Thriller was THE album of the 1980s. Mixing a diverse range of styles, including R&B, soul, rock, funk, and pop, and spawning seven singles - all of which scored in the top 10 on the U.S. Billboard charts - Michael Jackson's Thriller was a cultural phenomenon that broke down musical barriers and helped set the stage for the MTV revolution which followed. Shifting an incredible 65 million copies worldwide and continuing as a consistent seller to the present day, Thriller has been the recipient of eight Grammy awards and has even been included in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry of culturally significant recordings. So it goes without saying that this is a prime candidate for multiple digitally remastered re-releases, once in 2001, and then again in 2008. This comparison does not include the bonus remixes on the remaster, which are of no interest to me, nor does it include the Vincent Price excerpt or the previously unreleased "For All Time." It includes only the nine original album tracks.
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
Baby Be Mine
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
The Girl Is Mine
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
Thriller
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
Beat It
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
Billie Jean
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
Human Nature
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
The Lady In My Life
1985 Epic CD release
2008 25th Anniversary remaster
And the winner is:1985 Epic CD release.
To be fair, the remaster generally sounds good despite the peak limiting that has been employed. There is definitely a loss in the high end frequencies when compared to the 1985 release, particularly in the drums/beats with the high hat and snare drum (noticeable right from the album opener "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin"), but this likely would not be important to a casual listener using low end equipment or an average car stereo. One song that I feel warrants special mention on the remaster is "Billie Jean." The techniques employed here alter the balance of the sound mix, causing the bass line to pump out with too much power relative to the rest of the mix, something that is particularly noticeable on a car stereo. Although the remaster is listenable, the 1985 Epic release sounds great all the way through, with the compact disc's dynamic range fully utilized, and I recommend it over the 2008 reissue.
