Michael Jackson 
“Thriller 40” 

 

(Sony Music – 2022) 

 

Saturday, November 19th, 2022 – it’s been almost 24 hours since the Thriller 40 album has arrived at record stores. I haven’t made the trip to them yet, but numerous posts from my Facebook and Instagram contacts are letting me know about it, and I can feel some excitement coming from every part of the world. It’s true that since the spring of 2014 and the release of Xscape, there hasn’t been any posthumous Michael Jackson album. After an eight-year drought, the frustration has been felt hard in the fans community. The lack of celebration for both the 30th anniversary of the Dangerous album and the 25th anniversary of the HIStory album only fueled a growing disappointment. In this context, the release of Thriller 40 may have created a big expectation among the fans.

Finally, I decided to go to the store and have the pleasure of picking up the item in the record units. I had no choice but to buy the MoFi vinyl edition and the SACD by mail order, but I wouldn’t think of doing the same for the CD and vinyl edition. I have so many memories related to an album release, including the joy of going out to get the Grail, that I will always carry on that tradition. As I am writing these lines and remembering the golden age of Michael Jackson’s lifetime from the last century, I think to myself that the world has changed since then. Now, for a whole generation, it’s common to not go out and wait for your order to arrive, whether it’s a Big Mac delivered by Uber Eats or a CD in the best case, unless it’s a digital edition that will be consumed as quickly as forgotten after a few clicks.

However, this feeling of a bygone era echoed in my mind as I entered the record department of the Fnac in Chambéry. There was no display nor any promotion announcing the release of an anniversary edition of the best-selling album of all time. Forgive me, I did not make a video of this moment that will remain in the annals. My makeup artist wasn’t available and my cameraman advised me to go on a diet. I was not going to prove them wrong: it’s better that I stay focused on writing, believe me, it’s for your own good! No, seriously, I believe that we had every reason to hope for a renewed interest of the general public for the King Of Pop on this occasion, since every new project should not remain something confidential, only for the fans. Anyway, I had to stop thinking and get to the point: I came all the way there to bring this Thriller 40 album home. The vinyl edition was my first quest in this mission, and I was lucky enough to find the only available copy in the Pop/Rock section. As a purist, I have to admit that I don’t like the new letterpress, just like many other fans, but I have so much respect for this album and everything it represents that I’d rather not focus on this aspect. As for the Compact Discs, four copies were available on the shelves: there are now only three left and you could hardly see the difference after my visit. I remember the POS displays and Michael’s music playing in the background in the stores at the golden times, and all this reminds me that he is no longer there. Is it possible that all the frustration and the feeling of emptiness today simply come from that? I have the feeling that any step taken by the Estate will never be able to satisfy us completely, because after all, how would it be possible to offer what the King of Pop gave to his fans over his lifetime?

These fatalistic thoughts should not prevent me from unpacking this Thriller 40 and focusing on the ten tracks of the second CD. Indeed, the original album will remain forever engraved in the history of music and by the talents of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton and Bruce Swedien, the planets aligned to get to the result we all know. This is an example of the perfect album, and how could we imagine it being different when it was touched by grace? Matt Forger has told that Michael said that what counts is not what you hear but what you feel. Thriller fulfills its mission as the emotions vary according to the songs. You can feel like tapping your feet, getting up from your seat to dance and sometimes shedding a tear because you are echanted by so many talents. It is an osmosis between the above-mentioned protagonists and the whole team of musicians/composers who worked for this success. We all grew up with this music and we know how proud Michael would be to see us still admiring this work after all these years.

In this context, the expectation can be huge for some as they are listening to the second disc, to the point of forgetting the definition of the word ‘bonus’. With this in mind, I must try to take an objective look and consider this project as an anniversary celebration of an album that has nothing left to prove, since its release on November 30th, 1982. I will try to fulfill this task as best I can, as “Starlight” is reaching my ears. It is interesting to listen for the first time on an official support to this first draft that would become “Thriller”. I know that many people grumbled when they heard it would be on the record because this is a version that fans already know. As for me, I am glad that a song that was thrown around on the internet had the chance to have a decent existence with the respect it deserves, but I will come back to this subject later. Indeed, here is a document that allows us to hear that the essential part of the song was already in Rod Temperton’s composition, even if the success would pnot have been as big if the initial theme had been kept. As you listen to the keyboards and sound effects programming, you can already feel the threatening atmosphere and what must have guided Michael and Quincy in new directions for Rod. Thus, the turning point towards the horrific universe would lead the King of Pop to make a video that revolutionized the industry. Sometimes, in a project, you have to try to find yourself and you go through many questions mixed with some reflections. This first track gives me these impressions and I understand the choice that was made to put it on the record because this CD is also a document of archives to inform the public.

