10 Overrated Rock Albums Of The 80s
4. Michael Jackson - Thriller
Thriller is a cultural touchpoint, an important work of art, a massive statement for one of the artists of the century, and by virtue of its success and popularity deserves to be called a classic. It is not, though, by any means a “great” album, on account of the fact that several of its songs are simply terrible.
Fill your record with the likes of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and “Billie Jean” all you like - if you’ve got "The Girl Is Mine" on your album, it can’t be great. Jackson and Paul McCartney bring the absolute worst out of each other on this saccharine nightmare, inexplicably released as the album’s first single.
“P.Y.T“, while better, has aged badly, and frankly there can only be so many people who actually bother to listen to “Thriller” in isolation from its groundbreaking video. Audio only, it’s not all that great.
At its best, Thriller depicts a titanic artist working at the height of his powers. At its worst, it’s about as lame as music can be.