Thrille r (1982)

DESPITE selling 15 million copies, Jackson thought Off The Wall was a failure and vowed to become the biggest pop star on the planet. Thriller did just that. It's the most popular album ever, with sales estimates ranging from 47 million to 108 million copies.

Despite having only nine tracks, it yielded seven singles, including the rock-crossover Beat It (which featured some blistering guitar work from Eddie Van Halen), the infectious grooves and stunning melodies of Billie Jean and the killer opener Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'. The album is regularly regarded as one of the greatest ever - not only did it set commercial and musical benchmarks, but it also changed the world of music videos. The 14-minute short film released to promote Thriller - which featured Vincent Price, zombies and were-cats - was the most expensive music video ever made at the time and remains one of the most spectacular examples of the medium. The video sold nine million copies on VHS alone.

Bad (1987)

IT was always going to be hard to top Thriller, but Jackson came close with Bad. It may not have sold as many copies but it remains the only album in history to boast five top 10 US singles. Continuing the sound pioneered on the previous two records by MJ and QJ, the album featured 11 tracks and had nine singles. Strangely, Bad was even bigger in the UK than Thriller but elsewhere it failed to match Thriller's sales, leading some critics to call it a failure, despite the fact it sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. The title track was a massive success, as was the Martin Scorsese-directed short film that came with it. The Way You Make Me Feel is a classic and Smooth Criminal remains a great song despite what Alien Ant Farm did to it.

Dangerous (1991)

DESPITE not having as many killer tracks as Bad, Dangerous outsold its predecessor. At 77 minutes there's a bit of filler, but there are still some classic MJ moments. Black Or White was a slightly preachy plea that seemingly predicted his own skin-colour change, but it's a cool track topped off by some nice guitar work from Guns `n' Roses' Slash. Basketball love letter Jam and the nostalgic Remember The Time were both hits, but it was the video clips that were even more memorable. Remember The Time came with another innovative Egyptian-flavoured special-effects bonanza, starring Eddie Murphy, Magic Johnson and Imam, but it was Black Or White that really blew MTV's mind. The extended version of the Black Or White clip featured MJ smashing shops and cars, turning into a panther and grabbing his crotch repeatedly.

H IStory (1995)

THE rot had set in by the mid-'90s. Jackson's private life was overshadowing his music, the press were hounding him and in the four years since Dangerous, the musical landscape had changed thanks to the advent of alternative rock. HIStory feels like a last-ditch grab to hold onto his crown - as well as the new material, the double album featured a greatest hits disc to ensure big sales. The album sold well, but the new songs weren't as strong - Jackson was angry and used the album to vent about the press, his childhood, the state of the planet and even his old lawyer. Two of the angriest tracks were Scream, which featured his sister Janet and remains the most expensive film clip ever made, and album highlight They Don't Care About Us. Jackson would return with Blood On The Dance Floor (a mixture of new tracks and remixes) in `97 but the glory days were over.