It’s a real musical storm that hit the world exactly 40 years ago. The disc Thriller by Michael Jackson was released on November 30, 1982. It is the best-selling music album of all time with an estimated 100 million copies sold to date, including 32 million in a single year. The disc holds another record since it obtained eight Grammy Awards. The recipe for Thriller wanted by Michael Jackson and shaped by producer Quincy Jones is simple: one album, ten songs, ten hits. The disc contains several legendary titles like Wanna be startin’ somethin’, Beat it, Billie John or Thriller. The worldwide success of the album is explained in particular by the mixture of several genres as well as by the association of music and image. The video clip of the song Thrillerdirected by filmmaker John Landis in the form of a short film of more than 13 minutes, revolutionized the genre.
A special reissue of the album Thriller by Michael Jackson was recently released with previously unreleased tracks and alternate versions. /fco