What Mega-selling Album Leaves You Wondering Why it Sold So Much?

Appetite For Destruction
Nevermind.

Both sounded hopelessy dated, even then.

 

Going to reply to one more old comment to say that I completely agree.

There is some music on this thread that hasn't aged well at all, and a lot of top selling albums became famous because of one big single - especially in the late 90's when it was generally the only way to get those singles after the death of the 45/cassingle and before the rise of digital purchases.

But there's plenty of good music being mentioned here that just happens to not be to someone's taste. (Jagged Little Pill comes to mind.)

 

"Thriller" had already sold bajillions of copies before the video for the title song existed. Of course the video "helped" sales but it was already a world-dominating smash. It'd been out for a year before the video existed - it spent 20 weeks at #1 before December 1983!

 

Sigh.

So, so beautiful.

 

Yes, I remember the album was everywhere for best part of two years and the singles constantly on the radio even though I wasn't much of a fan. I was into The Police, Jam, Specials - that was more my line as I was entering my teenage days.

Looking at Wiki, 7 singles from the album in total with the title track being the last one. Maybe they held it back for a final push?

I don't think the track itself would have been half as good without Vincent Price's narration on it (an idea 'borrowed' from Alice Cooper.. )

 

Bat Out Of Hell fans are flakes.

 

So people bought Thriller and didn't think it was any good apart from the title track. Perhaps they just liked the video. Some great tracks and better tracks than the title tracks such as:
Beat it
Billie Jean
Human nature
PYT
Wanna be startin something [Possibly an outake from Off the Wall]
The lady in my life

Lets forget that awful McCartney abomination as good as McCartney can be.

 

Who the hell is Shania Twain?

 

I've always thought that Wanna Be Startin' Something, Billie Jean and Beat It are the standouts (my order of preference there.) With the title track not too far behind.

Interesting what you say about Wanna Be Startin' Something. Now I'm beginning to think the same; maybe it was written during that period..? IMO it would probably have fit perfectly on Off The Wall, as seems more to have the late 70's disco feel to it - I've been meaning to get the album again.

I actually have the single of The Girl Is Mine; as it's part of my Beatles and related collection.... honest...

 

"Shania Twain, OC (/ʃəˌnaɪ.ə ˈtweɪn/; born Eilleen Regina Edwards; August 28, 1965) is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her 1995 album The Woman in Me brought her fame, and her 1997 album Come On Over became the best-selling studio album of all time by a female act in any genre and the best-selling country album of all time, selling over 40 million copies worldwide.[1] Her fourth and last studio album to date, Up!, was released in November 2002 and has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide."

 

Here's what Wiki claims:

"In the summer of 1983, Thriller had begun to decline in sales. Walter Yetnikoff and Larry Stessel answered calls throughout the night from Jackson. "Walter, the record isn’t No. 1 anymore," Yetnikoff recalls Jackson saying. "What are we going to do about it?" 'We’re going to go to sleep and deal with it tomorrow,'" Yetnikoff remembered answering. Jackson manager Frank DiLeo first mentioned the idea of making a third video, and pressed Jackson to consider the album’s title track. "It’s simple—all you’ve got to do is dance, sing, and make it scary," DiLeo recalls telling Jackson."

 

Need to re-title thread.

"I do not understand most pop music from the last 30 years, but apparently most other people do"

 

I understand why it sold lots of records but I can't stand any of the albums Whitney Houston did and honestly miss the appeal.

 

Oh please a guy i worked with for 18 months played this every lunch break without fail.

 

Funny you should say that. The thing what attracted the producer Todd Rundgren to producing the album was the fact that it was a send up of Springsteen.

 

Which is why it sold.

 

I seriosuly can't understand how Shania Twain's Come On Over is the 8# best selling album of all time.

Same goes with The Bodyguard Soundtrack, at 14# place.

 

True. Doesn't hurt that she was crazy gorgeous. (still is) Nor that she was married to Mutt Lange, who definitely knows how to produce hits.

It's catchy, utterly inoffensive Adult Contemporary mixed with a little Country. Very MOR. Designed for the broadest possible appeal and in a time when people could not buy just the hit singles. I liked it well enough back in the day -- even went to her concert -- though I haven't listened to any Shania in a long time.

 

Meatloaf - Bat Out Of Hell

Awful.

 

Bat Out of Hell came out at the same time as punk hit. I think guys in their late 20s who felt alienated by safety pins and bondage gear gravitated to it. I remember this guy's grandmother talking about it.

 

Re. Jewel: "Pieces of You'. I recently heard a song from that album, something I haven't heard in years, and realized just how bad it was. At the time the album and singles were tremendously popular and she was everywhere in the media and received much praise. IIRC, when her book of poetry [A Night Without Armor] was released it sold very well and in fact I believe Jewel was promoted as the best selling poet, ever.

 

MTV, had just taken off and his videos for Billie Jean and Beat It were in heavy rotation. That certainly didn't hurt.

I wasn't a huge fan of it, but could appreciate what a genius album it was.

 

Thriller was a sleeper until the Billie Jean video. Between that and the Beat It single the album went ballistic

 

MJ thriller-
acdc back in black- its good but not better than any of the bon scott albums.