Michael Jackson’s The Essential Reaches a Special Milestone

The Essential has now lived on the Official Albums chart for 200 weeks. That sum is not made up of one consecutive stay, as the set has fallen off the list before, only to return.

Only four of Jackson’s releases have displayed that longevity in the U.K. The compilation joins two of his traditional studio albums, Thriller and Off the Wall, which have already made it to the 200-week milestone. Thriller, often considered one of the greatest albums of all time, leads the way among studio LPs, with 261 frames. Off the Wall isn’t far behind, with 225 turns spent somewhere on the ranking.

The other Jackson title that’s gone even further is another greatest hits set. Number Ones stands in a league of its own, having racked up 587 weeks on the Official Albums chart. That set, which isn’t present on the list at the moment, is still beating every other offering from the pop icon twice over.

Michael Jackson’s Album is Approaching its Twentieth Anniversary
The Essential was first released back in the summer of 2005. The double-disc compilation originally featured 38 of Jackson’s biggest hits, covering his legendary catalog from the Jackson 5 era in the late 1960s to his solo work through 2001’s “You Rock My World.” Throughout the years, it’s been re-released several times in different formats, and it has moved millions of copies around the globe.