With creaking doors, werewolf screams, a long instrumental intro (Michael’s voice only appears at the one-minute mark) and a monologue by 50s, 60s and 70s horror star Vincent Price, ‘Thriller’ (and its video) remains a pop culture megalith. Of course, the heart of this colossal album is in its three major songs: ‘Thriller’, ’Beat It’ and ‘Billie Jean’. However, the lyrics were already less smooth than they had been in the past, revealing that the star had hardened up and freed himself from his child-artist image.
With its sample of Manu Dibango’s ‘Soul Makossa’ (the Cameroonian saxophonist would only claim royalties in 2008), it was the perfect way to satisfy Michael’s lifelong fans. To link the album to Off The Wall, Thriller is logically opened by ‘Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'’. His label, Epic–like everyone involved–knew that this album was going to be unlike anything else the world had ever seen. He broke down racial boundaries even further, building bridges between America and Europe and blurring the lines between musical genres. By joining forces with the ex-Beatles member again, Michael Jackson showed the way. That’s not how an album works.' ‘The Girl Is Mine’, the duet with Paul McCartney, was released as a single on the 18th of October 1982, a good month after the album. He wrote four songs, and sang his ass off, but he didn’t conceive it. As Quincy would later say: ' If an album reaches number one, it’s because the songs are perfect to begin with!'Įmphasising the role of sound engineer Bruce Swedien and songwriter Rod Temperton, who’d already been involved in Off the Wall, the producer told Rolling Stone magazine in 2009: ' Michael didn’t create Thriller. However, Thriller became what we know it to be because it was essentially a compilation of strong, perfect songs.
The era was also marked by the rise of MTV-which was only a year old at the time-and Michael dreamed of reaching funk lovers as well as rock and pop fans. To mark the occasion, Sony is rolling out the red carpet for the anniversary edition of this masterpiece, including 25 bonus tracks! For this record, which was released in the same year as the Compact Disc, the 24-year-old star once again teamed up with Quincy Jones.
Buy the album Starting at $17.09įorty years after its release on the 30th of November 1982, people still name Thriller as one of Michael Jackson’s greatest albums. Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
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