Don't forget to leave a Comment below. We are giving away a free MFSL Thriller One Step to someone at random.

I really appreciate this approach to reviews. There does not necessarily have to be a better or worse copy but it is important to highlight the different characteristics of each edition.

This album was and is so special to me. I wrote this awhile back..sorry for the length but kind of my story with how Thriller impacted me and those times as a highschooler. It was a breakthrough album that Im not certain the impact can be understood today. Just HUGE..an event. There was no streaming. VCRs were still a thing and even CDs were not around.. My fondest memory of Michael Jackson was of course "Thriller". In my area I dont think anyone was even really aware of who Michael Jackson was at the time. The Jackson 5 had long since passed as far as anything on the radio and "Off The Wall" wasnt *that* well known to us. I remember "Ben" as a little kid and for some reason it spoke to kids. "ABC as easy as 1 2 3" of course, you know, the hits. But really the Jackson 5 were kind of a novelty/oldies act by the time I was a teen. Weird to think now of how he wasnt really thought too much before "Thriller". At least not to us. I was in highschool at the time the album came out. I remember though my gf and her cousin who was my best friends gf heard about this video premere on Mtv. I think it was my friends excitement about it that I recall mostly. He was more into the soul and r and b stuff so he was aware of this supposed "event". Somehow we all ended up at his house piled up on his mom's couch and waited. I had no idea what the big deal was or what the video was going to be other than it was a new song by Michael Jackson. We didnt realize that we were about to see history made and how iconic this video was to become. Then "Thriller" advertisement came on, I think I was in the kitchen with my gf getting mint chocolate chip icecream when Brian said "Its on ya'll! Hurry!" No VCR, no way to see it again until it aired again. So you paid more attention. Then those creepy letters came up .. "Michael Jackson's THRILLER" Perfect timing for him to do a halloween type video. These were the classic days of 80s horror movies. Jason, Nightmare On Elm Street..etc. Those were the hot movies then. It was a bit odd in hindsight since it was around Christmas time. But, everyone is in a good mood around that time so maybe it was a perfect time to make history. When the actual video started I can remember us all being a big puzzled as to what was going on. Usually music videos have music lol. This was like a movie. My gf and I were both musicians and vocalist but I honestly cant recall if we had heard the song beforehand or not. It only had been out as a single for a month I think. And we didnt have the album "Thriller" I dont believe. We couldnt have afforded it. It was radio mainly then for us. The video picked up speed when Michael turned into the wolfman. And the switch to the movie theatre where he and his gf were watching was a little surprise. We thought that was cool. Hadnt been used before, so it was a new concept. It soon became apparent that it was also cool seeing Michael in an acting role. He looks so skinny now, but I was about his weight size at the time so it didnt seem strange lol. Everyone was wearing skinny clothes then. Then the song starts. It was almost like a musical. But with this funky infectious beat and singing. Once that started we were on board. The song just kept growing on us and it inmediately became a hit for us right then and there. I recall that strongly. Its also kind of hard to recall days before he became Peter Pan, but Michael was a sex symbol to many a girl then. And his chemistry was very strong with the female co-star. Looking back, no doubt my gf and her cousin thought he was as cute and innocent as anything ever. And his energy was most apparent. He really came through as this near cartoon character even then. Then came the zombie scene. Walking Dead has nothing on the Thriller zombies. I will say we all kind of cracked up a bit when Michael turned zombie. But then the dance came and up went the girls trying to immediately do the head sway leg slides and claps lol. Too much sugar from the icecream probably. The video just built and built though. The dancing was very impressive as line dancing like that wasnt seen often and certainly not with those kind of moves. I do remember Brian and I looking at each other and saying "This is cool." Then Michael turns to the camera normal again and sings ... "Cuz this is thriiiilah...!" And thats the moment I think we all became fans. We talked for the rest of the night about the video, practiced dance moves we could rememember and were convinced that we had to show this to the choral teacher to do as the next song! Lol, its a good memory. We never did the song. Six months later we were all in separate colleges. And friends get lost through the years for many reasons. But "Thriller"? Still a damn cool song and video in my book. The guy had talent that was drilled so much that it became instinct and instinct became Michael. A talent for the ages

Thriller as album is something to behold, bought it when I was 11 and played my original copy to death. Hearing this One Step would truly be awe inspiring. Thanks Mike.

