Michael Jackson
1982
Tracks
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
3. Girl Is Mine
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. PYT (Pretty Young Thing)
9. Lady In My Life
With so many obscure albums on The List, we finally reach one that everyone has heard of. And it's a lot worse than the obscure albums.
I just read that this is the best selling album of all time, which is definitely surprising. I am not saying there are no good songs. I've always like "Human Nature" and well...that's about it for this album. "PYT" just creeps me out in hindsight, "Thriller" is cheesy as fuck (although I am sure some would argue that's what is fun about it), and I find "Billie Jean" to be...upsetting.
I know a lot of my Michael Jackson related revulsion comes from what came out in later years. But even disregarding that, the childlike voice is creepy. Definitely skippable.
RATING: 2/5
In "The girl is mine", I somehow always expect the girl to say "Cut the crap! I am mine!". I also find Billie Jean upsetting.
ReplyDeleteHaha that would improve the song so much.
DeleteThis was HUGE when it came out! OMG. I was aware of the strange rumors and assumed he was a pedophile, but I listened to a lot of these songs as my Detroit elementary students were really into it. I needed to know what the "young' were listening to! I can't listen or watch the videos now.
ReplyDeleteI guess people love to tear down icons, but musically, this album is solid. I was impressed by the funky foundation on most of these tracks, and also by the meticulous production which kept me interested even on the pure ballad/love songs. "Billie Jean" is as good as music gets, at least when it comes to R&B, and the lyrics and vocal performance are a powerful artistic statement (regardless of his personal life, which holds no interest for me). The title track gets slagged a lot for being camp, but the underlying funk is great, particularly the final two minute instrumental/spoken word part. Eddie Van Halen on "Beat It" brilliant playing but sounding a bit out of place on this album. Not a perfect album, but certainly listworthy.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what's the over/under on Brie coming back and finishing this thing?
ReplyDelete