As an artist Michael Jackson is widely regarded as one of the greatest entertainers in history. His influence is still apparent today be it in music, dance, video etc. Febuary 2008 marks the 25th anniversary of the classic which is Michael Jackson’s Thriller. So to celebrate the album is being re-released in a two disc special edition which will include the original album along with some unreleased material and some remixes with some of today’s popular artists. The original Thriller is still considered to be his best album to date and also the best selling album of all time with sales exceeding 104 million units worldwide.

For the benefit of those who are under the age of 25 or have been under a rock, in solitary confinement or something similar I will review the certified classic that is Michael Jackson’s Thriller album.

The album starts off in party mode with the infectious “Wanna Be Starting Somethin”. The up tempo beat and fitting vocal energy of MJ is garranted to make anyone move. The music stays funky with “Baby Be Mine” which is quickly followed up with a great duet with Sir Paul McCartney on “The Girl Is Mine”. On here to two icons trade verses professing reasons why the mystery girl is theirs. Things only get better with the title track “Thriller” which I am purposely not going to say anything about, because if you are a living breathing human being you should know this song. The classics keep rolling as after “Thriller” comes the rock guitar inspired “Beat It”. As soft as his voice is he manages to provide enough of an edge with his delivery to keep the song in its inspired mood.

I keep saying it but another classic follows in the dance floor ready “Billie Jean”. As with most of his songs the marriage of music with his vocals is flawless especially on “Billie Jean”. The rest of the album seesaws between ballads and disco but remains at a high standard. It’s been a while since I have personally listened to any of Michael Jackson’s music. However it quickly becomes clear especially with the Thriller album, that he makes music that is timeless and accessible to all regardless of age, race, gender etc.

For those who already have or are already familiar with the Thriller album the second cd is what your main focus will be on. The second cd comes in three parts first two tracks that are studio outtakes, followed by five remixes of Thriller tracks and finally one unreleased track.

For a Michael Jackson fans the two studio outtakes are a real threat. The first, a home demo of Billie Jean gives a slight insight into the early concept of the track. You clearly hear MJ murmering and playing with the melody of the lyrics then going full pelt during the sections he had confidence in. The next track mainly contains the voice talents of Vincent Price (deep voice on the Thriller track) practicing the intro to the famous track.

There are five remixes to be found on the cd which comprise of collabrations with some of today’s biggest artists. The first is remix is “The Girl Is Mine” featuring the production and vocal talents of Will I Am. The updated production gives the song a more up tempo feel which is a good twist on the original. The following track also uses the talents of Will I Am with similar results in that it gives. “P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)” gets a modern makeover with some funky production. Next up is a remix of “Wanna Be Starting Sometin” featuring Akon. From a production point the melody remains pretty much the same however Akon makes a good attempt at adding his own lyrics and character to the song without making it sound out of place. The following remix for me was easily the most disappointing.

Kanye West is the artist chosen to give his version of the classic that is “Billie Jean”. However Kanye just opts to put a simple drum loop over Michael’s lyrics and surprisingly Kanye doesn’t even rap. This seems strange knowing how much Kanye West portrays himself as a man of musical distinction that he would be so lazy with such an opportunity to display his talents.

The final remix is of “Beat It” featuring Fergie of Black Eyed Peas. This track follows the same format as the Akon “Wanna Be Starting Sometin” remix. The main problem with the remixes is that it is obvious that the featuring artists where just given accapellas to work with, therefore with no real creative collaboration with Michael Jackson the ownus was on them to create something special. If I was reviewing this album on the strength of the new songs only it would be a three out of five, luckily I’m not.

The album draws to an end with the unreleased track “For All Time”. The song is a typical Michael Jackson ballad but is a fitting way to close the album. In conclusion Michael Jackson’s 25th Anniversary edition of the Thriller album serves as a potent reminder of what a phenomenal and influential artist he is. I would recommend this album to anyone and with this special edition everyone should have this album in their collection, period.
4.5/5