2012年11月22日 — 1982年11月30日，當邁克爾•傑克遜（Michael Jackson）的《顫慄》（Thriller）發行時，昆西•鐘斯（Quincy Jones）可沒想過製作一張有史以來最暢銷的專輯。
“我們根本的目標是去掉迪斯可元素，這是底線，”昆西上個月在丹佛參加全球唐氏綜合症基金會（Global Down Syndrome Foundation）募捐活動時如是說。
任務完成了。
“我喜歡迪斯可，別誤解了我的意思，我只是認為迪斯可當時已經氾濫了，”他說，“我們需要涉及其他曲風。”他們達到了流行音樂從未涉及領域：一部14分鐘的音樂錄影帶，它幾乎衝破了MTV的種族界限。月球漫步熱潮，範•海倫（Van Halen）在《避開》（Beat It）中的吉他即興演奏，幾十年來僵屍群舞取代了熱鬧婚宴上的小花招。
30年前的這個月當碰針觸碰到唱片時，宿舍舞會派對永遠改變了。不，看看這個。第一首平凡的單曲是和保羅•麥卡特尼（Paul McCartney）合唱的《這個女孩是我的》（The Girl Is Mine）。毫不意外的是，這首單曲發行兩個月後，《顫慄》還沒有登上榜單第一名。
第二支單曲《比利珍》（Billie Jean）才成就了傑克遜“流行音樂之王”（King of Pop）的地位，並使《顫慄》走上1億4百萬銷量的道路，這是一個在專輯銷售上再也不可能企及的數字。
第一張真正意義上的多媒體專輯是“終極跨界的夢想，一首適時和超前的歌曲，”紐約時報（The New York Times）這樣寫到。從約翰•蘭迪斯（John Landis）的電影《美國狼人在紐約》（An American Werewolf in London）而改編的迷你短片在接下來的10年中改變了所有流行歌曲的製作。《顫慄》之後，每首歌曲都要構思一部音樂錄影帶。儘管在MTV台音樂錄影帶長久以來就讓位給爛俗的真人秀節目，但是《顫慄》的文化影響仍然被世界所感知。
“我們去的任何地方，”鐘斯說，“不論在索維托（Soweto）、開羅（Cairo）、蒙特卡洛（Monte Carlo）、阿布扎比（Abu Dhabi）或是上海（Shanghai），如果我們在午夜去迪斯可派對，仍然會聽到這首歌。”
“午夜降至，邪惡的東西隱藏在暗處……”
現居戈登（Golden）的科羅拉多州立大學（Colorado State University）畢業生瑞斯•利文斯頓（Reece Livingstone）曾是《顫慄》音樂錄影帶的一名舞者。你可以在一個街道場景的特寫鏡頭中，看到血從他口中流出。他後來在洛杉磯中南部的一所高中教高危學生，傑克遜拜訪過這所學校，那時是《顫慄》發行一年後。
“學校裏一個非常氣憤的黑人小孩認為傑克遜是個叛徒，對自己的膚色很不滿意。”利文斯頓說。那天，傑克遜與這個小孩握了握手，“從那時起，他就像變了一個人。我從那次經歷中得到的體會是，正因為邁克爾•傑克遜，那個小孩才沒死。”公平的說大多數人都親身體驗到了《顫慄》熱潮。丹佛的喬什•戈夫戈（Josh Gaffga）就是其中一員。
戈夫戈在長島長大，他和兄弟們為鄰居家的孩子們表演對口型演唱《顫慄》，每件運動服上都署有MJ夾克字樣。傑克遜2009年去世後，戈夫戈將一張古老的“皮革”三人組的照片發到“囧家庭照”網站上。現在戈夫戈家兄弟們的照片可以在特許經營的桌面遊戲、拼圖遊戲、生日賀卡上看到，最近，他們的照片印在了布魯姆菲爾德（Broomfield）一家服裝店出售的T恤上。
“我們根本的目標是去掉迪斯可元素，這是底線，”昆西上個月在丹佛參加全球唐氏綜合症基金會（Global Down Syndrome Foundation）募捐活動時如是說。
任務完成了。
“我喜歡迪斯可，別誤解了我的意思，我只是認為迪斯可當時已經氾濫了，”他說，“我們需要涉及其他曲風。”他們達到了流行音樂從未涉及領域：一部14分鐘的音樂錄影帶，它幾乎衝破了MTV的種族界限。月球漫步熱潮，範•海倫（Van Halen）在《避開》（Beat It）中的吉他即興演奏，幾十年來僵屍群舞取代了熱鬧婚宴上的小花招。
30年前的這個月當碰針觸碰到唱片時，宿舍舞會派對永遠改變了。不，看看這個。第一首平凡的單曲是和保羅•麥卡特尼（Paul McCartney）合唱的《這個女孩是我的》（The Girl Is Mine）。毫不意外的是，這首單曲發行兩個月後，《顫慄》還沒有登上榜單第一名。
第二支單曲《比利珍》（Billie Jean）才成就了傑克遜“流行音樂之王”（King of Pop）的地位，並使《顫慄》走上1億4百萬銷量的道路，這是一個在專輯銷售上再也不可能企及的數字。
第一張真正意義上的多媒體專輯是“終極跨界的夢想，一首適時和超前的歌曲，”紐約時報（The New York Times）這樣寫到。從約翰•蘭迪斯（John Landis）的電影《美國狼人在紐約》（An American Werewolf in London）而改編的迷你短片在接下來的10年中改變了所有流行歌曲的製作。《顫慄》之後，每首歌曲都要構思一部音樂錄影帶。儘管在MTV台音樂錄影帶長久以來就讓位給爛俗的真人秀節目，但是《顫慄》的文化影響仍然被世界所感知。
“我們去的任何地方，”鐘斯說，“不論在索維托（Soweto）、開羅（Cairo）、蒙特卡洛（Monte Carlo）、阿布扎比（Abu Dhabi）或是上海（Shanghai），如果我們在午夜去迪斯可派對，仍然會聽到這首歌。”
“午夜降至，邪惡的東西隱藏在暗處……”
現居戈登（Golden）的科羅拉多州立大學（Colorado State University）畢業生瑞斯•利文斯頓（Reece Livingstone）曾是《顫慄》音樂錄影帶的一名舞者。你可以在一個街道場景的特寫鏡頭中，看到血從他口中流出。他後來在洛杉磯中南部的一所高中教高危學生，傑克遜拜訪過這所學校，那時是《顫慄》發行一年後。
“學校裏一個非常氣憤的黑人小孩認為傑克遜是個叛徒，對自己的膚色很不滿意。”利文斯頓說。那天，傑克遜與這個小孩握了握手，“從那時起，他就像變了一個人。我從那次經歷中得到的體會是，正因為邁克爾•傑克遜，那個小孩才沒死。”公平的說大多數人都親身體驗到了《顫慄》熱潮。丹佛的喬什•戈夫戈（Josh Gaffga）就是其中一員。
戈夫戈在長島長大，他和兄弟們為鄰居家的孩子們表演對口型演唱《顫慄》，每件運動服上都署有MJ夾克字樣。傑克遜2009年去世後，戈夫戈將一張古老的“皮革”三人組的照片發到“囧家庭照”網站上。現在戈夫戈家兄弟們的照片可以在特許經營的桌面遊戲、拼圖遊戲、生日賀卡上看到，最近，他們的照片印在了布魯姆菲爾德（Broomfield）一家服裝店出售的T恤上。
當丹佛演員墨菲•馮克豪斯•凱普斯（Murphy Funkhouser Capps）的軍人父親被分配到美國本土時，她7歲以前一直生活在海外。
“我們1982年回到美國，我在電視上看到的第一個節目就是邁克爾•傑克遜的音樂錄影帶，”她說，“我的第一反應是‘哇！！這是美國？太棒了。’”丹佛的陸軍老兵約翰•保羅•羅哈斯（John Paul Rojas）當時只有9歲，他在內布拉斯加州西德尼長大，如此感受這股熱潮，“我記得這張專輯播放時，我穿著連體的睡衣在我家光滑的油布地板上滑來滑去，我的父母正逗他們的朋友開心，”他說。第二年，他的父母給他買了一件MJ樣式的夾克和一隻閃閃發光的手套以及一件野馬隊的外套作為聖誕禮物。“比起MJ夾克，人們都取笑我的野馬隊外套。”
1982年是流行音樂經歷快速變化的一年，舞曲變得更加搖滾化。當時與傑克遜同時代的藝人包括衝撞樂隊（the Clash）、布魯斯•斯普林斯汀（Bruce Springsteen）、U2樂隊、艾爾維斯•科斯特羅（Elvis Costello ）、洛克西樂隊（Roxy Music）、皇后樂隊（Queen）、杜蘭杜蘭樂隊（Duran Duran）、湯瑪斯•杜比（Thomas Dolby）和彼得•蓋布瑞爾（Peter Gabriel）、但《顫慄》之前最暢銷的單曲可能是英國新浪潮樂隊海鷗群（Flock of Seagulls）的《奔跑》（I Ran）。
《顫慄》只收錄了9首歌，但有四首暢銷單曲 — 搖滾曲風的《避開》（Beat It）、民謠歌曲《人性》（Human Nature）、R&B熱門舞曲《想要挑起事端》（Wanna Be Starting Something）以及專輯同名歌曲。但是評論家們並不認為《顫慄》是1982年的最佳專輯，大多數偏愛王子（Prince）的電子放克的先鋒之作《1999》雙碟。
利文斯頓記得那時MTV台很少播出有色藝人的作品而感到“有些氣憤”，並稱傑克遜享受衝破這個界限。
鐘斯說《顫慄》30周年紀念日很可能因為傑克遜的去世平平淡淡的就過去了。他說他還無法對傑克遜的去世釋懷。
“有人在50歲的年紀就離開了我們，是多麼的不幸，”鐘斯說，傑克遜去世時他在盧森堡，“我受公爵和公爵夫人的邀請去了那裏，有支樂隊在機場熱烈的歡迎我們，進城的路上，公爵告訴我‘哦，順便說一句，法拉•福西特（Farrah Fawcett）、艾德•麥克馬洪（Ed McMahon）和邁克爾•傑克遜剛剛去世了’這猶如晴天霹靂……。”
“邁克爾擁有一切“天賦、優雅、專業、奉獻。他是完美的藝人，他的貢獻和遺產將永遠流傳。”
Remembering Michael Jackson as "Thriller" turns 30
11/21/2012
Remembering Michael Jackson as "Thriller" turns 30 - The Denver Post
When Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was released on Nov. 30, 1982, Quincy Jones' goal was not to produce the highest-selling album in history.
"Our underlying plan was to take disco out. That was the bottom line," Jones said last month while attending a fundraiser for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in Denver .
Mission accomplished.
"I admired disco, don't get me wrong. I just thought that it had gone far enough," he said. "We needed to go someplace else."
They went places pop music had never gone before: A 14-minute music video that all but obliterated MTV's color line. The moonwalk dance craze. The Van Halen-infused "Beat It" guitar riff. The zombie line-dance that supplanted the hokey-pokey at cheesy wedding receptions for decades to come.
From the moment needle touched vinyl 30 years ago this month, dorm-room dance parties changed forever. No, check that. The utterly ordinary first single was the Paul McCartney duet, "The Girl Is Mine." No surprise that two months after its release, "Thriller" still hadn't reached No. 1.
It was the second single, "Billie Jean," that made Jackson the King of Pop and catapulted "Thriller" on its way to 104 million records sold, a figure unlikely ever to be touched in an industry that no longer subsists on album sales.
The first true multimedia album was "the ultimate crossover dream, a song both timely and out of its time," wrote The New York Times. And then there was that John Landis mini-movie takeoff on "An American Werewolf in London" that changed the way all pop songs would be crafted for the next decade. After "Thriller," every song would be conceived with its video in mind. And even though vids have long-since made way for slime-ball reality TV on MTV stations, the cultural impact of "Thriller" is still being felt worldwide.
"Everywhere we go," said Jones, "I don't care if it's Soweto or Cairo or Monte Carlo or Abu Dhabi or Shanghai , if we're at a disco at midnight, they still play that song."
