Many of us can link a certain album to pivotal moments in our lives. Whether it’s the first record you bought with your own money, the chord you first learnt to play on guitar, the song that soundtracked your first kiss, the album that got you those awkward and painful pubescent years or the one that set off light bulbs in your brain and inspired you to take a big leap of faith into the unknown – music is often the catalyst for change in our lives and can even help shape who we become.
In this Love Letter To A Record series, Music Feeds asks artists to reflect on their relationship with music and share with us stories about the effect music has had on their lives.
Tyne-James Organ – Michael Jackson, Thriller (1982)
This album did so much for me and still does. I remember being young and hearing all these songs at different moments. I don’t think I’ve ever listened to an MJ song and not had a dance. I don’t even know where to begin with this record. You press play and ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Something’ comes on. You just move. For 6 minutes. It’s heaven.
I feel like I slept on ‘Baby Be Mine’ when I was younger but it’s definitely a go-to for me now. There’s a backing vocal counter melody that comes in about three times throughout the track and it’s fucking sick. I don’t speak much technical music shit so all in all I’m just telling you how these songs have made and make me feel. If you wanna read someone examine and break ’em down this ‘aint the article for you haha.
Paul McCartney on ‘The Girl is Mine’ is a conversational piece of beauty. I dunno I just love it. Fuck it. Just go listen to this beast of an album. Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones in a studio changing pop music forever. Make sure you take the time to look up Quincy Jones too. Absolute powerhouse. There’s a doco on Netflix called Quincy. Recommend 10/10.
This album has ‘Thriller’ on it. The best clip of all time. And Billie Jean – probably the most iconic pop song of all time. Speaking of, go on YouTube and find the early demos MJ made of that one. ‘Human Nature’ is a stunning song, but I struggle to listen to it these days. I remember watching Michael Jackson’s funeral and John Mayer played an instrumental of ‘Human Nature’. I dunno but I just think of that moment every time. ‘P.Y.T’ is another bop. The melodies are bonkers. And then ‘The Lady In My Life’ closes out the record in style.
This album really opened up a vortex in my mind. I never knew which way I’d go with my sound until I was about 20, but the early influence from Thriller and Michael Jackson made me wanna move with whatever I was gonna do.
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Tyne-James Organ’s highly anticipated debut album Necessary Evil is out today. Listen to new single Better Than This and head here for his upcoming tour dates.
