Just like wines, some years are better than others for music, and sometimes a great vintage for music and wine happen to coincide. A perfect example is the year 1982.
1982 was a banner year for Bordeaux wine. The weather conditions were perfect each step of the way for the grapes – hot and dry with just the right amount of rain at the right times. The expert winemakers of the Bordeaux made the most of a sensational crop and created wines that have been universally recognized as amongst the best. Wine expert Robert Parker describes one of the finest examples of that vintage as, “Gorgeously drinkable and delicious... an opulent, flamboyant, blockbuster.”
Those words could also apply to music of that same year. For instance, Rush had a hot album called Signals and Bruce Springsteen released his classic record Nebraska in the fall of ’82. There were others, but two great blockbusters of pop music stand out: none other than Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Prince’s 1999. Back in 1982 it was hard to resist comparing Thriller and 1999. Thirty years later that feeling remains, but which is the better album?
If you look at sales, there’s no comparison. Thriller is the best selling record ever worldwide with sales of approximately 100 million. Prince’s album did well, but total sales for Prince’s complete catalogue put together are less than half the sales for Thriller alone. So, why argue with success. Thriller must be better than 1999. Or is it?
Back in 1982, both Thriller and 1999 were well received by the critics. In one of the most insightful reviews, the New York Times wrote, “[Jackson] hides his emotionality behind smoothly indistinctive pop songs and formulaic arrangements... but these are quibbles. ‘Thriller’ is a wonderful pop record, the latest statement by one of the great singers in popular music today.”
Meanwhile Prince’s 1999 was received by these words in Rolling Stone, “Prince works like a colorblind technician who’s studied both Devo and Afrika Bambaataa... keeping the songs constantly kinetic with an inventive series of shocks and surprises…Beneath all his kinky propositions resides a tantalizing utopian philosophy of humanism.”
Part of the appeal of great Bordeaux wines is how well they age over the years. Thirty years later wine drinkers are now enjoying that great 1982 vintage with gusto. Both 1999 and Thriller have aged well too. Each is of its time and yet still sounds fresh.
Pristinely funky, supremely crafted, with top cameos by stars like Paul McCartney, Eddie Van Halen and Vincent Price, Thriller benefits from an all-star cast under the watchful eye of super producer, Quincy Jones. And although some recent reviews of Thriller have questioned whether the songs on the album add up to an album, it is a wonderful collection of pop songs.
Dirty funk with a fountain of pop invention, Prince’s album offers no cavalcade of guest stars, just the raw genius of Prince and his bandmates. Sprawling in terms of track lengths; the jams are always engaging - the songs explore sound as much as the production refines them.
So, which one is better may just depend on your taste, but if you need proof that Prince can sing every bit as well as Michael Jackson, check out “Something in the Water.” If you want flashy guitar to match Van Halen’s contribution to “Beat It” then check out Prince’s solo in “Lady Cab Driver.”
When it comes to dancing, Michael Jackson wins hands down and therein may be one of the secrets to his huge success. Jackson busts some crazy moves in the video for “Beat It.”
On the other hand, you’ll never find better music to dance your life away than Prince’s song “1999.”
One thing for sure – 1982 was a blockbuster vintage for music and wine.
Which album do you prefer? Let us know.
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