30th Anniversary on the 30th: Thriller by Michael Jackson



Photo:  XFONG



Today marks the 30^th anniversary of the release of Michael Jackson’s album, Thriller, the best-selling album of all time.

 

The album is available on Freegal.

From the top of the world in 1982, Jackson took a 20-year fall, his albums becoming less popular, and his persona devolving from a general weirdness into felonious creepiness.

Now that he has died, his reputation is predictably starting to recover, with shows like Dancing with the Stars doing several tributes to his dancing and his music.

In case you’ve forgotten, here are some factoids about the album:

·         At its peak, it sold 500,000 copies every week

·         The song “Beat It” featured Eddie Van Halen on the guitar

·         The first single released was “The Girl Is Mine” by Paul McCartney

·         MTV would air the 14-minute “Thriller” video twice an hour to meet demand.

Jackson pretty much built MTV with his “Thriller” and “Billie Jean” videos. All Jackson, all the time.

The man could sing and dance. Bob Fosse, Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire were all fans of his dancing, with Astaire being quoted as saying, "My Lord, he is a wonderful mover. He makes these moves up himself and it is just great to watch...."

"Michael Jackson." Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 76. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 30 Nov. 2012.