Here are the chart positions:

US 200:#1
US R&B:#1
UK:#1
Canada:#1
Australia:#1
Austria:#3
Belgium:??
France:#1
Holland:#1
Japan:1
South Africa:#1
Germany:#1
Ireland:??
Spain:#1
Finland:#1
Switzerland:#1
Sweden:#1
Norway:#6
Italy:#1
New Zealand:#1
Zimbabwe:#1

when all was right in the world

Excellent thread! Here's some more info/trivia about the album.Bboy87,feel free to correct me if I'm wrong

***The song "Thriller" was originally titled "Starlight Love".I have a feeling that Michael asked Rod Temperton to come up with lyrics about a night of horror.As we all know,Michael was really into scary movies,monsters,ghosts,etc.

***It's been reported that Rod offered Michael the song "Mystery" for 'Thriller' but it was left off the album.In 1983,it was recorded by The Manhattan Transfer.In 1986,it was recorded by Anita Baker for her 'Rapture' album.

***In early 1982,Quincy was producing an album for Donna Summer,which was released in August.'Thriller' came out several months later and if you listen to both albums,you will notice some similarities.Both albums feature a loud rock song which features a guitar solo by a prominent rock musician ("Protection" on Donna's album features guitar by Bruce Springsteen while "Beat It" on Michael's album features a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen).The first single from Donna's album,"Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)",is similiar to "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" on Michael's album.Both albums end with a ballad that's tailor-made for Quiet Storm radio ("Lush Life" on Donna's album,"The Lady In My Life" on Michael's album).

***isn't it amazing that Michael didn't do videos for all the singles? Imagine the videos he could have done for hits like "Wanna Be Startin Something","Human Nature" and "P.Y.T".

***does anyone else think it's funny that the album includes a song called "Baby Be Mine" that is followed by a song called "The Girl Is Mine"?

Cinnamon234 said:

That Motown 25th performance really changed things.After that show aired,the momemtum exploded! It was insane.At one point,'Thriller' was selling close to a million copies a week.The last time we had seen a phenomenom like this was during the late 70s Bee Gees/Saturday Night Fever heyday.'Thriller' managed to outsell even that project.Music videos played a huge role in the album's success.I remember being mesmerized by the "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" videos.I would watch it and try to do the dance steps,lol.Michael was the first artist to make videos that were really expensive and cinematic.He changed the way videos were made.The "Thriller" video,especially,was very groundbreaking and unlike any other videos at the time.

Cinnamon234 said:

Another thing: Michael crossed over in a way that Elvis never did.People all over the world were buying 'Thriller'.It appealed to rock fans,R&B fans,funk fans,pop fans,etc.I really don't think too many R&B fans were really into Elvis's music.

vainandy said:

I remember them - I won a foghat mirror when I was eight - it's still hanging in my mothers basement.

TonyVanDam said:

Yeah,I noticed Russell has always made less-than-flattering comments about Prince and Michael In one interview,he argued that kids could identify more with rappers."Michael and Prince are great for what they are,but do you know anyone like that? Do you know anyone who dresses like that?"

in other words,kids shouldn't idolize guys who actually have their own look/style.

Cinnamon234 said:

I had no idea it was so poorely received back in '82.

BT11 said:

I wouldn't say it was poorly received it's just that the impact that OFF The Wall made was immerse that the follow up was always going to be difficult to live up to. Off The Wall, alone was a little revoluntionary in it's own way. But the main thing at least back in 82 they were still analyzing MJ as an artist, as opposed to his relationship with children, or his or skin colour.

And can it be really be 25 years ago when I first heard Human Nature on my Uncle's car radio(I never bought the album immediately, heard many of the singles on the radio first) during one dark, night in Manhatten whilst I was being driven from Upstate New York to Long Island. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I first heard that song, that's one of my lasting memories of that whole era. It is a memory that will live with me forever, no matter what becomes of Michael Jackson.
[Edited 5/11/07 6:00am]

For Christmas '82,I got my first Walkman.'Thriller' was one of the first albums that I listened to.It sounded so fresh,so cool on headphones! Especially "Billie Jean",with the haunting vocal overdubs and the synthesizers.

SoulAlive said:

That word always moves me...

Cheek said:

Did you have a Walkman back in the day? These days,kids are only familiar with iPods,lol...they probably don't even know what a Walkman is.

SoulAlive said:

Yeah, I had!
My walkman was a piece of heaven!

Never heard of it.

Cloudbuster said:

well,you're always late you didn't even become a Bee Gees fan until long after Saturday Night Fever!

bboy87 said:

The beginning of the slow artistic and psychological decline.

SoulAlive said:

That's 'cos I was 3 when it was released.

I got this as soon as it was released!!



I liked mj back then.

SoulAlive said:

Everything is accurate except about Starlight. The song went from "Give Me Some Starlight" to "Starlight Sun" then "Starlight" to "Thriller"

I read one review saying that Wanna Be Startin Somethin was similar to Don't Stop Til You Get Enough....well there's a reason: Wanna Be Startin Somethin was originally intended for Off The Wall. A couple of Michael's songs are reused(kinda like how Prince does):

-Wanna Be Startin Somethin-originally written for Off The Wall
-Be Not Always-written in 1979(OTW era), released on Victory in 1984
-Liberian Girl-originally intended for Victory as "Pyramid Girl", released on Bad in 1987
-half of the Dangerous album was intended for the unreleased "Decade" album(In The Closet, Heal The World, Black or White, Who Is It, Will You Be There, Gone Too Soon)
-The original version of Black or White was recorded for Bad
-Little Susie from 1995's HIStory was originally written in 1979.
-Blood on The Dancefloor and Superfly Sister were recorded for Dangerous
-Morphine and Is It Scary were intended for HIStory

You know what? I posted this thread on the org, The King of Pop Discussion, and MJNewsOnline(I don't fuck with MJJForum) and the org has given it MORE love than the MJ boards!

This a great thread here dude, Micheal Jackson will always be the shit to me, even if just for OTW and Thriller alone.

This a great thread

Thanx 4 the love, everyone. Part 2: The Girl Is Mine will be up in a new thread later today with a load of pictures

bboy87 said:

That's because fans on those boards are more into the "King of Pop". Their favourite albums are Bad, Dangerous and History. There into Michael "Heal The World" Jackson, as oppose to Michael Jackson, the handsome, brown-skinned brotha who had a whole load of funk.!!
[Edited 5/11/07 9:57am]

whatsgoingon said:

whatsgoingon said:

You got that right! Some fans think of him as Michael Jackson- the dancer. His music is more important to me. It changed alot of people's lives, including mine .I've always felt whatever happens, in appearance or sound, he'll always be the same Michael Jackson to me. He's just put too much pressure on himself throughout the years to be perfect, whereas I've enjoyed seeing the more natural side of him. Remember when he got pissed about the surgery question in Living With Michael Jackson? He had that "don't fuck with me, bitch" look The Poppa Joe in him started showing

Also, anyone with additional infomation can feel free to post it. I like hearing from the old school fans who were around back then(sure as hell beats listening to people my age talking about how great Heal The World is and "OMG, the media is so mean!")

Man I wish I was alive when Thriller came out.



Great thread btw.
[Edited 5/11/07 11:34am]

smoothoperator said:

Sheeeit, I feel ya, same here.

whatsgoingon said:

Yup and most of the fans on those boards are too young to know any better. I mean have you ever been to MJNO? The average age of the MJ fan there is like 14. I mean I do happen to like the "Dangerous" album but it is certainly not MJ's best album ever like so many of his younger fans seem to think. Most of the fans on those boards just have no appreciation for anything pre-thriller.
[Edited 5/11/07 12:50pm]