Thriller

There will never be another artist like Michael Jackson. He had everything. The sex appeal, the voice, the experience, the connections- Michael Jackson epitomized everything about a pop artist. Despite his recent history and the jokes that go hand in hand (which haven’t been funny for years), Michael Jackson proves on his albums that no matter what he does, he has something great that everyone will remember him for. Thriller stands out as one of the best albums in his career, showcasing some of his most legendary songs ever. The success of Thriller is flat out scary. The album skyrocketed to the top of the charts and stayed there for 80 weeks, one of only 3 albums to reach that level. Today, it stands as the second highest selling album in the United States and according to some sources, the highest selling album ever in the world. Seven of the nine songs on Thriller became singles, and three of them are among Jackson’s greatest hits. Thriller shows Michael Jackson branching off into a large amount of genres, including rock, R&B, funk, and just straight up 80s synth pop. Despite all the different areas of music, Jackson almost subconsciously inputs his undeniable catchiness and appeal. He took a larger songwriting and production role on this album, allowing him to really play to his strengths. He shows an obvious influence from artists like James Brown, George Clinton, and Stevie Wonder, but he also pulls in some even bigger star power. He called on Paul McCartney, immortally famous Beatles member, to do a duet with him. They “collaborated” and produced The Girl is Mine, the first single off of Thriller Jackson actually wrote all of The Girl is Mine, not allowing McCartney in any of the writing. McCartney simply adds his voice and more importantly, his name to the song. Unfortunately, even with the talents of two of the greatest pop artists of all time, The Girl is Mine fails to impress. The song is a slow, dreamy love song, allowing the vocal talent to stand out. However, the poppy hooks fail to catch the attention of the listener and the music itself pails in comparison to most of the album. Regardless, The Girl is Mine found instant success, maybe due to the star power in the song. It peaked at #2 in the pop singles chart. However, The Girl is Mine was only the beginning of the success for Thriller. Jackson then released Billie Jean, a much more uptempo and overall better song than his previous effort. Jackson also wrote Billie Jean entirely, and proves his undeniable songwriting talent on the song. It grooves a simple drum beat and a fantastic, jumpy bassline. Melodically, a synth chord progression outlines the verse, but more and more instruments add in to the climatic chorus. The chorus features extremely catchy vocal harmonies and a superb funky guitar line. That line later expands into an instrumental bridge, and the guitar stands out as a certain highlight of the song. Billie Jean shot to #1 in both the Black Singles and Pop Singles charts. Thriller contains two more extremely important tracks, the first being the title track. Known more for its dance moves and music video, Thriller is about as epic as a pop song gets. The song draws from Tower of Power horn licks and Funkadelic pop sensibility. The huge brass statement that leads the song into its main groove simply states that Thriller plans to go beyond the normal limits of a pop song. The song outlines the story of a cheesy horror film, which the video conveys perfectly. Immediately following Thriller is Beat It, which also brings in some extreme extra star power. Jackson called on Eddie Van Halen to play guitar on this song. The song draws heavily from the hair metal wave taking the rock nation by storm. The song actually peaked at #14 on the rock charts as well as #1 once again on the Pop Singles and Black Singles charts. Van Halen’s guitar playing is just as lackluster as McCartney’s appearance, but at least Van Halen isn’t as legendary as McCartney. He bursts out his typical fret-burning solo that somehow never impresses me. However, it’s a common misconception that fast guitar playing equals good guitar playing, so fans ate the song up. The riffing plays fairly stereotypical, but this isn’t on a Van Halen album, it’s on a Michael Jackson album, and Jackson lets his audience know that. His poppy vocal harmonies and lyrics make this song for what it is. Overall, Thriller is composed much like a sandwich. The bread covers the top and bottom, the less interesting part of the sandwich. On Thriller, tracks 1-3 make a good first impression but after hearing the entire album, they just do not live up to the middle of the album, or the meat of the album. The three huge singles, Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean all stand out even today as some of the greatest pop singles of all time. Finally, the last half of the album feels much like the beginning. Human Nature and The Lady in My Life are both good tracks, featuring some great bass and Jackson’s more sensitive side, but still never live up to the catchiness and fun of the middle of the album. However, as the entire album is listenable all the way through and each track has at least its moments, Thriller stands as one of Jackson’s greatest efforts, giving him an eternal legacy in pop music.

