Album that made a star ... Michael Jackson
MICHAEL JACKSON - Thriller 25 [/b]
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IF ever an album title suited the contents, it was this.
Thriller had the hottest grooves, the dirtiest beats, the tautest vocals, the slinkiest dance moves.
It made disco cool. It became the biggest-selling album of all time —
104MILLION and counting.
And it made its creator the world’s biggest superstar, the Elvis of his day. A critic wrote at the time: “In the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else.”
Life hasn’t exactly been a bed of roses for ***** in the 25 years since, but Thriller was and is a global phenomenon.
It spent 80 consecutive weeks in the American charts, 37 at No.1, won seven Grammys and has sold 3.5million copies in the UK alone.
Magic
Now Jackson has decided the anniversary is perfect timing for what he calls Thriller’s “second chapter”.
Next week’s release of Thriller 25 unites the original album with new remixes featuring Will.i.am, Fergie, Kanye West and Akon.
On The Girl Is Mine, Will.i.am even takes over duetting duties from Paul McCartney. There’s also an unreleased song, a sweet if insubstantial ballad called For All Time.
While the reworkings with today’s stars should bring Thriller to new, younger audiences, it’s the songs as they were first conceived, with liberal sprinklings of magic dust from co-producer Quincy Jones, that still make the lasting impressions.
Seven of the nine tracks were hit singles and the greatest of all was Billie Jean, a breathy five-minute masterpiece that heralded the Michael Jackson Moonwalk.
Following close behind was Beat It, the song that defined the MTV generation more than any other, mixing disco beats with Eddie Van Halen’s electrifying guitar solo and power chords.
Whatever your taste in pop music, there was something in that song to admire.
Then there was the title track which spawned the genuinely ghoulish video, a full-on, 14-minute horror flick pastiche directed by John Landis.
We saw ***** transform into a werewolf, then into an eye-popping zombie and who could forget the blood-curdling monologue and demonic laughter from the original prince of darkness himself, Vincent Price.
Cheesy
While the subject matter appeared to come from the depths of hell, the airy harmonies, the exuberant horns and max-energy vocal delivery sent the song soaring to disco heaven.
The album’s first single had been the silky duet with Macca on The Girl Is Mine, memorable for a cheesy spoken dialogue during which Jackson claims: “Paul, I think I told you . . . I’m a lover, not a fighter.”
And, of course, it all began with the up-tempo Wanna Be Startin’ Some-thin’. The singer had really started something, for it was the opening song of his greatest achievement.
25 years on, put aside any prejudices against Michael Jackson and prepare to be thrilled all over again.
unk: Rasta I know I haven't been here due to the passing of my aunt, but I'm back now and would like to welcome you back to the news staff and thanks for doing the news threads.
