Thriller 25
Encyclopedia
Thriller 25 is a 25th anniversary special edition reissue of the Michael Jackson
album Thriller
, the world's best selling album. The prospect of a "second chapter" to Thriller was first publicly discussed on Access Hollywood
in late 2006. Jackson said he would discuss the idea with collaborator will.i.am
. It was released in Australia on February 8, 2008, then internationally on February 11, 2008 and the following day in the United States.
Thriller 25 was released by Sony BMG's re-issue division, Legacy Recordings
. In the United Kingdom, the BBFC
gave it a '15' certificate because it included the video for "Thriller". It is the first Jackson album with an age certificate. Along with the original material, the reissue contained remixes, new material, a DVD and collaborations with several contemporary artists.
Two singles, "The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" were released from the album to moderate success and a number of the other remixes charted, despite no physical release. Thriller 25 was a commercial success, selling three million copies worldwide in its 12 weeks and was generally well received among critics, despite their view that the new material was not as inspiring as the original.
, on November 30, 1982. With sales estimated to be over 100 million copies worldwide, Thriller became the best-selling album of all-time; the album was the first in history to yield seven top-ten singles. The success of Thriller put Jackson into the dominating position of pop music, becoming an international pop-cultural icon.
Jackson was asked about a "second chapter" to Thriller on Access Hollywood
in late 2006. He said he would discuss it with collaborator will.i.am
but hadn't yet considered it, "No I haven't really thought about it in that way but I would give it more thought. We haven't really discussed it yet, on that level, but I'm sure at some point we will. But it's a great thought." will.i.am served as executive producer
; the album's release was announced in an Epic Records
press release on November 30, 2007.
. Along with the original material there were seven bonus tracks. A new ballad called "For All Time", Vincent Price
's voice-over and five remixes featuring contemporary artists like Fergie and Akon
. It also includes a DVD
featuring three award-winning music videos, the Emmy
-nominated Motown 25
"Billie Jean" performance, and a booklet with a message from Jackson. "For All Time" supposedly dates from 1982, but leaks often credit it as being from Dangerous sessions. Despite this, a new bridge was used in the Thriller 25 release.
On the iTunes Store
, Zune Marketplace, and Amazon MP3
, a "Super Deluxe Edition" can be purchased which also features the bonus material from Thriller: Special Edition, "Billie Jean (Underground Mix)", an instrumental "Thriller" mix, an extended "Billie Jean" and a digital booklet
. Copies bought in Target
, Best Buy
, Circuit City and Independent Music Stores in the US feature the bonus tracks "Billie Jean (Four On The Floor Club Mix)", "Thriller (Def Thrill Remix)", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Extended 12" Mix)" and "Billie Jean (Four On The Floor Radio Mix)" respectively. Sony also released a "fan pack" containing Thriller 25 and the Number Ones DVD
.
and Facebook
were set up. On February 3, 2008 a Sobe advertisement was aired during Super Bowl XLII
to over 95 million Americans, with Naomi Campbell
and Sanam Nazar CGI
lizards dancing to "Thriller
". The ad aired again at the Grammys on February 10, 2008. In the United Kingdom, Odeon Cinemas
ran free "Thriller
" viewings on February 8 and February 9, 2008 and television adverts announcing the release were aired throughout Europe.
"The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" were the first singles taken from the album. "The Girl Is Mine 2008" reached number two in Japan, three in Mexico
, six in the Netherlands
and the top twenty positions in the major European markets. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" reached number three in Sweden
, four in New Zealand, eight in Australia, ten in France and thirty-two in Canada, but had disappointing sales in America. These were Jackson's first singles since "One More Chance
" in 2003. The album track "Beat It 2008" also began charting in European countries, reaching number 26 in Switzerland
, 31 in Denmark
, 43 in Sweden
, 60 in Japan, 74 in Germany, 75 in Austria
, and 77 in Canada. as did "Billie Jean 2008", reaching 91 in Germany.
' and 'Billie Jean
' remain startling in their futuristic funk and 'Baby Be Mine' ... sounds positively incandescent ..." Rolling Stone
gave it a full five stars while giving the original only four saying: "Thriller [25] has MJ at his breathiest and most salacious ('PYT
'), and his most beautifully fragile ('Human Nature
', so open and brave it makes 'She's Out of My Life
' seem phony)".