We had this record store in Antwerp and at the back there was a big room where everything was priced at 1 euro. Among the many thousands of records, somebody had the idea of putting each copy of Thriller in the same spot. There were rows upon rows upon rows of these. Literally Thriller lp's by the metre! Man, I wish I had taken a pic, because it sure was a sight to see. I still have my Dutch(?) copy which I bought back in the day. Still sounds great! I also picked up a "Half Speed" version along the way (most probably from that 1 euro vault in Antwerp) and I would give it more credit than you do here. It's a fun listen. Would love to hear the One Step, but unfortunately it's too expensive for me... Thanks for the review!!

This is the first album I ever bought when I was 5 years old and I still have the original copy - it will always be the best sounding version for me.

I hadn't listened to the whole album since I was a kid and played out my cassette, then after yesterdays video I pulled it up and listened start to finish. So crazy that after 35 years or so I still know it by heart yet I can't tell you what I did last week.

@theingroove Mike, I recently listened to a Bernie grundman interview and he told the story that he actually mastered this album a second time two or three years after the original mastering. It was done at a different mastering house as he had moved from his former job. He personally believed that the second time he did it it sounded better than the first time. I wish you could have got one of those pressings in the shootout. But like you said, because he didn't etch anything in the dead wax on either mastering job it may be tricky to tell the difference other than by year.

Loving your reviews. You're a tremendous asset to the community. Thanks.

First album I ever bought.. still the greatest album ever released.. thank you for breaking down all the versions of thriller..

You should use the 25th anniversary copy as padding for mailing out the One-Step.

Mike, I had potato and leek soup for lunch.

The very first time I dropped the “needle” was with this record. My grandfather played the crap out of it. And to this day it remains one of my favorites not only musically but because brings up great memories of my grandfather. Keep up the good work Mike!!!

Mike you had a hand in all of this and the results are spectacular. Thanks for having our backs.

Fascinating discussion. Just for contrast, as a small child I used to play the most scratched up old copy of Thriller imaginable, it barely played on my $15 toy turntable. I was in heaven.

Thanks Mike, definitely picking this up now

I am so excited for this! 1 it’s MJ 2 it’s Thriller 3 it’s a UD1S 4 it’s a 33!

Great shoot out, Mike. I really appreciate you explaining the differences in detail. I’m all in!

You really paid respect to this masterpiece as it should be. Especially not forgiving MJ’s work as a writer and producer when many tend to give all the credit to QJ… but MJ was also a genius!

I've been wanting to pick up a copy of Thriller but was waiting to see how the Mo-Fi was reviewed. Feels like I would probably be happy with the original press. Thanks, Mike!

Again a great review! I really like how you always explain the sound, rather than just saying "this is good", "this is bad", or "A is better than B", which some other reviewers do. Keep up the good work! Keep audiophilia alive!

As I'm from México, I wanted to listen to it before making a decision, because here it's extremely expensive. So, a friend of mine just got his copy and invited me to make a comparison with the 1st US pressing. Yes, it sounds more open, more detailed and sounds awesome. But it seemed to me that the soul was taken away from it, the original sounded to me more punchy, more profound and more analogue and warm. The Mofi sounded as if I was listening to a high resolution digital file and honestly, I prefer the original sound.

