Michael Jackson Discoveries

So you've rattled your bones to "Thriller" and moonwalked so many times to "Billie Jean" that you ought to qualify for honorary NASA membership. Now you're looking to learn what lies beyond the biggest Michael Jackson blockbusters. Some secret treasures are hiding in plain sight — if you were busy boogieing your butt off to Off the Wall's hits, you might have been passed out cold by the time the dancefloor-detonating final track, "Burn This Disco Out," came on. And even if you spent a lifetime with your ears Krazy Glued to your radio, the hand-clapping, finger-snapping passion plea "Baby Be Mine" and soft-glowing, slow-burning ballad "The Lady In My Life" were literally the only songs from Thriller that weren't released as singles.

Discover the secret history of Michael in motion, from first flush of genius to masterpieces in the making, in Next Steps.

Sometimes the most important moments in history happen when nobody's looking. For instance, the Jackson 5's 1973 single "Get It Together" might not have scaled "ABC"-like heights, but it's a milestone marking their move from what Motown initially marketed as "bubblegum soul" kids to foot-stomping, bass-popping, funk-flexing young men. But even a year earlier, Michael was making his first moves outside the family fold, and the 13-year-old's precociously passion-packed version of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" spoke volumes when it opened up his first solo album. And speaking of stellar album-openers, get a fly-on-the-wall perspective on Michael crafting the opening salvo of his world-domination bid with a riveting demo version of the Off The Wall smash "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."

In Deep Cuts, get schooled in Jackson 5 jams even without reciting your ABCs.

If you want to really sink your teeth into the deepest, juiciest Michael Jackson discoveries, you've got to go back to his wonder years in the Jackson 5. Start finding out exactly "What You Don't Know" with a fuzz-guitar-fueled, Isley Brothers-esque disco-funk deep cut from the 5's final phase. Then turn back the clock to the very beginning with two opposite ends of the group's sonic spectrum from 1969 — the Disney-hits-the-dance-floor hip-shake of "Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah" and a long-unreleased version of Ray Charles' deep-soul torch song "A Fool For You" that makes a powerful case for Michael as the most soulful 11-year-old ever to let his lungs loose on record.

When you're dealing with probably the single most recognizable name — and voice — on Earth, it's easy to get the idea that you've already heard everything there is to hear. It's also easy to be very wrong about that, but don't break out in a sweat and get your glove all wet. We're here to help. We've followed every phase of M.J.'s journey — Michael's boy-genius-of-soul salad days with the Jackson 5, the group's coming-of-age evolution into the Jacksons, and, of course, the solo superstardom that catapulted Gary, Indiana's favorite son permanently into the planet's collective pop consciousness. And from each step on the trail, we've stacked up a titanic tower of under-the-radar cuts, bonus-track rarities, and demos `— all, somehow, shining just as brightly as the King of Pop's crown jewels.