1001 Albums Summary

Thriller! One of my Favorite Albums of All Time? -- Yes! (Third favorite) ~~~ What an album. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' kicks the album off with some of Michael's quirkiest lyrics and avant-garde vocal stylings. The uniqueness of his inflections and the technical vocal skill he delivers always pull me deeply into the album. You know that you're not getting a run-of-the-mill pop album here; there's already artistic risk and a polished sound to back up the project's reputation. I particularly like the cheeky Billie Jean mentioned in one of the later verses and the mamma-se chorus at the end of the track. Moments like these spark and craft the glittery, high-powered, and distinctive world of Thriller, paving the way for the rest of Jackson's pop masterpiece. Baby Be Mine, one of the two Thriller tracks not to be released as singles, stands out as one of the record's more underrated moments. The song features a jazzier, R&B-centric style that differs from much of the record, neatly tying back to Michael's earlier work on Off The Wall. At the track's end, Baby Be Mine's backing vocals swell, moving up in pitch and bringing back some of the energy lost in the song's initial melodic pace. Had this song been released as a single, I think it would have seen greater mainstream success. It's like a shiny green emerald surrounded by pure diamonds; impressively gorgeous, but overlooked due to its positioning. The Girl Is Mine (with Paul McCartney) is a gem. Glittery and smooth, the track features a melodic battle over a dreamgirl fought by Paul and Michael. (um, who would pick Paul???) Michael's vocals glide across the verses and contrast well with Paul's, who offers a softer, less glitzy sound. I go back and forth on considering this a novelty song, especially considering the faux-argument at the song's tail end, but even if it is a bit kitsch, The Girl is Mine is beautifully catchy and provides the perfect contrast for the following track. ...Thriller! Thril-ler night! I remember watching this music video in my seventh-grade Computer class and acting like I was "too cool" to be scared by MJ's transformation into a yellow-eyed werewolf. I thought about it all October. Disregarding the iconic music video, the track is great! While I don't think the song would have the cultural reach it does if not for its synonymousness with Halloween, Thriller itself is catchy. Apparently, when Michael and his producer, Quincy Jones, were developing the song, they often quibbled over the length of the spooky, minute-long intro, with Quincy wanting to scrap it, and MJ wanting to keep it. Personally, I think Quincy might have had the better take here. The intro is a bit difficult to get through when streaming the song independently of the album (although I would argue that the intro nicely breaks up the airy The Girl is Mine and the darker Thriller.) Other than that, I love the sound effects, the layered vocals on the "Thriller Rrr!" chorus. I also just like the word "thriller," I think. It's such a fitting name for the glitzy, polished, culturally dominant, and intensely interesting best-selling album of all time. (The initial demo of this song was called "Starlight," with the chorus being "Starlight sun" instead of "Thriller night." I think Michael would have lived two very different lives had he kept the initial title!) It is the perfect song to follow up Thriller. The tough-guy vibes bleed through the two songs perfectly and nicely pave the way for the passive-aggressive Billie Jean. I love the catchy baseline and the infamous guitar solo(played by an uncredited Van Halen!) on this song. Listening to the rock sound indicated by the guitar shows an evolution of Jackson's sound, as he shrugs off R&B and shows a willingness to keep up with the emerging glam-rock craze of the eighties. ...Is this a good time to mention that Beat It is my least favorite song on Thriller? Rarely do I consider a Michael Jackson song to sound dated. Of its time? Yes. But not dated. I really can't say the same for Beat It. Something about the Rock influence on the song just seems to cement the song so deeply in the 80s. It sounds like a good Bon Jovi Song, and Bon Jovi sounds like hairspray, perms, neon, and days gone by. I don't think Beat It is a bad song by any measure, but it certainly isn't one of my favorites. Billie Jean. What can I say about Billie Jean that hasn't already been said about Billie Jean? Containing, arguably, the most famous baseline ever conceived and the most intriguing plot of any major pop song, Billie Jean is burned into our collective consciousness. I think you could sing Billie Jean to anyone on the planet, and odds are they could finish the melody. Technically, I love the way the elements of the song gradually appear throughout the song's intro. I love the way Michael enunciated on the song, making his voice almost sound like an additional string on the track. So many different elements of this song combine to create a pop masterpiece. And as a bonus, you can Moonwalk to it! Or watch other people badly Moonwalk to it, which is twice as fun! scoot scoot Human Nature is my favorite song off Thriller. As a New Yorker, I know I'm biased, since this city IS, in fact, an apple, and I DO want to take a bite! Again, MJ crafts a glitzy and smooth melody that pairs perfectly with the visual of fraught love in 80's New York. Human Nature is a fan favorite for a reason, and I wish I heard it in public more often. If you get the chance, walk around Manhattan at night with the song in your ears, and pay attention to the world around you. It's a gorgeous experience. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) repeat after me! God, do I love this song. P.Y.T. is my second favorite off Thriller, largely due to how infectiously catchy the chorus is, and the Na-Na--na-na chant at the song's end. Such a smart callback to the mama-se chant at the end of Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'! This song gets stuck in my head constantly. I really can't understate how genius the layered, chanted "PYT" backing vocals are on this song. I also love its proximity to Human Nature, since he talks a bit about "city light" here. You could really see the two tracks as halves of the same story. The Lady in My Life closes Thriller softly, bringing down the glittery energy of PYT to the smoother, calmer melody of a more R&B-style song. Like Baby Be Mine, Lady in My Life was not a single, and remains the least-streamed Thriller song on Spotify (with only a meager one hundred million listens. ha!) The song sounds like something that Michael would put out on Dangerous or Invincible, when he leaned further into the polished '90s-esque R&B sound of the later third of his career. It's a solid track, but I understand why it wasn't pushed as a single, as it is fairly slow and mellow. Nonetheless, I think it's a great track of his and often come back to it One of Thriller's strong suits is a perfectly balanced tracklist which blends slower tunes into more upbeat, danceable tracks, often grouping similar songs together. You can listen to the album absentmindedly and never find yourself caught off guard by a sudden shift in vibe or subject matter. I've used the words throughout my review, but "glittery" and "smooth" seem to be the defining adjectives of the album, and MJ combines them masterfully. Final Song Rankings: 1. Human Nature 2. PYT (Pretty Young Thing) 3. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin 4. Billie Jean 5. The Girl is Mine 6. Thriller 7. Baby Be Mine 8. Lady in My Life 9. Beat It Album Score: 10/10

Parklife - Blur: Girls & Boys bravely asks: What if David Bowie… wasn’t that good? The song is aggressively British and meanders along pointlessly. I know it’s famous, I’ve heard it before, but I still don’t like it. Tracy Jacks is so ‘90s. I could imagine myself skittering around a British Uni wearing a pair of skinny headphones and a plaid jumper listening to this. I would study literature and express an interest in counterculture, alongside an abject hatred for the vague concept of a “businessman.” Regardless of its dated content, I enjoyed the guitar on the song, and found the instrumental last minute to be catchy and captivating. The fadeout to weak orchestral music served as a solid transition to the slower third track. End of A Century touches on the same themes as Tracy Jacks. Everyone is looking for something independent of the mainstream. Even Faux David Bowie. Fauxie. Parklife offers a thesis for what Blur’s album plans on covering. Much like other alt-rock ‘90s albums, Blur is taking a shot at the normalcy of the everyday person’s docile, boring life. I didn’t particularly mind it in any real way. I enjoyed the chanting of the album’s title, which reminded me a bit of “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” Bank Holiday requires an open mind. The track drew upon metal-influences and contained quirky lyrics. I never listen to metal and find the melodies and noise levels common throughout that genre to be a bit grating. Despite the metal-like sound Bank Holiday still managed to sound a bit like the introduction to a sitcom. Badhead is slower and sadder than its peers. The song more so resembles the Beatles, as opposed to the David Bowie x Metallica x Nirvana sound present in earlier tracks. The horns were an interesting touch on the song and nicely complemented the choir in the song's background. The Debt Collector is cousins with Dominic the Donkey. The song is an Italian, Circus-like melody without lyrics, serving as the album’s de facto intermission. Far Out is a haunted version of the Debt Collector. The circus is now haunted by extraterrestrials. The track is a bit disquieting and is again reminiscent of The Beatles To the End incorporates the lead singer’s smooth vocals alongside the seductive chants of a french woman. The song is the least experimental number thusfar, with romantic violins, and a lighter, romantic version of the circus-like feel of the debt collector. The song includes a strong vocal performance alongside a light, whimsical melody, creating a romantic feel. London Loves is alright. It’s a standard ‘90s Alternative Brit-pop song. Trouble in the Message Center was grunge-foward, and incredibly listenable. I enjoyed the gritty guitar, the raw vocals and the chanted chorus. The song also shifts between chrus and verse, nicely breaking the piece up. Clover Over Dover is a laid-back track. The song is easy to listen to and incorporates the circus-like melodies of the earlier songs. The repetitiveness works to its benefit, as the track requires little close attention, and instead allows listeners to mindlessly enjoy the airy feel of the love song. Magic America depicts a man who has an idealized version of America, seeking a perfect life. The song mocks the band, with a dream-like chorus of la-las. Again, I could see this track working well in a film. The last three tracks have greatly turned this album around. Jubilee tackles counterculture, yet again. The use of horns on this track is a solid touch. Without the electric guitar, the song could nearly be a show tune. I find the lyrics, as well as the chorus to be weak. This is a Low is a Pink Floyd track. Well, it’s not. But it could be. I actually didn’t mind this one. The melodic nature of the guitar worked well with the lead singer’s low vocals, making for a comfortable listen. I enjoyed the song’s ambient qualities. Lot 105 brings back that circus sound in full swing. I feel like I’m playing the arcade game where I have to hit the clowns withtthe red balls in order to win thirty tickets. Free Youtube Music. No words; closes out the album. I wish this album was mixed better. I struggle to understand much of what Blur is saying due to how comparably loud the instruments are. A remaster would benefit the band. Additionally, I struggle to properly rank this album. Of all genres, I listen to ‘90s rock the least. I don’t particularly enjoy it, nor do I enjoy Britpop. Despite my struggles, i didn’t completely dislike every track on this album, which must say something about its overall quality, considering the limitations I’m working with. I enjoyed that they dared to do something different with the circus-like tracks and the bevy of melodically distinct songs. Final Ranking: This is a Low Trouble in the Message Center Clover Over Dover Magic America To The End Parklife Tracey Jacks Girls and Boys Badhead Jubilee End of Century Lot 105 London Loves Far Out Bank Holiday The Debt Collector Album Score: 4/10