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Original Thriller tracklist?

Kanye East

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I've heard rumors that originally, Hot Street was on Side 1 - between Baby Be Mine and The Girl is Mine

Is there any actual confirmation/proof of this, or is this just an internet rumor?

For what it's worth, if it is true, I would have rather they cut The Girl is Mine than Hot Street
 
Michael's demo version of The Girl Is Mine blows the duet out of the water!!

It is far superior to what was released! I'm not the biggest fan of the track with Paul - I think it is a bit crap tbh but LOVE the demo!

I would have no problem with that version (polished up) being on Thriller.
 
Kanye East said:
I've heard rumors that originally, Hot Street was on Side 1 - between Baby Be Mine and The Girl is Mine

Is there any actual confirmation/proof of this, or is this just an internet rumor?

For what it's worth, if it is true, I would have rather they cut The Girl is Mine than Hot Street
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But it was 'The Girl Is Mine' (released as the lead single) that paved the way for the 'Thriller' album to achieve such a big commercial and chart success.

It has been said that a duet with a white artist (Paul McCartney) released as the lead single was Quincy Jones' idea, as a way for the album also to cross-over to white audiences.

Also, 'The Girl Is Mine' was a stronger song (than 'Hot Street') mainly because of its chorus which instantly sticks to people's mind.
 
I love hot street, it is great and catchy but it would have been just another dance/disco song In a long line of similar tracks that era.
I am fully behind TGIM, there was nothing like it in 1982. It really is a delicate recording, maybe a bit cheesy for some lyrically but if you focus solely on the vocals and the music production it is really is freaking awesome. It has that lazy Sunday afternoon laid back vibe. There was chemistry between Michael and Paul. The 3 songs they out out together all point to the direction that they could have been a great pop duo if they wanted to. It is rare to have 2 once in a life time talents to combine to this extent, I cherish it.

The demo is fantastic as well, and stands on its own which proves the further quality of the track but to have the version with Paul released was the smart thing to do and indeed paved the way for unprecedented success.
 
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Dorian said:
THRILLER original album draft (1982)

VINYL - Side A

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (6:02)
2. Hot Street (3:45)
3. The Girl Is Mine (3:42)
4. Thriller (5:57)

VINYL - Side B

5. Billie Jean (6:20)
6. She's Trouble (4:00)
7. Nightline (4:33)
8. Carousel (3:58)
9. The Lady In My Life (6:10)

https://www.mjjcommunity.com/thread...hriller-40-disc-2.200646/page-94#post-4536417
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Even though I adore Hot Street, She’s Trouble, Nightline and carousel, I am glad that this wasn’t the final track list. I can’t imagine Thriller without Beat It, PYT, Human Nature and even Baby Be Mine.
 
It baffles me how the same team that made Off The Wall thought that the first version of Thriller was a worthy follow up.

Thankfully they found 4 classic songs to bulk up the record and even better Michael and Quincy decided to focus on Mike's self penned tracks, as they've always stood up as the strongest tracks
 
MJbr2 said:
Human Nature being found by accident and replacing Carousel at the last minute is still something that blows my mind.
It is my absolute favorite MJ track ever.
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Yeah I get goosebumps when I heard that story.

If Quincy hadn't have left the tape running in the background and not heard that stratch demo on the end of the tape, then Carousel was on Thriller and we'd never get one of the groundbreaking songs that lead to some of the greatest live performances in history. Madness
 
For sure. But there are a few last-minute decisions which are significant. Imagine if Michael never had the courage to present Beat It to Quincy at the last minute. Or if Streetwalker was chosen for Bad.
 
SmoothCriminal1995 said:
Yeah I get goosebumps when I heard that story.

If Quincy hadn't have left the tape running in the background and not heard that stratch demo on the end of the tape, then Carousel was on Thriller and we'd never get one of the groundbreaking songs that lead to some of the greatest live performances in history. Madness
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Thanks to auto-reverse!
 
dethorro said:
For sure. But there are a few last-minute decisions which are significant. Imagine if Michael never had the courage to present Beat It to Quincy at the last minute. Or if Streetwalker was chosen for Bad.
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Streetwalker is a good song, but Another Part of Me is my favorite track of my favorite MJ album, so I'm glad.
 
BuffaloBill87 said:
Frank DiLeo is the only reason why Streetwalker did not make the album. 😄
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There is an interesting revelation as to why 'Streetwalker' was not included on the 'BAD' album, which had nothing to do with Frank DiLeo.

Bill Bottrell stated that 'Streetwalker' was recorded after the release of the 'BAD' album.

"…'Streetwalker' was recorded after Bad was released. I don't understand the story told about it and 'Another Part of Me' it's impossible...Well, I know for sure the version [of 'Streetwalker'] we hear on Bad Re-issue was done between Bad and Dangerous, while Michael was on tour. Now I'm just trying to imagine some earlier version from Encino, (and coming up with nothing) OR. maybe there was a Westlake (Quincy) version!..." (Bill Bottrell)

Bill Bottrell stated that in 2009 on the Gearspace.com online forum.
 
mj_frenzy said:
There is an interesting revelation as to why 'Streetwalker' was not included on the 'BAD' album, which had nothing to do with Frank DiLeo.
Click to expand...
This is totally bs!

And here's why
mj_frenzy said:
"…'Streetwalker' was recorded after Bad was released. I don't understand the story told about it and 'Another Part of Me' it's impossible...Well, I know for sure the version [of 'Streetwalker'] we hear on Bad Re-issue was done between Bad and Dangerous, while Michael was on tour. Now I'm just trying to imagine some earlier version from Encino, (and coming up with nothing) OR. maybe there was a Westlake (Quincy) version!..." (Bill Bottrell)

Bill Bottrell stated that in 2009 on the Gearspace.com online forum.
Click to expand...
 
