Yeah I’ve always been somewhat unfussed with Wish You Were Here, especially as it was coming off the back of Dark Side of the Moon. Though their call on Thriller is ludicrous, and I’m not saying that as a Michael Jacson fan, which I am, rather, someone who knows the historical significance of The World’s Largest Selling Record Ever. Consider: Michael’s previous album, 1982, Off The Wall had all the trappings of a disco reject from far earlier in the previous decade. Then realise what Thriller really contains. They got Eddie Van Halen to play the solo on Beat It. That was huge for 1984, not because Van Halen was huge, but because a pop singer was making a perfectly valid attempt at a rock song. From there we have the duet with Paul McCartney, The Girl Is Mine, by all means a sappy duet, but this was A Beatle endorsing a pop singer who wasn’t Stevie Wonder. That was huge.
Let’s not mention the revolutionary concept of a music video that actually had a narrative, epic production values using makeup tricks that had never been done before, directed by a very established classic film director. Thriller is a product of its time, and yeah it’s dated, but it’s a damn sight better than your average Bon Jovi or Madonna album. Prince was always the real rival to the throne of the King Of Pop, but none can claim to have changed pop more in the stretch of one album.
what’s M.F.E.O. ?
Made For Each Other
Yeah I’ve always been somewhat unfussed with Wish You Were Here, especially as it was coming off the back of Dark Side of the Moon. Though their call on Thriller is ludicrous, and I’m not saying that as a Michael Jacson fan, which I am, rather, someone who knows the historical significance of The World’s Largest Selling Record Ever. Consider: Michael’s previous album, 1982, Off The Wall had all the trappings of a disco reject from far earlier in the previous decade. Then realise what Thriller really contains. They got Eddie Van Halen to play the solo on Beat It. That was huge for 1984, not because Van Halen was huge, but because a pop singer was making a perfectly valid attempt at a rock song. From there we have the duet with Paul McCartney, The Girl Is Mine, by all means a sappy duet, but this was A Beatle endorsing a pop singer who wasn’t Stevie Wonder. That was huge.
Let’s not mention the revolutionary concept of a music video that actually had a narrative, epic production values using makeup tricks that had never been done before, directed by a very established classic film director. Thriller is a product of its time, and yeah it’s dated, but it’s a damn sight better than your average Bon Jovi or Madonna album. Prince was always the real rival to the throne of the King Of Pop, but none can claim to have changed pop more in the stretch of one album.