The greatest selling album of all time. Released in 1983, the album had sold 32 million copies alone by the end of 1983. This is now incomprehensible in the digital, streaming music landscape we find ourselves in and will, simply, never be beaten. Alongside the units shifted, Thriller could lay claim to being the most influential album of all time, too. Every pop record since has tried to sound like Billie Jean. Pop stars couldn't now hope to make it big in the business without paying considerable attention to music videos and MTV airplay - Thriller broke the music video format and forced MTV to playing more tracks by black artists. Baby Be Mine and PYT set the template for R&B music. Beat It fused rock and pop in thrilling fashion. Throughout, MJ nails it with his incomparable vocal talents, honed by years of live performance. MJ was just 24 when Thriller was released. There is one excruciating moment on the record - the ill judged Girl is Mine has the listener mind boggled at the premise there is a woman out there besotted with both Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, who sing about her in a limp, twee and corny style, deciding that a little improvised chit chat midway through the record would be fun. It’s not. It’s embarrassing for everyone. The best thing you could say for it is that MJ’s influence was so strong he could even get a Beatle on his record. That track and MJ’s troubled life almost docked this album a star, but it’s hard to discredit a cultural phenomenon and fail to acknowledge the enormous influence Thriller had on pop culture and, indeed, culture.