New Michael Jackson album released

Jackson died in June aged 50, just weeks before his 50-date comeback concerts, also titled This Is It, were due to start in London.

The two-disc record, titled This Is It, contains songs included in a documentary film of the same name about the singer, which will have simultaneous premieres around the world later this week.

The first album disc boasts the original album masters of some of Jackson's biggest hits, arranged in the same sequence as they appear in the film.

The second disc contains previously-unreleased versions of some of the artist's classic tracks and a "touching" spoken word poem titled Planet Earth.

Accompanying the album is a 36-page booklet featuring photos of Jackson from his last rehearsal.

The public appetite for Jackson's back catalogue has seen many of the singer's best-known hits rocket back up the charts following his death.

A song from the new album, also titled This Is It, received its first airplay earlier this month, and it later emerged that the tune was originally written in 1983 by the star and singer Paul Anka.

Meanwhile, members of the media will get a glimpse of an exhibition of Jackson's personal memorabilia, which goes on show for the first time in London later this week.

The star's Rolls-Royce, an original Jackson Five contract and a signature white glove will be among the collection.