Thriller 25

Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' turns 25

It should be a no-brainer.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the biggest-selling album in music history by reworking several of its best-known hits with today's hottest singers and producers should really be a sure thing.

And it would be - if it didn't involve Michael Jackson.
However, with the high-profile reissue of "Thriller" (Epic) on Tuesday, it appears the King of Pop is ready to recapture his crown, after his acquittal of child molestation charges in 2005 and years of unusual behavior that has eroded his once-mighty fan base.

To attempt this comeback, Jackson has enlisted help from some of today's biggest stars. Kanye West reworked "Billie Jean." Fergie added her vocals to "Beat It." Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am remixed "P.Y.T." and "The Girl Is Mine," replacing Paul McCartney's vocals with his own. And Akon tackled "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" with Jackson, who re-recorded his vocals for the new version. (The "Thriller" reissue also features "For All Time," an outtake from the original album's recording sessions that Jackson recently completed and remixed.)

Stimulating moves

Jackson has also lined up loads of celebrity testimonials to the power of "Thriller" that will be rolled out online in weekly podcasts on iTunes and his Web site (michael jackson.com) for the next 40 weeks starting today. The series will include interviews with everyone fromChris Brown to rapper DMC to choreographers from "So You Think You Can Dance" that will cover how "Thriller" influenced their careers and their personal lives.

"Whether you was a guy or a girl, you were caught up in the Michael Jackson frenzy - period,"Wyclef Jean says in one of them.

Mary J. Blige says in another, "It was 'Billie Jean' that did it. That was the first time you see Michael dance - see Michael, not as the Jackson Five, but as Michael Jackson, dance. Oh my gosh, it was electrifying."

By focusing on "Thriller," music's biggest commercial success, Jackson seems to be hoping fans will remember how much they once liked him. After all, there are an awful lot of people who loved "Thriller."

Originally released on Nov.30, 1982, "Thriller" is the biggest-selling album in the world, with more than 104 million copies sold. (The Eagles' "Greatest Hits" package is the biggest-selling album in America, with sales of more than 29 million, about 2 million more than "Thriller," though that gap could narrow with this release.)

"Thriller" originally spent 37 weeks at No. 1, a total of 80 consecutive weeks in the Top 10. It's also the only album in American history to be the bestselling album for two years. Seven of the album's nine songs hit the Billboard Top 10 - with "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" both reaching No. 1.

At the 1984 Grammys, Jackson landed a record-setting 12 nominations and won a record-setting eight awards, including album of the year for "Thriller" and record of the year for "Beat It."

Beating down the door

Perhaps more important, though, Jackson's work on "Thriller" broke the race barrier on MTV, kicking open the door for African-American artists on the channel. Jackson told Ebony magazine recently that MTV's rejection of his music videos inspired him to make "Thriller" even stronger.

"They said they don't play [black artists]," Jackson said. "It broke my heart, but at the same time it lit something. I was saying to myself, 'I have to do something where they ... I just refuse to be ignored. So yeah, 'Billie Jean,' they said, 'We won't play it.' But when they played it, it set the all-time record. Then they were asking me for everything we had. They were knocking our door down."

Given all the controversies surrounding Jackson in recent years, the music industry isn't exactly knocking his door down at the moment, though that may be changing, with artists inspired by him leading the way.

For years, hip-hop's finest, from Missy Elliott to De La Soul, have given Jackson his props in interviews. One of this year's hottest up-and-coming rappers Rhymefest has even issued an underground mixtape "Man in the Mirror," filled with Rhymefest and friends, includingGhostface Killah and Talib Kweli, rhyming over Jackson's music.

Moonwalking everywhere

Jackson's influence moves beyond hip-hop as well. One of last year's best-received hits, the Grammy-nominated "D.A.N.C.E." from French dance-pop duo Justice was essentially career advice for Jackson. "Do the D.A.N.C.E. ... stick to the B.E.A.T., get ready to ignite," goes the song's chorus. "You were such a P.Y.T., catching all the lights. Just easy as A.B.C., that's how you make it right."

Perhaps Jackson is taking that advice. Though nothing has been announced, there are rumors of a Jackson Five reunion tour this year. There is also talk about a TV special saluting "Thriller," where Jackson will re-enact his classic performance on the "Motown 25" special where he introduced the world to the Moonwalk. And, of course, Jackson has been working on a new album - reportedly with will.i.am, Rodney Jerkins and Ne-Yo, among others - that could be released late this year.

Will all this work? It's hard to predict, but, either way, the answer will become clearer today once the reissued "Thriller" goes on sale.

