An idea for a "new" release: Thriller Revisited (plus outtakes)

Zack44

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Here's an idea that I've been thinking about, and I'd like to hear other people opinions:

In case some of you guys don't know, the process of creating the Thriller album was a difficult for MJ, Quincy, Rod Temperton, Bruce Swedien and everyone else. When the group finished the album and sent it out to be mastered and ready to be released, the outcome wasn't ideal. The initial mix sounded so terrible that MJ panicked and almost told his label not to release it AT ALL (until Q calmed him down anyway. Basically they attempted to fit about 60 minutes of music on a vinyl album- which can only hold 45 minutes at most. As a result, the final version doesn't reflect Michael's original ideas.

This got me thinking: now that albums in today's day & age can be any length at all, why don't they release Thriller the way it was MEANT to be heard? Kinda like how George Lucas originally meant to put in more scenes & special effects in Star Wars, the Estate should release a new edit of Thriller based on the original mix- but this time, there are no sonic limitations.

Tracklist:
Disc 1: Thriller- The Remastered Original Mix
1.) Wanna be Startin Somethin' (the 12" verision that's slightly longer than the album version)
2.) Baby Be Mine
3.) The Girl Is Mine
4.) Thriller (with Vincent Price's 3rd verse)
5.) Beat It
6.) Billie Jean (the original version with the longer intro)
7.) Human Nature
8.) PYT
9.) Lady In My Life (the extended version with the missing verse & chorus)

And just to appease us fans, they can put a 2nd disc on it consisting of any demo versions and other outtakes that have never been officially released, such as:

-WBSS demo (from This Is It soundtrack)
-Baby Be Mine demo (the slower tempo version)
-The Girl is Mine demo (solo verison)
-Starlight
-Beat it (from This Is It)
-Billie Jean (any of the other 91 mixes that was rejected)
-Human Nature (Steve Porcaro's demo tape)
-PYT (MJ & Philliganes' demo from The Ultimate Collection)
-Got The Hots
-Nite Line
-She's Trouble
-Hot Street and/or Slapstick
-Carousel (full length version)
-State Of Shock (w/ Freddie Mercury)
-Buffalo Bill
-Victory (w/ Freddie Mercury)

What do you guys think? Is this idea plausible? Would you guys be interested in hearing/buying a remastered version of the 1st mix or Thriller or do you think the 1982 version is fine the way it is?
 
Agreed. some michael songs were longer then their were. thriller was release after the disco years.
 
Personally, I'm not a fan of this whatsoever. If the Estate is going to try to convince me to buy Thriller for the thousandth time, they'll have to do a lot better than throwing on a bunch of previously released and leaked songs, and two new tracks, one of which ("Buffalo Bill") isn't even a Thriller outtake.
 
Personally, I'm not a fan of this whatsoever. If the Estate is going to try to convince me to buy Thriller for the thousandth time, they'll have to do a lot better than throwing on a bunch of previously released and leaked songs, and two new tracks, one of which ("Buffalo Bill") isn't even a Thriller outtake.

Agreed, I have a signed Thriller LP single, a sealed LP & a sealed CD from 1982. As well as a mint LP, Thriller 25 and probably even more... Would be cool if they incorporated 'Victory' as a featuring song in the closing credits of a Victory Tour concert, obviously when I say they I mean "the brothers" although they'd probably give a thumbs up to the estate for a small buck...
 
Good thread.

You can throw in Disc 3, which could be a live album of the Victory Tour.
 
I'm neutral on this idea. But if The Making Of Thriller Blu Ray was included then I'd be on board.
 
I feel like the Victory tour shouldn't be affiliated with Thriller. I know they're closely related, but at the same time I think they're too distinct as eras to be put together on a project. If they released a Victory tour DVD, it should be its own thing.
 
while the victory tour and thriller are in the same era. i agree they should stay separated. during this time michael was getting ready to be permanent solo. it doesn't feel right to me either.
 
The only way the Victory Tour could be involved is to put only the performances of the songs from the Thriller album, like Billie Jean and Beat It. It could be a montage of different performances, or just one to be authentic. At least in those ones, Michael is the lead vocal and performer (yeah yeah the brothers join in Beat It but it's still Michael's song anyway). I feel like these performances deserve more exposure. Otherwise, I agree a full concert should not be included as it's a Jacksons Tour
 
I feel like the Victory tour shouldn't be affiliated with Thriller. I know they're closely related, but at the same time I think they're too distinct as eras to be put together on a project. If they released a Victory tour DVD, it should be its own thing.

