Michael Jackson
Thriller (40th Anniversary Exclusive) LP
(Legacy Recordings/Sony Music)
There is absolutely nothing I can say about this album that hasn’t been said a hundred times already, so let me just tell a personal story about the musical power of Michael Jackson, instead. The documentary Leaving Neverland had just come out which told two very personal stories of children who were victims of Michael Jackson’s abuses. The documentary got lots of coverage and further brought to people’s attention what kind of harm this iconic singer brought to people’s lives. It was graphic, brutal, and sad. My significant other was too disturbed to finish but I powered on. I still remember some of the more graphic scenes whenever I think about Michael Jackson.
Fast forward a few weeks later and we are at a wedding. The music is playing and we’re eating hors d’ouvres and the dance floor is empty. Then, Billy Jean came on, and people dropped what they were gdoing, rushed to the dance floor, and GOT DOWN. All preconceived notions of MJ went out the window and people immediately separated the art from the artist. This is the power of his music, the depths of which it has penetrated our psyches, and how thoroughly we associate it with joyful celebrations. It’s a strange thing, isn’t it?
Thriller is a colossus of an album. Just about every single track here has embedded itself in our DNA and it’s an album worth knowing and studying. Wanna Be Startin’ Something, Thriller, Billy Jean – need I say more? Thriller needs to permanently live in our long term memory for reference. Nothing has ever sounded anything like this, nor could it sound ever like this. This Target Exclusive 40th Anniversary Edition should be easy to find, comes on classic black vinyl and has a cool slipmat with the Thriller 40 logo on it. A nice little touch.
This album belongs in everybody’s collection in any format.
photo: turntablelab.com
