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The lasting impact of Michael Jackson's Invincible

Hot_Street

Hot_Street

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The first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words MJ and lasting impact is undoubtedly Thriller. But what about his last studio album Invincible? What observations have you made over the past few decades since its release?

I'll start with the collectible Number Ones covers. There were a total of five different covers for Invincible and this must have been so well received that the follow-up album Number Ones was released with four different covers.

What observations have you made about the influence of Invincible? These can be commercial and of course artistic in nature. Everything is allowed and welcome.
 
The 5 different colour covers of the 'Invincible' album seems to stem from the fact that the record company did not really believe in the potential of that album.

So, they tried to boost its sales via that marketing ploy.

Regarding the influence of the 'Invincible' album, it can be said that it is the album (from his entire career) with the least lasting impact.

It is also not exaggeration to say that the general public/listeners are not even aware of the existence of the 'Invincible' album.
 
mj_frenzy said:
Regarding the influence of the 'Invincible' album, one would say that it is the album (from his entire career) with the least lasting impact.
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So you acknowledge the album had an influence. Then I would be interested to know what this influence looks like in your opinion.

Here is another observation. The 2003 album cover of Brineys In the Zone bears a striking resemblance to Invincible.
en.wikipedia.org

In the Zone - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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Hot_Street said:
So you acknowledge the album had an influence. Then I would be interested to know what this influence looks like in your opinion.
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The 'Invincible' album has a sentimental influence on his hard-core fans because it was his last studio album before his death.
 
@Hot_Street

Not sure if this fits your theme plus haven't finished listening to this (happy to delete if you think it's irrelevant).

At 8m 13s one of the participants says:

"Invincible for me is Thriller for somebody else ..."



mj_frenzy said:
The 'Invincible' album has a sentimental influence on his hard-core fans because it was his last studio album before his death.
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Maybe it's not sentiment, maybe it's a generational thing. :unsure:
 
mj_frenzy said:
The 'Invincible' album has a sentimental influence on his hard-core fans because it was his last studio album before his death.
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This sounds like the most convenient way to approach the topic of this thread.
 
Here is another observation.
Michael was a pioneer of dubstep with Heartbreaker:
Heartbreaker has been cited as a pioneer of dubstep:
kennedytorch.org

Review: Jackson’s Invincible is under-appreciated

Invincible is the final studio album released by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released in October 2001, a day before Halloween. When people hear the name Michael Jackson, they immediately think of his hit 1983 album Thriller, which went on to become the best-selling music album of...
kennedytorch.org
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Hot_Street said:
I'll start with the collectible Number Ones covers. There were a total of five different covers for Invincible and this must have been so well received that the follow-up album Number Ones was released with four different covers.
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But that's a negative outcome that harms his legacy... Nobody actually wants to be taken advantage of by Sony trying to force them to buy everything 5 times. Good grief.

Anyway, on the subject:

What colour Invincible album cover did you buy?

I found out today that Invincible was released on MiniDisc. I thought it was only on CD, vinyl and cassette. I also learned that each format was available in all colours... So I thought I'd ask this.
www.mjjcommunity.com www.mjjcommunity.com
 
Invincible is like a black hole. All the energy that Michael put into it was lost and all the energy that you invest as a fan with new threads is apparently in vain. But back to the topic of the thread.

There is already literature about Invincible:
michaeljacksonstudies.org

MJ Studies Today LXXIV | The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies | ISSN: 2452-0497

Monthly column of the Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies. This month Kerry Hennigan looks at Jackson’s Invincible album which recent passed its 20th anniversary.
michaeljacksonstudies.org
 
Most people did not even know he did a History album never mind Invincible album ( which imo was crap) . However History was a great album but in real terms most people know BAD , Dangerous , Thriller etc. I am an American by birth so i only going by that. I have lived in the UK for quite some time , and his later success seems to have come from here , which surprises me as the UK tabloids were the most savage towards him. However i think his true fans saw above that.
 
SmoothGangsta said:
Its legacy will unfortunately be someone on here making another thread about it every three days.
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The Estate is also aware of this fate of the album:
Michael Jackson’s “Invincible” Released on This Date in 2001 is A Fan Favorite
October 30, 2024
“Invincible” was released on this date in 2001 and the 16-track set continues to receive love, as it’s one of the most discussed Michael Jackson albums in the fan forums. Fan favorites are “Unbreakable”, “Heaven Can Wait”, “Whatever Happens” and “Speechless” – What’s your top song? Listen now: https://michaeljackson.lnk.to/invincible
Click to expand...
www.michaeljackson.com

Michael Jackson’s “Invincible” Released on This Date in 2001 is A Fan Favorite

“Invincible” was released on this date in 2001 and the 16-track set continues to receive love, as it’s one of the most discussed Michael Jackson albums in the fan forums. Fan favorites are “Unbreakable”, “Heaven Can Wait”, “Whatever Happens” and “Speechless” - What’s your top song? Listen now...
www.michaeljackson.com www.michaeljackson.com
 
Don't you find it ironic that an album called Invincible is constantly subject to battles? First against the record company, then against the press, and then against the fans.
So many struggles, but the album is still there. It is simply invincible.
 
