Today marks the official release of a special edition to the "Thriller Album". To mark this memorial event, the 25th anniversary of Thriller will be arriving to a store near you.
But just to be blunt with you, I didn't think Mr. Jackson needed any contemporaries to reinterpret the meaning of these little gold nuggets. If he really wanted a little help, Jeffrey Daniels, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, even Quincy, or Mecca would have been glad to have pitched in. Even they were blown away that night 25 years ago!
Not to worry all original tracks(including Paul McCartney's vocals) are still intact, unadulterated and digitized for your enjoyment. Including an melodic outtake very similar to Human Nature" called "For All Time". Japan will get the alternative "Got the Hots".
Included is a golden DVD containing his most memorial short films. Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean are all neatly tucked away on disc two including that fabled show which led every kid moonwalking down Pennsylvania Avenue-Motown 25!
Neatly encased, Michael also slipped in a thank-you note. Complete with a little booklet of never-before-seen photos.
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Now I admire how Michael looks for new sounds. However, putting your talent on the line to fit in with today's generation was the biggest mistake he could have ever made. If I were him, these fellas would only do back-ups for me. Not pretending to be Elvis Presley. Just think what would happen if Paul McCartney got into Hip-Hop?
Exactly my point!
I firmly believe Michael Jackson would do better to stay with his sound(although a few tracks on "Blood On The Dance Floor" are just one of a handful of exceptions). I wish the Gloved One would adopt the same philosophy he uses when producing studio albums. Below are my feelings for each corresponding new track.
The Girl is Mine 2008
I did not like Williams voice in there. Those repetitive lines, "She mine, oop she mine"...And, "She like the way I rock..." can drive anyone up the wall(jee Will "Where Is The Love"?). But other then that, it has a decent urban beat and chain-rattling sound any dance-floor can fill across the globe. Certainly a number for a Hip-Hop track. But it does not conform to Michael's standards of perfection. You can listen to it over at on my sister post "The Girl Is Mine 2008".
In case your wondering, The Girl is Mine 2008 is based on an earlier demo of the original(which you can listen to over here...I wish Michael and Paul got back together and done a continuation on what they were doing(maybe call it "The Girl Is Mine 2")-As if these two have been fighting over the same girl for 25 years!
P.Y.T 2008
The heavy industrial beat and sync sound catchy. I thought Wil.I.Am did a good job mixing the tape. However, the Rap did not need to go in there. Again, only if Will sticked with his mixing, I think it would of been fairly descent! With William, Akon, Fergie, and Kanye West as harmonizing back-ups. You can listen to the original demo as well as PYT 2008 here
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008(with Akon)
At first, I could not stand this at all. As Akon seemed to hog all the attention from whom he's supposedly honoring. Barely does he keep Michael's vocals intact. But after a while it grew on me. Though I still have a toss for for his take, the way he introduced the classic on a slower R&B keel gave it more of a sentimental characterization. But even so I Still prefer the original on top of this. You can listen to the newer version over on my post Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008.
Beat It 2008(with Fergie)
Now this I really liked. Yes, Fergie the Frog does needlessly adds a few quips here and there. However, At least she gives Jackson the spotlight without reining on his parade.
The new Hard Rock sound gives it a Funky steel twist. It appears she merged both generation gaps quite nicely(compared to the others). Most notably, she kept the Eddie Van Helsing solo intact! Thereby leaving the icing on the cake! The Duet was o.k. Though again I wish she'd leave out the "You want it? Come get it" rhetoric. To listen, click on my sister post Beat It 2008.
Billie Jean 2008(with Kayne West)
Not too thrilled about this one. It's only a plastic Hippidi-Hop cover without the jelly to infuse upon the dance floor. Felt he mixed it just a bit to slow for my taste But at least he had the decency to keep his lips sealed. Yes he did throw in a few "yeah ums". But I'll pretend I didn't here them. I just loved how he did the warming intro! the rest is rubbish. To listen, head on over to "Billie Jean 2008".
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Conclusion
In a nutshell, I am so greatly disappointed. I expected a lot more. If only Michael Jackson was the executive producer instead of Wil.I.Am. But hey, who am I to complain. After all, it did eventually surpass the best-selling album of 2008! But if he and Quincy got back together on this(which rumors have confirms he did invite Quincy back only to be rejected because he had to much work to do), "Thriller 25" would've easily become the best-selling catalog album of all time!
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P.S. Starting today, there will be a Thrillercast that'll span forty episodes of interviews on how Michael Jackson influenced your favorite icons. So get your I-Pod out or just sit back and watch each episode Here.
