As people are enjoying the other reviews, a Thriller one seems timely, so I've written this today. I hope you enjoy it.
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Michael Jackson's Thriller - a review
Imagine if you will, you're 22 years old, barely old enough to drink and you've been a worldwide famous and successful pop star for 12 years. Before you were a teenager, you've had four number one hits in your home country. At 11 you've been on the cover of Rolling Stone. You've travelled the world performing in front of millions. You've grown up in the public eye and in your back catalogue you've already got classics such as, The Love You Save, ABC, I'll Be There, Ben, Blame It On The Boogie, Can You Feel It, Rock With You, She's Out Of My Life and Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.
Your first solo album as a young adult was a tremendous success, sold 8 million copies and bridged the gap perfectly between the 70's and the 80's with its disco and pop fusion. It also further showcased your abilities to write amazing songs and was a platform for your increasing vocal talent and dancing ability.
But you're not satisfied; in fact you're only just beginning. So, time for the next move. 'Off The Wall' had barely whetted Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones's appetite for success. They wanted more; they wanted to set the world on fire. They wanted to Thrill.
But surely, even they couldn't believe what was about to happen. As we prepare to celebrate 25 years since Thriller. I want to take a look at why it is the biggest selling album ever. So much has been written about it, Google 'Jackson Thriller' and you get 1,240,000 results, so I'm sure I can't add much more, so I'll talk about the music. Why do we still get goose bumps every time we put the CD on and every time we hear the opening chords of Billie Jean or every time we see the white socks, one glove and the fedora?
I've written in other reviews about the stunning way Michael opens his albums. He had set the bar high with the timeless bassline and spoken vocal intro on 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough' which burns into an all out dance fest. 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' opens Thriller with a bang, in fact 3 bangs. BAM, BAM, BAM and you're in. A killer hook sets the scene for an album like you've never heard before. Subsequent albums to Thriller play with your perceptions of how a song is constructed rather than the usual 'verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus to fade' structure, Starin Somethin' is the first to blow this up. A mixture of verses, choruses, middle 8's and an awe-inspiring and rousing shout out at the end, all go to make it an amazing piece of work. Have more breathtaking lyrics ever been written that better 'Keep your head up high and scream out to the world, I know I am someone and let the truth unfurl'?
'Baby Be Mine' follows, already taking the tempo down a peg or two. One of the 2 non singles from Thriller, it was written by Rod Temperton from '70s group Heatwave and also responsible for writing Thriller. A smooth track that Michael excels at singing, similar in style to Rock With You (also Temperton penned).
Two legends combine next on was what to become the first single from Thriller. Jackson wanted 'The Girl Is Mine' to be the first single, because although not an obvious choice, he knew it would soon get overplayed due to it being a McCartney/Jackson duet which would eventually ruin the impact of the single's release, best to get it out the way. I think TGIM gets a bad deal, it was recently in a list of worst ever duets. Yes, it's schmaltzy and certainly Say, Say, Say (their other collaboration) is a better record but TGIM is well structured as a duet, well sung and, more importantly for a pop record, is almighty fun.
Track Four, to coin a phrase, marks HIStory. Amazingly 'Thriller' the single was released a year to the day after Thriller the album. By now the album was well on course to be one of the biggest sellers of all time and had spent the best part of 1983 on the #1 spot, but MJ & Q had a trick up their sleeve. Since watching John Landis's 'An American Werewolf In London', Michael had a plan, but it was a risky and groundbreaking one. Music videos had only really begun to take off, yet Michael pitched the idea of a 15 minute 'short film' to accompany Thriller the single. The record company told him where to go. The album had already sold in excess of 20 million, why fork out on new promotion? So he funded the film himself, made a 'Making Of' home video to accompany it and sold it to the public to make his money back. Now that's business acumen. The song itself is an epic, it has sound effects, werewolves, creaking doors, even Dracula himself, Vincent Price, is on it – genius.
The premiere of the video was such an event, families gathered round their TVs to watch it. Kids (including me) were allowed to stay up late, begging our parents to pay no attention to the 15 certificate it had been given. 25 years later, it is still regarded as the best music video of all time and if it was possible, shot Michael Jackson's star further into the stratosphere.