I always believe that if you are going to reissue an album for an anniversary edition or something, you need to release a concert and a live album from the supporting tour for the album. Like Wembley 88 was released with Bad 25.

Unfortunately, we never got a Thriller tour. The closest thing to a Thriller Tour is the Victory Tour, which is why I would like to see a live album and a concert released from Victory Tour, if we ever get a 40th or 50th anniversary reissue of Thriller, which we most certainly will.
 
No, please no. Not thriller again. I hope they can do something special with his later work (dangerous, history and invincible).
 
I feel like the Victory tour shouldn't be affiliated with Thriller. I know they're closely related, but at the same time I think they're too distinct as eras to be put together on a project. If they released a Victory tour DVD, it should be its own thing.

Yeah, when I was talking about the Victory Tour I meant if the estate could release a Blu-Ray and split whatever profits with The Jackson's. Obviously Michael's share being bigger and they could include 'Victory' recorded with Freddie Mercury in some form. It all depends on if the brothers would agree to such a release or if they'd want to do it themselves...
 
I do not really want them to mikl Thriller yet again...

It is a great album no doubt - BUT - MJ is more than just Thriller. - And most fans already have the long versions and stuff. New demos from the Thriller sessions could be released, maybe just free on MJ's official youtube.

I would much rather they focused on the Dangerous and HIStory albums. - They are genius.
 
i agree. thriller has been rerelease so many times. i have no problem with them rerelease it that's only it will be the last release with everything michael etc. so they can put it to rest. we probably won't get anything like that until the 50th or 70th anniversary.

then the other albums.... we probably won't be alive to see them turn 50 or 70. :(
 
I predict that Thriller will be rereleased during its 40th, 50th or 60th anniversary in 2022, 2032 or 2042 respectively.
 
To those people complaining about the milking of Thriller. It is the best selling album of all time. It deserves to be milked, as far as I am concerned. The Estate will definitely release a 50th anniversary edition of Thriller, if not a 40th anniversary edition.
 
I don't blame the Estate for milking Thriller as much as I blame the general reissue practices.

Every deceased artist's estate has a tendency to focus on said artist's most well-known and acclaimed albums at the expense of their lesser-known works. While it makes sense to exploit albums that already have an established following, wouldn't it also make sense to attempt to shine a light on projects that the general public may not be aware of?

Take the Prince Estate for example. Prince released 39 albums in his lifetime, and the first three albums given an elaborate reissue treatment were Purple Rain, 1999, and Sign o' the Times -- a.k.a., three of his biggest and most popular. His first posthumous single wasn't a new song, but his demo of "Nothing Compares 2 U," which was a massive worldwide hit for Sinead O'Connor in 1990. To some degree, every single project they've released over the past four years have been reliant on one of his most popular eras, songs, or albums.

Same goes for Michael. Thriller shoots up the charts every year without any effort from the Estate, simply because it's the best-selling album of all time. Until the public starts to forget about it, which won't happen for several decades at the earliest, there's no reason they should keep pushing it.

I'll only buy Thriller again if we get a respectable number of new songs (e.g., at least 4-6, all of them unheard and not leaked), demos/alternate versions of album tracks that we haven't heard yet, and maybe the long-discussed footage of Paul and MJ recording "The Girl is Mine." Otherwise, what's the point?
 
i agree. thriller shouldn't be milk anymore until we get all the unrelease stuff from the album. i'm not buying it anymore until it have it's last release. possible it's 50th or 70th anniversary if i be alive then.
 
Zack44;4313346 said:
Here's an idea that I've been thinking about, and I'd like to hear other people opinions:

In case some of you guys don't know, the process of creating the Thriller album was a difficult for MJ, Quincy, Rod Temperton, Bruce Swedien and everyone else. When the group finished the album and sent it out to be mastered and ready to be released, the outcome wasn't ideal. The initial mix sounded so terrible that MJ panicked and almost told his label not to release it AT ALL (until Q calmed him down anyway. Basically they attempted to fit about 60 minutes of music on a vinyl album- which can only hold 45 minutes at most. As a result, the final version doesn't reflect Michael's original ideas.

