I was around for the original, "Thriller" Era!!!!

[Moddie777]

Hello Everybody,
Since I am new and we have recently just celebrated the rerelease of "Thriller", I thought I's share from memory what that era was like for those too young to remember or for the fans who weren't born yet.
I am an older fan. I have been a Michael Jackson and Jackson fan since the 70's!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My entire family are fans, so are my kids.
When Thriller was released there was no internet, all we had was cable TV,a few music shows and radio air play. We were not prepared for what was about to hit and hit he did!!!!
I remember, Thriller playing all types of stations, simultaniously, easy listening stations played, "human nature", and "The girl is mine". Pop stations played" beat it", and "wanna be startin something"to death. R&b stations playes, "billie jean", "wanna be starting somethin", and "beat it". In one given day Michael Jackson's songs from thriller could easily be heard 12 times or more! All radio DJ's were competeing to give the best'Michael Jackson radio air show". They all had there Michael Jackson stories to tell. Many of them were fans themselves and they openly admitted to there love for him and his music. They spoke of him as if he were a living GOD! He owned the air waves.
Look alikes were starting to appear everywhere you turned. They were on every street corner in every black
neighborhood in the country. Black people were truly feeling him and claimed him as their own but something elese happened. Michael Jackson began to trancsend race. White people were loving and feeling him too. His race didn't matter. For the first time in Music History, white people who controlled the information we were recieving at the time didn't have to remind us of his race. He had become such a world wide phenomenum, it didn't matter.
Everybody wanted to see him dance, and see him we did! The world was in awe of his moves, we did not know a human being could move so effortlessly.
And another thing we noticed, he was FINE! FINE as hell. We females all became hopelessly in love!

 

[SoS]

when Thriller was released there was no internet, all we had was cable TV,a few music shows and radio air play. We were not prepared for what was about to hit and hit he did!!!!
I remember, Thriller playing all types of stations, simultaniously, easy listening stations played, "human nature", and "The girl is mine". Pop stations played" beat it", and "wanna be startin something"to death. R&b stations playes, "billie jean", "wanna be starting somethin", and "beat it". In one given day Michael Jackson's songs from thriller could easily be heard 12 times or more!

yes I remember that :lol:

And the funny thing is, it didn't last just for the length of time it took for the album to come out and sell well - it went on for a good couple few YEARS, from like '82-83 to like 84-85 ...I remember it well.

Every day was like Christmas insofar as the atmosphere had a very special MAGIC - it really did!

The thing that stands out the most in my mind was the MJ paraphenalia (sp) - it was EVERYWHERE, vendor stands on the streets GALORE, ALL THE TIME, store windows, magazine covers - it was so fun to see his face everywhere, it made the atmosphere so positive and wonderful. . . every place you went that had piped in music piped in his songs, the grocery stores, just everything! It was a magical time indeed! I remember one time, I was "jonzin" so bad for some MJ and couldn't get none anywhere this particular night, I mean I was seriously lookin' for a 'fix' - so what did I do, I resorted to going to a "Prince" bash at a club called the Bayou, :lol: I'll never forget what "cold comfort" that was, I mean don't get me wrong, I dug Purple Rain, but it just didn't hit that spot like
that Thrillerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :devil: muwaaaahahahahahahahahaha!!! muwaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahaha

 

[mello1]

Welcome Moddie. We have several members who can remember MJ during the Thriller days and before. Thanks for you memories!

 

[TialovesMJ]

Thanks for sharing moddie!

 

[Lisha]

Well, I was around at the time, walking the earth, in my mid-twenties, but I recall none of it. It is as if I had blinders on. I didn't know Michael Jackson gained so much fame until last year. In fact, I only saw the Thriller "short film" for the first time maybe six months ago.

Thanks for sharing. Now I have a good feel of what it was like. All that paraphernalla around, really, SoS? Wow. I don't remember seeing any of it. *shakes head at herself* It's like I blinked and Michael Jackson went from the young man who made "Off the Wall" to who he is today. *laughs* I've had some major catching up to do.

 

[IvoryKeys]

Ohhh man, you older (not in a bad way!!!..........how about wiser!) folks here on the board! You have no IDEA how jealous we "younger" folks are around here.

I love hearing stories from his "golden years", if you will. Makes me feel like I actually have been a fan for that long....I just wasn't able to be born yet! To know the full history of your artist and still appreciate it as if it came out yesterday is very important to me!

Thank you for posting this, and welcome to the board!

