Off The Wall

Let's seperate the artist from the art for a moment and realize this pedophile was really good at music (and I've never been an MJ fan). BUT, as strong as this album started off, it really goes downhill after a couple of songs. Why do pedophiles always have to ruin everything?

Nice of Rod Temperton to re-use his Boogie Nights riff on the title track. Overall a nice piece of pop, solid 2.5 stars. Perhaps a bit too much filler to make it a great album.

Some right classic tracks, but also a number of just average stuff.

I'm having an internal struggle with tragedy of a man. To be fair I'll give Quincy Jones a 5 and MJ a 1 cause I just can't look at the music and not see the man that sung it. 1+5=6 6/2=3

1001 gods trying to bait me into watching this movie. Never been much of an MJ fan, but this album is an easy listen for the most part. These slow ballads make me want to fall asleep though NGL. Don’t really see it as anything more than some background party music (the bouncy songs), but it’s well done. Quincy Jones production doing wonders here. I just don’t feel anything beyond the production with MJ. There’s so much music of these same genres that make me FEEL things. This is groovy and nothing more to me. Sorry Zachary.

Genuinely thought I’d have heard this before but aside from the hits, I didn’t actually know a lot of this album. It’s good and easy to see why he became the superstar he did, but ultimately just not my thing.

Honestly I thought this would be more fun but I just found it quite annoying the longer it went for... Maybe it's because needs dictated that I had to hear it whilst studying rather than partying... Even the bangers are a bit boring danceable-but-heard-it-before vibes. Still nice to have a bit of disco!

Michael goes disco and it actually comes off pretty well. Favorite track: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

A couple of good songs at the start of the album, ones that still get play today, but the rest is just middle-of-the-road stuff.

RATING: 6/10 HIGHLIGHT: Rock With You LOWLIGHT: She’s Out of My Life

this was probably such a damn banger when it came out

Whilst both _Thriller_ and _Bad_ were staples of my youth, this only came along later and so I don't have anywhere near the same attachment to it. It also lacks the big name tracks that made him who he was but when it's good, it's very good and it's best in that respect when it's doing funky, poppy disco, which it does for most of the first half and the closer. When it goes into more laid back soul oriented track, as it does for most of the second half, it lacks the punch. It's a decent album, but I don't really reach for Jacko and if I did, it would be one of the two albums that follow this or a greatest hits.

Ridiculous talent and upbeat music

Das kenn ich schonmal bisschen Girlfriend ist immediately liebe! Sehr romantisch und fun das Album

Groovy

cool jacksons

It’s a 3 … wouldn’t have given it more even if, you know, stuff.

Very funky, I like it, so did my Mamm

When to listen: At a bar mitzvah or wedding. I like disco, funk. I like Michael Jackson (the art, not the artist.) But this album has too much baggage and associations in my mind for me to like or appreciate it. It just doesn’t hit for me.

He was ahead of his time! Discovering some new songs: I Can’t Help It (instrumentals remind me of Labyrinth) Pretty good album but it felt a little short. Started off super upbeat and mellowed out. 7.5/10

Fine pop album just not something I want to listen to

6.0/10 A few amazing hits but rest of album is pretty average

pretty good all throughout haven’t really got favs

The earlier the better for MJ's musical output.

