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Putting into perspective the incalculable impact and pioneering significance of the best-selling album of all time – Michael Jackson's Thriller – has never been easy. Though Thriller lays claim to mind-boggling statistics that serve as reminders of how pervasive and indispensable it remains to music snobs and casual listeners alike, its essence always traces back to the greatness, power, and scope of the music. Now, as it celebrates its 40th anniversary, the record that reimagined pop; united audiences; made strides towards achieving racial equality; established the video as an artistic and commercial format; and taught the world how to dance sounds even more invigorating than it did during the advent of the Walkman. Mastered from the original analog master tapes, pressed at RTI, and limited to 40,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33rpm LP set does for Thriller what Jackson's unforgettable appearance on the "Motown 25" TV special in 1983 did for his career: It makes the music personal, human, desirable, relatable, imaginative – the definition of cool. This extraordinary reissue does so by presenting the songs in lifelike fashion, zeroing in on the fundamentals with laser focus, and magnifying the brilliance of the production, arrangements, and vocals in ways that let everyone experience Thriller as if hearing the album for the first time.

Surpassing the sonics of earlier reissues and pressings, Mobile Fidelity's 180g LP set strips away prior limitations and provides a clear, dynamic view of a landmark that crashed through every conceivable barrier and permanently transformed music, culture, and society. The expanse and depth of the soundstage, range of detail, percussive textures, air around the vocals, and natural decay of notes come through with demonstration-grade realism.

The gorgeous packaging of the Thriller Ud1s pressing befits the album's select status. Housed in an open-ended slipcase, the set features a special foil-stamped jacket and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. Aurally and visually, this reissue exists as a curatorial artifact meant to be preserved and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in everything involved with the album.

Given that no album released during the past four decades even approaches the magnitude of Thriller, everything about it remains important. Numbers – even the "40" tied to its anniversary – don't even tell half the story. The 1982 blockbuster has sold more than 34 million copies in the U.S.; globally, it has moved upwards of 70 million units. Thriller dominated the 1984 Grammy Awards, winning a record-breaking eight trophies and sweeping every major category. It repeated the feat at the American Music Awards. Seven of its nine songs were released as singles; each charted in the Top 10. Perhaps most astonishingly, Thriller topped the Top 200 Albums chart for 37 weeks during a 59-week stretch. Fast forward 24 years, and the album was the biggest-selling catalog title of 2008.

The record's unimpeachable accolades and archival standing help provide another frame of reference. Acclaimed upon arrival, Thriller topped The Village Voice's comprehensive Pazz & Jop poll in 1983. Included in both the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry and the Grammy Hall of Fame, Thriller was ranked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at No. 3 on its Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. Rolling Stone named it the 12th Greatest Album of All Time. Time deemed it "the greatest pop album of all time." The Independent called it "the most inspiring album of all time."

Thriller proved as influential as it did inspiring. Its unparalleled success, dazzling style, and sleek architecture changed every facet of culture and entertainment. The reverberations echoed throughout society. Thriller crossed over to mainstream channels and white audiences with a degree that no Black musician managed in decades (if ever); prompted MTV to give Black artists a widespread platform; elevated choreography and dance to higher-level artforms; shattered long-standing racial boundaries; and reconceptualized music via a genre- and color-blind blend of fleet pop, funk, disco, soul, and rock sent up with cinematic panache, oversized ambition, and dynamic energy.

Its effect on multitudes of subsequent artists cannot be overstated. Thriller opened up a new galaxy in which Prince soon strolled. It's the same universe that Usher, Maxwell, and Jamiroquai joined in the ‘90s and that contemporary headliners like Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and Bruno Mars orbit today. Their style-blurring identities, R&B-rooted foundations, and interdisciplinary approaches directly link to those on Thriller. Notably, the album's first single – "The Girl Is Mine," a duet and co-write with Beatles legend Paul McCartney – captured the record's unwillingness to cater to a specific race, generation, class, or style. Eddie Van Halen – at the time, the world's premier rock guitarist – performed a similar bridge role by supplying the electrifying solo on "Beat It."

