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Michael Jackson: Thriller (Epic)

Mark Rowland, Musician, February 1983

IT SEEMS only a matter of time now before Michael Jackson becomes a candy bar or a video game. His music, after all, that remarkably silky blend of infectious melody, whipcrack dance rhythm and high gloss production, seasoned and congealed by Jackson's own peppery tenor, is at least as much cultural artifact as pure art. So it's certainly no accident that Thriller features guest spots by Eddie Van Halen, Paul McCartney and Vincent Price, such disparate sensibilities yet all exemplars of pop mythologies sacred and profane, and each self-deprecating enough to never take any of that too seriously. So much the better to complement Michael Jackson's own sunny charisma and ingenuous ambition.

Total word count of piece: 404

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