Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this anniversary album has the 9 tracks from the original album, and features remix versions with popular artists Kanye West, Fergie, Will.i.am, and Akon. Also included is a previously unreleased single, "For All Time."
Families can talk about the lasting success of Thriller (still the greatest selling album of all time) and what makes it so. What kind of influence and effect did Michael Jackson have on artists and pop music today? Do you think his recent media attention, mostly negative, affects the way people view his music today? Or does his music stand on its own?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jessica Dawson
Michael Jackson's THRILLER has been re-released 25 years after it made its way into everyone's homes. In addition to the original 9-song album that has been remastered, there are 6 remixes featuring Kanye West, Fergie, Will.i.am, and Akon, and a previously unreleased single "For All Time" that didn't make the cut for the first album. There is also a deluxe version with a DVD.
Despite Michael Jackson's recent woes in the media over the last decade, he will always be the King of Pop, and Thriller is a testament to that. The album is as good today as it was 25 years ago -- and even with a few lame remixes thrown in, is well worth another go, especially since the sound quality is so good.
Akon's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is commendable, with an added club beat and a few lyrics. Fergie's rendition of "Beat It" is a waste of time, and Kanye adds little to "Billie Jean" other than an "unh" and "yeh" here and there. (Maybe he wisely realized you shouldn't mess with a good thing.) Will.i.am adds some sleazy lyrics to "P.Y.T" and slows it down to where it barely resembles the original. On "The Girl is Mine 08" there's no Sir Paul, but there are some annoying chants from Will.i.am saying "she mine she mine/she like the way I rock". Still, this album is Jacko in his element, dazzling and timeless, and reminds us why he was the pre-eminent pop star of a generation.
For more pop like Jackson, fans might check out Justin Timberlake or Janet Jackson.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentMinor sexual innuendo: "Only you and I can make sweet love this way." Remix versions are a little more forward than the originals: "sexiest woman in a negligee/we hit it off til' morn" and "sexy thang/sex machine/peel (jeans) off like a tangerine." |
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Violence"Beat It" talks about fighting, gangs, and being macho. |
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LanguageOne mention of "hell" in "Thriller." |
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