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THRILLER Back On Top Of Billboard Charts

And Bill Wyman dared to question Thriller's sales! :beee:

As much as I feel happy Thriller continues selling 30 years later and I discovered Michael thanks to that album, it isn't his best one, Dangerous and HIStory are. I wish those would get more attention to sell more.
 
I know that people in the media didn't like the angry direction that Michael went with the HIStory album but after 93 with those false allegations what did they expect? For him to go back singing harmless pop songs like Rock With You as if nothing ever happened?
 
Most casual music buyers are either buying greatest hits compilations or the most famous studio albums (when we are not talking about new releases). Whether it's fair or not Thriller is considered Michael's most legendary album by the general public so that will always be Michael's best-seller (I personally prefer Dangerous). But his GH compilations also sell: two weeks ago Essential and Number Ones were also on Billboard 200 and those include lot of songs from other albums.

I agree that Off The Wall should be given a proper celebration. I'm very much into that album and that sound now! I also think that beside Thriller OTW is the album that the American public would be most receptive of.

I know that people in the media didn't like the angry direction that Michael went with the HIStory album but after 93 with those false allegations what did they expect? For him to go back singing harmless pop songs like Rock With You as if nothing ever happened?
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The media didn't like it because they were a big part of the system Michael criticized on it.
 
Re: Thriller back on top

billyworld99 said:
Does the Billboard hot 100 count digital/mp3 version of the album? i thougt it only count physical albums
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Yes, they do, since July 2004.
"Thriller" has sold 374,168 (86th best sellig digital album of all time in the USA) digital copies so far.

Mike's best selling digital album is "The Essential" with 443,106 (52th on the all time list for The USA)

Source: Nielsen Soundscan
 
Off The Wall has always the only album besides Thriller that music critics will give credit to. Because they like to pretend it's a more obscure album, and because he was much more publicly acceptable as a person than he was with Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Blood on the Dancefloor, Invincible.

I always roll my eyes at how hard they go with Off The Wall though, I remember one critic claiming MJ's best most natural dancing was in the Don't Stop video. Anything to have to act like everything that he did after 1983 was irrelevant.
 
la_cienega said:
I remember one critic claiming MJ's best most natural dancing was in the Don't Stop video. Anything to have to act like everything that he did after 1983 was irrelevant.
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Of course he would say that because if Michael remained dancing like he did in Don't Stop, we wouldn't have the iconic moves for Billie Jean, especially, which sent Michael's dancing moves global and created a moonwalk craze. As you say let's destroy/dismiss everything that has global appeal to fans & sets him apart from his peers. In fact in his art, Michael has no peers.
 
la_cienega said:
Off The Wall has always the only album besides Thriller that music critics will give credit to. Because they like to pretend it's a more obscure album, and because he was much more publicly acceptable as a person than he was with Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Blood on the Dancefloor, Invincible.

I always roll my eyes at how hard they go with Off The Wall though, I remember one critic claiming MJ's best most natural dancing was in the Don't Stop video. Anything to have to act like everything that he did after 1983 was irrelevant.
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well, the media would like you to think MJ was more publicly acceptable as a person, up to 'Bad'. The biggest fanbase in history will tell you that he was just as acceptable, afterward. However, having taken 24 hours to get your point, I shouldn't have responded to your post, even though what I said was true.
 
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la_cienega said:
Off The Wall has always the only album besides Thriller that music critics will give credit to. Because they like to pretend it's a more obscure album, and because he was much more publicly acceptable as a person than he was with Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Blood on the Dancefloor, Invincible.

I always roll my eyes at how hard they go with Off The Wall though, I remember one critic claiming MJ's best most natural dancing was in the Don't Stop video. Anything to have to act like everything that he did after 1983 was irrelevant.
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Yes. I think the public outside of the US is more open to post-Thriller Michael, but the US general public is brainwashed into this thing that the only acceptable MJ were OTW- and Thriller-era MJ. I think that has a lot to do with racial hung-ups in the US. It seems to me that the US was the most concerened about Michael's lightening skin.

That OTW is so critically praised in the hindsight is interesting because at the time critics tried hard to ignore OTW as well. Rolling Stone did not want to give it a cover story. They did not want to acknowledge it at the Grammys etc.

Another reason I think the US public might be more receptive of it than the later albums, it's because it's a fun dance album. It seems US critics wanted MJ to do just fun, dance music instead of deeper social criticism like on later albums.

Nevertheless I love OTW. Of course, I too wish that the US public would be more open-minded to Michael's later work as well.
 
I don't know any other album that has the legs of Thriller to still sell well after 30 years, esepcially around Halloween. MJFC have archives on how Thriller consistently sold throughout the 2000's decades along with his greatest hits compliations.
 
Maybe I sound naive but I think more people can appreciate Michael beyond Thriller and Bad because the younger and newer fans can be more open minded. The younger generation isn't as harsh. I think there are people who can look beyond Michael's appearance because of the vitiligo and the tabloid nonsense. I hope anyway.
 