This got me thinking: now that albums in today's day & age can be any length at all, why don't they release Thriller the way it was MEANT to be heard? Kinda like how George Lucas originally meant to put in more scenes & special effects in Star Wars, the Estate should release a new edit of Thriller based on the original mix- but this time, there are no sonic limitations.

Tracklist:
Disc 1: Thriller- The Remastered Original Mix
1.) Wanna be Startin Somethin' (the 12" verision that's slightly longer than the album version)
2.) Baby Be Mine
3.) The Girl Is Mine
4.) Thriller (with Vincent Price's 3rd verse)
5.) Beat It
6.) Billie Jean (the original version with the longer intro)
7.) Human Nature
8.) PYT
9.) Lady In My Life (the extended version with the missing verse & chorus)

And just to appease us fans, they can put a 2nd disc on it consisting of any demo versions and other outtakes that have never been officially released, such as:

-WBSS demo (from This Is It soundtrack)
-Baby Be Mine demo (the slower tempo version)
-The Girl is Mine demo (solo verison)
-Starlight
-Beat it (from This Is It)
-Billie Jean (any of the other 91 mixes that was rejected)
-Human Nature (Steve Porcaro's demo tape)
-PYT (MJ & Philliganes' demo from The Ultimate Collection)
-Got The Hots
-Nite Line
-She's Trouble
-Hot Street and/or Slapstick
-Carousel (full length version)
-State Of Shock (w/ Freddie Mercury)
-Buffalo Bill
-Victory (w/ Freddie Mercury)

What do you guys think? Is this idea plausible? Would you guys be interested in hearing/buying a remastered version of the 1st mix or Thriller or do you think the 1982 version is fine the way it is?

It was not just because of that.

The record label wanted the ‘Thriller’ album to be fully mixed and finished in a very short period of time, so they had to rush the initial mix of the album which also had terrible results (the orchestration and the vocals were also not properly adjusted because they mixed it in a rushed manner).

The record label then gave them some more days to do the mix again, which resulted in the official version of the album.

I cannot see why the Estate should release that initial mix of the ‘Thriller’ album (even accompanied by bonus demos and outtakes), considering that this initial mix was rejected by Michael Jackson himself, Quincy Jones and the rest of the staff that worked on the album.
 
Here's an idea that I've been thinking about, and I'd like to hear other people opinions:

In case some of you guys don't know, the process of creating the Thriller album was a difficult for MJ, Quincy, Rod Temperton, Bruce Swedien and everyone else. When the group finished the album and sent it out to be mastered and ready to be released, the outcome wasn't ideal. The initial mix sounded so terrible that MJ panicked and almost told his label not to release it AT ALL (until Q calmed him down anyway. Basically they attempted to fit about 60 minutes of music on a vinyl album- which can only hold 45 minutes at most. As a result, the final version doesn't reflect Michael's original ideas.

This got me thinking: now that albums in today's day & age can be any length at all, why don't they release Thriller the way it was MEANT to be heard? Kinda like how George Lucas originally meant to put in more scenes & special effects in Star Wars, the Estate should release a new edit of Thriller based on the original mix- but this time, there are no sonic limitations.

Tracklist:
Disc 1: Thriller- The Remastered Original Mix
1.) Wanna be Startin Somethin' (the 12" verision that's slightly longer than the album version)
2.) Baby Be Mine
3.) The Girl Is Mine
4.) Thriller (with Vincent Price's 3rd verse)
5.) Beat It
6.) Billie Jean (the original version with the longer intro)
7.) Human Nature
8.) PYT
9.) Lady In My Life (the extended version with the missing verse & chorus)

And just to appease us fans, they can put a 2nd disc on it consisting of any demo versions and other outtakes that have never been officially released, such as:

-WBSS demo (from This Is It soundtrack)
-Baby Be Mine demo (the slower tempo version)
-The Girl is Mine demo (solo verison)
-Starlight
-Beat it (from This Is It)
-Billie Jean (any of the other 91 mixes that was rejected)
-Human Nature (Steve Porcaro's demo tape)
-PYT (MJ & Philliganes' demo from The Ultimate Collection)
-Got The Hots
-Nite Line
-She's Trouble
-Hot Street and/or Slapstick
-Carousel (full length version)
-State Of Shock (w/ Freddie Mercury)
-Buffalo Bill
-Victory (w/ Freddie Mercury)

What do you guys think? Is this idea plausible? Would you guys be interested in hearing/buying a remastered version of the 1st mix or Thriller or do you think the 1982 version is fine the way it is?