Jackson, Quincy Jones, and company do the rest. Drop the needle on any track on Thriller and the insatiable desire to move takes hold. So do sensations of familiarity, pleasure, fun, and soulfulness. Be it the breathless, bass-laden swagger of the Moonwalking "Billie Jean"; horn-accented, post-disco slide of the gossip critique "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"; rousing tempo of the lush, sequin-adorned "P. Y. T. (Pretty Young Thing)"; gentle balladry and liquid vocal phrasing of "Human Nature"; vivid hybrid of funk-disco and horror-film drama of the title track; or streetwise strut and rhythmic fantasia of "Beat It," Thriller never lets up.

Sacd

Surpassing the sonics of earlier reissues and pressings, this hybrid Sacd strips away prior limitations and provides a clear, dynamic view of a landmark that crashed through every conceivable barrier and permanently transformed music, culture, and society. The expanse and depth of the soundstage, range of detail, percussive textures, air around the vocals, and natural decay of notes come through with demonstration-grade realism. Put simply, this reissue makes the phenomenon that is Thriller eternal.

Putting into perspective the incalculable impact and pioneering significance of the best-selling album of all time – Michael Jackson's Thriller – has never been easy. Though Thriller lays claim to mind-boggling statistics that serve as reminders of how pervasive and indispensable it remains to music snobs and casual listeners alike, its essence always traces back to the greatness, power, and scope of the music. Now, as it celebrates its 40th anniversary, the record that reimagined pop; united audiences; made strides towards achieving racial equality; established the video as an artistic and commercial format; and taught the world how to dance sounds even more invigorating than it did during the advent of the Walkman. Mastered from the original analog master tapes, pressed at RTI, and limited to 40,000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33rpm LP set does for Thriller what Jackson's unforgettable appearance on the "Motown 25" TV special in 1983 did for his career: It makes the music personal, human, desirable, relatable, imaginative – the definition of cool. This extraordinary reissue does so by presenting the songs in lifelike fashion, zeroing in on the fundamentals with laser focus, and magnifying the brilliance of the production, arrangements, and vocals in ways that let everyone experience Thriller as if hearing the album for the first time.

Surpassing the sonics of earlier reissues and pressings, Mobile Fidelity's 180g LP set strips away prior limitations and provides a clear, dynamic view of a landmark that crashed through every conceivable barrier and permanently transformed music, culture, and society. The expanse and depth of the soundstage, range of detail, percussive textures, air around the vocals, and natural decay of notes come through with demonstration-grade realism.

The gorgeous packaging of the Thriller Ud1s pressing befits the album's select status. Housed in an open-ended slipcase, the set features a special foil-stamped jacket and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. Aurally and visually, this reissue exists as a curatorial artifact meant to be preserved and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in everything involved with the album.

Given that no album released during the past four decades even approaches the magnitude of Thriller, everything about it remains important. Numbers – even the "40" tied to its anniversary – don't even tell half the story. The 1982 blockbuster has sold more than 34 million copies in the U.S.; globally, it has moved upwards of 70 million units. Thriller dominated the 1984 Grammy Awards, winning a record-breaking eight trophies and sweeping every major category. It repeated the feat at the American Music Awards. Seven of its nine songs were released as singles; each charted in the Top 10. Perhaps most astonishingly, Thriller topped the Top 200 Albums chart for 37 weeks during a 59-week stretch. Fast forward 24 years, and the album was the biggest-selling catalog title of 2008.

The record's unimpeachable accolades and archival standing help provide another frame of reference. Acclaimed upon arrival, Thriller topped The Village Voice's comprehensive Pazz & Jop poll in 1983. Included in both the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry and the Grammy Hall of Fame, Thriller was ranked by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at No. 3 on its Definitive 200 Albums of All Time. Rolling Stone named it the 12th Greatest Album of All Time. Time deemed it "the greatest pop album of all time." The Independent called it "the most inspiring album of all time."