 

[SoS]

Well, I was around at the time, walking the earth, in my mid-twenties, but I recall none of it. It is as if I had blinders on. I didn't know Michael Jackson gained so much fame until last year. In fact, I only saw the Thriller "short film" for the first time maybe six months ago.

Thanks for sharing. Now I have a good feel of what it was like. All that paraphernalla around, really, SoS? Wow. I don't remember seeing any of it. *shakes head at herself* It's like I blinked and Michael Jackson went from the young man who made "Off the Wall" to who he is today. *laughs* I've had some major catching up to do.

Wow!! :scratch:You may not have been living in a major city? :brow: that had vendor stands set up all over the place...there were at least three different t-shirts hanging from all the corners - the one with the yellow vest, of course all the ones from Thriller, the Beat It Jacket, just everything! I remember getting in my car and I'd just 'will' a MJ song to come on the radio and presto! :lol: there it was like magic, that was in like 1982-83....then the first time I heard my personal favorite MJ rock jam, 1984 ... scorching hot summer day ... I was on a jam packed bus and it was coming from the back ... I managed to look through the crowd of folks packed like sardines and there were these yungunz sitting back there with a giant boom box blaring State of Shock :lol: oh yes :wub: those were the days....

gosh I'm starting to feel like an "old fogie" telling these stories :lol:

but I jess kan't hepp it :wub: I remember in 1985, after hearing that there was going to be an 'anthem'-like song with all these amazing talents doing a song for Africa, one day being in this extremely crowded coffee house - I mean ALL you could clearly hear was cups and plates clanking and loads of people steady yammering ..and I was sitting in the back near the patio and the radio was on and the speakers were at the front of the store near the entrance, at the bar. Maaaaaaan I faintly heard this........this...............this SOUND and I said to myself, "THAT'S THE SONG!!" and I jumped up so fast I nearly knocked over my table and ran through the restaurant to find the speaker and sat there at the bar and just zoned out listening to We Are the World .... :wub: oh yes! those were the days ...

 

[TialovesMJ]

Ohhh man, you older (not in a bad way!!!..........how about wiser!) folks here on the board! You have no IDEA how jealous we "younger" folks are around here.

I love hearing stories from his "golden years", if you will. Makes me feel like I actually have been a fan for that long....I just wasn't able to be born yet! To know the full history of your artist and still appreciate it as if it came out yesterday is very important to me!

Thank you for posting this, and welcome to the board!

I feel ya!!! I am one of the "younger" folks around here..ahhhh I wish I was a teen or a 20 something year old back in the Thriller days!!!

 

[Marlon]

....then the first time I heard my personal favorite MJ rock jam, 1984 ... scorching hot summer day ... I was on a jam packed bus and it was coming from the back ... I managed to look through the crowd of folks packed like sardines and there were these yungunz sitting back there with a giant boom box blaring State of Shock :lol: oh yes :wub: those were the days....

gosh I'm starting to feel like an "old fogie" telling these stories :lol:

Wow I also have good memories of hearing State of Shock in the summer of '84. My older sister had her boom box and the cassette of the Victory Album. Driving to the shore for my family vactation to Ocean City, Maryland (We always went last week of July) she played that song over and over and over again. The Thriller era from 82-85 was when I was just old enough to appreciate everthing. It was a great time period!

 

[SoS]

....then the first time I heard my personal favorite MJ rock jam, 1984 ... scorching hot summer day ... I was on a jam packed bus and it was coming from the back ... I managed to look through the crowd of folks packed like sardines and there were these yungunz sitting back there with a giant boom box blaring State of Shock :lol: oh yes :wub: those were the days....

gosh I'm starting to feel like an "old fogie" telling these stories :lol:

Wow I also have good memories of hearing State of Shock in the summer of '84. My older sister had her boom box and the cassette of the Victory Album. Driving to the shore for my family vactation to Ocean City, Maryland (We always went last week of July) she played that song over and over and over again. The Thriller era from 82-85 was when I was just old enough to appreciate everthing. It was a great time period!

:cheeky: ah sweeet! I was in the lovely neighboring town of the nation's capital ... guess it was pretty big in those parts :cheeky:

 

[Lisha]

Wow!! :scratch:You may not have been living in a major city? :brow:

Ooooooooooooooh, just a little outside of LA. Is Los Angeles a major city? :lol:

 

[Superstition]

I wasn't around for the Thriller era, but I remember the Bad and pre-allegation Dangerous eras quite well, and people used to go around singing all the singles like they were going out of style. Not qutie the same as the Thriller era, I'm sure, but at least you could sing or play and MJ track without some d*uchebag making a dated and unfunny joke.

