Thriller, Michael Jackson, 1982, :42
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
A cultural behemoth that went utterly ignored by me. I've never heard the songs on this album except for the inescapable "Billie Jean," "Beat It," and probably most of the title track. Impeccably produced (of course) by the master Quincy Jones, it's probably the pinnacle of R&B-tinged pop. But it's not for me. Nothing wrong with it, aside from a little corniness (the duet "The Girl Is Mine") and synth slickness ("P.Y.T."). It just doesn't move me. I realize now with a couple of recent entries in this blog I've kind of strayed from the purpose of the album a day project. The project isn't really an exercise in broadening my horizons so much as catching up on stuff I missed and would like to hear. I've been bending my brain into knots giving stuff like this and Van Halen three stars for their technical skill when I know that, for me, these are two-star albums, in that I'm not interested in them. Oh well, I tried. Favorite tracks, besides the big hits: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," "Human Nature."
