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Article about Thriller 25 and what the future could possibly hold for Michael
Thriller 25: The Selling-Out of a Superstar or the Beginning of a Beautiful Partnership?
Charles Thomson visits Sony Headquarters to learn about Michael Jackson’s latest project, what the future holds for the King of Pop, and the truth about those X Factor rumours.
In 1998 art house darling Gus Van Sant provoked outrage when he remade Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, ‘Psycho’. The move, which saw the director’s reputation decimated in a hurricane of negative publicity, was branded by America’s premier film critic Roger Ebert as ‘pointless’, ‘invaluable’ and lacking in conviction. Movie fans the world over were aghast at what seemed like an astonishing display of arrogance on Van Sant’s part; a genuine belief that he could improve on the seminal work of cinema’s greatest visionary. It came as no surprise when the film died at the box office and was savaged by fans and pundits alike, and at the time it was difficult to imagine a more misguided project.
That is until I find myself at Sony BMG’s London Headquarters for an exclusive preview of a similarly hideous reimagining of an entirely different type of thriller. Having missed the official listening last week, I have been invited to Sony HQ for a private meeting with PR Officer Haydn Williams, who is spearheading the European marketing campaign for Michael Jackson’s latest offering, ‘Thriller 25’, a CD/DVD package released in two months’ time to mark the 25th anniversary of the album’s astonishing success.
The package, postponed from November until February, will contain the original album in a digitally restored format, three previously released demos, one unreleased track and, worryingly, five remixes - by contemporary artists - of classic Jackson tracks. Among these remixes will be a reimagining of ‘The Girl Is Mine’ with Black Eyed Peas star Will.I.Am at the helm, Kanye West’s spin on ‘Billie Jean’ and a remix of Jackson favourite ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, which Haydn lines up on his stereo before hitting play...
The remix seems never-ending. Akon’s overt, sexual lyrics have robbed the song of its wit and subtlety and Jackson’s original vocals have been banished almost entirely, making way for Akon’s distinct and, frankly, grating tones.
All five remixes had leaked two days previously, appearing first on an obscure hip-hop website and then on YouTube. Each vapid mess served as another knife in the side of Jackson’s legacy. Fergie’s tuneless vocals combined with Will.I.Am’s over-production leave ‘Beat It’ sounding like a hobo bludgeoning a dwarf with a sack full of wind-chimes. Meanwhile, if Kanye West’s uninspired remix of ‘Billie Jean’ doesn’t leave you rethinking your policy on involuntary euthanasia then you may very well not have a soul.
Arguably the worst of the bunch, although it’s a tight race, is Will.I.Am’s reworking of Jackson’s ‘PYT’, which uses as its source material Jackson’s original demo – lacklustre vocals and mediocre sound quality intact – rather than the disco-funk masterpiece that appeared on the album.
Perhaps the largest problem is the phenomenal quality of the original recordings; they’re just too good. Jackson’s unparalleled success has always been both a blessing and a curse. Whilst it secured him a place in history and record books alike, it also left him with a lot to live up to. ‘Thriller’ is as close to perfect as any of us has the right to expect and when inexperienced contemporary artists are given carte blanche to fiddle around with it; the quality is only going to go one way. Jackson was a veteran at twenty five, whilst his chosen contemporary artists of the same age have comparatively little experience and each of their final products borders on sacrilege.
Thriller 25: The Selling-Out of a Superstar or the Beginning of a Beautiful Partnership?
Charles Thomson visits Sony Headquarters to learn about Michael Jackson’s latest project, what the future holds for the King of Pop, and the truth about those X Factor rumours.
In 1998 art house darling Gus Van Sant provoked outrage when he remade Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller, ‘Psycho’. The move, which saw the director’s reputation decimated in a hurricane of negative publicity, was branded by America’s premier film critic Roger Ebert as ‘pointless’, ‘invaluable’ and lacking in conviction. Movie fans the world over were aghast at what seemed like an astonishing display of arrogance on Van Sant’s part; a genuine belief that he could improve on the seminal work of cinema’s greatest visionary. It came as no surprise when the film died at the box office and was savaged by fans and pundits alike, and at the time it was difficult to imagine a more misguided project.
That is until I find myself at Sony BMG’s London Headquarters for an exclusive preview of a similarly hideous reimagining of an entirely different type of thriller. Having missed the official listening last week, I have been invited to Sony HQ for a private meeting with PR Officer Haydn Williams, who is spearheading the European marketing campaign for Michael Jackson’s latest offering, ‘Thriller 25’, a CD/DVD package released in two months’ time to mark the 25th anniversary of the album’s astonishing success.
The package, postponed from November until February, will contain the original album in a digitally restored format, three previously released demos, one unreleased track and, worryingly, five remixes - by contemporary artists - of classic Jackson tracks. Among these remixes will be a reimagining of ‘The Girl Is Mine’ with Black Eyed Peas star Will.I.Am at the helm, Kanye West’s spin on ‘Billie Jean’ and a remix of Jackson favourite ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, which Haydn lines up on his stereo before hitting play...
The remix seems never-ending. Akon’s overt, sexual lyrics have robbed the song of its wit and subtlety and Jackson’s original vocals have been banished almost entirely, making way for Akon’s distinct and, frankly, grating tones.
All five remixes had leaked two days previously, appearing first on an obscure hip-hop website and then on YouTube. Each vapid mess served as another knife in the side of Jackson’s legacy. Fergie’s tuneless vocals combined with Will.I.Am’s over-production leave ‘Beat It’ sounding like a hobo bludgeoning a dwarf with a sack full of wind-chimes. Meanwhile, if Kanye West’s uninspired remix of ‘Billie Jean’ doesn’t leave you rethinking your policy on involuntary euthanasia then you may very well not have a soul.
Arguably the worst of the bunch, although it’s a tight race, is Will.I.Am’s reworking of Jackson’s ‘PYT’, which uses as its source material Jackson’s original demo – lacklustre vocals and mediocre sound quality intact – rather than the disco-funk masterpiece that appeared on the album.
Perhaps the largest problem is the phenomenal quality of the original recordings; they’re just too good. Jackson’s unparalleled success has always been both a blessing and a curse. Whilst it secured him a place in history and record books alike, it also left him with a lot to live up to. ‘Thriller’ is as close to perfect as any of us has the right to expect and when inexperienced contemporary artists are given carte blanche to fiddle around with it; the quality is only going to go one way. Jackson was a veteran at twenty five, whilst his chosen contemporary artists of the same age have comparatively little experience and each of their final products borders on sacrilege.
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