Pop by Mike McDonald

It has been a sad week in the world of music with the death of Michael Jackson.

In this column last week I mentioned his forthcoming greatest hits compilation and less than 24 hours later we were mourning the loss of a truly great entertainer.

In the Big Top 40 released on Sunday, just 48 hours after his death no less than 13 of his hits made up the Top 40 most downloaded and bought singles in the UK.

I'm sure we'll see even more this Sunday and a heavy influence in the album chart too.

Michael Jackson certainly over the years had a troubled life, from childhood through to the much publicised court case, but something nobody can even question is he was the ultimate showman and will be sorely missed by millions of fans worldwide.

On my show this week I caught up with another American legend, who has just celebrated his 70th Birthday with the release of a new album and UK Tour.

Neil Sedaka has written not only a massive collection of hits for himself but also penned hits for Captain & Tennille, Tony Christie and Connie Francis amongst others.

Working out of the Brill Building in America and working alongside Carole King, Gerry Goffin and Howard Greenfield, these writers churned out hits eight hours a day, five days a week, training that Sedaka himself said provided great discipline.

His new album is a two-fold one. The first album is new material and his first new studio album in 10 years. 'The Music of My Life' sees Sedaka at his finest; classic melodies and fine song craft reaffirm the relevance of Sedaka in a period of throwaway pop.

The first single to be taken from the album, the salsa-driven 'Do You Remember', produced by musical maestro David Foster.

As a bonus for UK fans, the album is also packaged with an extra disc featuring Sedaka's best known tracks including Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Laughter In The Rain, Oh! Carol, Solitaire, and of course, Is This The Way (To Amarillo).

Also out now is a new CD and DVD compilation from David Bowie, entitled VH-1 Storytellers. This double disc recorded in the main at the Manhattan Centre New York features Life on Mars right through to his 80's hits like China Girl.

His ability to adapt to different sounds so seamlessly is expressed brilliantly in this live collection and is a must for Bowie fans.

Remember for more classic hits and some great music and showbiz guests to listen to my mid morning show on Signal 2 1170am and DAB from 10am.