Originally Posted by RMR

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“Off The Wall is actually Michael’s 5th solo album. He released his first solo record, “Got To Be There” in 1972, followed by “Ben” in the same year, “Music & Me” in 1975, and then finally “Forever, Michael” in 1975. However, I will point out that “Off The Wall” is dramatically different from his first 4 solo efforts because those albums were really a part of the Jackson 5 package, and they were all released by Motown Records. “Off the Wall” marks Michael’s departure from Motown, and it is his first album released on Epic Records. It is also Michael’s first collaboration with Quincy Jones, who was instrumental in helping Jackson find his signature sound.

Second, many people think “Off The Wall” is a groundbreaking album: FALSE
I certainly consider “Off The Wall” to be Michael’s breakout album, but I definitely don’t consider it to be groundbreaking, and this is where the confusion sets in for many fans and critics. On “Off The Wall,” Michael definitely breaks away from the restraints of the Motown label, the Jacksons 5, and his child-like image. Plus, for the first time, he gets some song writing credits, whereas while at Motown all the songs were either covers or written by other songwriters. So, I guess you could make the claim that the album is groundbreaking compared to what Michael Jackson had done in the past, but the album is in no way groundbreaking compared to what other artists and bands where releasing at the time or compared to what Michael would release in the future.