It’s time for “Got The Hots”, another Rod Temperton composition, and the disappointment among the fans about its presence is quite understandable this time since we have already had the opportunity to enjoy this track on official media like some “King Of Pop” compilations or the Japanese edition of Thriller 25. The fact that it is so familiar to our ears would easily make us forget that it is only a demo, not at all at the level of the original album. It is also a nice sketch of all the synthesizers programming that would contribute to the charm and success of the album. All of this should not stop me from listening to it and enjoying it when I play the complete record over and over again, but with all the indulgence linked to the feeling I just mentioned.

The next track has never been released and this is great since “Who Do You Know” is my favorite of the album. One could think that one man’s loss is another man’s gain because, just like with “I am So Blue” released on Bad 25, the King of the Pop usually makes my heart melt when he uses his talent to convey his melancholy and distress. With the theme of romantic disappointment to which any human being can identify, Michael conveys an emotion and transports his listeners to another galaxy, unless it is the Jackson constellation. You feel like tapping your feet (how good and authentic it is to hear Michael do that), snapping your fingers and mimicking in the studio booth with him. This demo stage is not an obstacle to love it, quite the contrary, because the intimate atmosphere allows to feel close to him. He has the weapons to bring tears to one’s eyes… You can feel all his soul and realize then why and how much you love him. From a more technical point of view, I have the impression to hear a demo for The Jacksons with guitar riffs by Paul Jackson Jr, and Greg Phillinganes on the keyboard. This is only my impression and not information, but this family atmosphere makes me think deep down that MJ could have taken this track out of the vaults and given it to the 3Ts. He only used a sampled sound that can be heard in “Stranger In Moscow”, but this expectation will not have been in vain. I would love for him to know how much this discovery delights the hearts of his fans in 2022. I am won over and I know that I am not the only one. What a talented man…

It is difficult for “Carousel” to take over afterwards, even if romantic disappointment is the subject again. The fact that this track had already made it to the 2001 edition of Thriller does not help. Still, I want to support it since it is a finalized version that had its place on the original album. Of course, it could not hold the comparison with “Human Nature” and I wouldn’t to Michael and Quincy for having preferred the Steve Porcaro and John Bettis composition. One must admit that within a few years, CDs would have been prevailing, and with some additional tracks, this track would have been an integral part of the project. I also put myself in the shoes of its author, Michael Sembello, who touched the Thriller project with his fingertips and must have experienced understandable frustration. It is therefore logical that this track should be in the Thriller 40 project, and I think that all these historical facts must be taken into account during the final cut. As for the sound quality, I read that it was lower than on previous versions on earlier discs. I must admit I didn’t really understand all this, but please, forgive me, my name is Brice, not Bruce.

However, my ears can perceive a certain breathing sound on the version of “Behind The Mask” named “Mike’sMix (Demo)” but that doesn’t prevent me from being won over. I didn’t like the remixed version especially for the 2010 Michael album, and I’m glad to finally hear some authenticity in this version. Obviously, I prefer to hear the songs as Michael Jackson polished them. A King of Pop demo, with its imperfections, will always beat a remixed version brought up to date by the trendy producer of the moment. Let’s take this track as an example to argue this fact, even if the original versions on Xscape showed that the Estate understood the message. I must admit I love this track, and if “Who Do You Know” had stayed in the vaults, it would be my favorite. I’m not going to tell the story of this track again: you are as passionate as I am to know it, and many of us have bought the Pulse album by Greg Phillinganes to enjoy this track, while fantasizing about the version that we are discovering today. Let ourselves be carried by the synthesizers keys and the sound that is not without reminding Daft Punk. It works like a charm, and we can fully experience this amazing feat by Jackson, the magician, with an avant-gardist sound which does not stick to the rest of the Thriller album and would have fitted in better with Victory or even Bad. You feel like twirling, and moving your shoulders while experiencing again some albums discoveries with the gems that made you vibrate, to the point of giving in to the final in a blaze of glory with the King of Pop delivering a beatbox that kills you with happiness. He is in my ears, he is still alive and there is still a semblance of magic in this world that is going off the rails.

As I am trying to stay on my high, I can hear fans grumbling as “Can’t Get Outta The Rain” starts. I can take some arguments like “it’s old hat” and “it’s a drop from “You Can’t Win” or “it’s from the 70s”. Still, I would like to take a more subtle approach since this track appeared as a B-side on some Thriller singles at the time. I remember discovering this track when I tried to start collecting at Secondary School. In my mind, it has a bond withThriller and this new edition makes it possible to have it on a Compact Disc which I find reasonable. This is a way to respect Michael and Quincy’s vision at the time of the promotion of the album. When you celebrate an anniversary, you should take all the parameters into account, and that’s why I support this choice, even if I am aware it’s not predominant, but I stand by it.

