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Journalism of Courage
When Thriller was released in 1982, Michael Jackson was not only the biggest pop star in the world, he was the biggest pop star ever. No solo performer before or since has reached the level of unparalleled global stardom Jackson achieved during this period, and it8217;s unlikely anyone ever will again.
Of course, he is now either a reclusive curiosity or a tabloid freak show, depending on your level of politeness. All of which poses a dilemma in how to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the biggest album of all time. It helps, of course, when the product is Thriller, an exquisitely crafted, near-perfect pop masterpiece. But in order to entice people to buy it again, the Thriller: 25th Anniversary CD is beefed up with a series of remixes featuring hip-hop stars of today, and a previously unreleased vault cut from the Thriller sessions.
West8217;s Billie Jean 2008 is the best of the reimagined tracks. West strips out the song8217;s pulsating bass line and bottoms out the drums. It8217;s not necessarily better or faster, but it definitely makes for a harder and stronger Billie Jean.
What remains is Thriller, the album, which holds up amazingly well a quarter-century later. The sharp horn stabs in Wanna Be Startin8217; Somethin8217;, the snaking, rise-and-fall guitar line in Beat It, everything about Billie Jean8212;Thriller is still a thriller, and Quincy Jones8217; production is a landmark achievement in pop.
At the centre of it all is Jackson, whose every vocal tic seems at once improvisational and precisely measured.
It8217;s difficult to put into context the enormity of Thriller, especially to kids who only know Jackson as that weird guy who was once important but now wears masks and hangs out with mannequins. So let8217;s just state facts: Thriller is the biggest album ever, period. It is to music what Titanic is to the movies and what the MASH finale is to television. And hey, there8217;s always the 30th anniversary package to look forward to.
-Adam Graham NYT
