Acclaimed Music Forums

The basic idea is to rank the tracks off the album each week to see how each track compares to each other. It's an excuse to go back to classic albums and a way to gauge the best and worst tracks of the most acclaimed albums. Simply rank all the tracks from your favorite to your least.

I plan to go in cycles of decades with the 1950s and 2010s once every other cycle. I will go with the top album of each respective decade, but I might skip questionable albums (I doubt anyone wants to rank the tracks of 69 Love Songs, no matter how great the album is). Next week will be Massive Attack's Blue Lines.

Also, if you missed an album that you want to rank, you can do so in this thread. Please keep it to 1 old album per week. I will update the results. Please don't bump previous threads. I'd like to keep everything in the current topic and the result topic.



Thriller track listing:
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl is Mine
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady in My Life

4. Thriller
6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
7. Human Nature
2. Baby Be Mine
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
9. The Lady in My Life
3. The Girl is Mine

No big surprises

1. Billie Jean
2. Beat It
3. Thriller
4. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
5. Human Nature
6. P.Y.T
7. Baby Be Mine
8. The Girl Is Mine
9. The Lady in My Life

6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
7. Human Nature
3. The Girl is Mine
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
2. Baby Be Mine
4. Thriller
9. The Lady in My Life
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

4. Thriller
6. Billie Jean
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Baby Be Mine
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
7. Human Nature
5. Beat It
9. The Lady in My Life
3. The Girl is Mine

#51 album

It's good, but also very easy to rank.

Billie Jean (#118 song)
Beat It (#309 song)
Thriller (#323 song)
Human Nature
Wanna be Starting Something
PYT
The Girl is Mine
Lady in my Life
Baby Be Mine

7 Human Nature
1 Wanna Be Startin Something
8 P.Y.T.
6 Billie Jean
4 Thriller
5 Beat It
3 The Girl Is Mine
9 The Lady In My Life
2 Baby Be Mine

"Thriller" is in my top 50 albums of all time, and is probably the best album of pop music to come out in the entire 1980's.

In my top 500 songs of all time-

1. Billie Jean
2. Beat It

Excellent tier-

3. Thriller
4. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Great tier-

5. P.Y.T.
6. Human Nature

Pretty good tier-

7. Baby Be Mine
8. The Girl Is Mine
9. The Lady In My Life

7. Human Nature
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
3. The Girl is Mine
2. Baby Be Mine
4. Thriller
9. The Lady in My Life

A great album. I actually ranked it higher on my all-time list because of this listen, from #98 to #48.

6. Billie Jean
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
7. Human Nature
4. Thriller
3. The Girl is Mine
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
2. Baby Be Mine
5. Beat It
9. The Lady in My Life

6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
4. Thriller
2. Baby Be Mine
9. The Lady in My Life
7. Human Nature
3. The Girl Is Mine

One of my favorites. Absolute amazing album.

All songs are top-amazing-great-good songs.

6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
4. Thriller
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady in My Life
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl is Mine

Thriller track listing:

Great :
6. Billie Jean
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Good :
3. The Girl is Mine

OK:
7. Human Nature
2. Baby Be Mine

Not for me:
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady in My Life

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
5. Beat It
4. Thriller
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
2. Baby Be Mine
9. The Lady in My Life
3. The Girl is Mine

7. Human Nature
6. Billie Jean
4. Thriller
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
5. Beat It
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
3. The Girl is Mine
2. Baby Be Mine
9. The Lady in My Life

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Beat It
3. Thriller
4. Billie Jean
5. Baby Be Mine
6. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
7. The Lady In My Life
8. The Girl Is Mine
9. Human Nature

Always hated his 'save the world'-ish songs. Generally, I only enjoy him when he gets dirty. For that matter, I might enjoy Off The Wall more than Thriller. Songs like Human Nature strikes me as close to unbearable, and it's a shame, 'cause i don't think it's bad songwriting per se, and it's not that I hate political or serious content in any way. His sentiment just comes off as cheesy to me, to a degree that I can't stand. Wish I could, though.

Beat It: 10
Billie Jean: 10
Human Nature: 10
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin': 9
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing): 9
Baby Be Mine: 7.5
Thriller: 7.5
The Lady in My Life: 5.5
The Girl is Mine: 1

Ulysses wrote:1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
2. Beat It
3. Thriller
4. Billie Jean
5. Baby Be Mine
6. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
7. The Lady In My Life
8. The Girl Is Mine
9. Human Nature

Always hated his 'save the world'-ish songs. Generally, I only enjoy him when he gets dirty. For that matter, I might enjoy Off The Wall more than Thriller. Songs like Human Nature strikes me as close to unbearable, and it's a shame, 'cause i don't think it's bad songwriting per se, and it's not that I hate political or serious content in any way. His sentiment just comes off as cheesy to me, to a degree that I can't stand. Wish I could, though.

