For a moment, let’s forget about the plastic surgery, the Peter Pan syndrome, the dynastic marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the allegations against him, and his bizarre persona.

Michael Jackson was the bonafide King of Pop. And no one else even comes close.

And while his studio discography has no shortage of straight bangers, Thriller was the album that cemented that status, and it remains the most consistent and rewarding listen. But hidden deep within the wall-to-wall hit singles is one of the most revolutionary albums for racial justice ever.

After becoming a massive child star with the Jackson 5, Michael struggled to find his footing. He released a few solo albums on Motown that continued the soulful trajectory of the Jackson 5 (his brothers still played on the records). But ultimately, they were nothing revolutionary, and when he started to outgrow his boyish precociousness his voice started to change (yes, it did drop a little bit), he floundered.

Then, he joined the cast of The Wiz, where he met a producer named Quincy Jones. The two became friends and collaborated on Michael’s 1979 album Off The Wall. Burned out by the creative restraints of the Motown label and invigorated by Jones’ freshness, Michael wanted to create something new. He succeeded, and with its fresh blend of disco and R&B, Off the Wall was a smash hit. It was the first album in history to spawn four top ten singles. It reignited his career in a major way, proving that he wasn’t just a child star holding on to fame.

But in the end, Off the Wall wasn’t as successful as he had hoped it would be. He felt it should have sold more copies. He felt that it should have won the Grammy for Album of the Year (he’s right—nothing else nominated is nearly as indelible). Rolling Stone reneged on an offer for an interview. He had delivered the album of his life, and it failed to capture the attention it deserved.

So when Jackson and Jones teamed up again, they were out to prove that Off the Wall wasn’t just a fluke. They wanted to create a record that no one could ignore.

And once again, they succeeded.

Thriller took the slick, synth-filled production of its predecessor and doubles down. The composition is as intricate and immaculate as anything produced before or since. And judging by the four-track acapella demos Jackson recorded for Jones, Michael deserves just as much credit as Quincy.

And while Thriller is best known for its three number one singles and their music videos (“Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” and “Thriller“), this album is wall-to-wall bangers. Of its nine tracks, all but two of these tracks were released as singles—and all seven singles broke the Billboard top ten. From the incredible opener “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” the torch-passing duet with Paul McCartney “The Girl Is Mine” to the grooving, slinky “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing),” every second of this record is absolutely perfect, leaving no doubt as to why Thriller remains the highest selling studio album of all time. This record changed pop music forever, as seen by the remixes on the bonus disc of this 25th Anniversary edition.

But on the other side of its smash success, it’s easy to forget that Thriller was a major revolution in racial equality in America. No black singer had ever seen this sort of mainstream success, and the fact that this record became as popular as it did was not without its racial tensions. These music videos became staples of the MTV lineup, but only after CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff threatened to go to the press and “fucking tell them about the fact that you don’t want to play music by a black guy.” It worked—MTV ran “Thriller” twice an hour to meet demand (and remember: that video is fourteen minutes long. Twice an hour is almost half of MTV’s programming).

That success allowed other black artists to enter the mainstream as well (most notably Prince, who is the only musician ever to give Michael a run for his money). Looking at the state of the pop charts today, it’s easy to forget that there was ever a time when a black singer would be kept off the air. And let’s not forget how revolutionary a song about interracial dating (“The Girl Is Mine,” either way you look at it) would have been during the Reagan administration. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo (which was spontaneously added when Quincy found him recording in the sound stage next door) also helped knock down the wall between white and black musicians at the time.

Thriller is the highest selling record of all time, but it is more than just a popular album. It is a great album. And even more than that, it is revolutionary, both sonically and socially. It created not just the sound of contemporary pop music, but created an industry landscape where black artists were just as highly regarded as their white peers. It’s as transcendent as it is timeless, and as barrier-breaking as it is catchy.

Not bad for a kid from Indiana.