Thriller by Michael Jackson is as iconic as it gets. Growing up in the 80s, this album was absolutely everywhere. It felt like the biggest record in the world at the time, and spinning it now instantly brings back memories of being in grade school. The songs are timeless, instantly recognizable, and still incredibly fun to listen to. Tracks like “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and “Thriller” haven’t lost any of their impact. The production is polished, the performances are legendary, and the album flows effortlessly from start to finish. This pressing sounds great. It’s clean, dynamic, and full of energy, making it easy to enjoy the album. A true classic and an essential record. Whether you grew up with it or are discovering it later, this album belongs in any vinyl collection.

One of the greatest albums ever made is not the greatest! Piano wasn't a reissue 180 grams of pure delight! Sounds better than the original release from the 1980s

Album quality is great. No scratches or skips. Came in safe packaging and looks great!

One of the best albums ever made.

Excellent quality and best sounding cd of MJ! Cheers! 👍

Excellent album, legendary status. But case was damaged in transit, needs better packaging.

Fans of J5, The Jacksons, and the first solo album OFF THE WALL, received a record-shattering thrill that exceeded expectations with MJ's second solo album. Responsible for proving beyond any lingering doubt MJ's dominance in the pop world, the album also served to pierce longstanding institutional radio and television segregation of Black American music artists and resulted in a fairer, more competitive marketplace for fellow artists such as Prince and Rick James. Wanna Be Startin Somethin is an explosive fast-paced disc opener unleashing a frenetic, kinetic dance groove. Beats aside, the perceptive lyrics by MJ reveal awareness of the dubious nature of the people around him. He jabs the listener with assurances that he is nobody's fool and can cut through manipulative excuses like nobody's business. Baby Be Mine is a sweet mid-tempo R&B love song by Rod Temperton with delightful backing vocals. The Girl is Mine is pure bland cornball outdone in lameness only by the Paul McCartney-authored Girlfriend from OFF THE WALL. But MJ liked The Girl Is Mine enough to write it and invite McCartney along to help him sing it, so listeners can either have to love it or skip it. Thriller is Rod Temperton's exploration of the darkness inside the self as well as the world around. Upsetting to religious groups who tend to forget about the most frightening nightmare ever put into words--The Book of Revelations--MJ's lead and multi-track backing vocals blend seamlessly, interrupted only by Vincent Price's gimmicky rap. Written by MJ, Beat It reveals MJ's effort to appeal beyond the urban audience to capture lovers of lead guitar riffs by Eddie Van Halen, plus his appeal to pacifism over violence, plus his increased songwriting skills that showcase the ability to tell stories through lyrical expression. Massive radio and video airplay caused further seismic shifts in the pop world. An excellent follower to Beat It, Billie Jean is another MJ composition whose demo (included in this package) proves that even at this early stage in his career, MJ's songwriting and ability to arrange instrumentation were solid. Another fascinating story inside MJ's world, dominated by a destructive out-of-control groupie who causes legal and media mayhem with her lies and wishful thinking. Sexy, complex, excellent, instantly-recognizable with the first few notes. Human Nature is a song written by members of the soft rock group, Toto. The lyrics describe wonderment at city lights and nightlife and an acceptance of a man's place in that world. Absolutely beautiful synth arrangements around MJ's soft lead and strong backing vocals. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) was silly upon release and remains silly today. Fortunately not written by MJ, but instead contributed by James Ingram and Quincy Jones. MJ's own Carousel (demo included in this package) likely should have taken its place, but at this early point in his career, he probably had to go along to get along with Jones. Backing vocals by Ingram and Howard Hewitt (of Shalimar). Janet and LaToya on the na na nas. The Lady in My Life is a gorgeous, lush, sexy adult assurance of lasting love well-written by ever-reliable Rod Temperton. This fortunate rescue from P.Y.T. closes the album on a high note. BONUS TRACKS: The Billie Jean and Carousel home demos are a revelation of young MJ's intelligence, talent, and musicianship plus the high level of his contributions to THRILLER, not as a product of Jones, but as a full participant in the creative process. Carousel, in particular, sounds delightful. Also includes interviews of Jones.

Album który powinien być pozycją obowiązkową dla każdego fana. 2 płyta to swoistego rodzaju przejście od "off the wall" do "Thriller" z elementami jeszcze z poprzednich albumów. "Starlight" to swoistego rodzaju wisienka na tym muzycznym torcie, a reszta utworów są doskonałym uzupełnieniem albumu który ma już ponad 40 lat.

Pana chyba nie trzeba przedstawiac swietna plyta i jakośc super

UN MUST QUE J AVAIS ACHETER EN VINYL A L EPOQUE.MAINTENANT QUE J AI LIQUIDE MES VINYL IL ME FAUT CE CD

My favorite album, time and again thanks