In celebration of Thriller’s 40th anniversary, Sony Music and the Michael Jackson’s estate announced the November 18 release date of Thriller 40, a double CD set featuring the album’s original nine songs, as well as a second disc that includes unreleased tracks that Jackson worked on while recording his chart-topping sixth solo effort.
Thriller is the highest selling album of all time, with seven of its songs reaching the Top 10, and “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” both peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Released on Nov. 30, 1982, the album is currently certified at 34-times platinum, selling over 100 million copies worldwide. After its debut, Thriller received several accolades, including eight Grammy Awards, eight AMAs, and three MTV Video Music Awards. The video for the title track – directed by John Landis – broke racial barriers for artists of color, and revolutionized music video production, making it critical to the success of any musicians in the years that followed.
According to Billboard, retailers in the U.S. will distribute different editions of Thriller. Walmart will sell an exclusive version of the original album featuring an alternate 40th anniversary cover, while Target will have another version of Thriller featuring a commemorative Thriller 40 vinyl slip mat. Both will be available for purchase outside the U.S. as well.
Mastering the anniversary album from the original analog tapes, Mobile Fidelity is releasing Thriller as a 33rpm LP, with only 40,000 numbered copies being pressed, as well as a hybrid super audio CD (SACD); with an UltraDisc two-LP set of Thriller 40 to be released at a later date. In addition, multiple anniversary activations are set for the coming months. The first is new merchandise featuring the special Thriller 40 logo, now available exclusively through the MichaelJackson.com webstore.