152: Thriller 40 Roundtable

Michael Jackson’s album, Thriller, is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and important albums in music history. Released 40 years ago, on November 30, 1982, it changed the landscape of pop music, and may have even saved the music industry itself.

In this episode, Charlie Carter hosts a deep-dive fan discussion reflecting on all things Thriller 40. Joining him are guests Damien Shields, Shawn Shackelford, and Paul Black. The guys talk about the continuing influence of Thriller, the bonus tracks included on the 40th anniversary edition, the long-awaited release of the 4K versions of the short films “Thriller” and “Beat It”, the upcoming documentary by Nelson George, and they contemplate what they would have liked to see on their own version of the Thriller 40 release.

This episode was edited by Jason Garcia and Charlie Carter.

Participants
Charlie Carter, Audio Producer of The MJCast
Damien Shields, author of Michael Jackson: Songs & Stories From The Vault, and creator of the podcast series The Genesis of Thriller and the upcoming Faking Michael.
Shawn Shackelford, long-time Jacksons fan and regular guest of The MJCast.
• Paul Black, Sydney-based Film editor, and Friend of the Show (whom we’re happy to have back on after a long absence!)

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If you have feedback on this Michael Jackson podcast episode, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Keep Michaeling!

2 Replies to “152: Thriller 40 Roundtable”

  1. Alexandre

    Gracias Jason por editar parte de este capítulo!

    Really interesting conversation on the latest re-release of Thriller. Episodes with opposing opinions are always more interesting and this episode has not disappointed.
    I wholeheartedly agree with the critics on the Estate and their apparent lack of planning.

    I would have liked the original songs to be discussed too, because the mixes I’ve listened to on Amazon Music seemed different.
    Billie Jean, tot ake the most obvious example, starts directly with the baseline.

    One great insight to remember from Paul Black:
    – the difficulty to scan to high definition the old videos that contain special effects, like Can you Feel It, or even the screen split on Billie Jean, because most likely, the effects were added to the standard quality recording there was at the time and will have to be recreated and re-added to the original film, in order to actually get an improved quality
    – Moonwalker on Blu-ray is probably as good as it can get for HD

    Alexandre (he/him)

    Reply
  2. Kris

    I must say that I always enjoy listening to these roundtable episodes (I listened to this episode twice). I always learn so much from these conversations! I love how everyone has something to contribute to the conversation based on their expertise and their passion of learning about MJ’s work. Carter, your comment on blowing up the 2008 remixes into the sun was hilarious!
    Thank you, Damien for clarifying the Branca vs. Disney debacle. As sad as this was, I was not at all surprised when I saw the disappointing Thriller 40 album cover on Spotify. It pains me to say that because I feel like we have gotten used to getting subpar material from the Estate because we deserve so much better than what we have been getting since Michael’s death. I do agree with you guys about the Estate randomly putting demos in posthumous releases that do not belong with the correct time Michael made it. However, how will you guys explain “For All Time” being in the Thriller 25 album when it was actually recorded during the Dangerous era?

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