With the sudden death of Michael Jackson two months ago, it is expected that his music and images would get some revival big-time. What’s truly amazing is how the public actually responded to the King of Pop’s passing. Here in the Philippines alone, people have gone to record bars buying his CDs and DVDs, while malls attracted audiences every time videos and concerts of the icon are shown via big projectors.

Two of the biggest record labels in existence, Sony and MCA Music, have benefited directly from the big demand of everything MJ since these two are homes to his albums and special compilations paying tribute to his greatest singles. The rest of the field are still recipients of this quite unprecedented public craving, especially that there’s a prevailing feeling that the current MJ-mania alone gave companies significantly relying on CD/DVD buys a big reason to smile as far as business is concerned.

“I was recently talking to a top label executive and he said people are buying CDs again after what happened to Michael,” says Danee Samonte, a busy concert promoter and renowned collector of musicians’ memorabilia, particularly that of the Beatles. Also an MJ fan, he has in his possession a precious hat signed by arguably the world’s greatest singer-dancer ever.

Because of piracy and the emergence of digital downloading, people are said to be no longer interested in buying CDs. Yet, the jump in sales of MJ CDs is a statement that his fans, at least, want to keep something physical and original in honoring their dead music hero.

Can’t stop loving MJ

At the height of the mania, or a few days after his death, Sony Music Philippines found out that copies of MJ CDs had run out of stock. Immediately it had to remanufacture new copies as MJ’s albums skyrocketed to the top of the sales charts. Right now, a galore of MJ albums are being highlighted on display in record stores everywhere.

Compilations are naturally the instant catch for consumers wanting to look back at Michael’s greatest songs. Numbers from Jackson’s “Motown Years” are gathered in the fine-packaged three-CD set called “Michael Jackson and Jackson 5.” The first two CDs put together classics of the Jackson siblings such as “I’ll Be There,” “ABC,” Never Can Say Goodbye,” “I Want You Back,” “Ready Or Not (Here I Come),” “La la (Means I Love You)” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” The third CD introduces listeners to his first hits as a solo act. Technically it still sounds like the young voice that propelled Jackson 5 to fame. But its general mood as a solo venture seems to be setting the stage for the bigger shows that came afterwards. Top tunes include “Ben,” “Music And Me,” “One Day In Your Life,” “My Girl” and “You’ve Got A Friend.”

The tracks that presented a grown-up, moonwalking idol are found in compilations like “Number Ones” and “Essential.” Even the disc two of “History: Past, Present and Future Book 1” is a certified greatest hits list of 15 popular MJ ditties.

To the more particular collector, the original releases shine on their own with MJ’s reputation as an artist who ensured that he had more “killer tunes” than what is expected in one album. “Off The Wall” spawned four Billboard top 10 tracks including “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Rock With You” and “She’s Out Of My Life. “Thriller” boasts seven familiar tracks out of just nine: “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “The Girl Is Mine,” “Human Nature,” “P.Y.T,” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” “Bad,” heralded as the only album with five number ones, has a first five listed as “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Dirty Diana” and “Smooth Criminal.” As if that’s not enough, the album enticingly has a “sixth man” – “Man In The Mirror,” being one of MJ’s signature hits.

“Dangerous,” with just a lone representative on “Number Ones” list, is ironically a die-hard fan favorite of sort, especially to those whose teenage consciousness belongs to the 90s. This 14-track, new jack swing masterpiece has nine of its offerings becoming popular in essence. The top charter “Black Or White,” “Remember The Time” “In The Closet,” “Heal The World,” “Will You Be There,” “Who Is It,” “Give In To Me” “Dangerous” and “Gone Too Soon.”

The hits, at least to Filipino awareness, continued up to “History” which delivered “Scream,” “They Don’t Care About Us,” “Earth Song,” “Childhood” and “You Are Not Alone.” MJ’s last album “Invincible” did not live up to its title, scoring just one hit – the not-so memorable “You Rock My World.” Still, it sold 10 million copies.

One workhorse from Sony (who asked for anonymity) said of the mad dash for MJ stuff: “That really helped boost our sales and saved us in a big way.”

MCA, for its part, has put out MJ shirts 100% authentic and imported from UK through its partnership with Bravado, the largest full service merchandise company in the world. The latter has secured the global retail rights for the only official Michael Jackson merchandise personally selected and approved by Michael himself last June before his untimely demise. It is the exclusive merchandiser for the O2 Arena, London shows which could have been a major comeback for the superstar.

Yet, taking the pain of death out of the picture, the Jacko had nonetheless returned to the top of the pops to sure delight of fans worldwide.