To put in
perspective the incalculable influence and groundbreaking significance of the
best-selling album of all time - Michael Jackson's Thriller - has never been
easy. While Thriller claims a staggering statistic that serves as a reminder of
how pervasive and irreplaceable it remains to music snobs and casual listeners
alike, its essence always goes back to the greatness, power and scope of music.
The Mobile
Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM release, made from original analogue
master tapes, printed at RTI and limited to 40,000 copies, does for Thriller
what Jackson's unforgettable appearance on the 1983 TV edition of Motown 25 did
for his career. It makes the music personal, human, welcome and relational.
This extraordinary reissue does that by presenting the songs in a realistic
manner, focusing on the basics with laser-focus and enhancing the brilliance of
the production, arrangements and vocals so that everyone can experience Thriller
as if they were hearing the album for the first time.
Thriller
UD1S is beautifully packaged to live up to its status as the album of choice.
Housed in an open slipcase, the album has a special foil stamped cover and
faithful original artwork that accentuates the magnificence of the record. To
the ear and visually, this reissue exists as a curatorial artefact designed for
preservation and study. It is designed for the discerning listener who
appreciates sound quality and wants to fully immerse themselves in everything
about the album.
Considering
that no album released in the last four decades even comes close in scale to
Thriller, everything about it remains important. The 1982 blockbuster sold more
than 34 million copies in the US, while it racked up 70 million units
worldwide. Thriller dominated the 1984 Grammy Awards, winning a record eight
trophies and winning every major category. He repeated his feat at the American
Music Awards. Seven of his nine songs were released as singles, each of them in
the top ten. Perhaps most strikingly, Thriller topped the top 200 album chart
for 59 weeks.
Thriller
proved as influential as it was inspiring. Its unprecedented success, dazzling
style and graceful architecture have changed every aspect of culture and
entertainment. The reverberations echoed throughout society. Thriller crossed
mainstream channels and white audiences with a degree that no black musician
has achieved in decades (if ever), prompting MTV to give black artists a broad
platform, elevated choreography and dance to a higher level art form, shattered
long-standing racial boundaries and reimagined music through a genre and
colour-blind mix of fast pop, funk, disco, soul and rock, seasoned with
cinematic flair, unbridled ambition and dynamic energy.
His influence
on a host of subsequent artists cannot be overstated. Thriller opened up a new
galaxy in which Prince soon strolled. It's the same universe that Usher,
Maxwell and Jamiroquai joined in the 90s, and around which contemporary
headliners such as Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars now revolve. Their
style-blurring identity, R&B fundamentals and interdisciplinary approaches
relate directly to those of Thriller. Notably, the first single from the album,
'The Girl Is Mine', written as a duet and co-written with Beatles legend Paul
McCartney, reflected the record's reluctance to please a particular race,
generation, class or style. Eddie Van Halen - at the time the world's best rock
guitarist - performed a similar bridge role, playing a rousing solo on
"Beat It".
Jackson,
Quincy Jones and company do the rest. Throw the needle on any track on Thriller
and an insatiable desire to move will overwhelm you. As well as feelings of
familiarity, pleasure, fun and soulfulness. Whether it's the breathless, bass-filled
swagger of Moonwalking's "Billie Jean"; the post-disco slide accented
by the French horn of critical gossip analysis "Wanna Be Startin'
'Somethin'"; the rousing tempo of the lush, sequin-embellished
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"; the gentle ballad and smooth vocal
phrasing of "Human Nature"; the bright hybrid of funk-disco and
horror movie drama of the title track; or the street-walking and rhythmic
fantasy of "Beat It", Thriller never gives up.
