RMR

Michael Jackson Off The Wall- 1979
RMR Album Rating- 3


Let’s start by clearing up two common misconceptions that many people have with this album.

–First, many people think “Off The Wall” is Michael Jackson’s first solo album.
–Second, many people think “Off The Wall” is a groundbreaking album.

These two misconceptions go hand in hand, and they falsely support each other. It’s like a philosophy or math “if/ then statement.” The statement would read like this: If “Off the Wall” is Michael Jackson's debut album, then "Off The Wall" must be a groundbreaking album. However, as with all if/ then logic statements, if one side of the equation is false, then the equation doesn’t work, and in this case— both sides of the equation are false, so the whole equation completely crumbles.

I had to look up the term to refresh my memory, but it’s called a “false proof,” so let me point out the “false proof” in the if/ then statement above, and at the same time, clear up the misconceptions that I originally pointed out about this album.

First, many people think “Off The Wall” is Michael Jackson’s first solo album: FALSE
“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.

I’ll elaborate further by saying that although Michael and Quincy Jones put in the effort to create an album that would not sound like a Motown record— most of the songs on “Off the Wall” still sound like Motown songs. To me, most of the songs don’t sound any different than what you would hear from a Motown cover band at a wedding (just with much better vocals), and Motown wedding band songs don’t equal groundbreaking in my book.

As for the actual songs, Michael’s vocals are undoubtedly excellent on every song, but he is still far from creating his signature sound. Of the 10 songs on the album, only “Don’t Stop ‘till You Get Enough,” “Rock with You,” and “Off the Wall” really stand out. “Don’t Stop ‘till You Get Enough,” which was written by Michael, is excellent, and it is easily the best song on the album. It is also the only song on the album that gives us a glimpse of what Michael would have in store for us on his next few releases. ("Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough" YouTube Clip Below). “Rock With You” and the title track are both great dance songs, and they both clearly demonstrate Michael’s amazing range of vocal diversity as he alternates between several different vocal tones in each song, so they are definitely winners as well. ("Off The Wall" YouTube Clip Below).

There are two other Jackson penned songs (“Working Day and Night” and “Get on the Floor”), but they really just sound like classic Motown songs with a modern twist and some added Jackson flair. As for the other songs, I will give some credit to “She’s Out of My Life.” It is the album’s main ballad, and Jackson’s voice certainly sounds fantastic. However, to me, the song could have fit in on any of Jackson’s previous solo efforts or any Jackson 5 album for that matter. Then, you have “Girlfriend,” which was written by Paul McCartney. On paper, a McCartney written song performed by Michael Jackson should be a slam-dunk, but it is my least favorite song on the record. As for the other songs— everything else is really pretty much forgettable.

Ultimately, I think this album is severely overrated. There is no doubt that Michael Jackson would go on to create some of the most innovative and timeless pop songs ever laid down to tape— I just don’t think his legacy starts with “Off the Wall.”

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