Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' hits 30th anniversary

By Randy Lewis

Nov. 30, 2012 12 AM PT

Pop music historians and Michael Jackson aficionados have noted that today, Nov. 30, is the 30^th anniversary of the release of the self-proclaimed King of Pop’s landmark “Thriller” album.

Here at the L.A. Times, we’re so far ahead of the curve that we anticipated this momentous date by a full five years, taking a look back at “Thriller” on its 25^th anniversary, at which time Jackson’s label, Epic Records, issued a special 25^th anniversary edition of the epic collection.

Check out our latter-day reassessment of “Thriller,” here. Each of its nine tracks is critiqued a different Calendar pop music staffer or contributor, accompanied by a selection of photos of Jackson at his creative peak.

Feel the thrill all over again of the album that’s sold more than 29 million copies in the U.S., tying it with the Eagles’ “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975” as the biggest selling album of all time in the U.S., according to the Recording Industry Assn. of America.

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