(Read disc 1, disc 2, disc 3 disc 4, disc 5, disc 6, disc 7, disc 8, disc 9)
Michael Jackson – Thriller
Not only is this the best selling albums of all time it is one of the most important albums of the last 30 years. I know music isn’t important in the grand scheme of things but as far as the music business goes, this was a game changer. Thriller broke new ground with each single and video. Thriller helped break down colour barriers, no longer was Micheal Jackson a ‘black’ artist…he was an artist, period. After the end of disco, audiences were looking for a new sound to dance to, Thriller provided new, more urban but accessible R&B. Artists today still sample snippets from Thriller’s singles.
Coming at the dawn of the music video, Michael Jackson became synonymous with ground breaking videos. You cannot think of the songs, Beat It, Billy Jean or Thriller without picturing the accompanying videos. This was one of the first records to completely combine images with sound and in doing so propelled Michael Jackson into the stratosphere of stardom. A place he would not be able to recover from, sadly.