Está lindo pero mi era favorita de Michael viene en los 80. Nota: 3.3

Don’t stop ‘till you get enough - Upbeat tempo and real groovy beat. Michael pairs high pitched singing with catchy lyrics. Although it becomes a bit repetitive, overall it’s a really fun song. Rock with you - The drums and synth create a nice atmosphere, the usage of the synth build up to the lyrics is nice. Michael’s voice is outstanding, he has gone for a slightly deeper voice in this song contrasting with the first song. Could definitely dance to this song. Workin’ day and night - Michael’s heavy breathing/panting stands out very heavily in the beginning. The percussion sets a fast pace for Michael’s singing, making the song feel rather energetic. Get on the floor - Dramatic buildup at the beginning. Michael’s voice echoed by the background singers is a lovely addition. I enjoyed how his voice was used in the background alongside the instruments. Off the wall - Outstanding vocals combined with nice lyrics and a less chaotic background contrasting to the previous. Girlfriend - Michael’s calmer voice stands out immediately, highlighting the shift from energetic to relaxed. The do-do-do-do-do’s are fun. She’s out of my life - A beautiful opening followed by Michaels raw vulnerable voice and emotional lyrics - “She’s out of my life, and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry” Michael sings softly throughout the whole song, conveying his heartbreak and vulnerability. I can’t help it - A laid back song, displaying his admiration and love for someone, describing them as “an angel in disguise”. It’s the falling in love - Genuinely not sure whether the opening is a woman or Michael (sorry Michael) the instrumental and vocal buildup to the chorus was a good addition. Didn’t stand out much. Burn the disco out - I liked his little *hip* noise with his voice, beat creates the illusion that people are clapping along to the song. Fast paced groove with smooth vocals. Was beginning to grow tired of the album but this song brought the energy back, redeeming the album. A fairly good album, some songs become quite repetitive or just don’t stand out much. My top tracks are “Don’t stop ‘till you get enough”, “She’s out of my life”, and “Burn this disco out”. Overall a 3 out of 5, Michael’s vocals are outstanding, the only thing that held the album back for me was the repetitive lyrics and a few of the songs. A lovely first album from Michael.

I'm basing this purely on the music not the man, and the music is kinda brilliant unfortunately

Notable Textzeile: Then why don't you just dance across the floor? 'Cause there's a chance for chances And the chance is choosin' And I sure would like just to groove with you Musste erstmal ein wenig recherchieren um herauszufinden, was MJ hier selbst geschrieben hat. Eine lange Liste illustrer Komponisten für ein seltsames Album. Musikalisch bin ich damit voll einverstanden heute, kann mir aber auch vorstellen dass ich viele Nicht-Disco-Tage in meinem Leben hatte und haben werde, dann ist es unerträglich gleichförmig. Aber ist schon sehr gut produziert und arrangiert. Seltsam finde ich es, weil mir unklar ist was für eine Persona hier aufgebaut wird. Vom Star Wars Zitat im ersten Song über die Person die immer zum Arbeiten gezwungen wird, dem Boyfriend seines Girlsfriends genau zeigen will was sie so zusammen tun bis sie dann nach seltsam spezifischen zwei Jahren wieder verschwindet. Dazwischen immer wieder Tanzen und so. Ich bin mir insgesamt unsicher, wie ich MJs Leben in die Bewertung mit einbeziehen möchte, daher lass ich das mal sein und sage wg. Abzügen in der Textnote und im alltäglichen Ertragen können eine gute 3,3

Hm. Seite A gefällt mir, natürlich wegen den Hits. Bei Seite B habe ich schon keine Geduld mehr für Disco, und die Songs haben zu wenig Ideen irgendwie. Mir war nicht klar wie sehr das Album Disco ist. Und das Wings Cover ist natürlich auch katastrophal. 2 Punkte? Nein, weil mir burn the disco down dann doch wieder gefällt.

Dafür dass es MJ war habe ich mehr erwartet und letzten Endes fand ich das Album in Summe sehe mid.

muy bueno los inicios de Michael la verdad un album disfrutable pero no me voló la cabeza

This is a classic album. However, I'm not a big fun of R&B, funky, or disco. So, for that reason, this is not that great for my personal taste. Anyway, the album is indeed enjoyable and, undoubtedly, very well produced.

It was pretty fine but didn't strike me as super amazing or anything; I liked Thriller better generally.

It was good, went up and down for me in terms of songs which i might listen again. Although I don't really think I am a michael jackson guy. Favourites: 1. She's out of my life: very personal and relatable for me 2. Get on the floor: made me want to dance

Michael Jackson is the best above a certain BPM

this album was on the wall in my opinion

Far from the worst thing in the world, but not MJs best album by a long shot.