Nine songs are all it took

In this age of 70-minute CDs and one-hit albums, the accomplishments of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" will be nearly impossible to duplicate, both artistically and commercially.

Nine songs. That's it. And nearly all of them megahits that changed the way popular music sounded.

Here's what each "Thriller" song had to offer:

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." The album's longest song, it was the bridge between the disco of "Off the Wall" and Jackson's new interests, including a bit of world music with the phrase "mamase mamasa mamakosa" from African saxophonist Manu Dibango.

"Baby Be Mine." One of the two songs never released as a single, even though its Stevie Wonder-influenced R&B could certainly have held its own on the charts. It's the closest thing to filler on "Thriller."

"The Girl Is Mine." The duet with Paul McCartney was a watershed cultural moment, an unlikely combination of music's two biggest stars that had to be the album's first single even though it wasn't all that representative of what would follow. The spoken word bit where Jackson says, "I'm a lover, not a fighter," remains as strange sounding today as it did when it first came out.

"Thriller." Forever linked with the most ambitious and most successful video of the time, "Thriller" sounded ambitious, even beforeVincent Price's memorable cameo, as it tried to link scary movie imagery to dance music.

"Beat It." Teaming up with rocker Eddie Van Halen was another surprise up Jackson's sleeve, almost as shocking as the roaring guitar riffs that make up the backbone of this dance pop song. Throw in the iconic West-Side-Story-ish video and it's unstoppable.

"Billie Jean." Though he was already 24 when it was released, "Billie Jean" marked Jackson's entry into songs with more mature themes - in this case, scheming stalkers who use outside forces to hurt his reputation. Its dark theme was offset by the groove that inspired Jackson to perfect "The Moonwalk" dance move.

"Human Nature." With all the emphasis on Jackson's other talents, his singing often gets overlooked. On "Human Nature," it's his delivery that makes the middling ballad, written by Toto's Jeff Porcaro, really take off.

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)." Up-tempo and breathy, "P.Y.T." is the inspiration for countless dance pop songs - not just from his sister, Janet, who contributes background vocals on the song, but all the way through to Britney Spears and Rihanna.

"The Lady in My Life." The other song not released as a single, it has held up quite well as a soul ballad, free from the distinctive forward-thinking marks of the rest of the "Thriller" songs.

His moves bust out all over the place

Michael Jackson's extended dance break in the "Thriller" video has turned out to be just as iconic, if not more so, than the album. Movies incorporate the moves into their plot, and homemade videos of people imitating Jackson's dramatic choreography regularly pop up on the YouTube most-viewed list.

Here are some recent favorites:

Jennifer Garner from "13 Going on 30" (2004): Garner's character Jenna saves a boring work party by busting out the "Thriller" moves and corrals a club full of stuffy execs into a big line dance.

The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center inmates (2007): The warden of the Filipino prison decided to require inmates to perform the "Thriller" dance as a way to make them exercise regularly. The resulting video, which features more than 1,500 inmates performing the dance, became an Internet sensation.

Naomi Campbell and the dancing SoBe Life Water lizards (2008): The theme of this commercial, which debuted at this year's Super Bowl, is, essentially, drinking SoBe Life Water makes you want to do the "Thriller" dance, which Campbell and the computer-generated lizards do.

Cast of "Thriller Live" on the London Tube (2008): To drum up interest in "Thriller Live," a touring revue featuring songs of Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, cast members pretend to spontaneously break into the "Thriller" routine on a moving train and then return to their seats as if it was unplanned. The stunt (and the commuters' reactions) gets posted on YouTube and draws worldwide attention.

( [url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/ny-etlede5572856feb12,0,1999586.story?page=1]Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' turns 25 -- Newsday.com[/url])

CRITICS' ROUNDTABLE
Michael Jackson's masterpiece still a 'Thriller'
After 25 years, 'Thriller' proves that Jackson's musical glory is worth remembering.

By Ann Powers, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 12, 2008

THERE are two ways to listen to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," 25 years after its release. Scandal addicts will find trace evidence of the obsessions that would sink the greatest pop star of his generation into Hollywood Babylon: the repressed, explosive sexuality in his breathy vocals; the racial ambivalence he'd encode on his body, evident in genre-busting songs such as "Beat It"; the innocence fetish that made ballads like "Human Nature" sparkle but led the singer into a shadowy life among paid-off children in his own Neverland.

The dirty stuff is all there. But so is wonder, pure and complex, and some willful forgetting can bring you back to it. Put aside *****, the tragic example. Return to Michael, the musical prodigy who filtered a host of cross-cultural and intergenerational influences through his own weird radar to create music as surprising as it was definitive.

