So, I just recently bought Michael Jackson’s Thriller for the first time (there was no need to own it when it came out, because it was unavoidable as premature ejaculation). I didn’t see what the big deal was at the time, and I still don’t. It’s not horrible, but it’s nowhere near as good as the hype/sales would lead one to believe. In fact, I think this was the album that all but destroyed destroyed R&B/Soul for the past few decades. Though things were already leaning that way, this is the album that made production and slickness of sound (not to mention marketing) more important than the actual music. Prince’s Dirty Mind, another example of “black pop” from two years previous, had a lot of the same faults, but overcame them through the strengths of the songs. I was also struck by how little attention I paid to Michael’s singing, which seems almost a secondary consideration when reviewing the album (which was never the case when he was in the Jackson 5, or on his earlier solo work). In fact, whenever he goes into one of his "Ee-he-he"s, it doesn’t convey an emotion so much as it does the fact that he’s developed a vocal gimmick for instant recognition - in other words, he’s more into branding than singing. Prescient, maybe, but not in a good way. My brief thoughts on the tracks from notes scribbled at work:
“Wanna Be Starting Something” - Best song on the album, IMHO. Pretty much kicks ass on the dancefloor, and even has some noticeably good vocals in spots. Plus, it has one of the flat-out weirdest refrains ever heard in a #1 single (“You’re a vegetable/Still they hate you/You’re a vegetable”). Still holds up.
“Baby Be Mine” - A decent bassline that takes the song exactly nowhere, with the requisite synthesized horn parts and studio gloss. There’s a reason this one wasn’t released as a single.
“The Girl Is Mine” - What do you get when you cross Michael Jackson with Paul McCartney? Lionel Richie. Cute use of “doggone”; otherwise, as soggy and elevator-musicky as the worst in either artist’s catalog.
“Thriller” - I’m just guessing, but this seems to be the only song in history ever written specifically to be made into a video. Because without the video, there’s not much to recommend it, even with Vincent Price’s too-old-school-and-corny-even-at-the-time monologue. Middle of the road pop like you could hear anywhere back then (though, again, sung better in this case than most other MOR pop).
“Beat It” - Dumb-ass lyrics - this guy had about as much contact with the real world as rival Prince, and both their lyrics proved it - and Eddie van Halen’s guitar (no stranger to dumb lyrics itself) add up to mid-tempo not bad/not great instant hit.
“Billie Jean” - A good song, but not a great one. Iconic video, I guess. Don’t really understand the praise - maybe for the adult-themed lyrics, always a rarity with this child star turned child molester. Solid, but unspectacular. Nice groove, though.
“Human Nature” - A better ballad than the McCartney duet (and the later “Man In The Mirror”, with which this shares a dipshit quotient, though on a smaller scale), but the lyrics still suck. Good for a change of pace on a mix CD, but not essential.
“P.Y.T.” - Again, not a bad song, and more of an Off The Wall vibe than the rest of the album, but worthy of “Bestselling album ever” status? I’d just as soon listen to Earth, Wind & Fire.
“The Lady In My Life” - The other non-single, and total filler. In fact, so obviously filler I’m surprised Quincey Jones let it past the quality control inspection. But I guess nobody cares when you’ve got 7 other top 10 singles on the thing.
Gotta run to lunch. Thoughts? Arguments?