25 years later, Michael Jackson's Thriller continues to thrill

25 years later, Michael Jackson's Thriller continues to thrill

by Albert Rodriguez - SGN A&E Writer No other album in the history of recorded music has sold 104 million copies worldwide. Not Abbey Road. Not The Joshua Tree. Not even Rumours. The only full-length recording to achieve this feat is Thriller. Domestically, it ships over 60,000 copies annually as a catalog item. Michael Jackson's '80s pop-R&B classic - the first of three albums in Billboard chart history to produce seven Top Ten singles - celebrates its quarter century status with the release of Thriller - 25th Anniversary Edition on February 12. The two-disc package features the original 9-track set in its exact order just as it appeared in November 1982: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,'" "Baby Be Mine," "The Girl is Mine" (with Paul McCartney), ""Thriller," "Beat It," "Billie Jean," "Human Nature," "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," and "The Lady in My Life." If you do the math, Thriller's anniversary party should actually have taken place last year. But the record label waited until 2008 to begin a yearlong celebration that kicked off with Thriller's induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame on February 10 and the re-packaged CD release two days afterwards. Rumored, yet not confirmed, are live concert dates for MJ in the coming months. In addition to the original song list disc, Thriller - 25th Anniversary Edition includes 6 unreleased tracks, a 48-page color booklet, restored DVD versions of "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" videos, short films, and a live performance of "Billie Jean" from the Motown 25 TV special. Fans can select from two covers, the authentic one with MJ in his all-white suit or the new cover with the King of Pop appearing in zombie mode. I remember the first time watching "Billie Jean" on MTV. Already a proud owner of Jackson's Off the Wall - a vinyl copy that I shared with my older brother - I couldn't wait to get my hands on the new album. That week, my parents bought us each our own copy - eliminating the possibility of black eyes and bruised arms. That's not to say we didn't fight over the record player. One of my fondest childhood memories is the night when my cousins, older brothers and I gathered around the television and a short stack of pizza boxes to view the world premiere of MJ's thirteen and-a-half-minute "Thriller" music video. Unlike any other video, it was suspenseful and awesome and the most talked-about subject the next day in school. The bright yellow werewolf eyes, the fangs, zombies dancing in the street, creaking door, and the opening disclaimer from Jackson stating his non-endorsement of the occult. A group of 20 students at my middle school collaborated on a recreation of the video for our Spring Follies in 1983, going so far as to hang muddied clothes outside for several days to look just as the zombies did. "Thriller," directed by John Landis, literally changed music videos from that day forward. The term "superstar" was coined for Michael Jackson, a well-deserved title for an artist who caught the attention by everyone from the subways of Tokyo to the runways of Paris, from the streets of New York to the beaches in Sao Paulo, and from cassette players in Mexico City to our living room record player in Eastern Washington. Thriller didn't just thrust Jackson to fame, it elevated him to the music throne - setting an all-time bar that few artists have come close to paralleling. Whatever your personal reservations are for Michael Jackson (and I'll keep mine to myself), you simply can't deny the impact he's made in pop culture, his unmatched success, and the influence he's had on artists such as Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Usher, and Rihanna who sampled "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" on her Grammy-nominated single "Don't Stop the Music." Dust off your copy of Thriller or purchase the newly released Thriller - 25th Anniversary Edition, featuring Kanye West, Akon, Fergie and will.i.am, and relearn how to moonwalk, sing along to "Beat It," strut your stuff to "Billie Jean," or make out under the covers to "Human Nature." Most of all, relive the thrill - which for some of us, has never really stopped.