MTV
says, "... it's pretty rare to see a reissue loaded with as much contemporary appeal as this one", and reacted positively to the new tracks, calling them "silver bars". The new material received further praise, with the ballad "For All Time" being described as "perfectly fine" by Allmusic. Rolling Stone described the new version of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" as "actually kind of great — he [Akon] slows it down into a piano ballad, lingering over the easily obscured lyrics." Pop Matters stated that the new version of "The Girl Is Mine
" is better than the original, not losing anything with the removal of Paul McCartney
. However, most critics agreed that the new versions were not as inspiring as the originals; some even said that the guest artists were the wrong choice. Allmusic notes, "for whatever reason, such Michael-mimicking superstars as Justin Timberlake
and Chris Brown did not participate, but Akon, Fergie, and will.i.am did."
. The album has been certified gold in 11 countries, including the UK. In Poland, the album was certified gold, reaching number six on the chart on its release day, and is Jackson's highest charting album in Norway
. In France Thriller 25 received a 2x Gold certification, and in Poland
it was certified platinum.
In the United States, Thriller 25 was the second best-selling album of its release week, selling 166,000 copies, just 14,000 short of reaching the number one position. It was ineligible for the Billboard 200
chart as a re-release but entered the Pop Catalog Charts
at number one (where it stayed for ten non-consecutive weeks), with the best sales on that chart since December 1996. That November, Thriller 25 spent an 11th non-consecutive week atop the US catalog chart. This brought US sales of the album to 688,000 copies, making it the best-selling catalog album of 2008. To date sold 774,000 copies in the US. This was Jackson's best launch since Invincible in 2001, selling three million copies worldwide in 12 weeks.
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Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
album Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
, the world's best selling album. The prospect of a "second chapter" to Thriller was first publicly discussed on Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
in late 2006. Jackson said he would discuss the idea with collaborator will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
. It was released in Australia on February 8, 2008, then internationally on February 11, 2008 and the following day in the United States.
Thriller 25 was released by Sony BMG's re-issue division, Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated...
. In the United Kingdom, the BBFC
British Board of Film Classification
The British Board of Film Classification , originally British Board of Film Censors, is a non-governmental organisation, funded by the film industry and responsible for the national classification of films within the United Kingdom...
gave it a '15' certificate because it included the video for "Thriller". It is the first Jackson album with an age certificate. Along with the original material, the reissue contained remixes, new material, a DVD and collaborations with several contemporary artists.
Two singles, "The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" were released from the album to moderate success and a number of the other remixes charted, despite no physical release. Thriller 25 was a commercial success, selling three million copies worldwide in its 12 weeks and was generally well received among critics, despite their view that the new material was not as inspiring as the original.
Background
Jackson released his sixth studio album, ThrillerThriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
, on November 30, 1982. With sales estimated to be over 100 million copies worldwide, Thriller became the best-selling album of all-time; the album was the first in history to yield seven top-ten singles. The success of Thriller put Jackson into the dominating position of pop music, becoming an international pop-cultural icon.
Jackson was asked about a "second chapter" to Thriller on Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood
Access Hollywood is a weekday television entertainment news program covering events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was created by former Entertainment Tonight executive producer Jim Van Messel, and is currently directed by Robert Silverstein. In previous years, Doug Dougherty and...
in late 2006. He said he would discuss it with collaborator will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
but hadn't yet considered it, "No I haven't really thought about it in that way but I would give it more thought. We haven't really discussed it yet, on that level, but I'm sure at some point we will. But it's a great thought." will.i.am served as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
; the album's release was announced in an Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
press release on November 30, 2007.
Release
Thriller 25 was released on CD and vinylGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
. Along with the original material there were seven bonus tracks. A new ballad called "For All Time", Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
's voice-over and five remixes featuring contemporary artists like Fergie and Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
. It also includes a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
featuring three award-winning music videos, the Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-nominated Motown 25
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever is a 1983 television special produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to commemorate Motown's twenty-fifth year of existence. Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever is a 1983 television special produced by Suzanne de Passe for Motown Records, to...
"Billie Jean" performance, and a booklet with a message from Jackson. "For All Time" supposedly dates from 1982, but leaks often credit it as being from Dangerous sessions. Despite this, a new bridge was used in the Thriller 25 release.
On the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
, Zune Marketplace, and Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3 is an online music store owned and operated by Amazon.com. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights management from the four major music labels , as well as many independents...
, a "Super Deluxe Edition" can be purchased which also features the bonus material from Thriller: Special Edition, "Billie Jean (Underground Mix)", an instrumental "Thriller" mix, an extended "Billie Jean" and a digital booklet
Digital booklet
Digital booklets are the digital equivalent of liner notes that often accompany digital music purchases. They are most commonly distributed in Portable Document Format. One well-known distributor of digital booklets with digital purchases is the iTunes Store; the first instance of this on the...
