Since {$Michael Jackson} botched his first hits collection by pairing it with a new album of material in a double-disc set, making it considerably less attractive for those legions of listeners who want just a single disc of hits, it's both inevitable and welcome that he attempted another compilation a few years later. This second collection, {^Number Ones}, was released in the wake of the 2000 blockbuster {^Beatles 1}, which rewrote the rules of modern-day hits collections from major artists, since it not only contained a generous, representative cross section of hits, it had a specific focus and did gangbuster business. An avalanche of similar-minded compilations by other titans followed, notably {$Elvis}' {^30 #1 Hits} and {$the Rolling Stones}' {^Forty Licks}, and {$MJ}'s {^Number Ones} is part of that wave. For some artists, sticking to number one hits isn't a bad way to make a collection -- {$the Beatles} are a perfect example, actually, since even if {^1} didn't contain such seminal items as {&"Strawberry Fields Forever,"} it still offered a full, representative portrait of their career. {$Jackson} doesn't fare so well by the number one rule. First of all, he doesn't strictly follow the number one rule, leaving behind the number one hit duet {&"Say Say Say"} with {$Paul McCartney}, substituting a 1981 live version of {&"Ben"} for the original hit, adding {&"Break of Dawn,"} an {^Invincible} album cut never released as a single, and including {&"Thriller,"} {&"Smooth Criminal,"} and {&"Earth Song,"} none of which hit number one, and the latter wasn't even released as a single in the U.S. (there is, of course, the requisite previously unreleased song, the OK slow jam {&"One More Chance"}). Then, there's the fact that {^Thriller} changed the business, inaugurating the era of the blockbuster album that rode the charts for years, spinning off hit singles every quarter. {^Thriller} generated tons of hits -- six of its nine tracks hit the charts, but only two of them hit number one. Its successor, {^Bad}, had seven of its 11 songs hit the charts (one other, the CD bonus cut {&"Leave Me Alone,"} was a staple on {@MTV}), and of those, five peaked at number one. So, by sticking to number ones, and adding {&"Smooth Criminal,"} this collection skews very heavily toward {^Bad}, at times playing like an expanded reissue with bonus tracks. This may be a fairly accurate reading of chart positions, but it doesn't result in a particularly representative collection, since the brilliant {^Off the Wall} is granted only two songs, leaving behind such charting hits as {&"Off the Wall"} and {&"She's Out of My Life"} (both gold singles, mind you), and {^Thriller} is represented by only three tracks, with such defining songs as {&"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin',"} {&"Human Nature,"} {&"PYT (Pretty Young Thing),"} and {&"The Girl Is Mine"} being left behind. These two albums are the core of {$Jackson}'s legacy, and it simply feels wrong that {^Number Ones} gives them short shrift. {^Dangerous} also is neglected, providing just one selection, when on the whole it had far more memorable songs than {^HIStory} or {^Invincible}. But these problems are inherent with any collection that concentrates just on the charts, not the music that got the songs on the charts in the first place. And while {^Number Ones} contains enough of the big songs to recommend it for those listeners who are looking just for a cross section of the biggest hits from {$Jackson}'s career, it is also true that the perfect {$Michael Jackson} hits collection has yet to be assembled. Maybe next time, particularly if he's granted an entry into {@Sony}'s generally excellent {^The Essentials} series. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide