| Coordinates | 39°44′21″N104°59′5″N |
|---|---|
| Name | Thriller 25 |
| Type | Remix album |
| Longtype | / Reissue album |
| Artist | Michael Jackson |
| Cover | Thriller25.jpg |
| Border | yes |
| Alt | |
| Caption | |
| Released | February 8, 2008(See release history) |
| Recorded | 1982–2007 |
| Genre | R&B;, pop, rock, urban, funk, dance-pop, hip hop, dance |
| Length | 67:15 |
| Label | Epic, Legacy Recordings |
| Producer | Quincy JonesMichael Jacksonwill.i.amKanye WestAkonBruce SwedienGiorgio TuinfortAnthony Kilhoffer |
| Reviews | * About.com link |
| Last album | (2006) |
| This album | Thriller 25(2008) |
| Next album | King of Pop(2008) |
| Misc |
}}
Thriller 25 is a 25th anniversary special edition reissue of the Michael Jackson album Thriller, the world's best selling album. The prospect of a "second chapter" to Thriller was first publicly discussed on Access Hollywood in late 2006. Jackson said he would discuss the idea with collaborator will.i.am. It was released in Australia on February 8, 2008, then internationally on February 11, 2008 and the following day in the United States. Thriller 25 was released by Sony BMG's re-issue division, Legacy Recordings. In the United Kingdom, the BBFC gave it a '15' certificate because it included the video for "Thriller". It is the first Jackson album with an age certificate. Along with the original material, the reissue contained remixes, new material, a DVD and collaborations with several contemporary artists. Two singles, "The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" were released from the album to moderate success and a number of the other remixes charted, despite no physical release. Thriller 25 was a commercial success, selling three million copies worldwide in its 12 weeks and was generally well received among critics, despite their view that the new material was not as inspiring as the original.
BackgroundJackson released his sixth studio album, Thriller, on November 30, 1982. Selling estimates to over 100 million copies worldwide, Thriller became the best-selling album of all time; the album was the first in history to yield seven top-ten singles. The success of Thriller put Jackson into the dominating position of pop music, becoming an international pop-cultural icon.Jackson was asked about a "second chapter" to Thriller on Access Hollywood in late 2006. He said he would discuss it with collaborator will.i.am but hadn't yet considered it, "No I haven't really thought about it in that way but I would give it more thought. We haven't really discussed it yet, on that level, but I'm sure at some point we will. But it's a great thought." will.i.am served as executive producer; the album's release was announced in an Epic Records press release on November 30, 2007.
ReleaseThriller 25 was released on CD and vinyl. Along with the original material there were seven bonus tracks. A new ballad called "For All Time", Vincent Price's voice-over and five remixes featuring contemporary artists like Fergie and Akon. It also includes a DVD featuring three award-winning music videos, the Emmy-nominated "Billie Jean" performance, and a booklet with a message from Jackson. "For All Time" supposedly dates from 1982, but leaks often credit it as being from Dangerous sessions. Despite this, a new bridge was used in the Thriller 25 release.On the iTunes Store, Zune Marketplace, and Amazon MP3, a "Super Deluxe Edition" can be purchased which also features the bonus material from Thriller: Special Edition, "Billie Jean (Underground Mix)", an instrumental "Thriller" mix, an extended "Billie Jean" and a digital booklet. Copies bought in Target, Best Buy, Circuit City and Independent Music Stores in the US feature the bonus tracks "Billie Jean (Four On The Floor Club Mix)", "Thriller (Def Thrill Remix)", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Extended 12" Mix)" and "Billie Jean (Four On The Floor Radio Mix)" respectively. Sony also released a "fan pack" containing Thriller 25 and the Number Ones DVD.
PromotionTo help promote the album, Jackson's website was recreated and accounts on networking websites like MySpace and Facebook were set up. On February 3, 2008 a Sobe advertisement was aired during Super Bowl XLII to over 95 million Americans, with Naomi Campbell and Sanam Nazar CGI lizards dancing to "Thriller". The ad aired again at the Grammys on February 10, 2008. In the United Kingdom, Odeon Cinemas ran free "Thriller" viewings on February 8 and February 9, 2008 and television adverts announcing the release were aired throughout Europe."The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" were the first singles taken from the album. "The Girl Is Mine 2008" reached number two in Japan, three in Mexico, six in the Netherlands and the top twenty positions in the major European markets. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" reached number three in Sweden, four in New Zealand, eight in Australia, ten in France and thirty-two in Canada, but had disappointing sales in America. These were Jackson's first singles since "One More Chance" in 2003. The album track "Beat It 2008" also began charting in European countries, reaching number 26 in Switzerland, 31 in Denmark, 43 in Sweden, 60 in Japan, 74 in Germany, 75 in Austria, and 77 in Canada. as did "Billie Jean 2008", reaching 91 in Germany.