Anyone who was around for the Thriller era got to live a true piece of Americana.

 

[SoS]

Ooooooooooooooh, just a little outside of LA. Is Los Angeles a major city? :lol:

okay you're gonna have to explain to me how you could live in the L.A. area, the entertainment MECCA AND practically the HOME of Michael Jackson AND The Jacksons, and COMPLETELY MISS Michaelmania???!

oh ... must've been a prison there :scratch:sorry hadn't thought of solitary confinement


:toofunny: sorry i couldv'e resisted but

:lmao: i just COULDN'T!!

 

[neverlandprincess]

I was too around the Thriller era and the off the wall era bought both albums when the first come out.

There was nothing like it, and in my opinion never will be again. So much has changed since then in the music industry

 

[Dr.Feelgood]

Thanks for sharing moddie! Where are you from? There wasn't that major Thriller hype in Germany, but I remember someone saying that at the time when they showed the Thriller short film, in the USA the streets were completely empty cause everybody was watching Michael on TV.

 

[benscarr]

I was around during the Thriller era which I remember very well as I was 11yrs old and became a fan when Billie Jean was No.1 in the charts. The Thriller era was very magical, but the Bad era is my favorite as it was more powerful and intense. And 20yrs later I'm still in awe of seeing Michael live during the Bad Tour at Wembley Statdium, and seeing him at the Mayfair Hotel in London. That was the best time ever. Fans are too violent now, with no respect for other fans or the safety of Michael and his children.

I don't consider myself an "Older fan" because I'd have to be a fan of quite of Justin Timberlake or Chris Brown for that, I'm the right age to be a Michael Jackson fan as his music defined my generation. My generation of fans born in from the late 1960's to mid 1970's are the ones who turned Michael in to the Living Legend with first the Thriller album then the Bad Tour. I'm very surprised there aren't a lot more Michael Jackson fans in there 30's on MJ fan sites, considering how big and intense Michael's fan base was in the 1980's.

I think it's awesome that Michael continues to attract younger fans in an era with so much negativity in the media about Michael.

 

[Experience the magic]

Hearing these stories makes me wish I was born just a few years earlier. I was around during that era, but a bit to young to remember it. :doh:

Thanks for sharing you experiences!

 

[laurenjayne]

lol you people are so lucky to have been around in the 80's, i was born the same year Dangerous was released so i dont remeber much until just before invincible when i became a fan

 

[ameliajayne]

I was around during the Thriller era which I remember very well as I was 11yrs old and became a fan when Billie Jean was No.1 in the charts. The Thriller era was very magical, but the Bad era is my favorite as it was more powerful and intense.

same here........i was 8 but i remember the thriller era well, and when billi jean was no 1 .......................and Bad era is my fave cos iof the intensity and i was a bit older, and i first saw him then:wub:

 

[Dorothy_Marie]

I was from the Thriller era as well back in 1983 when I was 10 years old. I remember the excitement when I would see Michael everywhere in the stores when I would go grocery shopping and I would have to stop at the magazine stand to look at all the wonderful pictures of Michael Jackson and collect some magazines for my collection at home. I remember when the Michael Jackson bubblegum packs were out I would have to buy those like every week to see if I could collect new cards but eh I didn't really like the gum. :lol: I remember listening to the man like 4 times a day in like 3 different stations all the time and I was so amazed that a radio station that would play nothing but rock 'n' roll would play Beat It at least 4 times a day. It has been an amazing 25 years for me and I will never forget the Motown 25 when I first set eyes on Michael Jackson *sigh* it seems as though it was just yesterday. Sometimes I wish everyone would experience the excitement of Michaelmania and really know how it was back in the day. Thanks for sharing your wonderful stories fellow Thriller era fans. unk:

 

[Themidwestcowboy]

daamn i wish i was around for the thriller era, i wasen't even born.. thanks for sharing now atleast i good a good thought of how it was back when it was released

 

[Irish Flower]

Welcome Moddie. Those were the days. You brought back the memories. 'Thriller' was the first album I bought. Vinyl of course in a plastic sleeve. I remember it was a warm summer day when I bought it. I was around 11 at the time. Didn't have the channels then but we did have a Sunday programme called MT USA with Vincent Hanley who used to play music videos for 3 hours on a Sunday. And the man danced his way into my life with his piercing dark eyes one Sunday with his Billie Jean video and he has me hooked since. LOL!

