Music Man

So, having had a day or two for the dust to settle, just how do we rate Michael Jackson? I think the first thing is to differentiate between Michael Jackson as an individual, and Michael Jackson as the public face of a media package. When you went to see a Michael Jackson show, or watched one of his videos, or listened to one of his records, you were getting the Michael Jackson package - which owed a tremendous amount to the people behind the scenes - not least for much of his career, Quincy Jones who was his producer during his heyday. So, great entertainer - yes. Great dancer - yes. Great singer? Not really. He had a rather thin and reedy voice, which is why he didn't do much ballad work - even with the benefit of electronic enhancement, his voice really wasn't up to it. What he did, he did well, and those behind him ensured that he was given material which played to his strengths and away from his weaknesses. Yes - the Michael Jackson package was certainly pretty awesome, and that is the way he will be remembered.