Enjoy that Michael, at play in the fields of new technology with producer Quincy Jones and the best team of studio pros since Brian Wilson roped in the Wrecking Crew. At 24, that Michael embodied the vertiginous power of being young -- his love songs were all longing and playful innuendo, his angry songs half bluster and half nightmare. That Michael believed that pop songs could have the effect that classic tales have on kids, coloring their dreams and staying forever in their memories. "Thriller" was the first Neverland he built -- the one he'll never lose in bankruptcy court.

The just-issued 25th anniversary of "Thriller" includes remixes by will.i.am and Kanye West and guest appearances from Fergie and Akon. But the classic content is what still resonates, even if younger listeners need to be lured in by names they associate with the Hot 100. Here, nine Calendar staff writers and contributors offer their views of the album's original tracks -- a trip back into "Thriller" that we hope readers will follow.

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ": Hot as Jackson was after the quantum leap that 1979's "Off the Wall" brought his solo career, few expected him to match, much less dramatically surpass, those heights so quickly. But "Thriller's" leadoff track immediately established the new album as another giant step forward. It connected to "Off the Wall" with an irresistible Afro-Caribbean funk dance-floor pulse and peppery horn accents akin to "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," then rocketed to new heights with even more sinewy bass and guitar lines propelling his impossibly nimble vocals. If "Off the Wall" demonstrated that Jackson was a kid no more, "Somethin' " signaled the full maturity of his musical acumen. All the more impressive for a song built on just two chords. (Randy Lewis)

"Baby Be Mine": Imagine if this weren't the better of the two non-singles from a monster album but a one-shot single by an unknown artist. The sweet midtempo glide of "Baby Be Mine" would have likely bubbled into the R&B Top 20 and gotten lots of roller-skate play, been included on recent mix CDs by cutting-edge European DJs and been remade as a slow jam at least three times. We'd have wondered at the bionic singer, the effervescent synth arrangements, the popping groove. In short, it would sound like the hidden classic it remains, even in plain sight. (Michaelangelo Matos)

"The Girl Is Mine": Treacly, insipid, weak, embarrassing -- that's how detractors describe Jackson's gentle sparring match with his then-favorite Beatle, Paul McCartney. Borne forward on a beat light as hair mousse and synth flourishes supplied by the guys from Toto, it's a long way from the paranoid funk of "Billie Jean." But its spun-sugar vocal line is like the G-rated version of "Unchained Melody," and the cornball lyrics (I know, "doggone") invoke a show-tune Arcadia that both MJ and Macca fought to preserve as pop got ever filthier. The lift Jackson gives the word "endlessly" midsong can still make a listener feel like she's swimming in a sea of Love's Baby Soft. (Ann Powers)

"Thriller": If ever a video killed the radio star, "Thriller" was it. The song was adequately groovy -- funked-out beat, lyrics seemingly lifted from some little kid's "scary storybook" -- but the video was legendary: bearing a price tag of $800,000, the 14-minute mini-film was the most expensive video of its time. Back then it was over the top; to today's viewer, jaded by bloated-budget videos, it still looks epic -- and deliciously campier than ever. That dialogue ("I'm not like other guys")! That Vincent Price rap interlude! And, most of all, those choreographed zombies, dancing in a style that -- thanks to Usher, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown -- still gets its close-up on MTV. (Baz Dreisinger)

"Beat It": A secret not closely guarded: The uncredited guitarist who whipped out the fluttering, squealing solo on this ode to macho cowardice was Eddie Van Halen, whose extracurriculars ranked among the provocations for singer David Lee Roth's 1985 departure from the megalithic rock band Van Halen. Along with the contributions of jazz and soundtrack legend Quincy Jones as producer, Van Halen's aerodynamic metal flight pumped crossover fuel that would boost the success of "Thriller" -- a gimmick Jackson would later flog with spots from Slash and Carlos Santana. Without the Van Halen precedent, there might have been no collaboration of Run-DMC and Aerosmith on the 1986 rap/rock version of "Walk This Way." (Greg Burk)

"Billie Jean": Twenty-five years later, "Thriller's" central chamber has lost none of its fevered mystery. This is where the album's material plane gives way to a haunted interior, excavated by that remorseless bass line and shaped by a taut interplay of instruments -- the arrangement is ingenious, so lean and spare that it's hard to accept that there are three synthesizers at work. Jackson finds a new voice here, a victim's voice that shudders in the shadows of this remarkable sonic space, lashing at his own naiveté and at the false accusers who were just starting to gather at his door. (Richard Cromelin)

