Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller(Deluxe Casebook Edition)
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Free Music Notes for Michael Jackson 25th Anniversary of Thriller(Deluxe Casebook Edition)
Free Music Review: Still a Thriller!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I'm sure almost every household on this planet has got a copy of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" which is the best selling album of all time to date.
Released originally December 1982, the album was produced by Quincy Jones and had an unprecedented 7 US top 10 singles (matched only by the 7 top 10 singles from sister Janet's "Rhythm Nation 1814" in 1990). This version has been released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of that landmark album. The original 9 tracks (which we all know and love) are here (remastered), as well as an unreleased "Thriller" era ballad "For all time" which was newly recorded by Michael and sounds in parts like "Human nature" (it's just ok), a voice over by horror movie king Vincent Price (the spooky voice on the song "Thriller" kidding around with Michael, then doing his "Thriller" rap including a verse omitted from the final recording, I honestly don't see myself listening to this more than a couple of times), and remixes of 5 of the 7 "Thriller" singles featuring some of today's hottest producers and acts. These are the songs I was really looking forward to.
"The girl is mine" has been transformed into a more upbeat song with will.i.am replacing Paul McCartney (and providing different lyrics), and is surprisingly rather nice. It has a dreamy feel and additional guitars - I prefer it to the original. "Wanna be startin' something" (which made Billboard's hot 100 recently) features Akon who starts off singing against a piano backdrop, before the more familiar beats kick in. It doesn't deviate too much from the original but is shorter and features a new bridge sung by Akon.
"Beat it" has been remixed pointlessly and features a Fergie duet with Michael. I say pointlessly as it doesn't deviate too much from the original, although the guitar riffs have been turned around a bit. I was rather worried about how "Billie Jean" (my favourite MJ song ever, and the moonwalking marvel) would turn out. Remixed by Kanye West, it features hard hitting beats (similar to those on Kanye's "Gold digger"), and a more stripped down sound with that famous bassline taken out and the strings pushed to the fore. Unlike the other remixes, the vocals are mostly Michael's (Kanye appears fleetingly), and it still manages to sound like the original.
Last remix is "P.Y.T" by will.i.am (who also raps on it). Like "The girl is mine", this is another total transformation with elements of Billie Jean thrown in, a scratchy bass line, and re-sung by Michael with some new lyrics. Nice. It seems will.i.am was the only one not too intimated by the herculean task of breathing new life into these classics.
The CD booklet comes with lyrics and loads of photos, quite a few of which were previously unseen.
There you have it. It is nice to have these alternate versions which some might like and others will loathe. Still proving that Michael is a potent musical force, the album sold over 100,000 copies in its first week, just behind the week's #1 selling album, Jack Johnson's "Sleep through the static".
Free Music Review: 'Cause THIS IS THRILLER!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
Lol okay so this would be my...what?155'th time I've listened to this album since I was 3 years old?How many other billion people can say that?Well ask the Guiness Book Of World Records because I AM TALKING ABOUT THE MUSIC HERE!!!!With this deluxe set you get a nice brass-bound package with a booklet and a DVD with the three Thriller videos and Michael's performance on Motown 25. The liner book,as on so many reissues basically emphasizes how huge this album was in the early to mid 1980's.NOW down to the music.After the original album you get five new "remixes" which have been hyped to death,even if they weren't the main reason for me purchasing this album a second time on CD. For the most part these remixes are kind of Black Eyed Peas oriented,as two members contribute three of the remakes.My personal favorite is Fergie's take on "Beat It". Will I.AM does a very creative take on "PYT",using an element of what I assume is that famous elongated version of the song Quincy Jones had whittled off in 1982.My two least favorites were Akon's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and Kayne West's "Billy Jean";Kayne's signiture slowed down beat doesn't mesh well with the song he chooses and the production is too bassy even for modern hip-hop-another Kayne trait.Akon's cut is simply embarrassing;he himself is a fun entertainer but not that original and,to be kind his voice is extrodinarily weak.But the young people tend to like him,even so his voice pitted against MJ's show just how truely inferior a vocalist Akon can be. One of the main features for me getting this is the unrealesed "For All Time". This song is a very poppy ballad even for an album like this and,since the one thing that makes this album unique is how it perfectly blends slick funk with glossy pop. It's a good song though and I only wish some type of "Complete Thriller Sessions" boxed set of some kind was released;there are a huge number of songs recorded but never released for these sessions. Sadly big record labels reserve that kind of treatment for jazz and rock mostly;R&B artists never seem to get "complete session"-type boxed sets. And when eyeballing the massive vaults of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson here I know they have a lot of unrealesed material that is commercially and artistically viable. But that doesn't mean by any measure I am not glad to see this album out again and that todays entertainers find Michael,despite him being (at best)a terrible role model in his personal life today was and is an amazing musical talent.And when you have that kind of ability that is something that can never fade.Free Music Review: A LANDMARK in the History of Pop... and so much more!