Hot_Street said:
So you acknowledge the album had an influence. Then I would be interested to know what this influence looks like in your opinion.

Here is another observation. The 2003 album cover of Brineys In the Zone bears a striking resemblance to Invincible.
en.wikipedia.org

In the Zone - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
Click to expand...

MJ was far from the first person to make his album cover art a close-up of his face.
 
Spaceship said:
MJ was far from the first person to make his album cover art a close-up of his face.
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Probably true, but he was a great inspiration to her.

It's strange in this forum. Instead of finding clues for yourself about how Invincible influenced the music world, the observations I found, are shredded.
 
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it seems that MJ was inspired by the album Blue by Diana Ross for the cover of invincible
 
Well, clearly one lasting impact is the fact that Invincible turned people into Michael fans. The MJfangirl video discusses this at length. At least one of the four participants said the album got them into Michael plus helped them to understand who Michael was. So, for that generation of teenagers, it was a big moment and continues to resonate.
 
VictorMacBernik said:
it seems that MJ was inspired by the album Blue by Diana Ross for the cover of invincible
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Yes, 2001's Invincible album cover was inspired by "Blue", the 2006 album. This is the problem with these repeated threads... Random air grabs for answers to questions that will never be answered and Frenzy's imaginative fan fiction responses
 
well, for me it gave a few MJ classics: YRMW, Heaven Can Wait are some expanses. I have to say I've heard YRMW more out in the public (and when I mean public I mean Hollywood / LA) more than any other song from Invincible and I always see smiles on people's faces when they recognize that it's a Michael song
 
knigofpop said:
Yes, 2001's Invincible album cover was inspired by "Blue", the 2006 album. This is the problem with these repeated threads... Random air grabs for answers to questions that will never be answered and Frenzy's imaginative fan fiction responses
Click to expand...
knigofpop said:
Yes, 2001's Invincible album cover was inspired by "Blue", the 2006 album. This is the problem with these repeated threads... Random air grabs for answers to questions that will never be answered and Frenzy's imaginative fan fiction responses
Click to expand...
sorry to post at a late hour when sleep takes over thoughts, I wanted to write "inspired" and not "inspired by" I know Diana's album very well as well because it is one of the few that I own it and bought it at the time thanks to its resemblance to the cover of Invincible XD XD XD
 
Hot_Street said:

Michael Jackson’s “You Rock My World” Is A Favorite of TikTok Dancers

“You Rock My World” is one of the most popular songs by Michael Jackson on TikTok when it comes to people wanting to flex their dance moves. Goran Abbas puts an old school hip-hop dance with the tune – show us yours with the hashtag #MyMJMoves https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8N46fEs/
www.michaeljackson.com www.michaeljackson.com
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I guess that's true : \ I mean, I don't have tiktok sooo I can't really have a say on this 😅
 
Michael definitely used a lot of Sonys resources to record this album, pushing technological and musical boundaries that have had an impact on the next generation of artists, engineers and producers alike. Now I ain’t said none, but Rodney jerkins was just picked to be inducted in 2025 into songwriters hall of fame, while Janet Jackson got scrubbed.
 
A record cover with a closeup of a face is nothing original. Just like there's many album covers before & after the Thriller album with that pose. Here's a few I have myself:

Minnie Riperton ~ Love Lives Forever
Phil Collins ~ Face Value
Hank Crawford ~ Wildflower
George Michael ~ Father Figure (12" maxi single)

Those are from the 1970s & 1980s. Issac Hayes has a closeup of the top of his head on Hot Buttered Soul.
 

Carlos Santana’s new album contains Michael Jackson songs​

The album also revisits Whatever Happens, MJ’s soulful and powerful collaboration with Santana from Invincible. This Latin-infused gem remains a fan favorite, and hearing it in the context of this new album makes it even more special.
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www.mjvibe.com

Carlos Santana's new album contains Michael Jackson songs - MJVibe

Get ready, MJ fans! Legendary guitarist Carlos Santana is set to release his highly anticipated retrospective album, Sentient, on March 28
www.mjvibe.com www.mjvibe.com
 
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