 

[litia]

I love hearing these kinds of stories, :wub: Thanks for sharing with us, oldies :lol: :lol: (jk)
And do u have any memories about the Pepsi accident to share with us?

 

[Moddie777]

Thank you guys for your warm welcome. Yesterday, I was beginning to think, no one cared about this thread! Oh, how I love all the hype from back in the day. Stateof shock, I too remember all the posters and magazine covers. DAMN! I bought alomst everything that came out with his face on it and he was everywhere!!!!!!!!! Posters of him in the "beat it" outfit were in the window of the beautyshops, magazine stores and music stores. They were GIANT and full of color! He looked so goooooooooooooood!!!!

 

[ameliajayne]

I love hearing these kinds of stories, :wub: Thanks for sharing with us, oldies :lol: :lol: (jk)
And do u have any memories about the Pepsi accident to share with us?

thats one of my clearest memories of the era when it was on the news, i remember crying
and i remember we are the world being on the news.

 

[SoS]

I love hearing these kinds of stories, :wub: Thanks for sharing with us, oldies :lol: :lol: (jk)
And do u have any memories about the Pepsi accident to share with us?

Well, it was a Live and living moment, there was untold concern for him when it happened at least on my part. I didn't know any other per se "fans" who cared beyond the usual headlines but I prayed for him all the time that he would heal and that it wouldn't hurt him so much and that it wouldn't mess up his career. Actually it was frightening. One of my favorite (I had very few, just certain ones I mean) pics of him was filming the Pepsi commercial so I guess that's one reason it touched me so. Oh God, 1984 :sad: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times

the best of times nevertheless, the times he'd visit my town, I remember when he came to meet the President, I was so proud of him :wub:

I knew he wasn't into politics and I figured one reason he could feel good about meeting with Reagan was because he used to be a movie actor :lol:

at least that's what I admired about Mr. Raegan (sp) - why I didn't mind him being my President :lol: was that crazy or what :lol: I was a 'kid' early 20s and wasn't into politics either

 

[Moddie777]

Yes, I do remember the pepsi commercial incident.. If my memory is correct (sometimes it's not), The accident was "Breaking News", which meant, the network news interrupted regular programming to tell the story. There was also the live famous footage of Michael on a gurney covered in a blanket, with bandages on his head, waving to the crowd, I think he gave a thumbs up. This was showed every hour around the clock for several days. Every radio station announced it too.

 

[Lisha]

okay you're gonna have to explain to me how you could live in the L.A. area, the entertainment MECCA AND practically the HOME of Michael Jackson AND The Jacksons, and COMPLETELY MISS Michaelmania???!

oh ... must've been a prison there :scratch:sorry hadn't thought of solitary confinement


:toofunny: sorry i couldv'e resisted but

:lmao: i just COULDN'T!!

Oh great! Thanks for spilling the beans to everyone about my shaded past! :lol:

I can explain and it does NOT involve incarceration, ha!; but I think I just might tell ya via PM. Keep everyone else reeeeally wondering...

 

[SoS]

Thank you guys for your warm welcome. Yesterday, I was beginning to think, no one cared about this thread! Oh, how I love all the hype from back in the day. Stateof shock, I too remember all the posters and magazine covers. DAMN! I bought alomst everything that came out with his face on it and he was everywhere!!!!!!!!! Posters of him in the "beat it" outfit were in the window of the beautyshops, magazine stores and music stores. They were GIANT and full of color! He looked so goooooooooooooood!!!!

oh yes the Thriller era was just a magical time. Remember all the awards? It seemed like he was getting every kind of award all the time ... not just Grammys ... just everything :lol: it was magic alright. I felt so proud of him because y'know, feeling "we'd" gone back a long way (being part of the Jackson Five era also LOL yes i'm pretty OL..nvm) ...to me he was just this...this...this GUY who was just so focused and so special and for whom momentum was working madly in his favor, I was more proud of him and happy for him than anything. It was a wonderous time.

Almost like a global, American version, one-man Cinco de Mayo festival :lol: to me that was the Thriller era

 

[benscarr]

. I felt so proud of him because y'know, feeling "we'd" gone back a long way (being part of the Jackson Five era also LOL yes i'm pretty OL..nvm)

Your a Michael Jackson fan from the Jackson 5 era !!! ............ You must be one of the luckiest fans around to have experienced first hand all of Michael's eras. I wish I was old enough to have attended all of the Jackson 5/The Jacksons UK tours from 1972-79.