"Human Nature": Jackson is a sensual vampire flying over the city looking for juicy necks to bite. A template for new jack swing and hip-hop soul ballads, "Human Nature" is comparatively slower and more intimate than "Thriller's" other songs. "If this town is just an apple, let me take a bite," quivers Jackson's voice over a cascading synthesizer and percolating bass line. Though written by John Bettis and Steve Porcaro of Toto, the lyrics resonate with Jackson's yearning to break free from his tower of celebrity and mingle with young people in a "city that winks its sleepless eye." (Serena Kim)

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)": It's all about the chipmunk. The production has a compelling charm already; it's not as forceful as "Beat It" or as slick as "Human Nature," but those squiggly synths and chewy bass lines do their work well. But besides the robo-accented "P.Y.T." hook, what seals the deal is that helium-pitched voice after the bridge. Honestly, to this day, I still can't decipher what line is blurted out, but just the chipmunk effect has been enough to imprint the song in my head for the last quarter century. Given that Kanye West looped the exact same passage for his Grammy-winning "Good Life" only confirms I'm not alone in my infatuation. (Oliver Wang)

"The Lady in My Life": And the '80s pop big bang ends with a . . . whimper? So it might have seemed at the time, this Rod Temperton-penned and arranged trifle closed "Thriller" on an unconvincingly romantic note -- even pre-scandal. Yet today, "Lady" shines for its classic simplicity and nuanced craft, a verse melody straight from vintage Burt Bacharach (the muted trumpet early on leaves no doubt) topped with a chorus that's almost a Stevie Wonder homage. And Jackson's delivery is refreshingly unaffected -- not until shortly before the final fade does he even let out an ooo! No, not a whimper. A sigh. (Steve Hochman)

( [url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-thriller12feb12,0,354454.story]Michael Jackson's masterpiece still a 'Thriller' - Los Angeles Times[/url])

Music

Back for Another Dance

'Thriller' at 25: A Pleasure Still

[URL='javascript:void(popitup('http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/style/2008-02-12/index.html?imgId=PH2008021102596&imgUrl=/photo/2008/02/11/PH2008021102596.html',650,850))'][/URL] "Thriller," the 25th anniversary edition, still worth a moonwalk. (Sony-bmg)

By Dan Charnas
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, February 12, 2008; Page C05

The 25th anniversary edition of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" comes with a CD of digitally remastered tracks and newfangled remixes, a DVD with all of the album's classic videos and a 48-page color booklet, all bound in a lustrous gold cover emblazoned with the tag line "The World's Biggest Selling Album of All Time." It's fitting that "Thriller" isn't being commemorated as great art, though some of it is. After all, the album was recorded in a two-month rush at the tail end of 1982, born as a desperate measure to save CBS Records' fiscal year. It ended up rescuing the entire recording industry from the post-disco doldrums, spawning seven Top 10 singles, spending more than two years on the album charts and selling 104 million copies globally.
Ah, those were the good old days. But not even the ghost of "Thriller" -- risen from the grave like Jackson's video zombies -- can save the music industry now, although resurrected by the savior himself, Kanye West. In 2008, "Thriller 25" is really a requiem for the record business.
Forget the reconfigured songs by West and Will.I.Am, the guest appearances from Fergie and Akon. The one unreleased track from the "Thriller" sessions that appears here, "For All Time," was wisely left off the original album.
All of these extras pale against the simple pleasure of hearing the chunky opening drums of "Billie Jean"; or better yet, seeing the audience's reaction to them at the start of Jackson's performance on the "Motown 25" NBC TV special from 1983, available on the DVD.
It's amazing to recount just how many of "Thriller's" contributions have become a part of our collective cultural consciousness: Jackson's "moonwalk" across the Motown stage, his red leather jacket, the instantly recognizable choreography from John Landis's epic "Thriller" video, even phrases like "I'm not like other guys" and "I'm a lover, not a fighter."
(Inexplicably missing from this edition are some of the better features from a 2001 "Thriller" reissue, including an amazing "Billie Jean" home demo recorded by Jackson before he'd ironed out the lyrics and melody.)
"Thriller" was the second of two significant collaborations between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones. The first, 1979's "Off the Wall," was pure pre-nose-job Michael, soul and showmanship brought to their apex. Even in the midst of a serious radio backlash against black music, "Off the Wall" was irresistible. But "Thriller" finally breached that wall of musical segregation with careful, calculated concessions to the rock gods like "Beat It." ("Billy Jean" was the first video by a major black star to be played heavily on MTV.) The cost was Jackson's soul, literally and figuratively, which went the way of his old nose.
But M.J. achieved nothing less than a reintegration of American music, and he helped pave the way for all who followed, from Prince to Public Enemy.
It's that cultural revolution for which "Thriller" will be remembered 25 years hence, long after we've forgotten that there were once things called records and CDs, or that special stores sold them by the hundreds of millions, or that people bought music at all.


