All 10 Michael Jackson Albums in Order of Release Date

Michael Jackson Albums in Order: Michael Jackson is, in fact, the “King of Pop”; he bettered the impact of music-audio to the extent of carving a niche among the other musicians with his resounding impact because of the avalanche that hits his career and trailblazing performances. His discography spans an incredible solo career that spanned 1971 and into a string of iconic albums that defined genres and popular culture.

The journey that Michael Jackson Albums in Order gives insight into ranges from his very first emergence with a solo album, Off the Wall, in 1979, which introduced his special breed of pop, soul, and funk. Then came Thriller in 1982-the highest-selling album of all time-with timeless hits such as “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.” Further albums, like Bad in 1987, Dangerous in 1991, HIStory in 1995, and Invincible in 2001, had already sealed his fate as a genius musician. Each album represented a new boundary for pop music, shifting not just the sonic makeup but the visual artistry involved with the genre, too, in ways that have helped to forever seal Jackson’s status as one of the most influential entertainers of the 20th century.

With over 400 million records sold worldwide and a litany of accolades including 15 Grammy Awards and 39 Guinness World Records, Jackson’s indelible influence stands as an enduring testament to his status as a preeminent pop culture luminary. So, if you are a die heart fan of Michael Jackson Albums then check out here we have list of Michael Jackson albums in order of release so far.

 

All Michael Jackson Available on:  Apple Music 

Also see: Elvis Presley Albums in Order

How many albums does Michael Jackson have?

Michael Jackson (1958–2009) released ten studio albums, five soundtrack albums, thirty-five compilation albums, ten video albums and seven remix albums.

The List of Michael Jackson Albums in Order of Release Date

Here is the list of Michael Jackson Album in Order of Release Date:

1. Got to Be There — January 24, 1972
2. Ben — August 4, 1972
3. Music & Me — April 13, 1973
4. Forever, Michael — January 16, 1975
5. Off the Wall — August 10, 1979
6. Thriller — November 30, 1982
7. Bad — August 31, 1987
8. Dangerous — November 26, 1991
9. HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I — June 20, 1995
10. Invincible — October 30, 2001

All Michael Jackson Studio Albums in Order

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1. Got to Be There (1972)

Tracks

1. Ain’t No Sunshine
2. I Wanna Be Where You Are
3. Girl Don’t Take Your Love from Me
4. In Our Small Way
5. Got to Be There
6. Rockin’ Robin
7. Wings of My Love
8. Maria (You Were the Only One)
9. Love Is Here and Now You’re Gone
10. You’ve Got a Friend

 Michael Jackson’s first solo album, Got to Be There, was released on January 24, 1972, via Motown. Such a presidential album highlighted the very young yet incredible voice of Jackson. Both the title track and “Rockin’ Robin” were charted singles, peaking at No. 4 and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. It’s an album that is a mix of original cuts and covers, from Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” to Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” Certified Gold in 2013, Got to Be There remains testimony to his early promise as a solo artist.

2. Ben (1972)

Tracks

1. Ben
2. Greatest Show on Earth
3. People Make the World Go Round
4. We’ve Got a Good Thing Going
5. Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool
6. My Girl
7. What Goes Around Comes Around
8. In Our Small Way
9. Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day
10. You Can Cry on My Shoulder

 Ben is the second solo album by American recording artist Michael Jackson, issued in 1972 while he was still a member of The Jackson 5. Produced by Willy Hutch, Leon Ware, Mel Larson and Jerry Marcellino, and recorded at West Hollywood’s Larabee Studios for Motown Records, Ben garnered mixed notices from music critics but fared better on the charts than his debut album Got to Be Be There, peaking at number ten on the US Billboard 200.

The single “Ben,” a homonymous ballad with “verbal pathos” and the theme song for the film Ben, in which Jackson played the lead role, gave Jackson his first number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album had eight tracks and consisted of a number of cover versions and original songs. It showcased one of the earliest examples of Jackson’s vocal and emotional maturation as well as his abilities as a solo artist.

3. Music & Me (1973)

Tracks

1. With a Child’s Heart
2. Up Again
3. All the Things You Are
4. Happy
5. Too Young
6. Doggin’ Around
7. Euphoria
8. Morning Glow
9. Johnny Raven
10. Music and Me

Michael Jackson’s third studio album, Music & Me, came out under Motown Records on April 13, 1973. Despite its worldwide sales figures surpassing the 2 million mark, the album remains Jackson’s poorest-selling album. The album was really released at a bad time for Jackson, 14, who was going through changes in his voice and can feel the tension of his artistic dreams against the rigid controls imposed by Motown. Jackson wanted to include his own compositions on it, but Motown refused him creative input. Major singles like “With a Child’s Heart” did well enough on the charts, but overall album performance was presumably hobbled as Jackson was touring at that time with The Jackson 5.

