Zombie Jackson (Thriller - Michael Jackson)

Member Name: Recon

Product:	Thriller - Michael Jackson
Date:	12/03/08 (110 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great music, Great voice, Funny dances in videos - setting created by music

Disadvantages: We want more !

This is my favourite Michael Jackson song and my most favourite music video because it is just so unique and I find it hilarious! As stated by the BBC, the Guinness book of world records states that this album has sold over 65 million copies as of 2007. This is the most popular album ever!

The video is excellent. It starts with Michael Jackson asking his girlfriend to be his 'girl' and she says yes after their car breaks down. He then goes onto say he isn't like other guys. As the full moon is exposed when the clouds disappear, Michael starts turning into a werewolf, which is hilarious to watch. His girlfriend is screaming in the background and he starts to shout 'go away!' She then runs off to hide and Michael follows her until he confronts her. As his large claws are seen coming towards the camera and his horrifying face, she starts to scream as you are shown the audience of a cinema, and it turns out they are watching a film (of Michael himself), which is kind of ironic.

As his girlfriend is sitting with Michael and she hates the film, they leave after Michael was enjoying his popcorn. After a quick talk outside the cinema about how she was scared, the song starts. Michael walks with her singing to her until they reach a graveyard. Then, the singing stops and there is a cover from a kind of narrator who uses a few rhymes talking about the zombies arising from their graves such as 'the fowl stench is in the air, the funk of fourty thousands year, and grizzly gaols from every tomb, are closing in to seal your doom, and though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver, for no near mortal can resist, the evil of the thriller' with an emphasis on the 'r' on the end of the last word. It is a very effective voice-over and creates a scary scenario.

The most hilarious bit about this video is when you see Michael and his girlfriend being closed in on by these zombies. You get a few close ups of their gruesome faces with blood dripping out their mouths of their pale white faces. You see Michael and his girlfriend holding each other facing the zombies as they approach the two. Then after showing you the face of his girlfriend, Michael himself is suddenly focused on with sound effects to emphasise the shocking moment as it shows him with a zombie face. His face then looks entirely different, being much paler and his eyes are staring wide open. His head then moves in violent spasms like the rest of the zombies as he begins the dance...with the rest of the zombies! This is the funniest dance ever as you see Michael dancing with a bunch of zombies all doing the same moves.
A background beat and tune goes on whilst this is happening with some clapping introduced too. The moves are coordinated very well, but it is just hilarious the way you can hear the zombies and Michael sliding their feet, slapping their legs and stamping their feet as they move together. The dance is quite hilarious and Michael's face looks surreal as he does some wacky moves with the zombies such as waving his hand in the air - it's just funny to watch. The video ends with his girlfriend running away. The zombies chase her and start breaking into a house. Michael then comes in to save her and she is suddenly positioned in a house as Michael Jackson asks her 'what's wrong?' when the scenario totally changed... The sudden change of tone and scenario are all created in different scenes/settings.

As for the music itself, it is very effective. It starts with werewolves howling and the fantastic background music. The beat is very subtle and effective. You are given the idea that it is late at night, as do the first words of the song suggest - 'it's close to midnight'. Quite a scary tone is built up in the song, which is quite amazing. As always, Michael's voice is stunning and of great quality. He reaches some high notes as well as the lows. The tempo throughout the song is pretty constant.


The 25th anniversary edition from Amazon is priced at £8.98 and contains 16 songs over 2 discs:

Disc: 1

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
3. Girl Is Mine - Jackson, Michael & Paul McCartney
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
9. Lady In My Life
10. Voiceover - Price, Vincent

Disc: 2

1. Billie Jean
2. Beat It
3. Thriller
4. Billie Jean

Wanna Be Startin' Summin' is a great song and has a very good tune. I also like Beat it, Billy Jean and Baby Be Mine is quite good too. Wanna Be Startin' Summin' is a great tune and has a very cool quick beat with excellent lyrics as usual. Billy Jean has to have the best dance in it, in the way Michael does his moonwalk in this song along with his brilliant act and the rest of his stunning moves

Highly recommended!

Thanks for reading,

- Recon -

Summary: A superb CD featuring some of Jackson's very best classic songs