(washington post)

'Thriller' rises from grave

25 years later, the epic, groundbreaking Jackson album moonwalks back

The rhinestone glove, too-short pants, red jacket and Jheri curl juice are back—"Thriller," the top-selling album of all time worldwide, is a quarter-century old Tuesday.

The rerelease Tuesday of the Michael Jackson classic includes a bonus DVD with digitally remastered versions of the three biggie videos from the disc ("Thriller," "Billie Jean" and "Beat It), and Jackson's legendary "Billie Jean" live performance from a 1983 Motown special (yes, the moonwalk one). There's also extra music, including remixes from the likes of Kanye West, Fergie and will.i.am.

But the biggest deal about "Thriller" is the intangibles. It was the first viral music video as well as the first music video event—14 minutes of brilliance that called upon Vincent Price, director John Landis and a legion of shimmying zombies. The last lives on with prison inmates, enthusiasts on YouTube and Naomi Campbell, accompanied by CGI lizards. Everybody saw it, and everybody did that dance, guilty pleasure or not.

As the uppercut of a one-two punch that began with its 1979 predecessor, "Off the Wall," "Thriller" began with "Wanna Be Startin' Something," rolled on through the title track, "Billie Jean" and "Beat It." This array of excellence made it easy to forgive "The Girl Is Mine," the duet with Paul McCartney.

"Thriller" was a pop-cultural barometer like few other recordings. "Billie Jean" was the first video by a black artist to get regular MTV rotation, and "Thriller" was a very different recording from "Off the Wall," more pop than soul. Jackson himself began to change, nose-first.

And the rest is HIStory.

(chicagotribune.com)

alles in allem ist mike offensichtlich in allen news vertreten heute in den usa
mit seinem thriller25 album und jubiläum.
( heute verkaufsstart in usa)
und die schlagzeile ist überall geil
scheint auch kein grosses interesse dran zu sein, zu erwähnen, dass man ihn bei den grammys net zu sehn bekam.
hat friedelschniedel sein gift umsonst verspritzt?!

It's still got that Thriller feeling

Issue date: 2/12/08

A wise man once said, "Don't stop 'til you get enough." Nearly 30 years later, Michael Jackson may no longer be so wise, but we sure as hell loved Off the Wall, and we definitely haven't gotten enough of his monster follow-up, Thriller. And why not? Jackson's masterpiece is still music's Holy Grail, arguably the best pop album ever released (at least, it's the best-selling album ever, with about 104 million copies sold worldwide) and the crown jewel of a career now mired in infamy.
But for just a little while, forget all that - forget the bankruptcies and the creepiness of Neverland and the weird friendship with Macaulay Culkin and the countless sexual abuse suits from families who let their children visit the previously mentioned Neverland and the 50-foot robot of himself to roam the Las Vegas desert, blah, blah, blah - and just remember that once upon a time, when most of us weren't even born, Jackson was a certified music genius.
After buoying the Jackson Five to success in the '70s but falling prey to Motown's iron will, Jackson decided to break out on his own, met up with producer Quincy Jones and created some awesomely beautiful music. First came the disco-bucking Off the Wall, then Thriller - an album that broke MTV's racial barriers, redefined pop and made Jackson the center of the universe.
Revisiting the album with Thriller 25 is like a stupendous gift from the past - Jackson's songs still make an impact now, from the delightfully danceable "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (recognize that "ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa" part? Yeah, Rihanna sampled it on "Don't Stop the Music"), the groove-a-licious ballad "Baby Be Mine" and "The Girl Is Mine" with Paul McCartney (that crappy "The Boy Is Mine" duet between Monica and Brandy in the mid-'90s was such an embarrassing imitation).
Obviously, though, the best tracks on Thriller are the ones that shook up the listening world and made it completely reassess its every notion about pop music: "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Thriller." So it's unfortunate, then, that Thriller 25's versions of the first two songs are a hot mess. Guest appearances from artists such as will.i.am and Fergie drag down some of MJ's best material, and even Kanye West and Akon can't make near-perfect songs any better than they originally were.
Let's begin with "Billie Jean." The second single off of Thriller, "Billie Jean" was one slinky, funky, desperate cry for honesty - a plea by MJ to all the demented female fans who just wouldn't leave him alone. The intro, a near 30-second invention of steady drums and bass, was what MJ called "smelly jelly" (the kind of music that made him want to dance), and when combined with the haunting nature of the song itself, "Billie Jean" was one sure hit. So why get rid of the song's intro and add a few lyrics from Kanye instead? Nothing can live up to the smelly jelly, and without it, "Billie Jean" feels disjointed and incomplete.
A similar butchery occurs on "Beat It," which was originally a slice of '80s bliss with guitar god Eddie Van Halen and Jackson together on one track. But "Beat It 2008" is just an excuse for Fergie to exercise her adept screaming skills; further embarrassment is caused when instead of Van Halen's bitchin' guitar line, a synthed-out intro is used for the song instead.
The only positive collaboration to come from this whole thing is "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008," with help from Akon. Akon delivers the first few scandalous lines himself ("We end up going back to her place/ Wish I could tell you what I saw/ The sexiest woman in a negligee/ We hit it off until the morning") and then slows the song down considerably, even giving it a ballad-like quality that works (as all of Akon's ballads generally do).
Maybe it was a good thing for MJ to steer clear of re-recording the songs for Thriller 25 (all the collaborations layer the guest artist's vocals with Jackson's already recorded songs), because it's pretty damn hard to improve upon perfection. Thankfully, no one messed with "Thriller" itself - who could they have gotten to replace Vincent Price? No one nearly as cool, that's who - and let that be a lesson. Way back in 1984, The New York Times called MJ "a musical phenomenon ... In the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson, and there is everybody else." That proclamation still stands true 25 years later - and Thriller 25's hits (the originals) and misses (the remakes) prove it.


