Should several of the tracks on the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller find their way onto your MP3 player, you’re going to have to admit: the music holds up. “Beat It” is not about to go stale, at least not without a rumble, and neither are “Billie Jean” and “P.Y.T.” Even if you put the record-hurtling hits aside, you’re still left with the realization that without MJ, there might not have been a JT [Justin Timberlake], never mind a Ne-Yo (listen closely to “Human Nature” and “W (more…)
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Michael Jackson Music
Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller
The 25th Anniversary edition of Thriller is a must own CD. Some new versions should introduce younger R&B fans to the man who started it all.
There are many reasons to buy this album, even if you already own it. First of all, this album came out at the height of vinyl, so there are a lot of people who don’t own the album on CD. Younger music fans who love will.i.am Songs About Girls, Kanye West Graduation, Fergie The Dutchessand Akon Konvicted will be attracted by the remade versions, even if hard-core Michael Jackson fans don’t like them as much. Old school fans will be seduced by the awesome holographic CD dust jacket, sharper re-mastered original tracks and included bonus DVD videos. No matter how you slice it, this 25th Anniversary edition belongs in your collection.
It’s impossible not to hear the songs from this album from time to time, yet it had been a long time since I heard the original album in total, tracks 1-10 on this CD. When you listen to it again, it’s impossible not to realize how amazing of a production this truly was and still is, even now 25 years later. Every single song is a number one hit, and Michael moves through genres including pop, rock and R&B with ease, killing each one. See my awards summary at the bottom for more on this.
It’s clear to anybody who follows R&B that so many artists over the past 10 years have made careers essentially emulating Michael’s singing style and dance moves. You can include on that list:
- Justin Timberlake – FutureSex / LoveSounds
- Chris Brown – Chris Brown
- Usher – My Way
- Omarion – O
Record labels have an army of very intelligent number crunchers that clearly realized the marketing potential of putting some top stars together to add remakes to this anniversary edition. The remakes can’t possibly match Michael’s original accomplishment. Yet they are not as bad as many say. I actually like the Akon version of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin.” And Kanye West’s “Billie Jean” mix really highlights his abilities as a producer.
The included DVD includes the short film music video versions of “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller.” These videos are historic in their own right, each one a high budget production better than a lot of the movies made in 1982.
There’s also the Motown 25 performance of “Billie Jean.” For those that don’t remember this performance, it’s the one where Michael first does the moonwalk on stage. Let me tell you, it takes quite a performer to pull off a rhinestone shirt, rhinestone socks, sparkly jacket, high-waters and one white glove!
There’s also a nice liner jacket with all the original lyrics and cool album art. Even more is included with the fold-out book version of this release. Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller(Deluxe Casebook Edition)
It’s amazing to note that Michael Jackson actually wrote most of the biggest hits on this album, something today’s R&B artists rarely do. Most of the biggest hits from the album are his original works, including “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” “The Girl Is Mine,” “Beat It,” and “Billie Jean.” “Baby Be Mine,” “Thriller,” and “The Lady In My Life” were written and composed by Rod Temperton. “PYT” was the work of the legendary James Ingram and Quincy Jones. And Steve Porcato wrote both “Human Nature” (with John Bettis) and the newly released “For All Time” (with Michael Sherwood), number 16 on this edition.
I really liked this previously unreleased track, and it definitely has a sound akin to Human Nature. I can only speculate that that similarity is what kept it off of the original release.
It’s amazing to think this album won 8 Grammys, and I don’t even believe it was close in any category.
+ Album of the Year
+ Record of the Year (”Beat It”)
+ Best Male Pop Vocals (”Thriller”)
+ Best Male Rock Vocals (”Beat It”)
+ Best Male R&B Vocals (”Billie Jean”)
+ Best R&B Song (”Billie Jean”)
+ Producer of the Year (Qunicy Jones and Michael Jackson)
+ Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical (Bruce Swedien)
And there must not have been awards for best music video back then because “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” and “Beat It” would have all been nominated.
This is a pivotal album that is well done here at an affordable price when you factor in all the cool stuff that’s included.
Enjoy!!!
This second re-issue of Thriller is a better re-issue than the 2001 Special Edition. The sound quality is a lot better. But I still find it a tad lacking. It is missing “Can’t get Outta The Rain” Which appeared on side 2/B of the 45 release of Billie Jean and “Got the hots” (Which is appearing on the Japan Release). Those 2 tracks should have been added. I wouldn’t be surprised if the album has a 30th anniversary edition 5 years later with those 2 songs adeed. Also, The Kanye West Remix of Billie Jean was a tad disappointing. Kanye gave the song a great new beat but I was hoping to get a rap verse out of him on the track. The Fergie remix to Beat It wasn’t too bad either. I have nothing against Fergie but I think that P!nk would have been a better choice for the song. Anyways,Anyways, Like I said, this is a big improvement from the 2001 Special Edition for the sound quality. The Interviews on that edition are better bonus features. I think it’s well worth getting for the better sound quality. But Even though the sound is better, I find the DVD lacking. Thriller is missing the making of the video. That should have been added.
I woke up from a nap and there were three text messages on my phone. Nobody ever texts me, so I knew it must have been big news. I thought there was a fire or something. Turned out, Michael Jackson is dead. I was startled, to say the least, because MJ never seemed like the kind of person that could, you know, die. To be honest, he never really registered in my consciousness as being a person; Michael Jackson was the androgynous sexual panic of “Billie Jean,” the breathless seduction of “P.Y.T.,” the thrilling kitsch of “Thriller,” the chattering afro-popisms of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” The idea that he had a human body, one that needed food and air and sleep, never really clicked in my mind. But then again, I guess that’s to be expected. I mean, how can a mere human being really be thought to be capable of creating something as monstrous, as mechanical, as all-encompassing, and as awesome as Thriller? This kid wasn’t the king of pop; he was the whole damn kingdom. And we, the audience, are not his loyal subjects; we’re just reading the travel brochures.
The point is, Thriller is one of the greatest moments in the history of pure pop. Which is to say, it’s plastic, mass-produced, jugular-grabbingly commercial, and completely unconcerned with originality, artistic merit, or honesty. And goshdarnit, I wouldn’t have it any other way! With songs and performances as irresistible and ecstatic as the ones found here, artfulness will only get in the way. Because when you have a song as swooping, as ethereal, as hypnotic, and as unashamedly romantic as “Baby Be Mine,” there’s really no need to question its validity. Just let those labyrinthine keyboards and yearning vocals carry you away to a shiny place. And when “Beat It” comes roaring out of the gates, it does so with such force and brutal eloquence that you completely forget how absurd it is for Michael Jackson to take on the role of a street-smart hoodlum. As a vision of ghetto reality, it’s a nonsensical failure; but the important thing to remember is that, on a purely visceral level, it SOUNDS more convincing and more immediate than its more authentic counterparts.
And then there’s “Billie Jean,” whose lyrics are either shockingly amoral or completely uneventful, but which still manages to be one of the most magical, irresistible, and emotionally charged moments in the history of music. And if we found ourselves getting annoyed by the idea of having to root for a child-abandoning father, then we can just remind ourselves that it’s only a pop album. An stunning pop album, to be precise.