Michael Jackson knocked the music industry off its feet back in 1982. That was when his mega-successful album Thriller was released. It is arguably one of the most-successful albums off all time. To date, it has garnered over 100 million sales worldwide. It landed Michael Jackson a record-breaking eight Grammy Awards including Album of the Year in 1984. It also broke the record for American Music Awards with Jackson also picking up eight at the 1984 American Music Awards ceremony.
In 2008, Thriller was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. And was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in the same year. In 2021, Thriller was certified 34x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It is the second-best selling album of all time in the United States, second only to the Eagles Greatest Hits album.
November 29 marks the 40th anniversary of the album’s original release. To commemorate the milestone, Sony Music and Jackson’s Estate released Thriller 40 this month. And there are events worldwide that are celebrating the album’s success. Including a one-time only screening of the original Thriller documentary in select theaters (michaeljackson.com). Some cities across the globe are also throwing fan event parties and pop-up events.
Thriller 40 isn’t just a reissue of the original album. It also has some extras. It will include the original album, but a second disc as well. The second CD has ten never-released tracks on it that Michael was working on before his death. 4K quality versions of the short films “Beat It” and “Thriller” are also being released in honor of the anniversary.
After Thriller 40‘s release on November 18, the album climbed back up the Billboard Charts. According to ratedrnb.com, it jumped to No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart this week. That was an impressive 108 spot leap from No. 115 last week.
To refresh our memory, here’s the track list from the original Thriller. Which one was your favorite? And check out the bottom of the list for extras from Thriller 40!
–Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ Las Vegas
