Heeding my own advice, I took the turntable for a spin this afternoon.

My vinyl collection consists mostly of 45s from the 80s and early 90s. I always preferred to purchase singles, especially if there was a cool picture sleeve or b-side to enjoy. Back then, I had a rule that I’d only spring for the album if there were at least three good singles. Thus, I’ve got very few albums on wax.

After doing a quick once-over of my vinyl options, I decided I didn’t want to get up and move the needle four minutes later. Setting singles aside, I selected Thriller as my stereo’s inaugural ’08 platter. Featuring seven Top 10 hits*, Michael Jackson’s magnum opus more than meets my album-purchase rule, but the album — which featured a gatefold cover — was a Christmas gift from my sister. It’s still one of my favorite gifts ever.

Released on November 30, 1982, Thriller became the biggest selling album of all time (currently certified 27x platinum). To mark its 25th anniversary, Epic/Legacy is releasing Thriller 25, an expanded package that couples the original album with six new tracks. There’s a new Kanye West remix of “Billie Jean”; will.i.am remixes of “The Girl Is Mine,” “P.Y.T.,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” (featuring Akon), and “Beat It” (featuring Fergie); plus “For All Time,” a previously unreleased cut from the original Thriller sessions.

The disc also includes an extended segment from Vincent Price’s voiceover session for his spooky spoken “Thriller” interlude. A bonus DVD collects the “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and “Thriller” videos, as well as Michael’s moonwalking performance of “Billie Jean” from the Motown 25 special.

Thriller 25 is released on February 12, but chances are you’ve already got a copy of the original (again, 27 million copies have shipped). Regardless of what you think of MJ these days, it’s worth remembering what was really a magical time in music history.

*Those seven singles were: “The Girl Is Mine” (#2), “Billie Jean” (#1), “Beat It” (#1),
“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” (#5), “Human Nature” (#7),
“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” (#10), and “Thriller” (#4)