This article is about the album. You may have been looking for the movie.
Thriller 40 is the 40th anniversary edition reissue of American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson's 1982 studio album Thriller, the best-selling album of all time. It was released through Epic Records on November 18, 2022, and is the first album in five years under the artist's name since the release of 2017's Scream compilation.
Background[]
Celebration of Thriller's 40th anniversary first began on May 15, 2022, with Maxwell singing "The Lady in My Life" during the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. The album was announced a day later. On September 8 of the same year, the official @michaeljackson account on Instagram started teasing the previously unreleased songs that would end up on Thriller 40, starting with "Behind the Mask" and finishing with "Who Do You Know".
Artwork[]
Original Thriller 40 artwork
The initially revealed cover art for Thriller 40 featured the standard Thriller cover (2016 remaster), this time with a new logo, featuring Jackson's and the album's names covering the anniversary number. The artwork and especially the logo were criticized by fans worldwide over the product's quality, stating it looks "cheap". In response, the Michael Jackson Estate completely changed the album's artwork, now debuting a gray and sparkly cover, while also bringing back the classic Thriller logo.
The vinyl releases however, include a completely different artwork, including Michael from the Dick Zimmerman photoshoot outtakes on a black background. This cover also includes the original logo.
Release[]
The album was released on November 18, 2022. The record received CD, vinyl and streaming releases. The latter doesn't include any of the previously unreleased songs and only features the original nine tracks, unlike the CD, which has both. The streaming edition exclusively features bonus tracks, such as the "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" demo, "Beat It" demo or the 2008 remixes originating from Thriller 25. On the same day, a streaming exclusive version of Thriller with Dolby Atmos released on Apple Music and Amazon Music. For the anniversary, music videos for "Beat It" and "Thriller" were also remastered in 4K on YouTube.[1][2]
Documentary[]
- Main article: Thriller 40 (film)
Along with the album's release, a documentary on making of Thriller was made, directed by Nelson George. The film had a one-time-only screening in cinemas around the world on November 30, 2022 and featured a lot of previously unseen footage from behind the scenes, including making of the music videos, HD footage of the Victory Tour etc. The movie was released on Showtime, Paramount+ streaming services and aired on television around the world on December 2, 2023.
Reception[]
Thriller 40 received somewhat positive reviews from critics. As always, the original nine tracks were praised. The previously unreleased material from the second disc was claimed by Mike Duquette of The Second Disc to be "solid", but also got criticized for not matching the appeal of the released Thriller.[3] Meanwhile, Dani Heba of The Ticker, stated they "highlight Jackson’s strong vocals paired with a combination of ballads and upbeat music."[4] Andy Healy of Albumism claimed the bonus tracks offer "a glimpse inside the machinations in the creation of Thriller and also a reflection on who Jackson was and how he was perceived."[5]
Fan reactions have stayed mixed to negative over the years. The remastered mixing on the first nine tracks was deemed "not as bad as Thriller 25", but still not quite there yet.[6] The bonus content has been criticized for the large amount of already released or leaked tracks over the never-heard ones, while also missing some of the most notable outtakes like "Hot Street" or "Nite Line", the former of which Jackson himself was a big fan of.[7] The outtakes were also critiqued for no remastering being done to them, with tracks like "Behind the Mask (Mike's Mix [Demo])" lacking in audio quality, as it's been speculated to have been ripped straight from a cassette.
Spotify[]
Track list[]
| Disc 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" | 6:03 |
| 2. | "Baby Be Mine" | 4:20 |
| 3. | "The Girl Is Mine" (featuring Paul McCartney) | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Thriller" | 5:57 |
| 5. | "Beat It" | 4:18 |
| 6. | "Billie Jean" | 4:54 |
| 7. | "Human Nature" | 4:06 |
| 8. | "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" | 3:59 |
| 9. | "The Lady in My Life" | 5:00 |
| Total length: | 42:16 | |
| Disc 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 10. | "Starlight" | 5:03 |
| 11. | "Got the Hots" | 4:25 |
| 12. | "Who Do You Know" | 5:22 |
| 13. | "Carousel" | 3:39 |
| 14. | "Behind the Mask (Mike's Mix [Demo])" | 5:00 |
| 15. | "Can't Get Outta the Rain" | 4:06 |
| 16. | "The Toy" | 3:04 |
| 17. | "Sunset Driver" | 4:02 |
| 18. | "What a Lovely Way to Go" | 3:55 |
| 19. | "She's Trouble" | 4:12 |
| Total length: | 1:13:21 | |
Cut songs[]
Trivia[]
- Thriller 40 marks the third reissue of the original record, following the 2001 special edition and Thriller 25.
References[]
- ↑ https://youtu.be/oRdxUFDoQe0
- ↑ https://youtu.be/sOnqjkJTMaA
- ↑ Holiday Gift Guide Review: Michael Jackson, 'Thriller 40' - The Second Disc
- ↑ ‘Thriller 40’ celebrates 40 years of the greatest album ever - The Ticker
- ↑ Expansive ‘Thriller 40’ Delves Deep into the Multiple Dimensions of Michael Jackson’s Musical Genius | Album Review
- ↑ standard thriller vs thriller 40 mixing : r/MichaelJackson
- ↑ Michael Jackson - Deposition in Mexico City (November 10, 1993)