I'm all in. Is that Victory song a real thing? Is there any info on its status?
 
Wilmert;4314112 said:
I'm all in. Is that Victory song a real thing? Is there any info on its status?

That ‘Victory’ duet song is a real thing but it exists in an incomplete form.

Brian May tried to finish it at one point later, but not knowing how to do it he left it unfinished.

After Michael Jackson’s death, Brian May, Roger Taylor and producer William Orbit tried to finish it again, but they left it unfinished for one more time (the reason here was due to conflicts with Michael Jackson Estate regarding the song’s official release).
 
I'll only buy Thriller again if we get a respectable number of new songs (e.g., at least 4-6, all of them unheard and not leaked), demos/alternate versions of album tracks that we haven't heard yet, and maybe the long-discussed footage of Paul and MJ recording "The Girl is Mine." Otherwise, what's the point?
I'd ask it a different way. I'll only buy Thriller again if it actually sounds better. Otherwise, what's the point?

I didn't buy Thriller SE because it sounded objectively worse than the original CD. I didn't buy Thriller 25 because it sounded even worse still. I'm not interested in remixes by Will.I.am, and that Putbull stuff was probably the worst and most offensive remix I've ever heard in my life.

I'm interested in listening to original Thriller in the best sound possible, not whatever frankendemo they can dream up. Where is the 96-kHz/24-bit version? Where is the 5.1 channel version that was produced while MJ was still alive?

On a related note, I'd absolutely buy a DVD of the Victory Tour.
 
I still cannot believe the biggest artist on earth.

The best live performer ever lived - and the person who single-gloved changed the way musicvideos were made.

And still - in 2021 we do not have anything in HD. So many live performances/concerts should be released. They could easily release 5-6 BAD tour concerts. The set-list changed drastic from 1987 to 1988 - it's almost like to different concerts. - The change in set-list is almost bigger between 1987 and 1988 than the Victory concert and BAD tour...

The shortfilms/musicvideos was also what he was very known for and broke all records. - Still we only have them in 4:3 SD low quality. - Now I do not know if it is possible to make them into 16:9 - I do not want them to cut too much from top and bottom. - But if it was shot on 32 mm they would be 16:9 but then made into 4:3 to fit the old-fashioned TV's people had back then. - Imagine if they were released in 4K(8K?) and 16:9. - that would be amazing.

Also - all the one-of performances needs to be officially released. The Estate sure could buy the rights or make deals to make it possible. Elizabeth Taylor - Elizabeth I love you. Sammy Davies Jr. - You Were there (also rehearsal) etc. etc. - The only thing we have is MTV 1995, Motown 25th and then I think Ed Sullivan released a DVD with The JAcksons - so surely MJ Estate could pay to include it in their release too. - All these special performances needs to be released.

Maybe they can find some footage from One Night Only, United We Stand etc.
 
I still cannot believe the biggest artist on earth.

The best live performer ever lived - and the person who single-gloved changed the way musicvideos were made.

And still - in 2021 we do not have anything in HD. So many live performances/concerts should be released. They could easily release 5-6 BAD tour concerts. The set-list changed drastic from 1987 to 1988 - it's almost like to different concerts. - The change in set-list is almost bigger between 1987 and 1988 than the Victory concert and BAD tour...

The shortfilms/musicvideos was also what he was very known for and broke all records. - Still we only have them in 4:3 SD low quality. - Now I do not know if it is possible to make them into 16:9 - I do not want them to cut too much from top and bottom. - But if it was shot on 32 mm they would be 16:9 but then made into 4:3 to fit the old-fashioned TV's people had back then. - Imagine if they were released in 4K(8K?) and 16:9. - that would be amazing.

Also - all the one-of performances needs to be officially released. The Estate sure could buy the rights or make deals to make it possible. Elizabeth Taylor - Elizabeth I love you. Sammy Davies Jr. - You Were there (also rehearsal) etc. etc. - The only thing we have is MTV 1995, Motown 25th and then I think Ed Sullivan released a DVD with The JAcksons - so surely MJ Estate could pay to include it in their release too. - All these special performances needs to be released.

Maybe they can find some footage from One Night Only, United We Stand etc.
This just almost made me sick to my stomach. I cannot believe they treat us like this
 
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