"It's close to midnight, and something evil's lurking in the dark..."
Reece Livingstone, a Colorado State University graduate now living in Golden, was a zombie dancer in the "Thriller" video. You can see blood coming out of his mouth in a street-scene close-up. He went on to teach at-risk students at a South Central Los Angeles high school where Jackson visited a year after "Thriller" was released.
"One really angry black kid at the school thought Jackson was a sellout who was not content with the color of his skin," Livingstone
Quincy Jones was in Denver again last month for the annual "Be Beautiful Be Yourself" Fashion Show for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. ( Craig F. Walker, The Denver Post)said. Jackson shook the teen's hand that day, "and from that moment on, he was a different person. The one legacy I take from that whole experience was that, because of Michael Jackson, that kid is not dead."
It's fair to say that most people have first-hand experience with the "Thriller" craze. Denver 's Josh Gaffga does.
When he was growing up on Long Island , Gaffga and his brothers put on "Thriller" lip-sync shows for neighborhood kids, each sporting signature M.J. jackets. After Jackson died in 2009, Gaffga sent a vintage photo of the "pleather" trio to the Awkward Family Photos website. Now the Brothers Gaffga are featured in the franchise's board game, jigsaw puzzle, on Target birthday cards, and, most recently, on a T-shirt sold at the Buckle clothing store in Broomfield .
Former Denver actor Murphy Funkhouser Capps lived overseas until she was 7, when her military father was assigned stateside.
"We came home in 1982, and the first thing I saw on TV was a Michael Jackson video," she said. "My first thought was, 'Whoa ... this is America ? Awesome.' "
Army veteran John Paul Rojas of Denver was 9 and growing up in Sidney, Neb., when he caught the fever: "I remember sliding around on our shiny, linoleum floor in my onesies PJs with that album playing while my parents entertained their friends," he said. The next year his parents bought Rojas a red M.J. jacket with a glittery glove for Christmas — and a Broncos coat. "And I was teased more for the Broncos coat than for the M.J. jacket," he said.
1982 was a time when pop music was undergoing sonic changes, with dance music becoming more rock-oriented. Jackson 's contemporaries included the Clash, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Elvis Costello, Roxy Music, Queen, Duran Duran, Thomas Dolby and Peter Gabriel. But perhaps the biggest single of pre-"Thriller" 1982 was "I Ran" by Flock of Seagulls.
"Thriller" had only nine songs, but four money tracks — a rocking "Beat It"; a ballad ("Human Nature"); an R&B dance hit ("Wanna Be Starting Something"); and, of course, the title jam. But "Thriller" was not many critics' pick as the best album of 1982. Most preferred Prince's electro-sex-funk pioneering "1999" double-album.
Livingstone remembers Jackson as being "a little pissed" by the lack of artists of color on MTV at the time and said Jackson enjoyed breaking through that barrier.
Jones said the 30th anniversary of "Thriller" will likely pass without fanfare because of Jackson 's death. He says he has been unable to come to any kind of meaningful resolution on Jackson 's death.
"It's just tragic that somebody had to leave us at 50 years old," said Jones, who was in Luxembourg when Jackson died. "I was there at the invitation of the duke and duchess. There was a band that gave us a wonderful reception at the airport, and on the way into town, the duke told me, 'Oh, by the way, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon and Michael Jackson just died.' It just knocked me off my socks... .
"Michael had it all: Talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer, and his contributions and legacy will be felt forever."
John Moore: moore433@comcast.net, or twitter.com/moorejohn
Five facts about "Thriller"
*"Billie Jean" was inspired Hall & Oates' "I can't Go For That." Jackson lifted the bass line, and the song was reportedly re-mixed 91 times.
*It took Eddie Van Halen 15 minutes to come up with the guitar solo on "Beat It."
*The video for "Beat It" featured real life gang members, Crips and Bloods. It was Jackson 's idea, as a way of creating peace between them.
*Playboy centerfold Ola Ray landed the part of Jackson 's girlfriend in the "Thriller" video after "Flashdance" star Jennifer Beals turned it down.
*The red jacket Jackson wore in the "Thriller" video sold at a 2011 auction for $1.8 million.
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