Thanks for the mini review Mike! Little side note.. CBS Half-Speeds: CBS screwed up with these many times with an incorrect (non-half-speed-corrected) RIAA. The RIAA EQ curve was not adjusted for half-speed mastering for some titles. Might be why the CBS Half-Speed of Thriller sounds so bad. *Might be*, not for sure if Thriller was one of the ones the above applies to. Good to hear the Thriller Mofi is different than the original BG cut. This seems to be a common narrative with the best One Steps. Big spread soundstage, huge detail, clarity and hearing further into the instruments. One reviewer, concerning another One Step, put it as felt he was walking through the band as they were playing rather than sitting in front of the band. Cant recall the One Step title, but that makes sense as far as a sound description. And matched your description in the video. Its interesting your son described the Thriller Mofi as rather disjointed as compared to the original. I have read that similar complaint about other One Steps. Lately about the Cant Buy A Thrill UHQR. A couple of listeners stated it almost made them think the CBAT is a remix. All the detail. The Dylan BOTTs One Step was like that for me as far as sounding so different in some aspects of hearing things going on more. I dont find it disjointed but I get why some do. I get the idea that we, the average Joe listener, are finally getting to hear the mastertapes with this detail and such. For some that may be too far a bridge to cross. For me, a dream come true. Personally, Im very glad the Mofi sounds different and crazy amounts of detail. I didnt want a better sounding BG version. I want two great but different experiences. Sounds like that is what we get from this Mofi as compared to the original. Like having two great meals. I can choose which meal I am hungry for on a given day. Thanks Mike!

I had the pleasure of working in a record store when Thriller came out. I cannot emphasize enough how huge this album was at the time. During its peak, 1 out of 5 records I sold was Thriller. And sales continued to be strong for nearly two years, which was unheard of. I am really looking forward to hearing the Mofi release.

Great way to explain the differences Mike, much better than to just say one beats the other.

Thanks Mike, great review! Love that fact that you got your 14 year old involved. Appreciate all your time and efforts on these videos!

Thank you for the review Mike. I can't wait to hear it for myself. 😃

Mike, Thanks for the comparison. I have a couple original presses and they do sound great. Brings back memories of everyone being into this when it came out. Kids in the neighborhood were dressing like Michael. I wasn't into it that much when it came out but it has certainly grown on me over the years.

Enjoyed the review. Your reviews of records are the best because of the level of detail you provide in the differences in sounds between records. Thanks for the review.

Great overview, Mike. I think that, in a sense, a heavily compressed / dance oriented mix is more like mono, focused and punchy. That’s why so many prefer the 60s mono cuts over the stereo, for their wallop. As you say, sounds like having the OG and the MoFi is the way to, um, cover the spread.

Hey Mike. Thanks for giving everyone a great comparison video of the various versions of MJ's masterpiece album. Especially loved how you describe the distinction between the very compressed original pressing versus the wide sound of the new Mobile Fidelity One Step version. Looking forward to hearing the difference for myself.

Thanks Mike for all the comparisons of Thriller! Big props to you 👏 Enjoy your day, Allan

Thank you so much for giving this album so much love and care. Cheers to Thriller, what a wonderful album

Thanks for the comparison! This is the only One Step that I'd be interested in picking up.

Thanks Mike. Interesting breakdown of the one step thriller. Your shootout videos are the best for going into so much detail

Nice review! I will stick with my OG pressing. Unless I win.

Thanks again Mike for your straight up reviews and comments. Much appreciated.

Thanks for doing this giveaway and all the quality videos over the years.

This is such an amazing record on so many levels. The songwriting, the performance, the mix all at an extremely high level. I just bought the MoFi One Step. I can't wait to hear it. I'm a mastering engineer so I think it might be fun for me to capture at 1 bit 5.6 MHz DSD and do my own mastering using my nice gear just to see if I can get it to pump more running it through my mastering hardware. At any rate one other thing I'll add is that I remember watching the premier for the Thriller music video in the living room of my old house with my Dad and it scared the living crap out of me lol

Hi Mike. I graduated university in 1982 and moved from Vancouver to Toronto for a job. My roomate rented a cottage in Muskoka, a very famous lake district north of Toronto. There were 4 cottages on the same property, all rented by friends from University. Thriller was in constant play every night for as many summers as I can remember being there. I will always associate this album with a dance party by the lake and yes, we could moon dance!

About 14 years ago (when I was roughly 7/8) I remembered my dad told me a lot of Toto members played on the record. As of then, it became an album which I appreciated more and more over the years. The musicality of the album is amazing for audiophiles while still remaining so popular for literally everyone. A shame I never got to see that combination in the 21 years that I’ve been walking around here! Great to hear your opinions on different pressings!

you hands down do the best comparison reviews. thanks for this!

