2. Michael JacksonThriller
I was a kid in the 70s so you would always hear Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, he was a services’ radio staple when I lived in Germany for a few years. But Thriller was insane – it was like, Jesus Christ, look at this guy! Nothing like Thriller had been released before by an artist primarily known for soul, it was this crazy mash-up album. Even now I’m still blown away by it. ‘Billie Jean’ is probably my favourite – there’s hardly anything on there, just his voice, the beat, the bass line and synth stabs. It’s just amazing. I got Thriller on VHS one Christmas ’cause I wasn’t allowed to watch it on TV and I used to go on about it all the time, I was seriously obsessed with him, it was kind of love actually. The Motown 25 performance where he did the moonwalk was the first time I realised what stagecraft was, when I became aware I was watching someone performing. He was a genius and Thriller was the pinnacle. I think most people would say they like something off that album.
