A true classic, full of attitude and danceable beats and sawing guitars. Hard not to love this album.
Neil Young's guitar work is pretty incredible on this album, complimented by a driving rhythm section that carries through the whole album. I can't shake the feeling that the writing and production is very dated to the 70s though, in a way that some other classic albums of the period aren't.
On influence and impact alone this album is an all-time great. Fortunately, it's also an all-time great on musical merits. Richly layered, rhythmically complex, and wide ranging in its influences, Thriller really is quite an experience.
Obviously there's a ton of technical skill on display here, and it's hard to deny the influence of Eminem as a whole. And yet, people are right when they say this album has aged very poorly, particularly in its subject matter.
I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed this album. Sunny, raucous riffs and a consistently bouncy rhythm section make this feel almost proto-punk (helped a long by bona fide punk classic "Stepping Stone"). Even the bits in the middle where the album, admittedly, drags a little, are interesting in a slightly experimental way. Big fan of this album!
As corny as it is boring.