Product Description

Michael Jackson was one of those rare human beings who can truly be described as a legend. As with Elvis and John Lennon, everyone will remember where they were when they heard about the death of Michael Jackson. He was just fifty when he died, but had become a superstar by the time he was eleven, ensuring his music was part of the fabric of everyone s life.

Though his days of greatest success were behind him, Jackson was standing on the threshold of what could well have been one of the biggest comebacks in showbiz history. It wasn t to be, but the music, sales figures and the number of current stars who queued to pay tribute to his influence underlined the fact that, for all his controversial personal quirks, Michael Jackson was indeed one of the greats.

This picture-packed tribute, charts the life of a legend, from his earliest days as a hyperactive child protégé fronting family group the Jackson Five, to the assured superstar looking out from the cover of Thriller, still the best-selling album of all time. It analyses the magical stage moves like the Moonwalk that made him a sensational live act, celebrates the intoxicating music that made him the King of Pop and follows his life right through to the comeback that was to be cruelly cut short before the curtain could rise.

Michael Jackson 1958 2009: Life of a Legend tells the larger-than-life story of a unique character whose musical legacy will never die.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2748 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Review
Full of rare images and top-class photography it is a perfect tribute to an extraordinary man --The Sun

This book is the best Michael Jackson book I have ever seen, it's tasteful and elegantly published I give it 5 out of 5 stars! --David Hartnell

Review
With over 200 pictures and told in an uplifting manner, this is a celebration of one of the world's greatest-ever performers

Review
Has the merit of concentrating on Jackson the superlative performer, from his debut to his last appearances

Customer Reviews

Michael Jackon's Legacy
For any Michael Jackson fan that has been a fan since the early 80s (or even earlier), it's always difficult to pick out which reading material to recommend and which to avoid. Michael was one of the most divisive public figures in recent history and reading matter on him was positive and negative.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It promises to be a tribute to Michael and that's exactly what it is. No rumours, no innuendo, no nonsense. It's a beautifully laid out book and some of the photos are absolutely unbelievable. There are photos of him at his peak, during the 80s Victory and Bad tours, which are simply incredible and bring back great memories of the man in his prime.

The book takes you through Michael's career, from the start with his brothers to his stratospheric climb to solo megastardom. For many fans, one of the great fears was always 'how would history remember Michael Jackson' and, for most fans, they would have wanted history to remember him like this book remembers him - the greatest, most consummate artist of all time. A phenomenal songwriter - he wrote Don't Stop Till You Get Enough before he was 21 and Billie Jean before he was 24!! An incredible vocalist. An incredible dancer. An incredible showman. At his peak, he was everything. So it's nice to read him remembered for being just that. The book discusses Michael's final years but doesn't leave the reader with that as the final thought. After taking us through to Michael's untimely passing, the book goes back to "Michael Jackson The Performer" and reminds us all WHO and WHAT Michael Jackson was.

It's also full of trivia that, even as a seasoned fan, I'd either forgotten or wasn't aware of like what song from Off The Wall Michael referred to as sounding like a ''a conch shell's insides on a beach' and what Stevie Wonder song the Jackson 5 recorded backing vocals on (and was the last time they got to number one as the Jackson 5).

There are many tributes from fans around the world which shows the lengths that the publishers went to in order to reach out to the fans. Some of them will reduce you to tears... reading how much Michael Jackson meant to people around the world.

If you love Michael Jackson and care about his legacy and how he is remembered, this is the perfect book. Highly recommended. A beautiful book.

Beautiful book, a great tribute to a legend
The photos are brilliant and such a great looking book. The tributes were very touching and made a fitting ending. As a Jackson fan it's great to read something that's obviously been put together by people who care so much about this publication.

Thanks to all involved.

Very good tribute
I really enjoyed reading this book and accompanied with some brilliant photos. Not being a massive Jackson fan I was trying to get an honest insight into the life of a great artist and this book hit the mark. Being a very popular subject it is stands out well against other books on Michael Jackson helping the reader understand why he this man is considered a legend while being an excellent tribute to a great artist.