. Copies bought in Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
, Circuit City and Independent Music Stores in the US feature the bonus tracks "Billie Jean (Four On The Floor Club Mix)", "Thriller (Def Thrill Remix)", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Extended 12" Mix)" and "Billie Jean (Four On The Floor Radio Mix)" respectively. Sony also released a "fan pack" containing Thriller 25 and the Number Ones DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Promotion
To help promote the album, Jackson's website was recreated and accounts on networking websites like MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
and Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
were set up. On February 3, 2008 a Sobe advertisement was aired during Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
to over 95 million Americans, with Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
and Sanam Nazar CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
lizards dancing to "Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
". The ad aired again at the Grammys on February 10, 2008. In the United Kingdom, Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
ran free "Thriller
Thriller (music video)
Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson....
" viewings on February 8 and February 9, 2008 and television adverts announcing the release were aired throughout Europe.
"The Girl Is Mine 2008" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" were the first singles taken from the album. "The Girl Is Mine 2008" reached number two in Japan, three in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, six in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the top twenty positions in the major European markets. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" reached number three in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, four in New Zealand, eight in Australia, ten in France and thirty-two in Canada, but had disappointing sales in America. These were Jackson's first singles since "One More Chance
One More Chance (Michael Jackson song)
"One More Chance" is a song written by R. Kelly for Michael Jackson and used on his Number Ones compilation album. It was released as a single on November 20, 2003, reaching #83 in the U.S., #5 in the UK and reaching #1 in Venezuela, Moldova and Turkey....
" in 2003. The album track "Beat It 2008" also began charting in European countries, reaching number 26 in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, 31 in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, 43 in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, 60 in Japan, 74 in Germany, 75 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and 77 in Canada. as did "Billie Jean 2008", reaching 91 in Germany.
Critical
Critics reacted positively to the album, much like their review on the original. All reviews noted that the album is still enjoyable, twenty-five years on. Allmusic explains, "... 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was released on May 8, 1983, by Epic Records as the fourth single from Jackson's sixth studio album Thriller in 1982. It is the first song on Thriller...
' and 'Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
' remain startling in their futuristic funk and 'Baby Be Mine' ... sounds positively incandescent ..." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave it a full five stars while giving the original only four saying: "Thriller [25] has MJ at his breathiest and most salacious ('PYT
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
"P.Y.T. " is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The original demo version of the song was written by Jackson and Greg Phillinganes. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller . Quincy Jones passed on the song itself but liked the title and, with James Ingram,...
'), and his most beautifully fragile ('Human Nature
Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)
"Human Nature" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written and composed by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the fifth single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Initially, Porcaro had recorded a rough demo of the song on a...
', so open and brave it makes 'She's Out of My Life
She's Out of My Life
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera...
' seem phony)".
MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
says, "... it's pretty rare to see a reissue loaded with as much contemporary appeal as this one", and reacted positively to the new tracks, calling them "silver bars". The new material received further praise, with the ballad "For All Time" being described as "perfectly fine" by Allmusic. Rolling Stone described the new version of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" as "actually kind of great — he [Akon] slows it down into a piano ballad, lingering over the easily obscured lyrics." Pop Matters stated that the new version of "The Girl Is Mine
The Girl Is Mine
"The Girl Is Mine" is a song by Michael Jackson featuring Paul McCartney. It is the first single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller. It is one of the three songs that Jackson and McCartney recorded together. McCartney is the only featured guest on the album. The track was written and...
" is better than the original, not losing anything with the removal of Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. However, most critics agreed that the new versions were not as inspiring as the originals; some even said that the guest artists were the wrong choice. Allmusic notes, "for whatever reason, such Michael-mimicking superstars as Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
and Chris Brown did not participate, but Akon, Fergie, and will.i.am did."
Commercial
Thriller 25 was a commercial success, doing particularly well as a re-issue. It peaked at number one in eight countries and Europe. It peaked at number two in the United States, number three in the United Kingdom and reached the top ten in over 30 national charts. Thriller 25 spent three weeks at number one in France and two weeks at number one in BelgiumBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The album has been certified gold in 11 countries, including the UK. In Poland, the album was certified gold, reaching number six on the chart on its release day, and is Jackson's highest charting album in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. In France Thriller 25 received a 2x Gold certification, and in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
it was certified platinum.
In the United States, Thriller 25 was the second best-selling album of its release week, selling 166,000 copies, just 14,000 short of reaching the number one position. It was ineligible for the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart as a re-release but entered the Pop Catalog Charts
Top Pop Catalog Albums
Top Pop Catalog Albums is a fifty-position weekly albums chart produced by Billboard magazine which ranks the best selling catalog titles, regardless of genre. Billboard defines a catalog title as one that is more than eighteen months old and that has fallen below position 100 on the Billboard 200...
at number one (where it stayed for ten non-consecutive weeks), with the best sales on that chart since December 1996. That November, Thriller 25 spent an 11th non-consecutive week atop the US catalog chart. This brought US sales of the album to 688,000 copies, making it the best-selling catalog album of 2008. To date sold 774,000 copies in the US. This was Jackson's best launch since Invincible in 2001, selling three million copies worldwide in 12 weeks.
