You just can't 'Beat It'! (Thriller - Michael Jackson)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Thriller - Michael Jackson
Date:	09/06/09 (37 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great album, well constructed

Disadvantages: A couple of tracks I'm not so fond of

Sadly, most people growing up these days will not perceive Michael Jackson as a musical genius, capable of writing, performing and producing some of the better tracks from the latter part of the 20th Century. They will, instead, see him as a creepy figure, reclusive and strange, and one to stay well clear of.

However, the musical genius that earned him the title 'King of Pop' was never stronger than in this album, Thriller. Widely regarded as his best, it doesn't have the raw appeal that Off The Wall did, nor is it quite as commercial as Bad, but it is the best all round effort I have experienced of his music, and he wrote it when he was only 24!

Naturally, the title track, Thriller, is one of the most instantly recognisable tracks, with many remixes and spoofs of it being made. The fact that the video for it regularly tops polls of best music video, has ensured that this Halloween/horror based track keeps on being a hit.

Lyrically, The Girl Is Mine shines through. Not only does he co-perform with Paul McCartney, of whom MJ was a big fan, but he out-performs him, too. Stronger vocally and more natural on the track than McCartney, you can still hear the mutual respect they have.

Billie Jean is also a very well know track. I find it one of my favourites of all of his songs. Easy to dance to, with a steady beat, and it's also lyrically poignant. And this is one thing that is very true of all of his music, even some of the more modern, quirky ones: the lyrics are always thoguht-provoking and have a point to them. Thriller, as an album, is well constructed in this way. It's not just a list of good songs: it's a well constructed and developed group of songs that flow well together as a set.

The punchy Beat It is the fourth of the better known, more commercial offerings on the album, and with only 9 tracks on the original release, it's a testament that nearly half of the album features successful singles, ones that have so far stood the test of time.

The other tracks on the album are also lyrically impressive, although a couple of the tracks didn't appeal to me quite as much as the more recognisable ones. This is probably due to the power of the others, and if you're in the right mood, then everything flows nicely from track to track. However, I usually just skip to the more famous ones if I am looking for a particularly well know Jacko track.

The album is available in its original format of 9 tracks, and also in a rereleased version, with a couple of extra tracks. However, you can't beat the original in my opinion. It's an impressive album that is an all round mature presentation from someone a lot older than his years at the time.

Okay, the original tracklist:

1 Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2 Baby Be Mine
3 The Girl Is Mine - a duet with Paul McCartney
4 Thriller
5 Beat It
6 Billie Jean
7 Human Nature
8 P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9 The Lady in My Life

Summary: Very impressive album: hailed as one of the greatest