I think the original draft of thriller is just as good as OTW. 3 of the 4 tracks are filler but good filler imo (carousel is a true jam, never filler). On OTW we also have filler like it's the falling in love, burn this disco out and girlfriend but it is also good filler.

I wouldn't be able to pick a favorite between OTW and original Thriller.

Still I agree with everyone, I wouldn't change a single thing about the thriller we got, it is perfect.
 
BuffaloBill87 said:
I'm not a fan of streetwalker, regardless if it was in competition with APOM or recorded after BAD - I always found it rather boring and very average.
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The harmonies and vocals are great but the melody and lyrics are pretty boring.
 
No Beat It, no Human Nature... I'm glad that was changed! Imagine if we hadn't gotten those songs, it would actually have been blasphemous. I personally believe Beat It was one of the big reasons as to why Thriller ended up being the best-selling album in history in the first place, it was absolutely groundbreaking in many ways (same with many other songs on the album, of course; arguably even the majority of them). And Human Nature... I simply think that song is a masterpiece; lyrically, musically, vocally... Especially live, that song just... I can't even describe it, it's something else entirely!

Carousel... I don't dislike it at all, but compared to a song like Human Nature, it just pales, in my humble and honest opinion.
 
mj_frenzy said:
There is an interesting revelation as to why 'Streetwalker' was not included on the 'BAD' album, which had nothing to do with Frank DiLeo.

Bill Bottrell stated that 'Streetwalker' was recorded after the release of the 'BAD' album.

"…'Streetwalker' was recorded after Bad was released. I don't understand the story told about it and 'Another Part of Me' it's impossible...Well, I know for sure the version [of 'Streetwalker'] we hear on Bad Re-issue was done between Bad and Dangerous, while Michael was on tour. Now I'm just trying to imagine some earlier version from Encino, (and coming up with nothing) OR. maybe there was a Westlake (Quincy) version!..." (Bill Bottrell)

Bill Bottrell stated that in 2009 on the Gearspace.com online forum.
Click to expand...
Streetwalker was done at Havenhurst. More work was done Westlake with John Barnes and Bill Bottrell, just before they were dismissed from Bad (due to Quincy and Bruce not linking their involvement). The version that was released on Bad: Special Edition was a revised mix done by Bottrell in 1988. Thus, the confusion on his part.
 
Dorian said:
THRILLER original album draft (1982)

VINYL - Side A

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (6:02)
2. Hot Street (3:45)
3. The Girl Is Mine (3:42)
4. Thriller (5:57)

VINYL - Side B

5. Billie Jean (6:20)
6. She's Trouble (4:00)
7. Nightline (4:33)
8. Carousel (3:58)
9. The Lady In My Life (6:10)

https://www.mjjcommunity.com/thread...hriller-40-disc-2.200646/page-94#post-4536417
Click to expand...
Side 1 was originally a bit longer. WBSS had some of the instrumentation edited out and Thriller had VP's 3rd verse removed.
 
I think we can say, Thriller is Perfect as it was released. In that time period with those tracks, it's absolute perfection! Paul was a populair artist at that time, Quincy added his magic as a producer, it's absolute greatness!
 
mj_frenzy said:
But it was 'The Girl Is Mine' (released as the lead single) that paved the way for the 'Thriller' album to achieve such a big commercial and chart success.

It has been said that a duet with a white artist (Paul McCartney) released as the lead single was Quincy Jones' idea, as a way for the album also to cross-over to white audiences.

Also, 'The Girl Is Mine' was a stronger song (than 'Hot Street') mainly because of its chorus which instantly sticks to people's mind.
Click to expand...
Beat It with Eddie Van Halen was also a duet with a white artist (yes, I know Eddie was 1/4 Indonesian, but that wasn't widely known at the time, and he was seen as a white rock star)

The Girl is Mine is a completely bland song, except for the bridge. Hot Street is a great song, great groove, really catchy, way better.
 
Dorian said:
THRILLER original album draft (1982)

VINYL - Side A

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (6:02)
2. Hot Street (3:45)
3. The Girl Is Mine (3:42)
4. Thriller (5:57)

VINYL - Side B

5. Billie Jean (6:20)
6. She's Trouble (4:00)
7. Nightline (4:33)
8. Carousel (3:58)
9. The Lady In My Life (6:10)

https://www.mjjcommunity.com/thread...hriller-40-disc-2.200646/page-94#post-4536417
Click to expand...
This is just a draft that existed only on paper. Though I'm not sure why TLIML is part of it. Lady in my Life and Beat It were both recorded near the end of the sessions.

Do we have a date or aprox time period for this configuration, btw?
Kanye East said:
I've heard rumors that originally, Hot Street was on Side 1 - between Baby Be Mine and The Girl is Mine

Is there any actual confirmation/proof of this, or is this just an internet rumor?
Click to expand...
The first Allen Zentz acetate (10 tracks w Hot Street on side A) was confirmed by Bruce Swedien.
 
Kanye East said:
Beat It with Eddie Van Halen was also a duet with a white artist (yes, I know Eddie was 1/4 Indonesian, but that wasn't widely known at the time, and he was seen as a white rock star)

The Girl is Mine is a completely bland song, except for the bridge. Hot Street is a great song, great groove, really catchy, way better.
Click to expand...
'Beat It' was not a duet with a white artist.

Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo (on 'Beat It') is called Special Guitar Performance.

By that faulty logic, then 'Privacy' was also a duet with a white artist just because guitarist Michael Thompson plays the guitar solo on the song.

Or, by that faulty logic, then 'Dirty Diana' was also a duet with a white artist just because guitarist Steve Stevens plays the guitar solo on the song.
 
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