I was a bit puzzled by your comment. I too don't dig MJ's message ballads, which are invariably mawkish. But "Human Nature" is not such a song. It is a love letter to the urban night life. And it has a fantastic vocal. For me, this track and "Stranger in Moscow" are the only good ballads he did after 1979.

1. Billie Jean
2. Human Nature
3. Beat It
4. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
5. Thriller
6. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
7. Baby Me Mine
8. The Girl is Mine
9. The Lady in My Life (But to be honest, I could easily flip 8 & 9, neither is much to write home about)

I have never really liked Jackson. Pretty much everything about his life makes me sad. That being said he had some killer music videos and Thriller is the best of the best.


4. Thriller
6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl is Mine
7. Human Nature
9. The Lady in My Life

6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
4. Thriller
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
7. Human Nature
3. The Girl is Mine
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
2. Baby Be Mine
9. The Lady in My Life

Separated into tiers:
1- Beat It

2- Billie Jean
3- Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

4- Thriller
5- PYT
6- Human Nature

7- The Lady in My Life
8- Baby Be Mine




9- The Girl Is Mine

4. Thriller
6. Billie Jean
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
5. Beat It
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl is Mine
7. Human Nature
9. The Lady in My Life

6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
7. Human Nature
4. Thriller
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady in My Life
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl is Mine

End of semesters just aren't a good time for me. I need to finish up an act of a screenplay, write a paper on Italian cinema, redraft two creative non-fiction essays and write two new ones, and write two additional papers. So, yeah. I'll get back to this soon.

Here's my belated ranking for Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue:

1. Blue in Green
2. So What
3. Freddie Freeloader
4. All Blues
5. Flamenco Sketches

If anything, this was proof that I know nothing about jazz. It is all nice ambient music for me, but even after the third playthrough of this album I'd still be hardpressed naming any of the pieces if I heard them somewhere.

BleuPanda, do you have any plans to continue these rankings?

Bruno wrote:BleuPanda, do you have any plans to continue these rankings?

Just as a memory refresher if you do, Bleu...

Sweepstakes Ron and I did the next two albums in the sequence--Blue Lines and Is This It?, respectively. So if you were to start this back up, we're on Channel Orange right now.

1. Billie Jean
2. Beat it
3. Wanna be Startin' Something
4. Thriller
5. P.Y.T.
6. Human Nature
7. the Lady in My Life
8. the Girl is Mine
9. Baby Be Mine
(Judging by the last two ratings, guessing I'm kind of communist)

It's pretty funny to see everyone's like "Thriller is a classic!... except for that duet-which-will-not-be-named."

6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
4. Thriller
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
7. Human Nature
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl is Mine
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady in My Life

1 | Billie Jean
2 | Beat It
3 | Thriller
4 | Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
5 | Human Nature
6 | Baby Be Mine
7 | The Girl Is Mine
8 | P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9 | The Lady in My Life

1. Billie Jean
2. The Lady In My Life
3. Human Nature
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
7. Baby Be Mine
8. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
9. The Girl Is Mine (With Paul McCartney)

06 | Billie Jean
05 | Beat It
07 | Human Nature
04 | Thriller
01 | Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
08 | P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
03 | The Girl is Mine
02 | Baby Be Mine
09 | The Lady in My Life

"So take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice."

01 | Billie Jean
02 | Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
03 | Beat It
04 | Baby Be Mine
05 | The Girl is Mine
06 | P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)
07 | Thriller
08 | Human Nature
09 | The Lady in My Life

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
6. Billie Jean
5. Beat It
4. Thriller
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
7. Human Nature
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl is Mine
9. The Lady in My Life

5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
4. Thriller
1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
2. Baby Be Mine
7. Human Nature
9. The Lady in My Life
3. The Girl is Mine

01 | Billie Jean
02 | Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
03 | Beat It
04 | P.Y.T (Pretty Young Thing)
05 | Thriller
06 | Human Nature
07 | The Girl is Mine
08 | Baby Be Mine
09 | The Lady in My Life

1. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
6. Billie Jean
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
7. Human Nature
5. Beat It
3. The Girl is Mine
4. Thriller
2. Baby Be Mine
9. The Lady in My Life

01| Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
08| P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
06| Billie Jean
05| Beat It
04| Thriller
02| Baby Be Mine
07| Human Nature
09| The Lady in My Life
03| The Girl Is Mine