4. Forever, Michael (1975)

Tracks

1. We’re Almost There
2. Take Me Back
3. One Day in Your Life
4. Cinderella Stay Awhile
5. We’ve Got Forever
6. Just a Little Bit of You
7. You Are There
8. Dapper Dan
9. Dear Michael
10. I’ll Come Home to You

Forever, Michael, from 1975, was Michael Jackson’s last studio album with Motown Records before he reached fame with Off the Wall in 1979. This album represented a mix of funk and soul, with the now more mature vocals of the then-16-year-old Jackson showing he would move into the tenor voice. Produced by the likes of Eddie and Brian Holland, among others, Forever, Michael included such moderate hits as “We’re Almost There” and “Just a Little Bit of You.” Not necessarily a worldwide commercial success, it did great critically. The single “One Day in Your Life” later created major success in the UK and enshrined its legacy.

5. Off the Wall (1979)

Tracks

1. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
2. Rock with You
3. Workin’ Day and Night
4. Get on the Floor
5. Off the Wall
6. Girlfriend
7. She’s Out of My Life
8. I Can’t Help It
9. It’s the Falling in Love
10. Burn This Disco Out

Michael Jackson reached the turning point in his career with his sixth studio album, Off the Wall. This was the beginning of his work with producer Quincy Jones and determined his solo career aside from The Jacksons. From disco and pop to funk and R&B, this fifth studio album expressed the urge for creative freedom of Jackson. It featured famous participants like Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, and Rod Temperton, addressing very important subjects: those of evasion and love.

The album was commercially very successful, peaking at number one on the Billboard R&B Albums chart for sixteen weeks, while generating four top ten singles, including the number one singles “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock with You.” It has estimated sales of over 20 million copies worldwide, made it a staple of the disco era, and eventually reached induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

6. Thriller (1982)

Tracks

1. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl Is Mine
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady in My Life

Michael Jackson’s breakthrough album, Thriller, came on November 29, 1982. From the comparison of previous work from his disco-influenced albums, this was a production by Quincy Jones that moved toward the genres of pop, rock, and funk with heavier and darker R&B themes. The Girl Is Mine,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Human Nature,” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” and “Thriller” reached the US Billboard Hot 100 top 10-an unprecedented seven top-10 singles from one album.

Thriller became No. 1 globally, the top-selling album of all time, and changed the music video industry with its groundbreaking visual and choreographic feel. It had eight Grammy Awards and served as a catalyst in tearing down racial barriers relating to music, making Jackson almost a cultural icon.

7. Bad (1987)

Tracks

1. Bad
2. The Way You Make Me Feel
3. Speed Demon
4. Liberian Girl
5. Just Good Friends
6. Another Part of Me
7. Man in the Mirror
8. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
9. Dirty Diana
10. Smooth Criminal
11. Leave Me Alone

“Bad” is the seventh studio album of Michael Jackson’s monumental career. Coming as it did on August 31, 1987-almost five years since “Thriller” burst into great success in 1982-the “Bad” album showed the growth of and artistic range of Jackson. Produced in association with Quincy Jones, the album saw Jackson co-producing and writing the majority of the tracks, a musical voice far removed from his signature, one with an edgier tone. Merging pop, rock, funk, R&B, dance, and soul into the album allowed him to address any topic-from media bias and romantic relationships to self-improvement and world peace.

Debuting virtually worldwide at the top of the charts, “Bad” managed to produce a record five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 alone, as Jackson extended his winning streak. Reviewers praised the slicker production and greater vocal maturity of the album, making an estimated 35 million copies sold worldwide, possibly one of the best-selling albums ever.

8. Dangerous (1991)

Tracks

1. Jam
2. Why You Wanna Trip on Me
3. In the Closet
4. She Drives Me Wild
5. Remember the Time
6. Can’t Let Her Get Away
7. Heal the World
8. Black or White
9. Who Is It
10. Give In to Me
11. Will You Be There
12. Keep the Faith
13. Gone Too Soon
14. Dangerous

“Dangerous,” the eighth studio album by Michael Jackson, was released on November 26, 1991. This was his first major release since “Bad” in 1987. Co-produced by Jackson and Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley, and Bruce Swedien, it marked a departure from his traditional collaboration with Quincy Jones. This album fused together R&B, pop, and new jack swing. It ranges from industrial to funk, hip hop, electronic, and gospel with guest vocal appearances by Heavy D, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, and Slash.

