Michael Jackson Releasing Cds Of His Greatest Hits

Michael Jackson will respond to the “Can this career be saved?” question on June 20 when a twoCD set of his greatest hits and new music will be released.

Details of the long-rumored disc were released Tuesday by Jackson’s label, Epic Records. Jackson, whose penchant for selfaggrandizement seems to be increasing as his career spirals downhill, has titled the release “HIStory, Past, Present & Future - Book I.”

The first disc by the selfproclaimed “King of Pop” is called “HIStory Begins,” and collects 15 hits spanning Jackson’s career. The second disc, “HIStory Continues,” assembles 15 new songs, and holds the key to Jackson’s future as a viable artist.

The dominant pop singer of the last decade - his 1983 “Thriller” album remains the biggest-selling album of all time at more than 33 million copies - Jackson lately has been fending off allegations about his private life, the most serious of which involved a charge of sexual molestation brought by the family of a 14-year-old boy befriended by the singer.

Jackson’s attorneys announced an out-of-court settlement in the case last year, but the we-are-theworld, save-the-children platitudes that dominated the singer’s recent music took on a creepy twist to many fans.

Artistically, Jackson has been fighting to regain his masterly commercial touch in the face of more contemporary-sounding records by younger hip-hop and new-jack-swing artists. The “HIStory Continues” disc contains his latest response, including a duet between Jackson and his hit-making sister, Janet, on a song called “Scream” and a collaboration with Chicago R&B kingpin R. Kelly on “You Are Not Alone.”