ATL Collective presents: Michael Jackson’s Thriller w/ Ruby Velle + Chris Cauley + Jason Eskridge + Shook Foil

Here we are. Halloween 2013. The soundtrack: Michael Jackson’s epic Thriller. Released in 1982, (the year Uncle Rico wants to return to in Napoleon Dynamite, incidentally), the album was produced by Quincy Jones, won 8 Grammies and had 7 singles that hit top 10. Most consider it to be the best album of the 80s, and well, if it’s the best album of the 80s

The singles are many: “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” (which features Eddie Van Halen on guitar), “Thriller,” “Wanna be Startin’ Something.” The first single was actually “The Girl is Mine,” perhaps because it features vocals by Sir Paul McCartney, kind of an amusing tidbit considering the other powerhouse tracks that ultimately earned the album its legendary status. Apparently Jones and Jackson recorded 30 songs for the album, which they wittled down to the nine you’ll hear tonight. They also were unhappy with the mixes and remixed each track, taking a week to rework each song. All in all, the budget was $750,000. Some estimate that the album has made over 4 billion dollars in sales.

Of course it’s hard to hear the song “Thriller,” without picturing the masterpiece video (or rather short film) that accompanied it. Its classic choreography has been mimicked all over the globe. Demand was so high for that video when it was first released that MTV was playing it twice an hour. Clocking in at 14 minutes, you can do the math, it basically means that “Thriller” was virtually all they aired for a while.

We can’t promise Jackson’s dance moves. But sit back and enjoy as we can promise an incredible lineup of ATL-local musicians to relive this album.

Lineup

• Ruby Velle
• Chris Cauley
• Jason Eskridge
• Shook Foil

House Band

• William Hollifield – Horns
• Matt Lipkins – Curator
• Ethan Levitt – Horns
• Darryl Ford – Keys
• Rick Lollar – Guitar
• Mark Raudabaugh – Drums
• Hadrian Mendoza – Percussion
• Nick Rosen – Keys