The Thriller is gone

Now that Michael Jackson is officially an American tragedy on par with Elvis Presley or the Titanic, it's time to dole out the hits. But what's this? Only two cuts from Off the Wall? Only three from Thriller?! This compilation is about as representative of Jackson's music as High Times magazine is of current events.\nIn the recent tradition of No. 1 discs from generation-defining artists, Jackson gets his untimely due.\nNumber Ones draws heavily from Bad and one-offs from previous compilations. Apparently, Jackson (alongside co-executive producer John McClain) believes two tracks from Invincible are worth more than four minutes and five seconds of the sublime "Human Nature," which does not appear on this collection. \nNow, true, those cuts from Invincible are better than you think. But, dude: I'm talking about Thriller -- an American cultural artifact that has almost unanimous approval by planet Earth.\nMore than ever, MJ needs some impossibly positive PR to momentarily distract the salivating jowls of public opinion. This is not that distraction. If anything, I'm even more prone to prematurely condemn his alleged actions by the mere fact that "PYT" has again been sidelined on this second attempt at Jackson's greatest. Just buy Thriller already.