"Thriller"
At 24 years old, Michael Jackson set out to make the "Thriller" album. His goal was to make the biggest selling album of all time. Many people found this goal unrealistic because his previous album "Off the Wall" was a huge success, selling over 10 million copies. Lo Toya Jackson remembers watching the 1980 Grammy Awards with Michael. He told her "Watch La Toya, my next record, I am going to sell more records and win more Grammys than anyone in the history of music. . . I will be the biggest and the greatest entertainer of all time."
Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones came together as what they called the "A Team" to create the "Thriller" album. Michael collaborated with many songwriters to make this album including Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, Matt Foger, Bruce Swedian, Eddie Van Halen, James Ingram, Vincent Price, and his two of his siblings Janette and La Toya. The first song on the "Thriller" album "Wanna be Startin' Somethin'" was actually written and recorded while Michael was producing the "Off the Wall" album but he held onto it.
While Jackson's collaborators had a huge influence on the "Thriller" album, it was Jackson's talent and vision that made "Thriller" was it was and is today. Jackson wasn't trained to write music on paper. He would invent beats and melodies and tape record them to bring to the studio to be fully composed. Many were unaware that Jackson created music this way, that is, until the documentary "This Is It" was released after his death. The "A Team" put together over 600 songs which needed to be edited down to nine songs in order to make the final cut for the "Thriller" album. The producers and Jackson worked tirelessly throughout this process. Jackson was reported to often stay up all night memorizing the demos so that he could record in the studio without a piece of paper in hand.
The original title of the "Thriller" album was supposed to be called "Starlight." After considering 300 possible titles, Temperton woke up with the song title "Thriller" and both Jones and Jackson immediatley loved it. They believed it made the album seem edgy and exciting. Jones continued to beleive the album needed a song that had a rock influence. Jackson came back with the song "Beat It." Everyone automatically knew that ?Beat It" was the song to complete the album.
After many months of creating the "Thriller" album and preparing for its big release, the "A Team" came together to listen to the final product. They all realized that the album was a total fail. Jackson was very upset and refused to release the album as it was. Jones and Jackson were ready to give up and go home. But at this time the albums first single "The Girl is Mine" was already released and was number 2 on the charts. The team took two weeks to edit and remix the album. When when the album was completed everyone was excited. There was a huge difference and everyone couldn't wait for it to release.
Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones came together as what they called the "A Team" to create the "Thriller" album. Michael collaborated with many songwriters to make this album including Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, Matt Foger, Bruce Swedian, Eddie Van Halen, James Ingram, Vincent Price, and his two of his siblings Janette and La Toya. The first song on the "Thriller" album "Wanna be Startin' Somethin'" was actually written and recorded while Michael was producing the "Off the Wall" album but he held onto it.
While Jackson's collaborators had a huge influence on the "Thriller" album, it was Jackson's talent and vision that made "Thriller" was it was and is today. Jackson wasn't trained to write music on paper. He would invent beats and melodies and tape record them to bring to the studio to be fully composed. Many were unaware that Jackson created music this way, that is, until the documentary "This Is It" was released after his death. The "A Team" put together over 600 songs which needed to be edited down to nine songs in order to make the final cut for the "Thriller" album. The producers and Jackson worked tirelessly throughout this process. Jackson was reported to often stay up all night memorizing the demos so that he could record in the studio without a piece of paper in hand.
The original title of the "Thriller" album was supposed to be called "Starlight." After considering 300 possible titles, Temperton woke up with the song title "Thriller" and both Jones and Jackson immediatley loved it. They believed it made the album seem edgy and exciting. Jones continued to beleive the album needed a song that had a rock influence. Jackson came back with the song "Beat It." Everyone automatically knew that ?Beat It" was the song to complete the album.
After many months of creating the "Thriller" album and preparing for its big release, the "A Team" came together to listen to the final product. They all realized that the album was a total fail. Jackson was very upset and refused to release the album as it was. Jones and Jackson were ready to give up and go home. But at this time the albums first single "The Girl is Mine" was already released and was number 2 on the charts. The team took two weeks to edit and remix the album. When when the album was completed everyone was excited. There was a huge difference and everyone couldn't wait for it to release.