I wish radios would play more variety of MJs songs, i never hear anything other than Billie Jean or Beat It on my local stations, maybe if they played more lesser known singles from other albums it might tempt people to buy his other albums too, which im sure many will agree are better albums, with no disrespect to Thriller, it is a brilliant album of course.
 
la_cienega said:
Off The Wall has always the only album besides Thriller that music critics will give credit to. Because they like to pretend it's a more obscure album, and because he was much more publicly acceptable as a person than he was with Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Blood on the Dancefloor, Invincible.

I always roll my eyes at how hard they go with Off The Wall though, I remember one critic claiming MJ's best most natural dancing was in the Don't Stop video. Anything to have to act like everything that he did after 1983 was irrelevant.
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I think that one of the reasons why the media give credit to Off The Wall is because that was a time when Michael was ''in his place'' as a black artist. When Thriller came out and Michael started breaking tons of records that's when the media turned on him. They wanted him ''back in his place'' as a black artist

''When i broke Beatles records and Elvis's records. Overnight they (the media) called me a freak, they called me a homosexual, they called me a child molester. They made everything to try and turn the public against me'' - Michael Jackson
 
respect77 said:
Most casual music buyers are either buying greatest hits compilations or the most famous studio albums (when we are not talking about new releases). Whether it's fair or not Thriller is considered Michael's most legendary album by the general public so that will always be Michael's best-seller (I personally prefer Dangerous). But his GH compilations also sell: two weeks ago Essential and Number Ones were also on Billboard 200 and those include lot of songs from other albums.
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There's also new fans. Thriller and Greatest Hits albums are usually the starting point for new fans.
 
I've got the impression the media embraced (to call somehow) way too much Michael's skin color (physical appearance pre and duringThriller) and they couldn't stand the fact he didn't stick to stereotypical straight black man, they tried to destroy him because of it and didn't succeed. he has legions of fans either way.
 
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respect77 said:
Another reason I think the US public might be more receptive of it than the later albums, it's because it's a fun dance album. It seems US critics wanted MJ to do just fun, dance music instead of deeper social criticism like on later albums.
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You Are Not Alone is a perfect example of critics only wanted MJ to do harmless songs. They call You Are Not Alone the best song on HIStory because it's the harmless love song on the album but (In my opinion) it's one of the weaker songs on that album.
 
^ Thats very true, i hadnt thought about that. Its crazy you cant please everyone, and definately dont want to do the exact same thing album after album
 
You Are Not Alone is one of my fav songs on the album. I think that the fact that it hit number 1 with a bullet, and the fact that it was Michael, forced critics to look at the entire album, and end up whining like they did. It was a genius move by Michael that caused everyone to pay attention to the other songs. If that song wasn't on the album, critics would have an excuse not to pay attention to the songs with bite in them, because they could say they 'didn't notice' the album. Turns out the album sold remarkably well..and that's what counts. Critics were forced to face the music, because the album helped keep MJ in orbit in popularity, starting with You Are Not Alone. I believe the song was used for Sandy Hook elementary, which brought more people to Michael, and his teachings, and his goodness, and Thriller, and continuing the best sellingness, and, therefore, more enlightening of more souls by MJ's shining example, all at the same time.
MJ accomplished much, in the way of substance for so many human beings, by injecting substantialisms in songs such as You Are Not Alone, and, therefore, making harmless pop legitimate. You Are Not Alone ushered in social change. It served its purpose. Michael gave substance to something that once had no substance. Only Michael. So many artists before Michael wanted people and critics to pay attention to the 'more substantial' material, but the lack of popularity, when those artists tried to go into another direction, kept those artists from serving their purpose. For Michael, it was songs like 'Rock With You' that happened to have substance, and 'Don't Stop..' that had substance that positioned all of Michael's albums to serve the purpose that other artists before him, failed at. So, to me, Billie Jean is as important as Little Susie. A lot more people know of Little Susie, than they would have if some other artist did it, because of Michael's genius with pop sensibilities. He was able to give esoteric music the pop sensibility that others before him, and since him, could not do. That's why he's been and still is envied so much.
 
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Thriller is a BADass legendary album and it will forever sell great!

Todays music is based on the foundation that is Thriller!
 
Wait till the Spike Lee doc comes out & Immortal goes to some more countries & you will see some more interesting charting again.
 
I now believe that Michael will never be outsold and will remain the best selling artist forever!!!

Thats because Michael's music has never stopped selling from the moment they were released!!!!!!
 
Annita said:
Thriller is 80 this week on BB200 and 4 on Catalog Album-charts

http://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200?page=3
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This week it's 84. Interesting that beyonce's most recent album was just one place above thriller last week and now 4 places above it. What with the inauguration, the superbowl, the oprah show, the big documentary and just the general redefining of the word 'overexposure' - promotion on it's own doesn't shift units.
 
Awesome run! :clapping:

It's great to see the album up there, selling like current hit albums (Frank Ocean's much hyped Channel Orange is at #67 for example). 31 years after its release.
 
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Re: Thriller back on top

Michael_lover said:
Thriller is a great album but not the greatest. I become angry when people talk all the time only about thriller. Michael has peaked lot of times after the thriller.. BAD, DANGEROUS, HISTORY, INVINCIBLE...There is not only ?hriller. And of course with OFF THE WALL before.
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So true... Off the wall never gets enough credit, its an amazing album. Everybody just talks about Thriller.
 
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