Michael Jackson - Thriller (12/10/19)
I hate this album as an album. Whether you agree with me or not, this is a terrible album. That's strange, because the majority of the songs are great. I completely separate an artist's personal life from their art: great people can make terrible music and terrible people can make amazing music and i don't think you necessarily have to be consistent in what you do or don't like. Music doesn't have morality or ethics or embarrassment or any of that stuff. People are the way they are because the world they live in forces them to behave in particular ways and "civilized society" is a compromise between individual desires and the general good. Ok, enough vagueness.
There is an EP appropriately called "Thriller" hiding in this hyperbolic dog turd of an album, but it's so squashed and manipulated by the big business of raking in billion's of dollars on the juggernaut that was Michael Jackson that it's hard to hear properly.
Every album is actually a concept album (that's the difference between an album and a generic set list), and it's super frustrating when someone ruins it.
Thriller proper is Wanna Be Startin' Something, Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean (not necessarily in that order). It's a suitably complicated narrative about fictional Michael courting Billie Jean. That's it, and it's a work of genius, regardless of whether or not you like Michael Jackson or any of his music.
The other songs on this album ruin it. If they were a separate album i wouldn't mind at all, but here they are making me nauseous and detracting from a real masterpiece of recorded music.
You have to remember, this is one of the most ludicrously expensive records ever produced. This isn't just Quincy Jones or Epic looking to make a few hits, this is CBS saying Michael Jackson will now be the King of Pop, because we own him and we aren't going to let anyone else even come close. That's why those other songs are there and noticeably cringeworthy. That's why there's a childishly misogynistic duet with Paul McCartney, and boring old breathy Michael singing "girl, i love you" in various ways.
The relationship in p(nmi)t presents Michael Jackson's actual Thriller is complex and realistic. Michael puts on his bravado jacket and tries to woo Billie Jean, not realizing she's actually highly manipulative and about to make his life an ironic nightmare. That's a damned good EP in my opinion.
But instead, this album becomes an entirely different story as a whole. It's now the struggle between the artist and his corporate overlords, and it makes me feel so sorry for the real life tragedy of Michael Jackson. His job was to be alone in his imaginary childhood amusement park going noticeably insane because the people who managed his life knew how to make a shitload of money off of it (dog turd, remember). That wasn't enjoyable to watch on TV, now was it?
Anyway, sorry to ruin your Saturday morning cartoons and cereal. If i had four hundred billion dollars i'd have bottle of beef publish the real 4-song genius masterpiece that is Thriller, but i don't so you'll just have to collect and arrange them for yourself. Have a good weekend, or try to at least.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI4I12TxwyJQTPcrXEjmNK-j7FQ5q9vmI
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