( It's still got that Thriller feeling - Diversions )

'Thriller' re-release showcases Jackson's enduring talent
By BEN BURR

I remember a sticky summer day in 2005, waiting tables in my hometown.
The lunch rush was gone and I was in the kitchen with the cook, toasting with a plastic cup of warm cooking sherry that was kept, appropriately, above the toaster. A news radio station had just reported the verdict in Michael Jackson’s most recent court case: not guilty on all counts. The King of Pop was off the hook.

Not too long after that, I saw a newspaper article heralding Justin Timberlake as the new King of Pop. My initial response was shocked opposition — nobody can take MJ’s place!

Jackson has taken a lot of flak in recent years, and far be it from me to say it’s undeserved. Nor do I think any preferential treatment or legal leeway should be granted him solely on account of previous achievement. Michael Jackson has, it would seem, made some pretty poor decisions over the years. Rather than go out in a whimper or a bang, his artistic acclaim has steadily dropped as his tabloid infamy has gathered momentum.

But Sony’s re-release of Jackson’s best-selling “Thriller” harkens back to a time when his career was arguably at its peak. He could do no wrong, and the ground he stood on was literally aglow.

“Thriller” was replete with radio hit “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” the outro of which is riffed on Rihanna’s hit, “Don’t Stop the Music.” But the big-hitter was the eponymous “Thriller,” with its thoroughly developed and endlessly exciting narrative. Clichéd though it may be, I distinctly remember shielding my eyes from the TV screen as those zombies clambered toward the house in the song’s epic music video.

Along with the original tracks are new versions of the hits today’s performers had the audacity to tackle (“Thriller,” understandably, is too far beyond the talent of Kanye or Akon).

It’s cute that will.i.am participates in the new edition of “The Girl Is Mine,” in the way that a 6-year-old might pretend to shave just like Dad does, but the track is a glorified mash-up. And it’s no surprise that Kanye’s version of “Billie Jean” supplants over-the-top symphony instruments where the original had synthesized violins, but the result is gaudy and excessive.

Though they do almost nothing for the disc; these misfires highlight the real talent showcased in the original release. Jackson’s sound is typically synthesized for an ’80s album, but far from embarrassing — even through the weird, Optimus Prime/Alvin and the Chipmunks vocals in “Pretty Young Thing.” “Billie Jean” might have been ahead of its time, considering the “baby mama” movement in music today. The album is arguably Jackson’s greatest, and a lasting tribute to his ability.

I consider the Timberlake headline again. A dignified exit would have been preferable to a gradual fame/infamy swap. Justin’s got the talent, he’s got the production, he’s got the style. No one king can reign forever.

Still, let us not dwell on Jackson’s recent foibles, but bask instead in the enduring talent of his better days.


( Northern Star Online: 'Thriller' re-release showcases Jackson's enduring talent )

Das gefällt mir echt super, ich denke Michael kann echt gut mit thriller 25 nochmals landen und punkten, wenn es so weiter läuft.

ich bin sooo zuversichtlich was die zukunft angeht und ich glaub das eigentlich niemand so richtig davon wusste das er überhaupt anwesend sein sollte bei den grammys, sehr gutes zeichen, sonst würde doch nur wieder müll in den medien stehen.

