Thriller 40
Thriller 40 is the 40th-anniversary edition reissue of Thriller (1982), the sixth album by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on November 18, 2022, by Epic, Legacy Recordings and MJJ Productions. Thriller 40 is the third reissue of Thriller, following the 2001 special edition and Thriller 25 (2008).[1]
For the documentary film, see Thriller 40 (film).Thriller 40
November 18, 2022
1979–1982
Westlake (Los Angeles)
- 42:16 (disc 1)
- 42:53 (disc 2)
- Quincy Jones
- Michael Jackson
Background[edit]
Jackson released his sixth studio album, Thriller, on November 30, 1982. With sales estimated to be over 70 million copies worldwide,[nb 1][7][8][9] Thriller became the world's 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.[10]
Bonus material[edit]
Thriller 40 includes the original demo for Jackson's song "Behind the Mask" (which was previously reworked for the 2010 posthumous album Michael),[17] the original demo for "Thriller" ("Starlight"); a demo of "Best of Joy" (released on the Michael album) titled "The Toy" (intended for the 1982 Richard Pryor film of the same name); the previously unreleased songs "She's Trouble", "What a Lovely Way to Go" and "Who Do You Know", and the tracks "Got the Hots" (first released as a bonus track on some editions of Thriller 25), "Carousel" (a shorter version was included on the 2001 special edition), "Can't Get Outta the Rain" (released in 2008 as part of the 3-CD edition of The Essential Michael Jackson) and "Sunset Driver" (released in 2004 on The Ultimate Collection).
Release[edit]
Announced on May 16, 2022, by the Estate of Michael Jackson, Thriller 40 is the twelfth release by Sony and/or Motown since the death of Jackson in 2009. The company also announced additional releases of the original album by audiophile reissue label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab on both stereo Super Audio CD and LP, limited to 40,000 numbered copies.[18][19] The latter portion of the announcement was later credited by The Washington Post journalist Geoff Edgers with fueling public skepticism towards Mobile Fidelity that culminated in a subsequent controversy over them using Direct Stream Digital files in vinyl releases that were marketed as coming directly from analog master tapes.[20] The company also surprise released 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos versions of the original album on Amazon Music and Apple Music respectively on the same day as Thriller 40.[21]
Commercial performance[edit]
In the United States, as per Billboard's rule, Thriller 40 is regarded as the same album as Thriller and re-entered the Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven. The album sold a combined total of about 37,000 copies in the first week in the US.[24] The album charted at number 16 in its second week of the release, selling 18,000 (down 35%).[25]
Total duration: 158:30
Notes