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'Thriller' at 25: Still Can't Beat It

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...AND THE 25TH-ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF THRILLER'S NOT-SO-THRILLING EXTRAS, TRACK BY TRACK

''The Girl Is Mine 2008'' A remix with will.i.am, who raps, ''She like the way I rock.'' Over and over. D+

''P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008'' Will.i.am again, remixing the drum parts to update yet dilute the original's already-slim charms. D

''Wanna Be Startin 'Somethin' 2008'' Akon doing his best to complement Jackson's vocal, and as such, a bit of unexpectedly charming modesty sells this remix. B

''Beat It 2008'' Oh, good Lord — few things suggest how out of touch Michael and his advisers have become than enlisting Fergie to caterwaul in the background. Still upstaged by Eddie Van Halen's for-the-ages guitar solo. D

''Billie Jean 2008'' Did guest Kanye West think Jackson's greatest Thriller achievement would be helped by remixing some leftover ''Golddigger'' stutter-beats and sluggishly rapping ''Yeah, unh, unh'' a few times? Really, Kanye... D

''For All Time'' A previously unreleased Thriller-session song, this pretty ballad is sung in Jackson's pensive ''Ben''-era tenor. B

More Thriller: See EW.com's Q&A with the album's legendary producer Quincy Jones

Posted Feb 08, 2008 | Published in issue #978 Feb 15, 2008 | Order Article Reprints

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