Michael Jackson
Thriller 25

Runde Jubiläen sind eine feine Sache. Und so gehen Labels in letzter Zeit vermehrt dazu über, legendäre Alben in gepimpter Version wieder auf den Markt zu werfen. So haben etwa U2 vorgemacht, in welch liebevoller Aufmachung eine Pflichtnummer im Popbiz für eine jüngere Generation aufbereitet werden kann.

Jetzt zieht Michael Jackson mit dem legendären "Thriller" nach und präsentiert der Öffentlichkeit, wie man es tunlichst nicht machen sollte. Einige Dinge gehen da nämlich überhaupt nicht. "The Girl Is Mine" (schon im Original mit Macca unerträglich) und "P.Y.T." mit Will.I.Am, Akon bei "Wanna Be Startin' Something" und "Billie Jean" mit Kanye West ließen sich mit viel gutem Willen noch ertragen.

Aber was hat ausgerechnet eine musikalische Flachzange wie Fergie auf einem unbestreitbaren Brett wie "Beat It" zu suchen? Die Black Eyed Peas-Hupfdohle hat dereinst mit ihrem Einstieg dem kreativen Charme der Hip Hop-Funker endgültig den Garaus gemacht.
Drum ist das, was sich im Anschluss an die klassische Trackliste schmiegt, nur als desaströs zu bezeichnen. Wenn die neun Songs des grandiosen Albums ausgeklungen sind, empfiehlt sich ein schneller Gang zum Player, um der Kakophonie zu entgehen. Das bislang unveröffentlichte "For All Time" reiht sich hingegen nahtlos in die Balladen-Sektion des Albums ein und hätte ohne Probleme auch auf dem Original-Release vertreten sein können.

Mit im Paket ist noch eine DVD. Dort finden sich die sattsam bekannten Videos und der Playback-Auftritt vom 25-jährigen Motown-Jubiläum: Insgesamt gesehen so nötig wie eine Heizung in der Sahara, gibt es die Clips doch bei den üblichen Verdächtigen im Netz. Auf eine Surroundsound-Abmischung wurde ebenso verzichtet, was den zweiten Silberling noch entbehrenswerter macht.

Apropos Surround. Hat das Geld gefehlt? Oder kommt die DVD-Audio-Edition später, damit man dem einen oder anderen Fan gleich zweimal das Geld aus der Tasche ziehen kann? Also Leute, bitte: 25 Jahre "Thriller". Das meistverkaufte Album aller Zeiten. Um das Teil richtig abzufeiern, hätte es wirklich etwas mehr sein dürfen, ja müssen!

laut.de | der musikkanal

Zitat von Screamlouder

musikalische Flachzange wie Fergie

aus dem KoP Board:

Zitat von Lisa Marie rules

Thanks to the MJJC News team
[url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-web-thrillertrivia12feb12,1,4105007.story?ctrack=1&cset=true]http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/...1&cset=true[/url]

25 'Thriller' facts

Thriller," the biggest-selling album ever, wasn't the only Michael Jackson work released in November 1982. A few weeks before it was set to hit stores, MCA Records released an album of Jackson reading the story of "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" and performing the original song "Someone in the Dark." The album promotion, which featured posters of Jackson and E.T. looking very friendly, angered CBS Records, which felt it was stealing the thunder from "Thriller." Lawsuits ensued. Both albums ended up winning Grammys the following year.

"Thriller's" phenomenal success led to a breaking down of traditional r@#%al barriers on FM radio at the time. New York's WPLJ, a "white" station, played Jackson's "Beat It" because of Eddie Van Halen's appearance on it. The song caused a wave of protests from some listeners who didn't want "black" music on their station. MTV also had a reputation for favoring white performers at the time, and its heavy rotation of Jackson videos helped alleviate the criticism.

The music video of "Thriller" played in a Westwood theater for one week in 1983 to qualify for an Oscar nomination. It opened for Disney's "Fantasia," much to the dismay of unsuspecting parents.

After the success of the "Thriller" video, a Hollywood production company began serious work on turning "Billie Jean" into a feature film. (In 1985, Helen Slater starred in the teenage drama "The Legend of Billie Jean," although there is no connection.)

In 1984, the National Coalition on Television Violence classified more than half of 200 MTV videos surveyed as too violent, including the videos for Jackson's "Thriller" and "Say, Say, Say." Dr. Thomas Radecki, chairman of the coalition, was quoted as saying, "It's not hard to imagine young viewers after seeing 'Thriller' saying, 'Gee, if Michael Jackson can terrorize his girlfriend, why can't I do it too?' "

Brooke Shields was Jackson's date to the 1984 Grammys, when he won eight awards.

