OUT OF THE VAULT

News Sources: Potentially "Hundreds" of Michael Jackson's Songs Still Unpublished

But Leaked Collaboration Not Up To Jackson's Legendary Perfectionism

FORMER former Sony Music chairman and CEO Tommy Mottola told Time magazine this week that unpublished music from Michael Jackson "could trickle out for years."

"There were so many recordings, and so many of them were great," said Mottola, who said some may in fact be Jackson's "best work."

And Ian Halperin, author of the just released unauthorized biography Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson," told MTV News that the King of Pop had "almost 200 unreleased songs. He did leave a large, unpublished library, and..he willed it to his children and a bit to charity."

Since Jackson's untimely death on June 25th, more than 9 million of his albums have sold, propelling him to the top of the charts 40 years after first appearing as the youngest member of Jackson Five.

"The beauty of Michael Jackson as an artist is that he never stopped until the day he died," Halperin said in an interview with MTV. "When some of his songs are released, you're gonna see a different type of artist."

One collaboration between Jackson and the late Queen singer Freddie Mercury leaked since Michael died does show a different side of Michael.

The recording, if legitimate, is not tightly produced and does not have the snap of the bulk of Jackson's commercial recordings. The lesser quality to the track is evident on even a quick listen to the song entitled, There Must Be More to Life Than This.

The recording's unauthorized release prompted former Queen guitarist to rant about " "music thieves" on his blog. May says the two recorded the song together at Jackson's house in the mid-1980s.