ReceptionCriticalCritics reacted positively to the album, much like their review on the original. All reviews noted that the album is still enjoyable, twenty-five years on. Allmusic explains, "... 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' and 'Billie Jean' remain startling in their futuristic funk and 'Baby Be Mine' ... sounds positively incandescent ..." Rolling Stone gave it a full five stars while giving the original only four saying: "Thriller [25] has MJ at his breathiest and most salacious ('PYT'), and his most beautifully fragile ('Human Nature', so open and brave it makes 'She's Out of My Life' seem phony)".MTV says, "... it's pretty rare to see a reissue loaded with as much contemporary appeal as this one", and reacted positively to the new tracks, calling them "silver bars". The new material received further praise, with the ballad "For All Time" being described as "perfectly fine" by Allmusic. However, most critics agreed that the new versions were not as inspiring as the originals; some even said that the guest artists were the wrong choice. Allmusic notes, "for whatever reason, such Michael-mimicking superstars as Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown did not participate, but Akon, Fergie, and will.i.am did." with the best sales on that chart since December, 1996. With the arrival of Halloween that November, Thriller 25 spent an eleventh non-consecutive week atop the US catalog chart. This brought US sales of the album to 688,000 copies, making it the best selling catalog album of 2008. To date sold 774,000 copies in the US. This was Jackson's best launch since Invincible in 2001, selling three million copies worldwide in 12 weeks.
Track listing;Notes {{Track listing | collapsed = | headline = DVD CD 1 # "The Girl Is Mine" # "Can't Get Outta the Rain" CD 2 # "Billie Jean" # "It's the Falling In Love" CD 3 # "Beat It" # "Get On the Floor" CD 4 # "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" # "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Instrumental) CD 5 # "Human Nature" # "Baby Be Mine" CD 6 # "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" # "Workin' Day and Night" (Live recording, from the 1981 album The Jacksons Live!) CD 7 # "Thriller" # "Things I Do for You" (Live recording, from the 1981 album The Jacksons Live!)
Charts, certifications and sales{|class="wikitable" |- !Chart !Peakposition !Certification !Sales |- |Argentina | style="text-align:center;"| – |2x Gold |40,000 |- |Austria |35,000 |- |Brazil Top 10 CD | style="text-align:center;"|2 |Gold |50,000 |- |Belgium |- |Canada | style="text-align:center;"|2 |Gold |50,000 | style="text-align:center;"|6 | | |- |Denmark | style="text-align:center;"|2 | | |- |Europe | style="text-align:center;"|1 | | |- |Finland |240,000 |- |Germany | style="text-align:center;"|7 | | |- |Hungary | style="text-align:center;"| |Platinum | |- |Ireland | style="text-align:center;"|2 |Platinum |70,000 |- |Netherlands | style="text-align:center;"|1 | | |- |Norway | style="text-align:center;"|1 |Platinum |20,000 |- |Portugal |10,000 | style="text-align:center;"|2 |Gold |- |Thailand |300,000 |- |U.S. Catalog | style="text-align:center;"|2 |- |World Sales | | |3,000,000 | ARIA | style="text-align:center;"| 37 |}
Credits{| valign="top" |- |
Release history{|class="wikitable" |- ! Country ! Date |- | Australia |rowspan="4"|February 8, 2008 |- | Germany |- | Italy |- | Philippines |- | Europe |rowspan="2"|February 11, 2008 |- | United Kingdom |- | United States | February 12, 2008 |- | Taiwan | February 15, 2008 |- | Japan | February 20, 2008 |- | Canada | March 11, 2008 |- | France |rowspan="4"|March 28, 2008 |- | Haiti |- | South Africa |- | Tanzania |}
References
Category:2008 albums Category:Michael Jackson albums Category:Albums produced by Quincy Jones Category:Albums produced by Michael Jackson Category:Albums produced by Akon Category:Albums produced by Kanye West Category:Albums produced by will.i.am Category:Epic Records albums Category:English-language albums This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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