EPIC RECORDS/LEGACY RECORDINGS UNVEIL
THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S THRILLER
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST SELLING ALBUM OF ALL
TIME
Newly Expanded Deluxe Edition of
Multi-Platinum Grammy-Winning Album
With New & Previously Unreleased Bonus
Tracks
Including Remixes By Akon, will.i.am &
Kanye West
+ Bonus DVD Featuring Digitally Restored
Short Films
& Michael Jackson's Historic Breakout
Performance
From "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today,
Forever" Television Broadcast
Thriller - 25th Anniversary Edition
Released February 11, 2008
* * * * *
Epic/Legacy Recordings proudly celebrates
the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's
Thriller, the world's biggest-selling
album of all time, with a newly expanded
deluxe edition of the phenomenal
record-breaking pop culture touchstone,
available in the U.K February 11, 2008.
The Michael Jackson Thriller 25th
anniversary celebration kicks off in
December 2007 and continues throughout 2008
with the release of a new single and a
multi-faceted global marketing campaign
featuring high-profile television, radio and
online events around the world.
The Thriller - 25th Anniversary Edition
will include the original album in its
entirety as well as eight bonus tracks and a
DVD featuring Michael Jackson's
groundbreaking short films from Thriller
("Thriller," "Beat It," and "Billie Jean")
and the artist's Emmy-nominated breakout
performance of "Billie Jean" from the
legendary "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today,
Forever" television special (first broadcast
on NBC on May 16, 1983).
The newly expanded version of Thriller
premieres five tracks previously unreleased
in any form: a new Kanye West remix of
"Billie Jean"; a new 2008 version of "Wanna
Be Startin' Somethin'" with Akon and
will.i.am; will.i.am remixes of "The Girl Is
Mine" and "P.Y.T."; and "For All Time," a
rare unreleased cut from the original
Thriller recording sessions, newly mixed
and mastered by Michael Jackson.
Additional bonus material on the Thriller
- 25th Anniversary Edition includes
"Someone In The Dark," "Carousel," and
Michael Jackson's original demo recording of
"Billie Jean."
The deluxe Thriller - 25th Anniversary
Edition packaging contains a personal
greeting from Michael Jackson to his fans
penned exclusively for this special release.
Originally released 25 years ago early
December 1982 by Epic Records, Thriller,
Michael Jackson's sixth solo album and
second with producer Quincy Jones, rocketed
the former child-star lead singer for the
Jackson 5 into the stratosphere of
international superstardom. Introducing the
"robot" and the "moonwalk" into the
international lexicon of clubland dance
moves via the pulsing sounds of Thriller,
Michael Jackson revolutionized all aspects
of mainstream pop culture -- from radio
airwaves to the newly emerging art form of
music videos -- becoming the world's most
popular entertainer in the process.
The original Thriller spent an
astounding 80 consecutive weeks in the
American Top 10, 37 of those at #1. Seven of
the album's original nine tracks became Top
10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 while
Individual singles from Thriller
reached #1 chart positions in the US, the
UK, France, Italy, Australia, Denmark,
Belgium, South Africa, Spain, Ireland, New
Zealand and Canada.
Thriller made history as the first
and only record to be America's top-selling
album two years running (1983 and 1984).
Thriller has been certified 27x
platinum by the RIAA, giving it Double
Diamond Award status in the US. In addition,
the album has achieved Diamond or
Multi-Platinum status in Argentina,
Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Finland,
France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland
and the UK. Thriller was named the
Best Selling Album of All Time by the
Guinness Book of Records in 1985.
In February 1984, Michael Jackson held a
record-breaking 12 Grammy nominations, going
on to win eight, which stands as the record
for most Grammy Awards to be won by anyone
in a single year. Seven of Michael's Grammys
that year were for Thriller: Album of
the Year; Record of the Year ("Beat It");
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
("Thriller"); Best Engineered Recording,
Non-Classical (Thriller); Best Male
Rock Vocal Performance ("Beat It"); Best
Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Billie Jean");
Best R&B Song ("Billie Jean"). (Michael's
eighth Grammy that year was in the Best
Recording For Children - Single or Album,
Musical or Spoken category for "E.T. The
Extra-Terrestrial"). That same year, Michael
Jackson took home eight American Music
Awards and three MTV Video Music Awards. The
following year, "The Making of Michael
Jackson's Thriller" took home the
Best Video Album trophy at the 27th Annual
Grammy Awards.
Named the "Most Successful Entertainer of
All Time" by the Guinness World Records,
Michael Jackson is among the most highly
acclaimed and influential artists in pop
culture. He was named the World Music
Award's Best-Selling Pop Male Artist of the
Millennium and received the American Music
Award's Artist of the Century Award. He has
been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame twice: in 1997 as a member of the
Jackson 5 and as a solo artist in 2001.
* * * * *
THRILLER -
25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Thriller
- original track listing - US Billboard
Chart Peaks
"Wanna Be Startin'
Somethin'" - (#5 Hot 100, #5 R&B)
"Baby Be Mine"
"The Girl Is Mine"
(with Paul McCartney) - (#2 Hot 100, #1 R&B,
#1 Adult Contemporary)
Thriller" - (#4 Hot
10, #3 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks)
"Beat It" - (#1 Hot
100, #1 R&B)
"Billie Jean" - (#1
Hot 100, #1 R&B, #9 A/C)
"Human Nature" - (#7
Hot 100, #2 Adult Contemporary)
"P.Y.T. (Pretty
Young Thing)" - (#10 Hot 100)
"The Lady in My
Life"
Bonus Material:
10. Someone In the
Dark ^
11. Billie Jean
(Michael Jackson's original demo recording)
^
12. Carousel ^
Previously
Unreleased Tracks For 25th Anniversary
Edition
13. The Girl Is Mine
2008 with will.i.am*
14. P.Y.T. (Pretty
Young Thing) 2008 with Michael Jackson and
will.i.am*
15. Wanna Be Startin'
Somethin' 2008 with Michael Jackson, Akon
and will.i.am*
16. Billie Jean 2008
with Kanye West*
17. For All Time
(unreleased track from original Thriller
sessions)*
^From 2001
Thriller Special Edition
*-previously
unreleased
Bonus DVD
The
Videos
1. Thriller
2. Beat It
3. Billie Jean
4.
Billie Jean performance from Motown 25:
Yesterday, Today and Forever
25th Anniversary
Executive Producer: Michael Jackson
Original Album
Produced by Quincy Jones for [Quincy Jones
Productions logo]
