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HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a greatest hits/new recordings box set consisting of 3 LPs, released in 1995. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was meant both as a career retrospective as well as an announcement of the beginning of a new chapter. I bought it for a song (pun intended) way back when and I'm glad I did because it's one of those records that has skyrocketed in value. That's not why I like it, though. I like it because it sounds incredible.
This recording (mostly on CD) has to date sold over 20 million copies, making it the best-selling box set ever. In August 2018, it was certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was nominated for five Grammy Awards at the 1996 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
There are guest appearances from Janet Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, Slash and The Notorious B.I.G. and some of the newer material relates to when he was accused of child sexual abuse earlier that decade. Because of this, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I has been described as Jackson's most personal album.
The lyrics to They Don't Care About Us attracted accusations of anti-Semitism. Jackson responded by insisting the lines had been misinterpreted and replaced them on later pressings. I have an early pressing, with the original lyrics.
Jackson followed the release of this box set with a world tour that grossed $165 million, making it the highest-grossing solo concert tour of the 1990s. It was to be Jackson's final tour as a solo artist.
Distressed by child sex abuse allegations in the early 1990s, Jackson turned to painkillers and other medications such as Valium, Xanax and Ativan for relief. His health continued to deteriorate as the tabloid press hounded him mercilessly. He would end up in rehab, but that didn't turn down the heat. The Daily Express ran a headline that read "Drug Treatment Star Faces Life on the Run" and The Daily Mirror held a "Spot The Jacko" contest where they offered readers a trip to Disney World if they could correctly predict where Jackson would appear next. News of the World accused the self-styled King Of Pop of being a fugitive from the law and talk show host Geraldo Rivera conducted a mock trial with a jury of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime at that point. Personally, I think someone should conduct a mock trial with Rivera for the crime of impersonating a journalist. The guy's a dick.
The album faced legal challenges, as well. Among them, the ballad You Are Not Alone, credited to R. Kelly, was ruled to have been plagiarized from a melody written by two Belgian songwriting brothers, Eddy and Danny Van Passel, and was subsequently banned from radio play in Belgium.
The anti-Semetic brouhaha arose in June, 1995, when The New York Times alleged the song They Don't Care About Us contained anti-Jewish slurs in the lines "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me / Kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me". In a statement addressing the accusation, Jackson insisted that the idea his lyrics could be deemed objectionable "is extremely hurtful to me and misleading. The song, in fact, is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted."
The following day, David A. Lehrer and Rabbi Marvin Hier, leaders of two Jewish organizations, stated that Jackson's attempt to make a song critical of discrimination had backfired. They felt the lyrics might be ambiguous and were unsuitable for young audiences. They acknowledged that Jackson meant well and suggested he write an explanation in the album booklet. But In his review of the record, critic Jon Pareles of The New York Time, suggested that the song "gives the lie to his entire catalogue of brotherhood anthems with a burst of anti-Semitism".
That's a bit harsh, I think.
At any rate, Jackson had had enough and declared that future copies of the album would include an apology and that "Jew me" and "kike me" lyrics would be replaced with "do me" and "strike me" on future copies of the album. Spike Lee, who would later direct the song's music video, said he felt there was a double standard in the music industry, and that the word "nigger" does not cause controversy.
Gotcha.
The music videos for They Don't Care About Us, which was directed by Spike Lee in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, brought forward a sharp awareness of poverty and ended up having a positive effect on location where it was shot. The people who lived in the favela were used as extras, and in 2009 Billboard described the area as "now a model for social development" and stated that Jackson's influence was partially responsible for this improvement. The video also included performances featuring 200 members of the cultural group Olodum, generating media interest that exposed them to new audiences in 140 countries.
This is a really good album, and Sony Music spent $30 million promoting it. They probably didn't have to - this is Michael Jackson, after all - but they spent some of that money on some pretty neat stuff. The box set's cover depicts a 10-foot sculpture of Jackson in a warrior-like pose that was created by artist Diana Walczak, and to promote the HIStory tour Epic placed ten 30-foot replicas of the statue in locations around the world, including the pedestal of the destroyed Stalin Monument in Prague. The statues were built over a period of three months and were made of steel and fiberglass. They weighed around 20,000 pounds each.
The record garnered generally positive reviews. Jon Pareles, of The New York Times, wrote "It has been a long time since Michael Jackson was simply a performer. He's the main asset of his own corporation, which is a profitable subsidiary of Sony." Some reviewers commented on the unusual format of a new studio album being accompanied by a greatest hits collection, which Q magazine likened "taking your dad with you into a fight." Huh?
I like this record a lot, and it could even be argued it's all the Michael Jackson you'll ever need. But it's not. You still need Thriller, Bad and Dangerous. And maybe a Jackson 5 greatest hits package, too. It's hard to believe he's has been gone for more than a decade already, and the accusations of the 1990s will always colour his legacy. I hope they're not true, and since I'll never know I'll keep playing this record and remembering the artist that made the music, if not the man himself. It's a terrific sounding record, even though it's definitely a digital production.
