Michael Jackson's present to all of his fans

Don't worry, your eye sight serves you right, it is really him! One of the most mysterious and unpredictable figures in show business and simply a legendary persona Michael Jackson marks twenty-five years since the release of his most successful album Thriller that has remained in history becoming the world's best selling original album and remaining at the top of the charts for 37 weeks. Until now no artist has managed to beat the record, and for all who appreciate the King Of Pop's creative work both his historical performance called Motown 25 on which he presented the new songs and the album itself will remain among the most important and most remembered events of their lives forever. To strengthen those impressions the new reissue of Thriller is put out this year to serve Michael Jackson's present to all of his fans with a DVD on which the legendary performance is recorded. Several contemporary stars have collaborated working on the album paying tribute to their idol, and the songs sound as sensational and vivid as twenty-five years ago.

Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition): delight slightly shadowed by nostalgia

Although not all the initial tracks are presented on Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition), the given material is quite enough to dive down into the music of a celebrity on the peak of his career. A number of remixes in the second half of the record do not the listeners relax and forget that the recording has been made not so long ago. Michael's vocals on the greatest part of Thriller have remained the same. The album opens with a great danceable song Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', and a slower composition Baby Be Mine reminds of what a romantic person Jackson has always been. Famous ballad The Girl Is Mine originally performed with Paul McCartney is an eternal hit and a perfect accompaniment for a slow dance. The title track and the two songs following it, Beat It and Billie Jean, until now remain the singer's calling cards and just could not help being included into the album. The sensual ballads Human Nature, PYT (Pretty Young Thing) and The Lady In My Life are those songs that attracted mostly the female part of the audience to Michael, and close the first part of the record separated by the second one with the voice insertion Excerpt From "Thriller" Voice-Over Session. The first artist to join Michael is Will.I.Am who has added the contagious beat to The Girl Is Mine leaving the original vocals of Jackson and refining the song with his rapping, whereas the most successful remix is Akon's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' for he has easily turned the song into a piano laid ballad and prove to be the most coragious among all the others. Fergie performs composition Beat It alternating her parties with the original ones, and Kanye West makes a remix of Billie Jean. The album closes with a rarity, ballad For All Time, which has not been included into Thriller in its time leaving the listeners with a feeling of delight slightly shadowed by nostalgia.

An eternal idol of milliards

Joining the past and the present in itself Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition) has become a symbol of Michael Jackson's eternity as an idol of milliards of people. Produced by the artist himself, Quincy Jones and arranger Rod Temperton and with the participation of David Foster the album presents a work of art in the respect of record quality and the choice of the material. All his tragedies have been watched by the whole world and despite all of it he still causes people to cry when getting on the stage. Listening to the record one unwillingly forgets about all the scandals surrounding Michael's figure during the last decades. For all those who believe in his sincerity the artist's honor will never be marred, and Thriller (25th Anniversary Edition) has proved better than words that all those stories only toughen his spirit. Getting on the stage today Michael still makes crowds of the viewers cry with the feelings of pride and admiration, and it has been more than forty years already that it continues to occur. No matter what your attitude to Michael Jackson is he will never cease to be a star, and even if the King is getting old the crown is still his.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya
22.02.2008