Slickness redefined. (Thriller - Michael Jackson)

Member Name: km1234

Product:	Thriller - Michael Jackson
Date:	09/07/09 (50 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Listening can generally guarantee to put a smile on your face!

Disadvantages: Are there any?

Whatever your opinion of Michael Jackson is, it's difficult to argue with pure statistics. His most celebrated album, 'Thriller' was released in 1982 under Epic records with...epic results. Estimated sales records for Thriller stand at 65 million copies worldwide, thus securing the title of 'Best-Selling Album of All Time' and, thanks to the downloading age, it seems likely that 'Thriller' will always keep this record. In addition to this, Thriller won a total of 8 Grammy Awards and produced 7 top 10 singles in the U.S. (of which Billie Jean and Beat It rose to #1 position). Unofficially, Jackson broke MTV's colour barrier and his success paved the way for equality for future black artists. But do all of these accolades mean that 'Thriller' is therefore the best album of all-time? Well...

'Thriller' opens up with the scorching 'Wanna Be Startin' Something', a song penned by Jackson himself. The interesting lyrics which can be interpreted as an attach on the media and gossip are complemented beautifully by the funky backing. Coupled with Jackson's varied range within the song, it continues in the same vein as many of the songs which appeared on his previous album 'Off The Wall' but appears to be tighter and more musically structured. Cracking start to the album.

The second song 'Baby Be Mine' is a lush ballad composed by Rod Temperton - while considered to be one of the fillers of the album, Jackson's vocals provide the main focus of the album. In summary, a catchy pop song strengthened by Jackson's feathery voice.

'The Girl Is Mine', also composed by Jackson serves as the third song of the album. In my opinion, the song is the weakest song on an extremely strong album and this may appear to be quite surprising given that Jackson duets with Beatles legend Paul McCartney. This song can be considered to be a bit of light fun but is definitely shadowed by their next collaboration, 'Say Say Say' on McCartney's album Pipes and Peace.

Now we delve into the 'Holy Trinity' of songs which certainly contributed to making 'Thriller' the unstoppable force that it is today. The fourth song, penned by Rod Temperton once more is the title name itself. Creepy, catchy and supported by one of the most famous music videos of all-time (you know, the one with all the zombies?), the song 'Thriller' is one that will continue to be played into oblivion. Not that the song doesn't stand as a classic by itself though - a infectious bass line, a guest rap from Hollywood's horror legend Vincent Prince and some soaring lyrics from Jackson in the chorus itself has cemented it's place in pop history.

Not that it stops there. 'Thriller' is followed by the equally famous Jackson-penned 'Beat It'. As a cross-over piece between pop and rock, it features an awesome guitar riff, an improvised guitar solo from legend Eddie Van Halen and another iconic music video. The message of the song is to avoid violence and just 'beat it' and this is illustrated in the West Side Story-esque music video where two rival gangs decide to dance instead of fighting, under Jackson's tutelage.

The seventh song is quite possibly his most famous of all-time. Does it really need any introduction? 'Billie Jean' tells a tale of a stalker fan who claimed that Jackson fathered one of her twins. Suitable pop material? It's enduring success would say that it was. From the driving bass-line, this dark piece is one that gets better every time you listen to it and appreciate the finer details of the song. Beautiful vocals in layers from Jackson definitely help and the structure of the song with the bridge is really music to the ears! The timeless production from Quincy Jones and sound engineer Bruce Swedien coupled with the music video showcasing Jackson's dancing (and the introduction of Jackson's moonwalk to this song on Motown 25) lead to...magic.

'Human Nature', composed by Toto is a lyrical ballad. Dreamy and mysterious, the song complements Jackson's vocals once more in the most melodious fashion possible. One of my personal favourites, if not well known.

Definitely, the success of 'Thriller' arises from the variation of the songs of the album and the eighth song, 'P.Y.T.' follows this. A funk-infused song composed by Quincy Jones and James Ingram, this song never fails to put a smile on my face as it relaxes the listener and instils false confidence that I can actually dance! Listen to the chorus where the Jackson sisters Janet and LaToya sing in backing vocals.

We then have 'Lady In My Life', the ninth and final song of the album, bringing it to a romantic and dreamy close. The lush emotion in Jackson's voice is enough to soften anyone and with the lush instrumental backing, this Temperton composition is another one that lies close to my heart and caps off the album in style.

Clearly there is no such thing as a best album of all-time otherwise we lose subjectivity. But for me, and especially in the pop era, Thriller comes pretty darn close qualitatively and quantitatively.

Summary: A brilliant and timeless classic which fully deserves its place in pop history.