The next track is less debatable since “The Toy” remained unreleased to this day. Well, almost, since we knew “Best Of Joy” which is simply a later version with alternative lyrics. This is similar to the “Starlight” / “Thriller” case, and once again it is interesting to discover the evolution of a song over the years. We knew that the King of Pop liked to take previous projects out of the vaults for a new album and here is another opportunity to document this fact. With the lyrics, “I am your boy, I am your toy”, one could think that MJ wrote this track with Diana Ross in mind as it was the case for “Muscles” but that’s just me. From a more factual aspect, we learn that this track was intended to feature in the movie “The Toy” with Richard Pryor. Fun fact (I’m writing this mostly for the English version of this review), that movie was a remake of a French movie directed by Francis Veber with one of my favorite actors: Pierre Richard. I never thought I would manage to make a link between him and Michael Jackson but this is now done and for that reason alone, I can only appreciate this demo.

I know that the next track is “Sunset Driver” and I must confess that I am lacking inspiration to develop coherent remarsks to analyze this choice. It will soon be eighteen years since we discovered it in The Ultimate Collection and that track can be seen as a form of filler, because unlike other similar cases, I really lack arguments to try to round off the angles and thus have a less clear-cut vision with a touch of nuance. However, I think that the general public has never really been aware of the Ultimate project, which was released on the sly during a more than complicated era. Maybe it’s a chance for some people to discover it and that it shouldn’t remain something aimed at the fans only. It’s a good demo that deserves to be heard by a wider audience and maybe we should think about that. We’re not the only ones who should benefit from this release: apart from his fans, many have forgotten that Michael Jackson was above all a musician. This kind of discoveries can serve as a reminder to some people.

There are less debates of this type for “What A Lovely Way To Go” which is totally unreleased and which, according to the booklet, started to be elaborated in the 70s. From the very first listening, I am not really charmed by this demo. It must be said that Michael tried to make a first sketch of his charity songs that would be successful such as “We Are The World” and other tracks supported by Andrae Crouch’s choir. This is what makes this first draft in this field interesting, and one can analyze it as a document, but without necessarily appreciating it as a pure listening because there are still many elements to refine and add so that the cocktail makes an impression. I have the feeling that Michael was looking for elements to make the magic happen and that many parameters should be added and modified. This is the opposite of “Who Do You Know” which already has all the elements to charm the audience. Sorry for the comparison, but facing my favorite, it is difficult for this version to stand out. On the other hand, we have to be aware that these extracts are unfinished archives and that not everything can be at the level of the album we have known for forty years. Michael, Quincy, Rod and Bruce have set the bar incredibly high and we’ll never have a result like this again. You can’t expect that much from scraps and sketches that weren’t meant to be released. Today, I wonder if we are not too demanding when Michael Jackson, during his lifetime, bled (I dare the term) for almost forty years for his public. He was so generous to us, to the point of dying in the middle of his work, for his public. It’s already quite incredible that he had this career and gave us everything he could, sometimes during hard times. Today, we are still asking for more, we still want more and sometimes we complain. I mentioned the meaning of the word “bonus” and maybe we should accept that there is no “Man In The Mirror” in the vaults because Michael gave us the best of himself during his lifetime. I don’t mean I’m telling the truth but just a feeling, an opinion… Thriller is a jewel, and this CD2 should be considered as an archive or as the extras of a film that can discovered on the DVD. Did you ask for extras to a film when you bought the DVD? Maybe Michael Jackson’s magical world makes us forget that he was a human being and not a product. Here are my feelings about all this but, of course, they’re only my own.

Lost in my thoughts, I nearly forgot that Thriller 40 ends with “She’s Trouble”, a track that the fans know well since it has been on the internet for years. This is another opportunity for some people to say this is a warmed over version again. I do not share this opinion because every song deserves to be on an official support and the booklet goes along with that by specifying that it is marketed for the first time. The song deserves better than to remain in the shallows of the internet, without any consideration and respect, as if any leak would kill the song and remove all interest in it. On the one hand, fans are happy when a new song comes up on the internet; on the other hand, they complain because there are less real unreleased songs when an album is released. This is both stealing Michael Jackson’s artistic legacy and shooting yourself in the foot. I know that not everyone will understand these words but should they become a subject for debate, and help some people to have a realization of the situation, it would be a step ahead. It seems that a lot of things are going wrong in this fan community and I think it’s time to take a breath and think about it calmly. That’s what this review inspires me.

I will conclude in a more positive way because an anniversary should be a celebration, and thank all the protagonists of this album for all the magic which made people so happy. I have had the opportunity to meet and talk with some of these magicians and I also want to thank them for their support throughout these years. I know and I am aware that I am very lucky. Others were gone too soon and will remain forever in our hearts. These are my thoughts as I am turning the last pages of the album booklet and seeing a photo of Michael and Vincent Prince, spotting Rod Temperton’s pack of Marlboros. I can imagine him making plumes of smoke in Westlake’s studio, while Bruce was eating a hot dog and making the console dirty as Quincy patted him on the back, while Michael was giggling with his inimitable laugh. You are the legend, and what more could we ask of you? Fortunately, music is eternal and there will always be something left of this fabulous record for future generations.

So, Happy birthday, Thriller! This is my declaration to you, and I was well inspired, more than I imagined I would be… I didn’t think I would have the strength to do it, but you are definitely magic and you have accomplished a miracle… One more…

 

 

 

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