Ann 2
Alain
JennYBlast From The Past Vol. 5 - Part III: Michael Jackson - Thriller Album Review
December 17th 2008 17:01
This month on Blast From The Past – Eazy-E, Motorhead, and Michael Jackson.
Release date: November 30, 1982
Genre: Pop, rock, funk, disco, soul
Length: 42:19
Label: Epic
Before Michael Jackson was a plastic surgery-deformed, child-molesting freak of nature, he was known as the king of pop. Launched to superstardom as the youngest member of the Jackson 5, he quickly became an icon with a successful solo career spawning classic albums such as Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory. His sixth album, Thriller, is one of the most successful records of all time, selling between 47-108 million copies worldwide to this day.
The album starts with the fourth single titled Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'. Like most of the tracks of this timeless classic, it features a memorable chorus and ending. I don't think there's anyone in the world who doesn't know “Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma co sa.” My only gripe with this song is that it feels like Michael's voice isn't quite “there” just yet. If I had to describe it, I'd say his voice is voice is right between Off The Wall and songs such as Thriller and Beat It. Also, the ending and the melody tends to get annoying towards the end. It's a bit too long for my taste.
Baby Be Mine and The Girl Is Mine are, like their titles point out, two songs about the same subject. Baby Be Mine is probably the worst song on this album (if there's such a thing) and isn't really impressive. It sounds more like his previous work. The Girl Is Mine was the first single issued for this album and features ex-Beatle Paul McCartney. Its sound is a bit different from all the other tracks which probably explains why many critics saw it as a tool to appeal to white audiences.
Those two ballads are followed by the three biggest tracks on this record – Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean. The seventh single of the album, Thriller revolutionized the music video industry with its movie-like scale. The song itself is great thanks to Michael's smooth singing on the verses and a memorable chorus. When reviewing this album, I mentioned to fellow member Alain how the instrumentals on Thriller are pretty simple – just a single loop repeating itself. He told me that it doesn't matter, it's “banging” anyways. I guess I have to agree with him on that point. Beat It, the third single of the album, is another classic that's been recently covered by pop-rock band Fall Out Boy. This song would be nothing without its trademark guitar riff. Similarly, Billie Jean, the second single, is also a huge song that would go nowhere if it wasn't for its bass line that's easily recognizable from its opening notes.
The three final tracks show how much Michael Jackson has been an influence on contemporary pop singers such as Usher and Justin Timberlake. The fifth single, Human Nature, and The Lady In My Life are both slow songs while P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), the sixth single, is a high-tempo track. I wasn't overly impressed by Human Nature and The Lady In My Life, but listening to P.Y.T. I realized that it might be because I prefer Michael's singing on medium to high-tempo beats. It sounds a lot more enthusiastic. Both Human Nature and The Lady In My Life reminded me of the slow songs on Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds album.
With the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to call Thriller a classic since it sold so many copies worldwide. When you look at it objectively, the instrumentals are pretty basic, synthesizer-based melodies. Some songs are pretty average, others are more solid. But the fact that most, if not all, these tracks are still enjoyable to listen to more than 25 years later gives it a 4.5/5 in my book.
[Click here for Part I: Eazy-E - Eternal E Album Review]
Genre: Pop, rock, funk, disco, soul
Length: 42:19
Label: Epic
Before Michael Jackson was a plastic surgery-deformed, child-molesting freak of nature, he was known as the king of pop. Launched to superstardom as the youngest member of the Jackson 5, he quickly became an icon with a successful solo career spawning classic albums such as Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory. His sixth album, Thriller, is one of the most successful records of all time, selling between 47-108 million copies worldwide to this day.
The album starts with the fourth single titled Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'. Like most of the tracks of this timeless classic, it features a memorable chorus and ending. I don't think there's anyone in the world who doesn't know “Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma co sa.” My only gripe with this song is that it feels like Michael's voice isn't quite “there” just yet. If I had to describe it, I'd say his voice is voice is right between Off The Wall and songs such as Thriller and Beat It. Also, the ending and the melody tends to get annoying towards the end. It's a bit too long for my taste.
Baby Be Mine and The Girl Is Mine are, like their titles point out, two songs about the same subject. Baby Be Mine is probably the worst song on this album (if there's such a thing) and isn't really impressive. It sounds more like his previous work. The Girl Is Mine was the first single issued for this album and features ex-Beatle Paul McCartney. Its sound is a bit different from all the other tracks which probably explains why many critics saw it as a tool to appeal to white audiences.
Those two ballads are followed by the three biggest tracks on this record – Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean. The seventh single of the album, Thriller revolutionized the music video industry with its movie-like scale. The song itself is great thanks to Michael's smooth singing on the verses and a memorable chorus. When reviewing this album, I mentioned to fellow member Alain how the instrumentals on Thriller are pretty simple – just a single loop repeating itself. He told me that it doesn't matter, it's “banging” anyways. I guess I have to agree with him on that point. Beat It, the third single of the album, is another classic that's been recently covered by pop-rock band Fall Out Boy. This song would be nothing without its trademark guitar riff. Similarly, Billie Jean, the second single, is also a huge song that would go nowhere if it wasn't for its bass line that's easily recognizable from its opening notes.
Music Videos by VideoCure
Music Videos by VideoCure
Music Videos by VideoCure
The three final tracks show how much Michael Jackson has been an influence on contemporary pop singers such as Usher and Justin Timberlake. The fifth single, Human Nature, and The Lady In My Life are both slow songs while P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), the sixth single, is a high-tempo track. I wasn't overly impressed by Human Nature and The Lady In My Life, but listening to P.Y.T. I realized that it might be because I prefer Michael's singing on medium to high-tempo beats. It sounds a lot more enthusiastic. Both Human Nature and The Lady In My Life reminded me of the slow songs on Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds album.
With the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to call Thriller a classic since it sold so many copies worldwide. When you look at it objectively, the instrumentals are pretty basic, synthesizer-based melodies. Some songs are pretty average, others are more solid. But the fact that most, if not all, these tracks are still enjoyable to listen to more than 25 years later gives it a 4.5/5 in my book.
| 71 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Thanks for stopping by...visit my other posts and don't forget to subscribe to the email feature. A notification will be sent to you when something new has been added.
