An Album You Should Own - 11/21/08

Michael Jackson - Off The Wall

Do you remember when Michael Jackson was normal?
The plastic surgery wasn't so scary.
He wasn't constantly in court charged with crimes that made your flesh crawl.

I tell kids today that when I was their age (oh, crap...) Michael Jackson was on top of the world. He was fairly normal in appearance and far from the punchline to the numerous jokes that have been told about him on late-night talk shows.

He was an absolute superstar.

There was no one in the world as recognizable as him. Jackson's face graced the cover of countless magazines. He was constantly on television and radio. He legitimized MTV, rather than the other way around. Jackson's career crested around the same time MTV was looking for a superstar like him to take their fledgling network and catapult it against the collective frontal-lobe of the public.

It was a marriage made in heaven.
The video was "Billie Jean" and the album was "Thriller".

Before that, however, Michael Jackson was slightly less "omni-present".
He was still a big star from his work with his brothers. But, he wasn't the world-dominating star he became around 1982.

"Off The Wall" was released in 1979. Although it wasn't his first solo recording, it was the album that solidified his reputation as an astonishing talent. It took disco music and turned it inside out. With this album, the beat was undeniable - but, it wasn't the focus. The beats were just the foundation for an album loaded with pop hooks, dense funk, strings, lush ballads and Jackson's own rebirth as a blindingly-talented, highly-skilled vocalist.

The album's vision was shaped, masterfully, by Jackson and the legendary Quincy Jones. Each song is blessed with strong melodies and large helpings of funk guitars and rhythmic hooks that produce a dazzling effect on the listener. It was, no doubt, the soundtrack to countless parties - simultaneously blowing up dance-floors in clubs across the nation.

"Thriller" might be the album that made Jackson a star. But, "Off The Wall" was actually a more complete musical achievement. The attention to detail is evident in the final result. Simply put, it is pure joy. You can listen to this album from start to finish and it never disappoints. It's perfect background music for a summer cookout or a party. It can fade into the wallpaper if that is what you need. Or, it can come roaring out of the speakers if you need to get people on the floor.

Whenever I hear "Off The Wall", it truly takes me back.

It is an album you should own.

Further listening: "Thriller", "Bad", "Dangerous"