The album debuted on number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and made 5 million sales in its first week all over the world. It can also be identified by its social awareness and new sound that shaped today’s pop and R&B. It has sold over 32 million copies worldwide and won Grammys as well as American Music Awards, among others. “Dangerous” was released during a very important period in Jackson’s career and the history of pop music.

9. HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)

Tracks

1. Billie Jean
2. The Way You Make Me Feel
3. Black or White
4. Rock with You
5. She’s Out of My Life
6. Bad
7. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You
8. Man in the Mirror
9. Thriller
10. Beat It
11. The Girl Is Mine
12. Remember the Time
13. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
14. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
15. Heal the World
16. Scream
17. They Don’t Care About Us
18. Stranger in Moscow
19. This Time Around
20. Earth Song
21. D.S.
22. Money
23. Come Together
24. You Are Not Alone
25. Childhood
26. Tabloid Junkie
27. 2 Bad
28. HIStory
29. Little Susie
30. Smile

Michael Jackson’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, released on June 20, 1995, was the first of a series of double albums combining a greatest hits collection and a disc of new material. It was Jackson’s fifth through Epic Records and his label debut with MJJ Productions. The album consisted of HIStory Begins, a compilation of past hits, and HIStory Continues, which presented new songs that dealt with personal struggle, media scrutiny, and social issues. Among the guest contributors are Janet Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, Slash, and the Notorious B.I.G.

HIStory debuted at number one in the US and 19 other countries upon its release, while singles like “Earth Song” and “Scream” enjoyed major success. Despite controversy over the lyrics of “They Don’t Care About Us” and generally mixed reviews, the album would go on to sell a total of over 20 million copies worldwide and was certified 8× Platinum by the RIAA in 2018. Further solidified by Jackson’s HIStory World Tour, which was the highest-grossing solo tour of the 1990s.

10. Invincible (2001)

Tracks

1. Unbreakable
2. Heartbreaker
3. Invincible
4. Break of Dawn
5. Heaven Can Wait
6. You Rock My World
7. Butterflies
8. Speechless
9. 2000 Watts
10. You Are My Life
11. Privacy
12. Don’t Walk Away
13. Cry
14. The Lost Children
15. Whatever Happens
16. Threatened

 Invincible is the tenth and last studio album by Michael Jackson, which was released on October 30, 2001. Combining R&B with pop and soul, guests include Carlos Santana, the Notorious B.I.G., and Slash. The album, astonishing in its production budget of $30 million, discusses love, personal media criticism, and social issues. Debuted number one on Billboard 200 and estimated sales between 8 to 10 million copies worldwide, it received mixed reviews and criticism due to the high price and no tour support. While initially critiqued, it gained retrospective praise for its early dubstep influence and later was voted by Billboard as the best album of the 2000s.

All Michael Jackson Tours in Order by Year

Michael Jackson’s tours are among the most iconic events that have ever happened to have occurred in the face of music. He did three major world tours: the Bad World Tour, which came from 1987 to 1989; the Dangerous World Tour, in 1992 to 1993; and the HIStory World Tour, in 1996 to 1997.

His first solo tour, the Bad World Tour, ran across 15 countries, playing to over 4.4 million people and breaking attendance records everywhere in the world. Next was the Dangerous World Tour, from which all the profits were given to charity. He appeared in front of record crowds across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, bringing in more than $100 million. His last tour was HIStory World Tour, supporting his album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, which engaged Jackson in 35 countries and attracted more than 4.5 million fans. Together, these performances firmly established him as among the best live entertainers to have ever lived. Although Jackson announced his last residency tour, This Is It, in 2009, it was never realized because of his sudden death.

Here is the list of Michael Jackson Tours in Order by Year:

1. Bad World Tour (1987–1989)
2. Dangerous World Tour (1992–1993)
3. HIStory World Tour (1996–1997)
4. MJ & Friends (1999)

His tours, in order, not only reinvented the concert experience but also reflected his unparalleled world appeal combined with his humanitarian concerns.

Conclusion:

Michael Jackson’s discography represents a story unparalleled by any tale of a child-star pop sensation to the “King of Pop,” further setting him in place within global culture. From the innovative debut Off the Wall through the record-smashing Thriller, into Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, and Invincible, each of those albums rewrote the sound of pop and left a dent in the industry that could not be erased so easily. In the article Michael Jackson Albums in Order, we followed the development of his sound, innovation in music videos, and tireless perfection. These albums keep his legacy alive to this date, serve as a source of inspiration for scores of artists, and please fans all over the world.

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