A new 13-track album of some of Michael Jackson’s songs will be released on September 29.
Days after Jackson’s official Twitter account sent out a teaser, Sony Music confirmed on Wednesday the album’s upcoming release, saying that “Michael Jackson SCREAM” is “a collection of 13 of his all-time most electrifying and danceable tracks including ‘Ghosts,’ ‘Torture,’ ‘Thriller,’ and ‘Dirty Diana.'”
The highlight of the album is “Blood on The Dance Floor X Dangerous,” a newly-created mash-up of five songs from remixer The White Panda. The bonus track premiered exclusively on Shazam, where fans could unlock the song for several hours on Wednesday.
It’s no coincidence that the album is being released in the fall, just as Halloween is approaching.
“The choice of tracks for SCREAM reflects The King of Pop’s affection for this time of the year and its themes of costumes and disguise, darkness and light, character transformations and surprise,” the press release said.
In addition to streaming, the album will also be available in CD and glow-in-dark vinyl (which will be available October 27), each containing a poster unique to the format. The poster and cover art conceal the first ever augmented reality experience created for a Michael Jackson project.
Jackson’s official Twitter account, @michaeljackson, tweeted out a 15-second-long video on Monday that featured black cats, full moons and other imagery commonly associated with Halloween. The teaser ended with the words “Michael Jackson Scream.”
“Scream” is also the title of the hit 1995 duet by Jackson and his sister Janet, the video of which earned the Guinness Book of World Records title for most expensive music video with a reported price tag of $7 million.
There are also planed celebrations for the album to be held in Paris, London, Sydney, Berlin, Los Angeles, and Tokyo.
The events will include screenings of Jackson’s seven short films from the new album, including the rarely seen full-length 40 minute “Michael Jackson’s Ghosts.”
The new album is being released by Epic/Legacy Records in collaboration with Jackson’s estate.
The singer died in June 2009 from an overdose of the sedative propofol.