Track listing
Notes- On the iTunes Super Deluxe Edition, it includes an extra track "Billie Jean (Long Version)" as track number 17 moving "Thriller (Instrumental)" as track number 31.
- The Target, Best Buy, and Independent US Music Store Bonus Track editions were labeled incorrectly as "Billie Jean (1982 Club Remix)", "Thriller (1982 Def Remix)", and "Billie Jean (1982 Radio Edit Mix)" respectively. These mixes were actually made in 1992, as part of a remix project by Jackson and various DJs in the early '90s.
- The Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Independent US Music Store releases do not mention the bonus tracks in the booklet, but they do appear as separate tracks on the CD. The bonus tracks are only mentioned on a sticker that appears with these respective releases.
Thriller 25: Japanese Single Collection (Japanese exclusive)
In 2008 a limited edition of Thriller 25 was released in Japan.CD 1
- "The Girl Is Mine"
- "Can't Get Outta the Rain"
CD 2
- "Billie Jean"
- "It's the Falling In Love"
CD 3
- "Beat It"
- "Get On the Floor"
CD 4
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Instrumental)
CD 5
- "Human Nature"
- "Baby Be Mine"
CD 6
- "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
- "Workin' Day and Night" (Live recording, from the 1981 album The Jacksons Live!The Jacksons Live!The Jacksons Live! is a live album by The Jacksons, recorded during their North American tour in fall 1981, known as the Triumph Tour, and released in November 1981. The live double album was culled from recordings made in August 1981 on the tour's stops in Buffalo, NY; Providence, RI; Atlanta, GA;...
)
CD 7
- "Thriller"
- "Things I Do for You" (Live recording, from the 1981 album The Jacksons Live!)
Charts, certifications and sales
| Chart | Peak position |
Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | – | 2x Gold | 40,000 |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
5 | ||
| Australia ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
2 | Gold | 35,000 |
| Brazil Top 10 CD | 2 | Gold | 50,000 |
| Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
1 | Gold | 15,000 |
| Canada | 2 | Gold | 50,000 |
| Colombia Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... |
1 | ||
| Czech Republic Czech Republic The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.... |
6 | ||
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
2 | ||
| Europe European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 | ||
| Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... |
5 | ||
| France | 1 | 2x Platinum | 240,000 |
| Germany Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
2 | ||
| Greece Greece Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe.... |
7 | ||
| Hungary Hungary Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The... |
Platinum | ||
| Ireland | 2 | Platinum | 7,500+ |
| Italy | 6 | Platinum | 70,000 |
| Korea Korea Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the... |
1 | ||
| Mexico AMPROFON Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas is a non-profit organization integrated by multinational and national record companies in Mexico. Established on April 3, 1963, it groups phonographic companies that represent more than 70 percent of the market in Mexico... |
1 | 2x Platinum | 200,000 |
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
2 | ||
| New Zealand | 1 | ||
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
1 | Gold (CD), Platinum (DVD) | 15,000 |
| Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
1 | Platinum | 20,000 |
| Portugal Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the... |
2 | Gold | 10,000 |
| Spain | 2 | Gold | 40,000 |
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
2 | Gold (CD), Platinum (DVD) | 20,000 |
| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
2 | Gold (CD), 2 x Platinum (DVD) | 15,000 |
| Thailand Thailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... |
1 | ||
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
3 | Platinum | 300,000 |
| U.S. Catalog Top Pop Catalog Albums Top Pop Catalog Albums is a fifty-position weekly albums chart produced by Billboard magazine which ranks the best selling catalog titles, regardless of genre. Billboard defines a catalog title as one that is more than eighteen months old and that has fallen below position 100 on the Billboard 200... |
1 | 774,000 | |
| U.S. Comprehensive | 2 | ||
| World Sales | 3,000,000 |
|}
End of year charts
| Year | Country | Chart | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Australia | ARIA | 37 |
Credits
"The Girl Is Mine 2008"
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008"
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008"
|
"Beat It 2008"
"Billie Jean 2008"
"For All Time"
|
Release history
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
February 8, 2008 |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
|
| Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
|
| Philippines Philippines The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam... |
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| Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
February 11, 2008 |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
February 12, 2008 |
| Taiwan Taiwan Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following... |
February 15, 2008 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
February 20, 2008 |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
March 11, 2008 |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
March 28, 2008 |
| Haiti Haiti Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island... |
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| South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
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| Tanzania Tanzania The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state... |