Michael Jackson’s Classic Returns As He Nearly Dominates The Albums Chart

BusinessHollywood & EntertainmentMichael Jackson’s Classic Returns As He Nearly Dominates The Albums ChartByHugh McIntyre,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts.Follow AuthorApr 23, 2026, 08:00am EDTThree titles by Michael Jackson — The Essential, Bad and Thriller — all appear on the U.K.'s Official Albums chart, making him one of the biggest acts this week. Elevated view of American R&B & Pop musician Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009) as he stands, arms outstretched, in the short film 'Captain EO' (directed by Francis Ford Coppola), Culver City, California, 1985. (Photo by Steve Slocomb/Getty Images).Getty ImagesMost legacy musical acts, even those that count several major hits in their discographies, do not regularly appear on albums charts in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Those coveted spots are typically reserved for both the hottest stars in the music industry, as well as those singers and groups whose catalogs are so overstuffed with beloved singles that, once streaming became a factor in albums rankings, there was no way to keep them away.Plays of sometimes a handful, sometimes dozens, of tunes by the same artist contribute to a greatest hits compilation remaining on tallies for years and sometimes decades. Michael Jackson regularly appears on the U.K.’s albums roster with one of a handful of compilations. Some weeks, several of those projects sit near one another, and this time around, Jackson claims one of the most-consumed albums in the nation as a blockbuster returns.The Essential Leads Three Michael Jackson AlbumsThe late, great Jackson fills a trio of spots on the Official Albums chart, the 100-space rundown that looks at the most popular albums and EPs in the U.K. The tally is built using sales and streaming data, and the superstar succeeds when it comes to both metrics. At present, Jackson cl...