも "キング・オブ・ポップ" の伝説を目撃してほしい。

Since Michael Jackson botched his first hits collection by pairing it with a new album of material in a double-disc set, making it considerably less attractive for those legions of listeners who want just a single disc of hits, it's both inevitable and welcome that he attempted another compilation a few years later. This second collection, Number Ones, was released in the wake of the 2000 blockbuster Beatles 1, which rewrote the rules of modern-day hits collections from major artists, since it not only contained a generous, representative cross section of hits, it had a specific focus and did gangbuster business. An avalanche of similar-minded compilations by other titans followed, notably Elvis' 30 #1 Hits and the Rolling Stones' Forty Licks, and MJ's Number Ones is part of that wave. For some artists, sticking to number one hits isn't a bad way to make a collection -- the Beatles are a perfect example, actually, since even if 1 didn't contain such seminal items as "Strawberry Fields Forever," it still offered a full, representative portrait of their career. Jackson doesn't fare so well by the number one rule. First of all, he doesn't strictly follow the number one rule, leaving behind the number one hit duet "Say Say Say" with Paul McCartney, substituting a 1981 live version of "Ben" for the original hit, adding "Break of Dawn," an Invincible album cut never released as a single, and including "Thriller," "Smooth Criminal," and "Earth Song," none of which hit number one, and the latter wasn't even released as a single in the U.S. (there is, of course, the requisite previously unreleased song, the OK slow jam "One More Chance"). Then, there's the fact that Thriller changed the business, inaugurating the era of the blockbuster album that rode the charts for years, spinning off hit singles every quarter. Thriller generated tons of hits -- six of its nine tracks hit the charts, but only two of them hit number one. Its successor, Bad, had seven of its 11 songs hit the charts (one other, the CD bonus cut "Leave Me Alone," was a staple on MTV), and of those, five peaked at number one. So, by sticking to number ones, and adding "Smooth Criminal," this collection skews very heavily toward Bad, at times playing like an expanded reissue with bonus tracks. This may be a fairly accurate reading of chart positions, but it doesn't result in a particularly representative collection, since the brilliant Off the Wall is granted only two songs, leaving behind such charting hits as "Off the Wall" and "She's Out of My Life" (both gold singles, mind you), and Thriller is represented by only three tracks, with such defining songs as "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Human Nature," "PYT (Pretty Young Thing)," and "The Girl Is Mine" being left behind. These two albums are the core of Jackson's legacy, and it simply feels wrong that Number Ones gives them short shrift. Dangerous also is neglected, providing just one selection, when on the whole it had far more memorable songs than HIStory or Invincible. But these problems are inherent with any collection that concentrates just on the charts, not the music that got the songs on the charts in the first place. And while Number Ones contains enough of the big songs to recommend it for those listeners who are looking just for a cross section of the biggest hits from Jackson's career, it is also true that the perfect Michael Jackson hits collection has yet to be assembled. Maybe next time, particularly if he's granted an entry into Sony's generally excellent The Essentials series. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

言わずと知れた〈キング・オブ・ポップ〉ことマイケル・ジャクソンのナンバー・ワン・ヒットだけを集めた、まさにベスト中のベスト・アルバムが登場。エピック移籍1作目『Off The Wall』からのヒット〈今夜はドント・ストップ〉で幕を開け、名曲“Rock With You”、そしてモンスター・アルバム『Thriller』からの“Billie Jean”“Beat It”“Thriller”……と、近作『Invincible』からの“Break Of Dawn”まで曲順が発表順に並べられており、そのどれもが時代を代表する名曲であることを証明する、まさにキャリアの集大成ともいえる内容だ。さらにラストには、“You Are Not Alone”で組んだR・ケリーとの再々共演となる新曲“One More Chance”を収録。意味深なタイトルも気になるが、その心洗われるメロディーを前にしたら黙るしかない。〈マイケル〉＝いちジャンル、ですね。
bounce (C)佐藤 ともえ