Don’t tell Martin Shkreli, but Michael Jackson’s next album of new, unsurfaced material will go to the highest bidder. A collection of a dozen tracks on a compact disc labeled “Bible,” nine of which have reportedly never been heard by the public, is being auctioned off later this month, along with many other personal memorabilia items from the late pop star. According to Gotta Have Rock and Roll, the auction house holding the auction, the CD is “from the personal friend and personal assistant to Michael whose family was very close to Michael for many years” and is “of master quality.”
Three of the song titles, “Monster,” “Breaking News,” and “Keep Your Head Up,” may be familiar to hardcore M.J. fans, as they appeared on his first posthumous album of previously unreleased tracks, 2010’s Michael. (They may also recall that the vocals on those songs and others on the album sounded heavily distorted, leading to disputes as to whether or not they were actually Jackson’s at all. The mixes on the CD up for auction apparently differ.) It’s unclear why the songs are eschewing the traditional posthumous major release—as Rolling Stone notes, the highest bidder will not actually own the rights to the music, and thus can’t release it to the public. But regardless of whether the songs are actually any good or not, the lucky winner will have some sweet bragging rights.
