Actors - Thriller

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	Actors - Thriller

Thriller is an album by Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records December 1, 1982. The album is generally considered Jackson's best solo effort, and helped define the artist as one of music's most popular solo acts.

Thriller is the world's all-time best selling album. The Eagles' Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is currently the best-selling album in the United States overall, placing Thriller in second place with 27 million copies sold, although the albums have traded position a number of times over the past few years. The first platinum certification came on 31 January 1983, and the most recent (number 27) was awarded 25 April 2005. Worldwide, however, Thriller holds the record, sitting at approximately 51 million sales in the Guinness Book of Records . It could be said that this album was a godsend for Jackson; however, every album Jackson has made since has been judged by the standards of Thriller both commercially and critically. In 2003, the TV network VH1 named it the 23rd greatest album of all time, and in 2005 a poll on British TV station Channel 4 placed Thriller as the 4th greatest album of all time.

Recording

Recorded between April and November 1982, Thriller was the second of Michael Jackson's solo albums to be produced by Quincy Jones, though this time showcasing Jackson in a more prominent position of control than the preceding Off the Wall
album from 1979. Of the nine tracks that came to be on the final project of the album, Jackson had a hand in at least six.

Early versions of Thriller's songs were rougher around the edges than the slicker final mixes that eventually emerged, and were based on ideas cultivated by Jackson. After the album was retooled by Jackson, Jones, and engineer Bruce Swedien, Epic Records released the album in December.

The album's first single, "The Girl is Mine", a poppy duet with former Beatle, Paul McCartney, was a commercially successful if critically maligned song that was solely written by Jackson. The album's second single, "Billie Jean", was a more definitive hit. Despite the controversy surrounding the lyrics, which dealt with illegitimacy, "Billie Jean" catapulted Jackson and Thriller to the top of the charts and from there Jackson's success grew. Jackson's reinvention as a crossover artist was complete with his third single, the rock number, "Beat It".

Track listing

Original Album

# "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Jackson) # "Baby Be Mine" (Rod Temperton) # "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) (Jackson) # "Thriller" (Rod Temperton) # "Beat It" (with Eddie Van Halen) (Jackson) # "Billie Jean" (Jackson) # "Human Nature" (John Bettis/Steve Porcaro) # "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (James Ingram/Quincy Jones) # "The Lady In My Life" (Rod Temperton)

Extra tracks added for 2001 Special Edition

# "Someone in the Dark" (originally released on the "E.T. Songbook") # "Billie Jean" (home demo) # "Thriller" (voiceover session with Vincent Price) # "Carousel" (unreleased track, replaced by "Human Nature")

Note: Special Edition also includes interview clips with Quincy Jones and songwriter Rod Temperton

Out takes

"Got the Hots"
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" (this early version is completely different to the final album recording, also later appeared on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection
)
"Hot Street"
"Nite Line"
"Trouble"
"Who Do You Know?"
"Scared of the Moon" (also later appeared on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection
)

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