The entertainment industry, like life, likes to categorise people. You can be a rock star, a country singer, a pop star, an R&B singer. Michael Jackson blew this out of the water with this next track, 'Beat It' showed that Michael refused to be pigeon-holed, like Startin' Somethin' and Baby Be Mine, Beat It was solely written by Jackson and was a fully blown out rock song. Years before Run DMC & Aerosmith blended genres with Walk This Way, Michael brought what were thought to be 2 exclusive types of music together when making Beat It. The ultimate stroke of genius was persuading Eddie Van Halen to play guitar on the song, breaking racial boundaries in music. The accompanying video was awesome. You know how almost every pop artist video or performance you've seen in the last 25 years has the artist / group dancing out front with a troupe of dancers doing the same routine behind them? Beat It started that. Bob Giraldi, the director, brought out 2 videos almost simultaneously, Beat It & Pat Benatar's Love Is A Battlefield. Check it out if you haven't seen it, between that and Beat It, it is where the dance routine in video phenomenon started.
Classic songs start with classic intros. I must have heard 'Billie Jean' hundreds, if not thousands of times and every time the drum beat kicks in, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Again, written solely by Michael. The song has everything. Things we take for granted now, a storyline, a hook that buries itself into your brain and won't leave, Jackson's vocal affectations, a base line to blow your mind, passionately sung, amazing ad-libs. Everything you now come to expect from the man.
If I switch my satellite TV on now, I get at least 20 music channels, but 25 years ago, there was only one. The fledgling MTV was just starting out, which amazing as it sounds today only played white rock artists. Michael Jackson & Billie Jean changed all that. The video may look dated now, but when he sings that second verse dancing down the street with the lit up pavement - I still love it. I may own it on about 5 DVDs but if I'm ever flicking through and it comes on, I'll stop mesmerised like it's the first time I've seen it. The song and video should be put in a Time Capsule for other generations and life-forms to enjoy after we've gone. No doubt they'd shake their heads in amazement and think how lucky we were to have been entertained like this.
'Human Nature' is next, the 5th single and a live favourite. Lyrics written by John Bettis (also wrote Madonna's Crazy For You) and composed by Steve Porcaro from '80s rock group Toto (Africa). As well as being a beautiful song, it is a vehicle for Michael's growing vocal talent. Parts of the song where his voice soars above the gorgeous melody as he questions "oh why, oh why" are sublime.
An outright pop joy is next. Legend has it that 'P.Y.T.' the song title came first, Quincy gave it to Michael to write, who came up with a mid-paced R&B lick, he felt it needed to be faster so re-wrote the song with James Ingram (Yah Mo Be There), and this version made the album, and in my opinion thank God. Lyrically and melodically, the song enthuses joyfulness and delight.
"Where did you some from baby, and ooh won't you take me there". Michael himself, loves the made up words and phrases, "Tenderoni" and "spark my nature, sugar fly with me". A masterclass in pop music.
Thriller was way before the advent of CDs which allowed Michael to experiment with 14/15 track albums, and therefore seems short by comparison at only 9 tracks. It finishes on a non single, the sensual 'Lady In My Life'. Again written by Temperton, LIML at first had two verses (you can still read the lyrics to the second in the booklet) which was cut out of the final version to allow Michael to fly freely with his ad-libs. A talent we've seen so often since on Man In The Mirror, Who Is It and Butterflies, to name a few, the last 2 minutes of 'Lady' lets Michael caress, flirt and seduce us as the melody plays on. "All over, all over, all over" and "Lay back with me, let me love you girl". Compare this with Rockin' Robin, Michael was an adult now.
Estimated sales of Thriller range between anything from 60 to 105 million and it is a simple fact that this will never be beaten. This is not just thanks to music piracy and downloads but because Thriller became more than just an album, it summed up a time and a generation. Thriller was like the Hula Hoop in the 70's or the Rubik's Cube - it was just something that you had to have. You don't get that anymore, it's because geniuses don't come along very often.
Thriller became a project, as well as the physical album, you have the ground breaking videos, you have the Motown 25 performance which I haven't even mentioned, you have the Thriller short film and accompanying home video, you have the fact that 7 out of the 9 songs (that's 78% maths fiends!) were released as singles over a one year period, yet they all still made Top 10. Thriller became more than itself, it became a phenomenon. In retrospect, it's hard to believe that it wasn't a one off; that the best was yet to come, we still had songs like Man In The Mirror, Black Or White, Will You Be There and Earth Song to look forward to. We had ground and record breaking live shows that would play to millions to come. We had videos like Smooth Criminal, Scream and Jam years away in the future.
Thriller may have been Michael Jackson's peak sales wise and will probably be the one album he's remembered for. But it simply started the phenomenon that was to continue for a very long time and something tells me it ain't over yet….
