Can Michael Jackson still cut it

Invincible, to be released in October

�A.� He has. After an audio silence of nearly six years, he is about to�release a new album. A single, You Rock My World,��is already out.

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Q.� The album�should be good, then, after such a long wait

A.� Let's hope so.�Jackson's whole future as the self-styled 'King Of Pop' is on the line�- Invincible could be a make-or- break album for him.

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Q.� How did he get to be 'King Of Pop'

A.� The title was a marketing ploy dreamed up to ensure that each time Michael Jackson's name was mentioned on MTV, this 'honorary' title was used. But�when you�think objectively about�the length and durability of his career as a recording artist, it sounds a little less like a hollow boast.

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Q.� Seriously

A.� The statistics are impressive. Beginning back in 1970 aged just 11, Michael scored a straight four hits in a row with�his brothers, The Jackson Five. And Michael�was the obvious focal point of the group�- partly�because he simply had�novelty value as a cute pre-teen singer, but more importantly because Tamla Motown Records were�quick to exploit�his embryonic talent.

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By 1971, Michael Jackson already had a tandem solo career to stand alongside work with his brothers. His first solo hit Got To Be There was a slow, soulful track, setting a twin trend of fast dance and slow romantic ballads that has been a constant feature of Jackson's work from then until now.

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Q.� So it was a straight road to his 'King Of Pop' title

A.� Not really�- the group moved to Epic Records in the mid-Seventies, but because Motown owned the rights to the Jackson Five name, they had to re-style themselves as The Jacksons, with Michael taking less of a centre-stage role in the vocals and stage performances. It made no difference; he was the star -�and everyone, the fans, the label, the group, and Jackson himself, knew it.

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Q.� What happened then

A.� By 1979, Jackson had teamed up with legendary producer Quincy Jones. First off the blocks was the Off The Wall album, which broke entirely new ground in soul and dance music - with its hybrid of lush orchestration, bright production, catchy pop hook lines and Jackson's trade-mark falsetto vocal whoops and hollers. Once again the tandem use of dance�- Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, and ballads, the weepy She's Out Of My Life (rumoured to be written as a lament for the fractured 'romance' between Jackson and teen actress Brooke Shields) - ensured a hit album, producing�four Top Ten chart hits.

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Q.� Was Michael assured of a successful solo career by then

A.� The signs were certainly there. But Michael was loyal to his family, and he recorded and toured one more album with the group. By this time, though,�people were there to see him, and the rest of the group might as well have been backing singers. And�Michael's next release sent pop-soul into a hitherto undreamed-of orbit of sales and influence.

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Q.� That would be Thriller

A.� It would be�- still one of the biggest-selling albums ever made, selling over 20 million copies in the US alone, and giving Jackson an unbelievable�seven Top Ten hits. By this time, Jackson was entirely aware of his worth to the record label and re-negotiated his contract, ensuring that his royalty rate�- the proportion of his take of each album sold, was higher than any other recording artist at that time. Epic knew they couldn't afford to have Jackson shopping for a new deal; they signed, and watched the dollars roll in.

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Q.� What about the famous Jackson image

A.� There is no doubt that Michael Jackson has indulged some of his massive wealth to build a personal image that he enjoys, although the rest of the world finds it somewhat unusual. His extensive plastic surgery, his apparent unwillingness to build normal adult relationships -�and his lifestyle based around his fantasy home - have all caused massive press coverage. But, as with Elvis Presley, this doesn't detract from the vast impact his talent and output have had on the world of pop music in general, and black music in particular. The burgeoning R&B scene of today owes a great deal to�Jackson's�groundbreaking work.

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Q.� Did the success continue

A.� By 1987, the music press had its knives out. Jackson's career was declared written off because of the 'failure' of his next album, Bad. By comparison�with the sales of Thriller, Bad�was a flop - but�many�recording artists�would kill for sales in excess of six million copies. That was Bad's business - and, oh, it gave Jackson�another five number one singles!

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No one, however, could accuse Jackson of over-working;�he took four years to produce Dangerous�in 1991. Again, this was seen as representing a downward trend -�shifting 'only'�four million copies by mid-1992.�And then came the�virtual destruction of Jackson's reputation...

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Q.� What happened �

A.� In 1993, a court case accused�Jackson of child molestation. With his strange face, lack of obvious partner and acknowledged preference for the company of children, the world's press tore him to pieces. Although he has always denied the charges, Jackson settled out of court -�and beside releaseing the�indifferent retrospective/new HIStory album, he's done nothing until now.

Q.� So the stakes are high

A.� About as high as they can get. Given the much-mentioned surgery, and the falsetto voice, it's easy to forget that Michael Jackson has just turned 43. So the big question remains, does the 'old' boy still have what it takes

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Q.� The album title's a bit of a hostage to fortune, isn't it

A.� Well, take your pick between foolhardy or prophetic. I doubt he needs the money, but he's clearly no intention of being written off just yet. And don't forget the talent - and business acumen - that clearly underpinned Jackson's earlier career.

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By:� Andy Hughes.