Weekend reading: Michael Jackson’s glory days, Britney’s fall

Published 1:56 pm Thursday, February 14, 2008

I troll the Internet looking for good articles about pop music.

This week, we’ve got excerpts from the re-issue of Beck’s “Odelay,” a look back at Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” the sad story of Britney Spears, and an explanation of how Herbie Hancock beat out Kanye West and Amy Winehouse at the Grammys.

Onward:

The Los Angeles Times looks back at Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” with trivia — Brooke Shields was Jackson’s date to the Grammys, the song “Thriller” first was titled “Starlight,” et al — and a run down of the songs, since Tuesday marked the album’s 25th anniversary.

While Los Angeles Times, where the paper runs excepts from the re-issue’s liner notes that include interviews by author Dave Eggers with teenagers.

Herbie Hancock won a Grammy for a “cool-tempered … almost drowsy” album that is, of course, “also a very Grammy-ish record,” the New York Times explains.

Who’s ready to be depressed? Blender compiles the tawdry details of Britney Spears’ fall from grace, while Rolling Stone has a large picture gallery up covering the same subject. (Rolling Stone also has an article about her in its new edition, but only an excerpt of the piece is available online.)