Hit: 5 Stars
Well... THRILLER came out in 1983 and if you wanna know what's the importance of this album, just think about this: not only it summed up the best things about American popular music so far but it also revolutionized the way pop music was marketed and regarded. Perhaps, in the History of American music, there are only two phases: before THRILLER and after THRILLER.
If we try to break down the album, we can see each song as the outstanding corollary of certain styles and influences... R&B, Motown, TSOP, Blues, Disco, Gospel, Electro and anything else you can think of. It's all there. And that is the proof that both Michael and his producer Quincy Jones were, at that time, a match made in heaven.
This is certainly an album to be studied.
This 25th Anniversary Edition puts together a nice package: first comes the CD with all the original tracks plus some new remixes and homages(made by Kanye West, Fergie and Will.I.Am) and a new unreleased track FOR ALL TIME.
Now... honestly... I found all this new material completely delectable. I really prefer the previous THRILLER SPECIAL EDITION which contains other unreleased tracks AND a beautiful demo of BILLIE JEAN that is gorgeous. That edition of THRILLER is, in my opinion, superior to this one. It is richer... while this one focuses on the "homage" side.
BUT... this edition comes with a DVD that cannot be missed. Not only it brings you the THRILLER video - without a doubt, the video that defined what a music video is today (before THRILLER, music videos were something else...) but it also comes loaded with new stuff (like the unreleased song FOR ALL TIME) and the great MOTOWN 25 TV special.
So, in a word, unmissable.
And if you are willing to spend more money, this is a DELUXE CASEBOOK EDITION that comes in a hardbound 48-page book full of rare photos, lyrics and more.
A little more expensive, but twice unmissable. (laughs)
Free Music Review: Thriller 25 is awesome
Hit: 5 Stars
I just bought this and I am really impressed.
The CD is amazing, the songs are still awesome, the remixes sound even better on a stereo than my laptop and the DVD (although I own all of the content) is still awesome to watch!
The only thing that disappointed me was the packaging, yes it looks really nice and cool, but I expected something a bit more inside. I expected when purchasing this DELUXE CASEBOOK EDITION, a big booklet with really cool liner notes and information.
All I got was a bunch of photos from the Thriller era, pretty much filled up with photos from the Thriller video! It also comes with lyrics which is great but to be honest, I was disappointed with the inside content of Thriller 25.
I am only disappointed however because I had 2001's "Thriller: Special Edition" and its not identical but it isnt a far departure from what that looked like. This is probably the inner-packaging-nerd speaking, but yeah, I expected a bit more from this "deluxe" release.
The content however is freaking awesome. I love the "Thriller" album and anyone who doesnt own one copy (in any form) should be ashamed!!
Hahaha, anyways I really recommend this, to anyone, the content is first rate and the DVD will leave a smile on your face.
The remixes sound really good and the only one I didnt love so much was Fergie's "Beat It"..the rest are great.
Great re-release and I cant wait to hear Michael's new material!
Content:
Original Album - A+++
Extras + Remixes - A
Packaging - A+ for outside, B for inner booklet!
Free Music Review: Still "thrills" after 25 years
Hit: 5 Stars
Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is such a timeless album. This album will always be the greatest of all time. Why? Because no one makes good music like this anymore. My parents, who have always been big country music fans, had this album on record. That just shows how much Michael broke down barriers.
I was 2 years old when the original album came out and as I grew older and became a fan I bought this album on cassette tape. When the 25th anniversary edition came out I had to get this puppy on CD and of course get the deluxe edition with never before seen pictures.
The original songs are still awesome of course. The remixes are ok. "Wanna Be Startin' Something" with Akon and "Beat It" with Fergie are my favorite. "Billie Jean" with Kanye West is alright...the beat is good. However, Billie Jean is the kind of classic song that maybe should have been left alone. And "For all time" is such a beautiful song.
It is amazing that this album is selling better than current artists 25 years later. But not that amazing considering the type of album this is and the genius who made it. Plus, I think it is great that people who were not around when the original album came out can finally see what the fuss was about.
Michael Jackson is the greatest artist in history and this album, "Thriller" is the greatest as well.
Hopefully, Michael will give us new music sometime in the future. The music industry needs him. If you haven't bought this album yet then you are missing out. Go out and get the album; it is well worth it.