Because this is more-or-less a career-spanning collection with exceptional sound and a new release, it's …
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is a greatest hits/new recordings box set consisting of 3 LPs, released in 1995. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was meant both as a career retrospective as well as an announcement of the beginning of a new chapter. I bought it for a song (pun intended) way back when and I'm glad I did because it's one of those records that has skyrocketed in value. That's not why I like it, though. I like it because it sounds incredible.
This recording (mostly on CD) has to date sold over 20 million copies, making it the best-selling box set ever. In August 2018, it was certified 8× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was nominated for five Grammy Awards at the 1996 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.
There are guest appearances from Janet Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, Slash and The Notorious B.I.G. and some of the newer material relates to when he was accused of child sexual abuse earlier that decade. Because of this, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I has been described as Jackson's most personal album.
The lyrics to They Don't Care About Us attracted accusations of anti-Semitism. Jackson responded by insisting the lines had been misinterpreted and replaced them on later pressings. I have an early pressing, with the original lyrics.
Jackson followed the release of this box set with a world tour that grossed $165 million, making it the highest-grossing solo concert tour of the 1990s. It was to be Jackson's final tour as a solo artist.
Distressed by child sex abuse allegations in the early 1990s, Jackson turned to painkillers and other medications such as Valium, Xanax and Ativan for relief. His health continued to deteriorate as the tabloid press hounded him mercilessly. He would end up in rehab, but that didn't turn down the heat. The Daily Express ran a headline that read "Drug Treatment Star Faces Life on the Run" and The Daily Mirror held a "Spot The Jacko" contest where they offered readers a trip to Disney World if they could correctly predict where Jackson would appear next. News of the World accused the self-styled King Of Pop of being a fugitive from the law and talk show host Geraldo Rivera conducted a mock trial with a jury of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime at that point. Personally, I think someone should conduct a mock trial with Rivera for the crime of impersonating a journalist. The guy's a dick.
The album faced legal challenges, as well. Among them, the ballad You Are Not Alone, credited to R. Kelly, was ruled to have been plagiarized from a melody written by two Belgian songwriting brothers, Eddy and Danny Van Passel, and was subsequently banned from radio play in Belgium.
The anti-Semetic brouhaha arose in June, 1995, when The New York Times alleged the song They Don't Care About Us contained anti-Jewish slurs in the lines "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me / Kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me". In a statement addressing the accusation, Jackson insisted that the idea his lyrics could be deemed objectionable "is extremely hurtful to me and misleading. The song, in fact, is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted."
The following day, David A. Lehrer and Rabbi Marvin Hier, leaders of two Jewish organizations, stated that Jackson's attempt to make a song critical of discrimination had backfired. They felt the lyrics might be ambiguous and were unsuitable for young audiences. They acknowledged that Jackson meant well and suggested he write an explanation in the album booklet. But In his review of the record, critic Jon Pareles of The New York Time, suggested that the song "gives the lie to his entire catalogue of brotherhood anthems with a burst of anti-Semitism".
That's a bit harsh, I think.
At any rate, Jackson had had enough and declared that future copies of the album would include an apology and that "Jew me" and "kike me" lyrics would be replaced with "do me" and "strike me" on future copies of the album. Spike Lee, who would later direct the song's music video, said he felt there was a double standard in the music industry, and that the word "nigger" does not cause controversy.
Gotcha.
The music videos for They Don't Care About Us, which was directed by Spike Lee in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, brought forward a sharp awareness of poverty and ended up having a positive effect on location where it was shot. The people who lived in the favela were used as extras, and in 2009 Billboard described the area as "now a model for social development" and stated that Jackson's influence was partially responsible for this improvement. The video also included performances featuring 200 members of the cultural group Olodum, generating media interest that exposed them to new audiences in 140 countries.
This is a really good album, and Sony Music spent $30 million promoting it. They probably didn't have to - this is Michael Jackson, after all - but they spent some of that money on some pretty neat stuff. The box set's cover depicts a 10-foot sculpture of Jackson in a warrior-like pose that was created by artist Diana Walczak, and to promote the HIStory tour Epic placed ten 30-foot replicas of the statue in locations around the world, including the pedestal of the destroyed Stalin Monument in Prague. The statues were built over a period of three months and were made of steel and fiberglass. They weighed around 20,000 pounds each.
The record garnered generally positive reviews. Jon Pareles, of The New York Times, wrote "It has been a long time since Michael Jackson was simply a performer. He's the main asset of his own corporation, which is a profitable subsidiary of Sony." Some reviewers commented on the unusual format of a new studio album being accompanied by a greatest hits collection, which Q magazine likened "taking your dad with you into a fight." Huh?
