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June 2 - June 8, 2011 www.kabayanweekly.com
LIFESTYLE | EVENTS
Thriller Live in Abu Dhabi
In a career spanning four decades, Michael Jackson released 21 solo albums, including greatest hits collections, remixes as well as the biggest selling album of all time, Thriller, and had 18 number one hits that will forever remain part of HIStory. To get MJ fans across the Middle East ready for the most anticipated event of the year ‘Thriller Live’, a tribute show to the ‘King of Pop’, we take a look back at where his solo career began along with some of his greatest albums and hits. In 1972, at the tender age of 14, Michael Jackson released his first solo album “Got to be there”. It has been documented over many decades that Motown boss Berry Gordon assembled every signal member of his production team and songwriter at his disposal to contribute to Michael’s first solo album. Riding high on the success of the Jackson 5, Gordon was determined to give the boy wonder his first album. This album launched three chart singles: a cover of the bubblegum classic ‘Rockin’ Robin’, Leon Ware’s ‘I Wanna Be Where You Are’ and the title track. His covers of “You’ve Got a Friend”
and “Ain’t No Sunshine” showed Jackson’s versatility as a singer. Got to Be There kept Gordy as king of the sound of young America — at least for a few months longer. In that same year 1972 Jackson released his second Album Ben, earning him his first ever solo number one. Three years later, in 1975 MJ released his third record, Forever, Michael. A move from Motown to Epic Records was seen as one that would play a significant role in his rise to the top. He teamed up with Quincy Jones, who produced Jackson’s fourth solo album Off the Wall in 1979. Off the Wall, the album, truly showcased Jackson’s versatility as an artist and performer. At the age of 24 Michael’s career took an incredible turn. The year was 1982 and not even Michael himself could have imagined the response he would get to his fifth studio album Thriller. Michael Jackson the “King of Pop” was born. Still regarded today as the biggest selling album in history, Thriller has already sold close to 70 million copies to date and 110 million singles sold off
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the album. With smash hits such as ‘Wanna be Startin Somethin’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘human nature’. At the time, Jackson was regarded as the man who revived music in the 1980s. In 1987, following the success of Thriller, Jackson released another incredible record called Bad. Many fans will remember this record for its unforgettable list of hits, including ‘Man in the Mirror’ and ‘Smooth Criminal’ as well as ‘The way you make me feel’ and ‘I just can’t stop loving you’. Michael Jackson’s career was getting stronger. As a result, Jackson went on his first solo tour. The Bad Tour started on September 12, 1987 and ended on January 27, 1989. It consisted of 123 concerts and was seen by approximately 4.4 million people. It was during this tour that Michael set his own record by performing to 120,000 people in one concert in Liverpool, England. It was also on the Bad Tour that Michael set the world record for playing the most concerts at the legendary Wembley Stadium in England. He performed seven sell out concerts, beating the
previous record of “just three”. In 1991 he renewed his contract with Sony Music for $65 million, a record breaking deal at the time. Dangerous was released that same year, becoming his seventh studio album. Many of his fans felt Dangerous should have received the same fame as Thriller. Dangerous, the fans wrote, covered many more genres. In this album he reached out to his fans with ‘Heal the World’ asking them to “make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race”. Dangerous consisted of many hits with the debut single and music video for ‘Black or White’ being released simultaneously around the world. Other smash hits include: ‘Remember the Time’, ‘Jam’ and ‘In the Close’. At the end of 1992, Dangerous was awarded 1992’s best-selling album worldwide and “Black or White” was awarded
1992’s best-selling single worldwide at the Billboard Music Awards. Additionally, he won an award as bestselling artist of the ‘80s. He then released the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a 15-track greatest hits album, and was later reissued as Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I in 2001, while the second disc, HIStory Continues, contained 15 new songs. The album debuted at number one on the charts and has been certified for seven million shipments in the US. It is the best-selling multiple-disc album of all-time, with 20 million copies (40 million units) sold worldwide. HIStory received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. “You Are Not Alone” was the second single released from HIStory; it holds the Guinness World Record for the first song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was seen as a major artistic and commercial success, receiving a Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Vocal”. As the world prepares to commemorate two years since his passing in June 2009, his fans across the Middle East are being given a rare opportunity to be part of the journey that made Michael Jackson the world’s greatest pop star. A concert-like show is being staged in Abu Dhabi from June 9-10. Thriller Live pays tribute to the “King of Pop”, a legendary musician who challenged the status quo and revolutionized the music industry. Tickets for Thriller Live are available at www.thinkflash.ae and 800 (FLASH) (35274). Prices start from AED100, AED195 and AED250.
Kabayan Weekly with Flash Entertainment is giving away three pairs of tickets to “Thriller Live”. Just email your name and telephone number to competitions@kabayanweekly.com and your name goes in the raffle!