I sure do appreciate all your investment in this whole brouhaha... I've been tracking much more closely because of the DSD discovery, etc. New to vinyl, I seem to have come in at an interesting time, at least. I liked your interview with the MoFi engineers and I'm currently enjoying your shootout of Thriller here. Keep it up, bro.

So excited for this remaster!! Have always enjoyed your shoot outs and always are spot on! Look forward to stopping by your store again!

If you grew up in the 80’s - this was an unbelievably huge release. Game changer.

What I really like to listen to is the 12" singles from this record. You get a whole song dedicated to one side of the record and they sound sooooo good!

Great review and comparison, thinking about geeting the OneStep myself, let's see for what it is selling in our end of the world.

Thanks for this Mike. Very thorough as always.

Excellent comparison . Great video as always!

Great Review. Just listening to Prince Piano &Microphone , simply waiting for your give away to reach my home… 😂 Great Job!

Can't wait for my copy to arrive, really looking forward to this one.

This is one of those albums that I have listened to wall-to-wall since 1982. It's all "Thriller," no filler.

The MOFI one step sounds like it has been mastered in the typical audiophile fashion. Place singer front and center, have instruments come at you from all sorts of directions in the sound stage, then pay 4X for the privilege. As you said, “Thriller” is primarily a dance album. It was mastered as such by Bernie Grundman and sounds great. If I were to buy “Thriller” I would want to get up and get on down, not partake in a vivisection. My advice would be to buy the original pressing and get up off of the couch and dance.

Great review thankyou. I have ordered this and I am very excited to hear it. I have other One Step releases and they sound AMAZING......despite the understandable recent controversy surrounding the digital element of the mastering process.

Shout out to the In Groove! Love the channel, can’t wait to check out the new edition!

Always brutally honest and I mean that in the best way. I've long thought the same thing about the Thriller 25 pressing and I've been told for years that I have no idea what I'm talking about. For years, I've just used a 1982 US pressing but I will probably get something better soon.

Thank you for this beautiful informative video and I’m happy to say I’m relieved now because I do have two copies of the original pressing and have preordered the mofi edition since day one and that means I have the versions that I must have of this incredible album from the incredible legend that is Michael Jackson. Thanks again and keep up the great work.

Thanks for the shootout as always🤘

Thanks ever so much for your most helpful review, cheers :)!

Thanks for the shoot out. You had me 😂 with ‘Thriller 25’ comments

I can't wait to get my MOFI copy to compare. I knew it would be something special, because afer Mike came back from MOFI, in your video you mentioned it and you had a little smile. Thanks for your insight and your passion for great sounding music.Cheers from Canada!

I look forward to all of your videos Mike! Appreciate everything you do

Great review! Love the channel!

Thanks for another honest and insightful shootout!! I love these videos!!

Hi, I'm Shawn from The Wolfs Den in Empire Minnesota! And I'm here to compare winning vs loosing!! Winning feels SO good. And loosing...well...doesnt.

Very interesting review. I’m considering grabbing it now. Btw I showed a short clip of your box opening at the end of my latest Mix video Had to show the new box 😏😎🤠

Great video. I remember just loving this album when it came out and watching the videos over and over when I was a young kid.

Oatmeal and a Thriller shootout for the win!

Thank you so much for doing this shootout. Really excited to compare this new version with my original that I've owned since I was a little kid.

Love the quick turnaround on this shootout as this will be my first mofi purchase. Thank you!

Awesome review. I was sitting on the fence about getting this - but now I am very curious to hear it! Thanks.

You spent way too much time on the 25th anniversary pressing! Haha. Thanks for the review on the others!

When Mofi announced this I bought an original UK pressing on ebay for less than £10 . I was so impressed that it forced me to consider whether I actually wanted to spend that much money on the new version. I'm still not sure so I might wait and see, given the number of copies Mofi are supposed to be pressing, if there's a bargain to be had on the secondary market. Thanks for the review Mike.

Great video review. Wonderful detail and explanations. Much appreciated!

My daughter loves MJ, and I would love to give her one of these!

Always enjoy your comparison videos. These and the weekly news videos are my favorites. :-) Also liked that you mentioned your sons opinion of the sound. Would love to join your listening party if I would live near you.

