I haven't got a clue about why this phenomenon occurs either. It is most strange.

Unfortunately I got shot down in flames for saying so. It is almost like people saying 'oh, I liked him when he was alive but not enough to buy an album' - I find it quite disgusting that so many people are buying into something that they didn't subscribe to last week.

I was thinking the very same thing when I saw a news article about his album being No 1. Very odd. The only thing I can think of is that as a result of hearing a lot of his stuff over the past few days people have thought "yes! I like that, I'll get some".

we have fallen into the trap of judging the 'average' person by the standards of the Massive. The people who read The Word, and perhaps more so those who contribute on this blog, are more interested in music than most - and own far more music in one form or another than the man on the street. There are plenty of people who will be very familiar with Michael Jackson's work, especially the Jackson 5 stuff and 80s hits which are both still on regular rotation on TV and radio, but may have owned none of it.

Just as I (and others on this blog) have been inspired to buy music this weekend through the exposure given by Glastonbury, so the masses are buying Michael Jackson - having suddenly realised the gap in their collection.

I'm going to buy a copy of 'Complete Madness' tomorrow!

Oh wait, there's already been about 70.

My prediction is that a repackage will be called "This is It" and will feature just about everything he has done and sell for over GBP 200. It will come with a certificate with a number on it, lapel badges and other tosh.

just not on CD/MP3.You have to remember that Jacko's most popular albums came out when the choice was between vinyl and cassette and now his death has probably created a sudden urge to listen to them again among people who no longer own record players.

I heard the inevitable stream of Jacko Jokes most of which were in extremely bad taste or just puerile. I did hear one that made me chuckle though:-

As Jacko was fighting for his life in the ambulance the doctor said 'I think we should start cpr'.The paramedics said 'no we should start the heart massage" The driver said "no we should an adrenaline drip" then Jacko gasping for breath said 'fuck me, you wanna be starting something,you gotta be startin something'.

are much easier to manage and, at least in the aftermath of a death and then on anniversaries, are pretty easy to garner decent levels of media coverage.

Unearthed some stuff that wasn't good enough to be released? Well the artist isn't around to stop you from releasing it now. And the family members are often complicit in the gravy train approach.

And completest fans are never going to ignore any recording with an unreleased track on it in memorial packaging are they?

But I still don't get why 5 albums get in the top 20 in the space of 2 days? Nowt queer as folk.

....that all those unsold copies of Invincible, his clunker of a last studio album, are now going to find a home?

It must be the most remaindered album of all time. A few months after its release I saw copies on sale for £2, and they still weren't shifting.

don't buy CDs for the most part. Two or three purchases a year at most, and then usually only a new much hyped, radio played to death monster act such as Coldplay or Lady Gaga.

I would imagine most people have got by for the last 15 or so years with a copy of Dangerous and have no more of his music. Now they have had their curiosity pricked and are buying a Best Of to cover wider ground.

theoretically the dead artist is no longer going to produce any new material, which creates a kind of 'scarcity' mentality. Probably not so scarce in MJ's case.

I say theoretically, since as we all know, the Mountains of the Moon and all points south will no doubt be scoured for 'unreleased' tracks, outtakes and anything remotely releasable for the next, who-knows how long.