Submitted by Funny-Ad8185 t3_z5pmd9 in Music
I heard the only reason the album was able to sell so much is because of the music videos
Comments
smurfsundermybed t1_ixxlsrb wrote
It was the first video to be treated like a movie. John Landis directed it and iirc, the budget was over $1 million, which was insane for the time.
Certain_Yam_110 t1_ixxczwn wrote
Well, if Quincy Jones, Eddie Van Halen & Vincent Price (among others) weren't involved...
Broad_Leopard_2816 t1_ixxnh3y wrote
No. It still would have been huge but Mike‘s videos became not only a staple in his career but became an art form he would use to expand on his music. Like I said Thriller still would have been huge and have lots of praise. Thriller itself was very much ahead of its time and didn’t sound like anything else at that time. The songs themselves are legendary and with that amazing Quincy Jones touch. But the music videos brought the album to a new level that hadn’t even existed prior and influenced pop culture overall.
Longjumping-Soup-817 t1_ixxdtlp wrote
yeah
Revolutionary_Low_90 t1_ixxj9de wrote
The album would still be memorable consider the status in the Billboards and the top best-selling. The music videos are only the cherry on top. But, without them, it'd still be a classic album.
PLOHNO t1_ixxei7k wrote
What if the members of Toto never formed a group?
Funny-Ad8185 OP t1_ixxejxa wrote
Never heard of them
PLOHNO t1_ixxfgmf wrote
Cross reference the personnel of Toto with the credits for Thriller then have a listen to the commercial hits Hold The Line, Rosanna and Africa to start. Enjoy!
beebs44 t1_ixxhztt wrote
The video premiere was a huge thing. I remember trying to stay up to watch it, but I fell asleep. 🤣 I was only 6.
Kidnovatex t1_ixxfgh7 wrote
Thriller the album or thriller the song? The album probably would have still been one of the biggest albums of all time, although maybe not #1.
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The song, on the other hand, probably would not have reached the heights it did without the music video. I, along with millions of others, sat glued to the TV the night it debuted. It was a theatrical music experience that people talked about for a long time thereafter. I was only a child at the time, but I still remember it. Here we are 40-years later and it's still widely regarded as one of the, if not the, greatest music videos of all time.