I simply love the Thriller album! I guess a lot of other people will buy this Mofi reissue, including those that have complained about the digital step so this is how a lawsuit turns academic 😂

Thank you for an excellent comparison and detailed review. It was so detailed I had to watch it twice. As someone who grew up with Thriller I had no idea there were so many different recordings of it. I have the 25th anniversary on CD, had it on tape, but never vinyl, and you've inspired me to investigate the original release (affordable), and maybe the one step version(pricey but I see the value in it.). It makes me wonder if the 40th anniversary non-onestep, how it was recorded, not sure since you didn't really touch on it, is it comparable to the original or is it subpar to the original?

Really enjoy these reviews! Thanks for the information.

Loved the review! You explained it very well, and I'm excited to get my copy.

Interesting about the different way your son describes Soundstage. It almost has a Mono vs. Stereo description

Thanks for the review Mike! I look forward to hearing it for myself at some point.

Thanks for the review. Picked up an older copy of this last week, glad to find out that it’s a 1st pressing and gets high marks in quality.

Rock on Mike. Always appreciate the tips.

Thank you for review Mike!

Thriller 40 is really looking up, they are releasing new songs, 4k short films, funko pops, and a documentary? HELL YES I love that they have awoken. I mean the last time an anniversary was celebrated was 10 years ago with Bad 25

I like listening to non MJ fans talking about MJ albums

You must be proud of being advertised in the Mofi website, that's a real statement on how strong your influence is in the audio community :)

Mike, thanks for the very insightful review. It sounds like I definitely need to add the "one-step" to my collection as the big brother to my original copy. But what I was most delighted to hear was that the new release really hit the audiophile mark out of the park. After the news came out a few months ago on Mobile Fidelity's process, I admit, I was hesitant to ever purchase one of their releases again. Your review has now restored my faith in Mobile Fidelity and has greatly helped restore their credibility & reputation with me as a consumer. Thank you, and keep up the great work!

Great review and hearing your son's opinion. I have this on the SACD and agree as to the quality on this incredible thriller release

Thanks for the shootout Mike. I think you talked me into buying the One-Step unless of course you want to choose me to be the winner of the drawing. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Thank you so much for this review! I first owned Thriller on cassette when it was released. I played that album out! It truly is the number 1 album of all time. It has earned that title to the fullest. I never owned it on vinyl but always had it on CD and still do have a first press on CD. A couple of years back I finally picked it up on vinyl and also picked up the 45 picture sleeves of the singles. What do I look for to see if I own a first pressing of the Thriller on vinyl. Hopefully that's what I have. Thank you for including a little review of PYT on this One Step release. I'm going to listen for the ending of the song. Thank you again for this review of this amazing album! Much appreciated!

Great review. Keep up the great work. Always a pleasure to see all your vids.

Really happy to know that picking up an original American pressing of this record is still a great way to go! Thanks for doing this comparison video.

Thank you so much for the comparison. I have an original pressing with the Gold Promo Stamp and the Half Speed Mastered. I do prefer the original but to be honest I greatly enjoy the half speed mastered, it doesn't sound muddy to me but too clear if that makes sense. For the mofi I'm going to go with the SACD since it will be one step closer to the source (Mastertape to DSD File) than the One Step Vinyl.

This is a badass album 🙌

When the artist isn't present or the engineer for the matter in the mastering process then I'm not interested. If it's wildy different then it isn't Thriller just another version, a version without the original engineer or artist.The original is what the artist and producer originally intended for you to hear. I don't care what kind of compressor or other gadget you used to polish an old master tape that's now decades old! It is not the original and not what the artist or producer intended. MFSL your artwork sucked on Men at Work reissues just thought I'd mention it. From colour issues and too dark photo inserts. The cover on the MFSL Cargo is a good example of this. The original 1983 Cargo CD was far superior sounding.

Fantastic video and review, looking to get this one ASAP!

Appreciate how you go about your reviews. Definitely wouldn't mind giving this listen.

Im 60 and have never owned a copy of Thriller, but look forward to receiving my copy later this month from you guys. Id go with a wide soundstage and distinct instrument acoustics over a wall of sound any day. Thanks for the review.