"Thriller" video makeup artist Rick Baker already had an Oscar on his resume. He won the award for best makeup in 1981 -- the first time the award was handed out -- for his work on "An American Werewolf in London."

Baker actually appears in the video: He's the zombie seen stumbling out of the mausoleum.

Dance choreographer Michael Peters also had a role as a zombie in "Thriller," and shared a Tony Award with Michael Bennett for his choreography work on Broadway's "Dreamgirls." Before his death in 1994, he was an advocate of adding a choreography category to the Academy Awards.

Jackson's girlfriend in the video, Ola Ray, was Playboy magazine's Miss June in 1980, telling the publication that her favorite entertainers were "Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Ben Vereen, Emry Thomas." She also listed her turn-ons as "music, men, dancing and romancing, health and nature" and turnoffs as "waiting for something that never comes."

Just as Van Halen's guitar solo begins in "Beat It," there's a noise that sounds like someone knocking on a door. According to rock 'n' roll myth, the knock is someone walking into Van Halen's studio. Another story claims it's simply the sound of Van Halen knocking on his own guitar.

"Thriller's" opening cut, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," is also the longest track on the album, clocking in at over six minutes. The radio version, however, is about two minutes shorter.

The movie theater seen in the beginning of the video was also seen in director John Landis' "The Kentucky Fried Movie." The posters seen in the theater are for the movie "Schlock," also directed by Landis.

Jackson's disclaimer at the beginning of the video, in which he discounts any belief in the occult, was prompted by his status as a Jehovah's Witness at the time.

The 1988 movie "Return of the Living Dead Part II" features a zombie dressed as Michael Jackson.

Forrest J. Ackerman, creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, can be seen sitting behind Jackson in the theater at the beginning of the video.

The video that popularized Jackson's "Moonwalk," 1983's "Billie Jean," was directed by Steve Barron, but it may not be the clip he's best known for. That would be the live-action comic book treatment he gave to A-ha's "Take on Me."

The song "Thriller" was originally titled "Starlight."

Producer Quincy Jones wanted "Billie Jean" to be titled "Not My Lover," so people wouldn't think the song was about Billie Jean King.

Real gang members were brought it to be extras in the "Beat It" video.

Although "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' " was one of the biggest singles off "Thriller," no video was ever made for the song.

The man who wrote the song "Thriller," Rod Temperton, also wrote songs for Boyz II Men, Herbie Hancock, Karen Carpenter and Michael McDonald.

The "Thriller" album has sold more than 104 million copies.

At the height of the song's popularity, MTV would run the 14-minute "Thriller" video twice an hour.

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"It's not hard to imagine young viewers after seeing 'Thriller' saying, 'Gee, if Michael Jackson can terrorize his girlfriend, why can't I do it too?' "

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah wie geil ist das??????:lol

Zitat von Korgnex

Und Sony's Promopläne scheinen wirklich auf mehrere Monate ausgelegt zu sein.

Logisch! Nur doof wenn das wichtigste wegbricht... Aber wurscht, sie machen ja weiter und haben Michaels Wegbleiben einfach damit überspielt, dass sie so tun als hätte er dieses "Interview" zum Album extra neu gemacht.

Zitat von Ghost

Das hat ja ganz wenig mit Pro7 zu tun sondern viel mit Sony

Das war auch ein Scherz :lol

Zitat von Korgnex

Soeben wurde bei Brisant auf ARD auf Thriller 25 aufmerksam gemacht.

Thriller 25 hat bereits eine erste Auszeichnung errungen:
Gold in Polen (für 10.000 verkaufte Einheiten)

wow. das ging aber schnell.
dann ist nächste woche platin an der reihe

Zitat

alles in allem ist mike offensichtlich in allen news vertreten heute in den usa
mit seinem thriller25 album und jubiläum.
( heute verkaufsstart in usa)
und die schlagzeile ist überall geil
scheint auch kein grosses interesse dran zu sein, zu erwähnen, dass man ihn bei den grammys net zu sehn bekam.
hat friedelschniedel sein gift umsonst verspritzt?!
__________________

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Gooooood news!!!!!
Feine Sache! Danke fürs Posten, Petra!

Die Polen machens vor, so kanns auch gehen. 10.000 verkaufte Einheiten schon in der ersten Woche. Nunja, in Polen wird ja auch eine intensivere Promo betrieben als bei uns. Woran liegt das eigentlich?