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Michael Jackson's Thriller - a review
Imagine if you will, you're 22 years old, barely old enough to drink and you've been a worldwide famous and successful pop star for 12 years. Before you were a teenager, you've had four number one hits in your home country. At 11 you've been on the cover of Rolling Stone. You've travelled the world performing in front of millions. You've grown up in the public eye and in your back catalogue you've already got classics such as, The Love You Save, ABC, I'll Be There, Ben, Blame It On The Boogie, Can You Feel It, Rock With You, She's Out Of My Life and Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.
Your first solo album as a young adult was a tremendous success, sold 8 million copies and bridged the gap perfectly between the 70's and the 80's with its disco and pop fusion. It also further showcased your abilities to write amazing songs and was a platform for your increasing vocal talent and dancing ability.
But you're not satisfied; in fact you're only just beginning. So, time for the next move. 'Off The Wall' had barely whetted Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones's appetite for success. They wanted more; they wanted to set the world on fire. They wanted to Thrill.
But surely, even they couldn't believe what was about to happen. As we prepare to celebrate 25 years since Thriller. I want to take a look at why it is the biggest selling album ever. So much has been written about it, Google 'Jackson Thriller' and you get 1,240,000 results, so I'm sure I can't add much more, so I'll talk about the music. Why do we still get goose bumps every time we put the CD on and every time we hear the opening chords of Billie Jean or every time we see the white socks, one glove and the fedora?
I've written in other reviews about the stunning way Michael opens his albums. He had set the bar high with the timeless bassline and spoken vocal intro on 'Don't Stop Til You Get Enough' which burns into an all out dance fest. 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' opens Thriller with a bang, in fact 3 bangs. BAM, BAM, BAM and you're in. A killer hook sets the scene for an album like you've never heard before. Subsequent albums to Thriller play with your perceptions of how a song is constructed rather than the usual 'verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus to fade' structure, Starin Somethin' is the first to blow this up. A mixture of verses, choruses, middle 8's and an awe-inspiring and rousing shout out at the end, all go to make it an amazing piece of work. Have more breathtaking lyrics ever been written that better 'Keep your head up high and scream out to the world, I know I am someone and let the truth unfurl'?
'Baby Be Mine' follows, already taking the tempo down a peg or two. One of the 2 non singles from Thriller, it was written by Rod Temperton from '70s group Heatwave and also responsible for writing Thriller. A smooth track that Michael excels at singing, similar in style to Rock With You (also Temperton penned).
Two legends combine next on was what to become the first single from Thriller. Jackson wanted 'The Girl Is Mine' to be the first single, because although not an obvious choice, he knew it would soon get overplayed due to it being a McCartney/Jackson duet which would eventually ruin the impact of the single's release, best to get it out the way. I think TGIM gets a bad deal, it was recently in a list of worst ever duets. Yes, it's schmaltzy and certainly Say, Say, Say (their other collaboration) is a better record but TGIM is well structured as a duet, well sung and, more importantly for a pop record, is almighty fun.
Track Four, to coin a phrase, marks HIStory. Amazingly 'Thriller' the single was released a year to the day after Thriller the album. By now the album was well on course to be one of the biggest sellers of all time and had spent the best part of 1983 on the #1 spot, but MJ & Q had a trick up their sleeve. Since watching John Landis's 'An American Werewolf In London', Michael had a plan, but it was a risky and groundbreaking one. Music videos had only really begun to take off, yet Michael pitched the idea of a 15 minute 'short film' to accompany Thriller the single. The record company told him where to go. The album had already sold in excess of 20 million, why fork out on new promotion? So he funded the film himself, made a 'Making Of' home video to accompany it and sold it to the public to make his money back. Now that's business acumen. The song itself is an epic, it has sound effects, werewolves, creaking doors, even Dracula himself, Vincent Price, is on it – genius.
The premiere of the video was such an event, families gathered round their TVs to watch it. Kids (including me) were allowed to stay up late, begging our parents to pay no attention to the 15 certificate it had been given. 25 years later, it is still regarded as the best music video of all time and if it was possible, shot Michael Jackson's star further into the stratosphere.
