Michael Jackson Billy Jean on HQ Vinyl

Track 6 from his sixth solo album "Thriller" released in 1982 copyright Epic Records. It was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood and was produced by the great Quincy Jones with Jackson as co-producer. Disco had worn out it's welcome and fans were looking for something new and exciting. Michael Jackson delivered and the result was the biggest-selling album in the history of music and one definitely worthy of the title. The album had an amazing budget of $750,000 and it is an absolute masterpiece in every sense. Jackson was a consummate entertainer, having been a member of the Jackson Five with his brothers since he was a young child and later embarking on a successful solo career. He perfected a vocal style that was his own and became a talented dancer. A key moment in music history was his performance on the TV special "Motown 25" Yesterday, Today, Forever" a year later when he reunited with his brothers. However, the highlight of the evening was his solo performance of Billie Jean when he introduced what became his signature dance move, the "Moonwalk," for the first time. It was such an exciting and entertaining moment that those who saw it live will probably be able to tell you where they were when they watched it, similar to the Beatles' and Elvis Presley's appearances on the Ed Sullivan show so many years before. The performance earned him his first Emmy nomination and had an enormous impact. People were blown away by his level of artistry and it cemented his title as the King of Pop. Seven singles were released from this album and they all reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which set a record. The album's sales benefited enormously from its music videos receiving constant airplay on MTV, which had been launched only the year before. The videos were of high quality, especially the one for the song "Thriller" which used a huge cast of dancers wearing makeup and prosthetics as a horde of zombies. It was produced using the same equipment and techniques that would apply to a feature film. He went on to release his album "Bad" in 1987, which was another strong effort that was very successful. Several more albums followed and over the years Jackson became as well-known for questions about his personal life as for his music. He eventually overdosed and died June 25, 2009 from an injection of Propofol, a powerful anesthetic used in surgeries that he was taking to combat insomnia. It was administered by his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray, who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death. His funeral service was viewed by 2.5 billion people around the world. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008 and was selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry as being culturally significant. It reached No. 18 in Denmark, No. 6 in Norway, No. 5 in Belgium, No. 4 in Spain and Switzerland, No. 3 in Austria and No. 1 in twelve countries including Canada, the U.K and the U.S. It was certified 34X Platinum in the U.S. and worldwide sales are estimated at seventy million. Written by Michael Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones & Michael Jackson. RIP Jeff Porcaro, Vincent Price, David Williams, Louis Johnson, Rod Temperton, Leon Chancler, Michael Jackson & Eddie Van Halen. Featuring: Michael Jackson, Lead vocals, drum machine programming, handclaps, horn, vocal, rhythm & synthesizer arrangements & background vocals Special Guests: Paul McCartney - Co-lead vocal on "The Girl is Mine" Eddie Van Halen - Lead guitar on "Beat It" Dean Parks - Rhythm guitars Steve Lukather - Rhythm guitars David Williams - Rhythm guitars Paul Jackson Jr. - Rhythm guitars Greg Phillinganes - Fender Rhodes electric piano & handclaps David Paich - Synthesizers & piano Steve Porcaro - Synthesizers David Foster - Synthesizer on "The Girl is Mine" James Ingram - Keyboards, background vocals & arrangements Brian Banks - Synthesizers Michael Boddicker - Synthesizers, Emulator, Vocoder & background vocals Greg Smith - Synergy & synthesizer Tom Bahler - Synclavier on "Beat It" Rod Temperton - Synthesizer on "Thriller" Bill Wolfer - Keyboards & synthesizers Jerry Hey - Trumpet, flugelhorn, horn & string arrangements Gary Grant - Trumpet & flugelhorn Bill Reichenbach - Trombone Louis Johnson - Bass & handclaps Chris Shepard - Vibraslap Paulinho da Costa - Percussion Jeff Porcaro - Drums Leon "Ndugu" Chancler - Drums Bruce Cannon - Effects on "Thriller" Vincent Price - Spoken word on "Thriller" Becky Lopez - Background vocals Janet Jackson - Background vocal on "P.Y.T." La Toya Jackson - Background vocal on "P.Y.T." Howard Hewett - Background vocal on "P.Y.T." Julia Waters - Background vocal on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" Maxine Waters - Background vocal on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" Oren Waters - Background vocal on "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" Jerry Lubbock - Strings Conductor Jerry Vincer - Concertmaster on "The Girl is Mine"