Michael Jackson, Thriller (1982)

Not rigged. I randomly landed on not one but two Michael Jackson albums in the span of two days, this time Thriller. Who can deny the historical importance of this album?

But let's forget about that. Is it as good as America remembers?

Well, yes. That's why it's endured.

Just look at the track list. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," ""Thriller," "Beat It," "Billie Jean." The so-called filler tracks never disappoint, either.

Premature, but I will call it: Thriller and the previously reviewed album Off the Wall (1979) are indubitably two of the top 100 albums.

This one, by the way, I've listened to a few times within the past couple months, not even thinking about its Rolling Stones ranking.

When Dante wrote his Inferno, he put the moneylenders in Hell. And yet the church still dealt with moneylenders. And yet the world runs on finance capital. This religious relationship with moneylenders is how I feel about Michael as a personality and musician.