As the world continues to grapple with Michael Jackson's death on June 25th, copies of his magnum opus, Thriller, and greatest hits collections continue to sell out on Amazon.com and in stores. But the one album that SHOULD be selling out is Off the Wall.
Recorded and released in 1979, Off the Wall wasn't Michael Jackson's first album, but it might as well have been. Jackson had already recorded a few albums when he was with Motown, but those albums were really just to sell singles and Jackson had no contribution to the song-writing or producing. Off the Wall was Jackson's first solo album on Epic Records, and produced by Quincy Jones, and it was the first album that showed Michael Jackson was more than just some teen pop star; he was a genuinely talented song-writer and performer. He wrote the album's first single, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, one of his most enduring hits, a song that effortlessly blends pop, soul and disco. But the rest of Off the Wall is just as good, just as funky and - yes - just as sexy.
While Thriller may get voted as Michael Jackson's best album, I would argue Off the Wall is the superior album. It's looser, funkier and more organic, whereas Thriller is more calculating, trying to be the biggest pop album ever (on many levels it does succeed), but Off the Wall is simply more fun. Try resisting the grooves of "Rock With You," "It's the Falling in Love," and the title track. And Jackson sings "She's Out of My Life" with pure emotion.
So, if you cannot find a copy of Thriller at HMV, and you don't own Off the Wall, pick up this album, Jackson's finest moment.
