You're a vegetable, you're a vegetable

Today is a huge day. The 25th Anniversary special edition of Thriller hits stores. No matter how badly Michael Jackson ruins his personal life, no matter how many babies he dangles, no one can take Thriller away from him. It is a near-flawless recording from an artist who was at his creative and commercial peak. Thirty-seven weeks at #1, 80 weeks in the top ten, 46 million copies sold worldwide, 77% of its songs (7 of 9) reaching the top ten. These are numbers we'll never see again.

What's amazing about the best-selling album of all-time is that it has several songs which are underestimated. With all the focus on the epic singles "Thriller," "Beat It," and "Billie Jean," people forget about the other gems. I love the soulful vocals of "Human Nature." The disco-ish groove of "P.Y.T." The smarmy attitude of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," like when Michael sings, "If you can't feed your baby/Then don't have a baby/And don't think maybe/If you can't feed your baby!"

I listen to Thriller and revel in just how normal Michael was at the time. This was the classic album of my childhood. The 25th anniversary edition contains bonus tracks and remixes, but the new material is really irrelevant. Thriller stands on its own. It's exciting that a whole new generation will get to hear this album for the first time.

MP3: Michael Jackson - Billie Jean 2008 Kanye West remix