Where
Off the Wall was pretty much straight good times,
Thriller introduced dread into Michael Jackson's solo
work. By 1995's
HIStory, this element curdled into
overwhelming self-regard and out-of-touchness, but here it's
bracing. While
Thriller offers its share of cute ("The
Girl Is Mine," a duet with Paul McCartney that was the album's
first single; "P.Y.T."), the most memorable cuts remain "Billie
Jean," "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," all of which
meld musical imagination and worried-mind lyrics.
There's also the title track, which takes a cue from
Parliament's concept pieces in employing Vincent Price to warn that
nonfunky forces will "terrorize y'all's neighborhood."
Thriller, of course, continues to battle with the Eagles'
first greatest-hits package for the title of biggest-selling U.S.
long-player ever. Bonus material on this edition includes "Someone
in the Dark," from Jackson's E.T. children's album, and a
Quincy Jones interview in which the producer cites "My Sharona" as
the inspiration for "Beat It"--and, even better, the real-life
Billie Jean's claim that Michael was "the father of one of her
twins." --Rickey Wright
