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alternate histories

thriller1John Mayer wonders what the reaction to Thriller would have been like if the Internet cultural-reaction complex had been around in 1982, kind of nails what probably would have happened: “I don’t know, maybe I’m just used to the demo of ‘Billie Jean’ that leaked, but the final version seems ‘off’ to me.” … “OffDWall78, MJ is going to reach a lot more people with this record. It sucks that he won’t be ‘ours’ anymore, but good for him.” … “So far, after my first listen, ‘Thriller’ is my least favorite song on the album. It just seems, I don’t know, overproduced.” [Twitter]

6:45 AM on Tue Jun 30 2009
By Maura

17 Comments

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alternate histories

17 Responses to “”

  1. by ObtuseIntolerant at 9:15 am

    I must say I have really enjoyed John Mayer’s take on all of this Michael Jackson business. :)

  2. by 2ironic4u at 9:28 am

    He forgot the “You guys, I just heard that they’re using ‘P.Y.T’ in an ipod commercial. Not sure how I feel about that :(”

  3. by Name The Bats at 9:58 am

    I’m guessing OffDWall78 had some harsh things to say about choosing “The Girl Is Mine” as the lead single.

  4. by RobMurphy at 10:41 am

    Very clever, but he needn’t have wondered.

    From Pitchfork, 18 months ago:

    And so people try to concoct explanations. The album was focus-grouped for broader appeal– but then why haven’t focus groups worked so well since? Jackson made the racial crossover breakthrough on MTV– but once that door was opened, why didn’t the sales crossover work for others? Jackson’s stunning dancing and videos exploded pop’s visual formatting– but the Thriller album, until DVD-era reissues like this one, wasn’t a visual experience.

    When Thriller opens, those 100 million sales feel just. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” is pure confused, shocked teenage rush. So there’s another theory: Thriller is the best-selling record ever because it’s the best record ever. That one holds up for six minutes and two seconds, during which Jackson and Quincy Jones mix the tension of rock’n'roll with the rapture of disco and hit perfection. But then you get “Baby Be Mine”– one of the original tracks that wasn’t a single– and the momentum fades: On the heels of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, it should maintain the temperature; instead, it goes nowhere, starts nothing.

    And it just keeps going, just like that…7.2/10…

    http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/11163-thriller-25th-anniversary-edition/

  5. by Thierry at 10:58 am

    @RobMurphy: Oh, PItchfork. Did you see their recent take on the Big Star twofer? It got a 4.5 not because of the music, but for being a reissue of the original two-albums-on-one-cd reissue!
    http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13101-1-record-radio-city/

    It’s nice of them to keep the expectations of their younger readers low enough that they aren’t going to be disappointed when (or if, considering the low ratings) they ever decide to give Big Star or MJ a listen.

  6. by Maura at 11:04 am

    @RobMurphy: but that review (which i should note was penned by a friend of mine) was written with history (and HIStory) in mind.

  7. by mackro at 11:50 am

    “@InTh3Ghetto: Thriller is aright. this will be forgotten, while Rick James will last forever tho”

  8. by mackro at 11:52 am

    “@Sooperfreak: thriller the song TOTES rips off give it ot me baby’s baseline. I hope rick sues Jacksoff!!!!!1″

  9. by RobMurphy at 12:30 pm

    @will.i.am That PYt song totez rips off that thing we did in “all that i got”

  10. by RobMurphy at 12:49 pm

    @RobAnt so excited to have Mj guest on my next solo album!! #ScherzFanz

  12. by Lucas Jensen at 1:52 pm

    @Thierry: Well that Big Star reissue is not any better than the other one that was already available. I think that was the point, that it wasn’t sonically any better.

  13. by Lucas Jensen at 1:53 pm

    Btw, when will John Mayer take this good humor and creativity and apply it to his music?

  14. by Thierry at 2:02 pm

    @Lucas Jensen: Sure, but add three single mixes and it suddenly becomes sub-5.0? The New Order reissues were awful (with clicks and pops and drops on the bonus discs) and still were rated pretty highly. I’m fine with adding a caveat that those who already own the original don’t need to buy it, but a lot of kids put their trust into those ratings and buy anything that’s 8.0 and above. And if they really wanted to be consistent, there’s no way that adding Akon and Fergie to Thriller doesn’t take away more than a couple of rating points…

    Also, JM’s obviously putting all of it into Twitter and blog posts, as well as his dating life - there’s only so much creativity to go around!

  15. by slowburn at 2:27 pm

    @Lucas Jensen: I could almost like the guy if he limited his career to posting on Twitter.

  16. by RobMurphy at 2:50 pm

    @PainT needs mor autoTune #yeezyfans

  17. by RobMurphy at 3:00 pm

    @edgeybaby havent heard it yet been 2 busy with other things #iranelection #projectred

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