Thriller proved as influential as it did inspiring. Its unparalleled success, dazzling style, and sleek architecture changed every facet of culture and entertainment. The reverberations echoed throughout society. Thriller crossed over to mainstream channels and white audiences with a degree that no Black musician managed in decades (if ever); prompted MTV to give Black artists a widespread platform; elevated choreography and dance to higher-level artforms; shattered long-standing racial boundaries; and reconceptualized music via a genre- and color-blind blend of fleet pop, funk, disco, soul, and rock sent up with cinematic panache, oversized ambition, and dynamic energy.

Its effect on multitudes of subsequent artists cannot be overstated. Thriller opened up a new galaxy in which Prince soon strolled. It's the same universe that Usher, Maxwell, and Jamiroquai joined in the ‘90s and that contemporary headliners like Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, and Bruno Mars orbit today. Their style-blurring identities, R&B-rooted foundations, and interdisciplinary approaches directly link to those on Thriller. Notably, the album's first single – "The Girl Is Mine," a duet and co-write with Beatles legend Paul McCartney – captured the record's unwillingness to cater to a specific race, generation, class, or style. Eddie Van Halen – at the time, the world's premier rock guitarist – performed a similar bridge role by supplying the electrifying solo on "Beat It."

Jackson, Quincy Jones, and company do the rest. Drop the needle on any track on Thriller and the insatiable desire to move takes hold. So do sensations of familiarity, pleasure, fun, and soulfulness. Be it the breathless, bass-laden swagger of the Moonwalking "Billie Jean"; horn-accented, post-disco slide of the gossip critique "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"; rousing tempo of the lush, sequin-adorned "P. Y. T. (Pretty Young Thing)"; gentle balladry and liquid vocal phrasing of "Human Nature"; vivid hybrid of funk-disco and horror-film drama of the title track; or streetwise strut and rhythmic fantasia of "Beat It," Thriller never lets up.

The Arms of Someone New formed in 1983 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois as the brainchild Mel Eberle and Steve Jones. Steve managed and helped record Mel’s band The First Things; while in the studio to demo some of Mel’s songs, they started collaborating. The idea for the Arms of Someone New was to combine Mel’s and Steve’s several varied interests in the Beatles, psychedelia, blues, new wave and post-punk to create a sound in which the listener would be enveloped, immersed. They drew inspiration from Joy Division, Young Marble Giants, Nico and Pink Floyd. Between 1983 and 1985 they released four cassettes, one 7” and one EP.

In September 1985, the duo self-released their debut full length ‘Susan Sleepwalking’ on Office Records. Equipped with simple keyboards, drum machines and jangly guitars, The Arms Of Someone New provided an American take on English folk, Ambient and Industrial music. The album is ten tracks of mood-filled music with sparse instrumentation and simple chord changes that paint pictures of stillness and calm. Psychedelic vocals add texture, producing an ethereal, dream-like quality. The Arms of Someone New challenges conformity by mixing styles, but without sacrificing unity. “‘Susan Sleepwalking’ could as well be retitled ‘Music for Interiors’ – both architectural and of the mind” – The Michigan Daily 1985.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring an blood red tinted photograph with ghostly textures. Each copy includes a 2-sided 11” square insert with lyrics, and press clipping from the band’s archive.

180 gram audiophile vinyl / 1986 ALBUM WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY THE TWO-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER AND ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME LEGEND / FEATURING THE SINGLE “WHAT ABOUT THE LOVE” / LIMITED EDITION ON PINK & PURPLE MARBLED VINYL

Billy Preston was an American musician, who encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk and gospel. He worked as a top session musician during the Sixties, backing artists such as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones and the Beatles amongst others. He is even the only non-Beatle musician to be given a credit on a Beatles recording at the band’s request. His solo career took off during the first half of the Sixties, but it was his early Seventies soul work that put him on the permanent musical map. You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down was one of Preston’s final studio albums and originally came out in 1986.