I like this record a lot, and it could even be argued it's all the Michael Jackson you'll ever need. But it's not. You still need Thriller, Bad and Dangerous. And maybe a Jackson 5 greatest hits package, too. It's hard to believe he's has been gone for more than a decade already, and the accusations of the 1990s will always colour his legacy. I hope they're not true, and since I'll never know I'll keep playing this record and remembering the artist that made the music, if not the man himself. It's a terrific sounding record, even though it's definitely a digital production.
Because this is more-or-less a career-spanning collection with exceptional sound and a new release, it's …
BONUS TRACK
On June 13, 2005, Michael Jackson was acquitted on charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy. He'd been indicted on four counts of molesting a minor, four counts of intoxicating a minor to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation, one count of conspiring to hold the boy and his family captive, and conspiring to commit extortion and child abduction.
A jury of eight women and four men concluded the evidence was not sufficient beyond a reasonable doubt that Jackson was a predator who groomed his alleged victim with liquor and porn and then groped him
Jackson had previously been accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. He denied that allegation and settled with the accuser's family out of court, which ended the lawsuit but spawned a firestorm of suspicion. Prosecutors dropped their criminal investigation when the accuser refused to cooperate.
In the 2005 case, Jackson was accused of abusing another child at his Neverland Ranch estate in Los Olivos, California. The investigation was triggered by a 2003 documentary, Living with Michael Jackson, that showed Jackson holding hands with his accuser and defending his practice of giving his bed to children, which is admittedly weird and disconcerting.
The trial lasted 15 long weeks, and throughout it Jackson remained seated and still, showing little emotion.
Ten years later a documentary called Leaving Neverland looked at allegations that Jackson had molested other boys. One of them, Wade Robson, testified for Jackson’s defence during the trial, but then said he had lied in his original testimony.
In his remarks after the verdict, Santa Barbara District Attorney, Tom Sneddon said, “Obviously we’re disappointed in the verdict. We did the right thing. We thought we had a good case.”
In a news conference after the verdict, jurors described a case that was weak and an accuser and a family who could not be believed. They said their deliberations were calm and confident and that they weren't influenced by Jackson's celebrity.
The trial was, of course - like anything Michael Jackson does - sensational. At the heart of it were accusations from Jackson's accuser that Jackson had fondled him on two separate occasions. His younger brother recalled two other incidents, witnessed while he believed his older brother was asleep. The children also accused Jackson of giving them wine, vodka and bourbon to drink, and their mother said they were kept as prisoners at Jackson's Neverland ranch.
Say what?
Jackson's attorney described the family as seasoned shakedown artists attempting to pull off “the biggest con of their careers.”
On June 13, 2005, Michael Jackson was acquitted on charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old boy. He'd been indicted on four counts of molesting a minor, four counts of intoxicating a minor to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation, one count of conspiring to hold the boy and his family captive, and conspiring to commit extortion and child abduction.
A jury of eight women and four men concluded the evidence was not sufficient beyond a reasonable doubt that Jackson was a predator who groomed his alleged victim with liquor and porn and then groped him
Jackson had previously been accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. He denied that allegation and settled with the accuser's family out of court, which ended the lawsuit but spawned a firestorm of suspicion. Prosecutors dropped their criminal investigation when the accuser refused to cooperate.
In the 2005 case, Jackson was accused of abusing another child at his Neverland Ranch estate in Los Olivos, California. The investigation was triggered by a 2003 documentary, Living with Michael Jackson, that showed Jackson holding hands with his accuser and defending his practice of giving his bed to children, which is admittedly weird and disconcerting.
The trial lasted 15 long weeks, and throughout it Jackson remained seated and still, showing little emotion.
Ten years later a documentary called Leaving Neverland looked at allegations that Jackson had molested other boys. One of them, Wade Robson, testified for Jackson’s defence during the trial, but then said he had lied in his original testimony.
In his remarks after the verdict, Santa Barbara District Attorney, Tom Sneddon said, “Obviously we’re disappointed in the verdict. We did the right thing. We thought we had a good case.”
In a news conference after the verdict, jurors described a case that was weak and an accuser and a family who could not be believed. They said their deliberations were calm and confident and that they weren't influenced by Jackson's celebrity.
The trial was, of course - like anything Michael Jackson does - sensational. At the heart of it were accusations from Jackson's accuser that Jackson had fondled him on two separate occasions. His younger brother recalled two other incidents, witnessed while he believed his older brother was asleep. The children also accused Jackson of giving them wine, vodka and bourbon to drink, and their mother said they were kept as prisoners at Jackson's Neverland ranch.
Say what?
Jackson's attorney described the family as seasoned shakedown artists attempting to pull off “the biggest con of their careers.”
