The Michael Jackson Estate has revealed more details about “Michael Jackson Thriller 40,” the double-CD set that commemorates the four-decade anniversary of the record-breaking album, “Thriller.”
In partnership with Sony Music, the estate announced on Monday — what would have been Jackson’s 64th birthday — plans for unreleased material for both a physical and digital release.
Sony and the estate disclosed that the deluxe album would contain the nine original tracks and a second disc would contain the 10 demos and rarities. Additionally, 15 tracks that heretofore have been in limited release will be available on digital streaming platforms.
Keeping fans in suspense, the estate nor Sony revealed the track list for the bonus CD. Instead, they will drop the song titles individually starting after Labor Day. The final one drops just ahead of the “Thriller 40” release on Nov. 18, nearly 40 years to the day of the original album — Nov. 30, 1982.
Meanwhile, the “Thriller 40” cover has been upgraded. When the deluxe album was first announced in May, the cover was simply the original album’s photograph featuring the original “Michael Jackson Thriller” cursive font, but with a different font over the number, 40. The new artwork is a sleek gray cover sleeve overlayed with Jackson’s face visible through the zero (superscript) in the 40.
In addition to “Thriller 40,” pop-up events and other worldwide “activations” are planned to commemorate the anniversary of the world’s best-selling album.
“Thriller” was a phenomenon upon its release. It contained a then-record seven Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, including “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” and “Human Nature.” It spent 37 weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart, helped Jackson earn a record eight Grammy Awards in 1984. Currently, “Thriller” sits at 34x platinum in the United States alone, the most among studio albums.
Pre-orders for “Michael Jackson Thriller 40” are now available.
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