The entertainment industry, like life, likes to categorise people. You can be a rock star, a country singer, a pop star, an R&B singer. Michael Jackson blew this out of the water with this next track, 'Beat It' showed that Michael refused to be pigeon-holed, like Startin' Somethin' and Baby Be Mine, Beat It was solely written by Jackson and was a fully blown out rock song. Years before Run DMC & Aerosmith blended genres with Walk This Way, Michael brought what were thought to be 2 exclusive types of music together when making Beat It. The ultimate stroke of genius was persuading Eddie Van Halen to play guitar on the song, breaking racial boundaries in music. The accompanying video was awesome. You know how almost every pop artist video or performance you've seen in the last 25 years has the artist / group dancing out front with a troupe of dancers doing the same routine behind them? Beat It started that. Bob Giraldi, the director, brought out 2 videos almost simultaneously, Beat It & Pat Benatar's Love Is A Battlefield. Check it out if you haven't seen it, between that and Beat It, it is where the dance routine in video phenomenon started.
Classic songs start with classic intros. I must have heard 'Billie Jean' hundreds, if not thousands of times and every time the drum beat kicks in, the hair on the back of my neck stands up. Again, written solely by Michael. The song has everything. Things we take for granted now, a storyline, a hook that buries itself into your brain and won't leave, Jackson's vocal affectations, a base line to blow your mind, passionately sung, amazing ad-libs. Everything you now come to expect from the man.
If I switch my satellite TV on now, I get at least 20 music channels, but 25 years ago, there was only one. The fledgling MTV was just starting out, which amazing as it sounds today only played white rock artists. Michael Jackson & Billie Jean changed all that. The video may look dated now, but when he sings that second verse dancing down the street with the lit up pavement - I still love it. I may own it on about 5 DVDs but if I'm ever flicking through and it comes on, I'll stop mesmerised like it's the first time I've seen it. The song and video should be put in a Time Capsule for other generations and life-forms to enjoy after we've gone. No doubt they'd shake their heads in amazement and think how lucky we were to have been entertained like this.
'Human Nature' is next, the 5th single and a live favourite. Lyrics written by John Bettis (also wrote Madonna's Crazy For You) and composed by Steve Porcaro from '80s rock group Toto (Africa). As well as being a beautiful song, it is a vehicle for Michael's growing vocal talent. Parts of the song where his voice soars above the gorgeous melody as he questions "oh why, oh why" are sublime.
An outright pop joy is next. Legend has it that 'P.Y.T.' the song title came first, Quincy gave it to Michael to write, who came up with a mid-paced R&B lick, he felt it needed to be faster so re-wrote the song with James Ingram (Yah Mo Be There), and this version made the album, and in my opinion thank God. Lyrically and melodically, the song enthuses joyfulness and delight.
"Where did you some from baby, and ooh won't you take me there". Michael himself, loves the made up words and phrases, "Tenderoni" and "spark my nature, sugar fly with me". A masterclass in pop music.
Thriller was way before the advent of CDs which allowed Michael to experiment with 14/15 track albums, and therefore seems short by comparison at only 9 tracks. It finishes on a non single, the sensual 'Lady In My Life'. Again written by Temperton, LIML at first had two verses (you can still read the lyrics to the second in the booklet) which was cut out of the final version to allow Michael to fly freely with his ad-libs. A talent we've seen so often since on Man In The Mirror, Who Is It and Butterflies, to name a few, the last 2 minutes of 'Lady' lets Michael caress, flirt and seduce us as the melody plays on. "All over, all over, all over" and "Lay back with me, let me love you girl". Compare this with Rockin' Robin, Michael was an adult now.
Estimated sales of Thriller range between anything from 60 to 105 million and it is a simple fact that this will never be beaten. This is not just thanks to music piracy and downloads but because Thriller became more than just an album, it summed up a time and a generation. Thriller was like the Hula Hoop in the 70's or the Rubik's Cube - it was just something that you had to have. You don't get that anymore, it's because geniuses don't come along very often.
Thriller became a project, as well as the physical album, you have the ground breaking videos, you have the Motown 25 performance which I haven't even mentioned, you have the Thriller short film and accompanying home video, you have the fact that 7 out of the 9 songs (that's 78% maths fiends!) were released as singles over a one year period, yet they all still made Top 10. Thriller became more than itself, it became a phenomenon. In retrospect, it's hard to believe that it wasn't a one off; that the best was yet to come, we still had songs like Man In The Mirror, Black Or White, Will You Be There and Earth Song to look forward to. We had ground and record breaking live shows that would play to millions to come. We had videos like Smooth Criminal, Scream and Jam years away in the future.
Thriller may have been Michael Jackson's peak sales wise and will probably be the one album he's remembered for. But it simply started the phenomenon that was to continue for a very long time and something tells me it ain't over yet….
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