It's solid pop with some real big hits. But the second half really annoyed me and put me to sleep.

Good start, definitely a vibe could be better overall though.

Geweldige hits, niet zijn beste werk. Tikje eentonig ook

Not the best MJ offering. Probably the most dated of his catalog, leaning very heavily into disco. Has some good songs, but mostly a pass for me in favor of Bad or Thriller

OK, so Michael can blow. He is an amazing singer, and has such an incredible catalogue of music. The Bad and Thriller albums are masterpieces. This, however, I was less than thrilled with. I’m just not a fan of disco, and this album would’ve been so much better if there was a lot more funk to it. Frankly, there’s not a whole lot on here that blows me away. There are some good tracks, no doubt, but far from his best.

Good disco album

Nice change of pace. Not a big fan of disco or dance, but this seemed really well produced. Probably not a repeat listen for me but enjoyed it for the most part.

incredible start, very unremarkable side B that starts to turn to mush in my brain. good but not the best michael jackson.

I expected more from this tbh

Putting Michael Jackson's troubles aside this is a very average album. DSTYGE is the best track, followed by Rock With You and She's out of my life. The rest is very disco based which is good if you like that sort of thing. Working Day and Night is the best of the rest.

-couple classics -easy listening but also a pop overall Fav: Workin’ Day and Night

Felt like the album lost steam in the second half. Enjoyed it for the most part though. Feels like in the last few years everyone seems to have just decided that he’s not cancelled anymore. Which is odd because 10-15 years ago it was basically just accepted he was a horrible person.

Pop, 1979 -> 3

I respect the innovation and high value production of this, but I also found the album a little bit boring. I did really enjoy the singing in "she is out of my world"

Jamais écouté avant. Top : Get on the Floor Flop : Girlfriend

A few classics songs but not as good as Thriller. There was less variety as well on what seemed to me like a fairly standard pop album.

It's nae bad. I mean, obviously not really my cup of tea. But there are some very well crafted pop songs in there and of course some very talented singing. Standouts: Off The Wall, the first two (although they're pretty obvious)

The first two tracks are amazing. And Louis Johnson's bass on Get on the Floor is something to behold. Side B drags; I'm not a fan of She's Out of My Life. All in all it's an interesting preview of coming attractions.

Definitely better than I wanted it to be - but I still can't separate the art from the artist.

Enjoyed it a fair bit. Has aged a lot better than Bad. The second half was rather dry though.

I know this is a total classic but not much really stands out for me after Rock with You

Don't stop, rock with you, and off the wall all slap pretty hard, rest of the album is a vibe but nothing too crazy either 3.5

Didn't know it, only Thriller and everything after. Surprisingly good.

First things first, I'm going with the usual policy of trying to separate art from artist, even if that gets increasingly difficult in certain cases... Starts off with a couple of absolute crackers, no doubt, and there's some solid stuff besides, but too many Stevie Wonder retreads and stuff so sickly sweet you can feel it rotting your insides.

3 stars Good music and consistent. But in that consistency it can feel a little samey. It’s hard not to compare this with Thriller and that’s unfortunate because that record is almost perfect and this is just good. The hits are great and the other stuff isn’t bad but not really as memorable or grabbing attention.

Ratings: 5: I will happily play this album anytime 4: I may occasionally play this album of my own free will 3: I will happily listen to this if someone plays it in the background 2: I will tolerate this if it is playing in the background 1: I will leave the room if someone plays this in the background Solid album. Stronger first half, tails off for me during the second half.

Very solid disco album. Most of the songs are pretty great and it doesn’t overstay its welcome. Solid 3 stars for me

Album No. 0182 on my list. To put it mildly, I have very, very mixed feelings about Michael Jackson. On the one hand, being born in the 1990s, he was completely ubiquitous in my childhood. He was the star. On the other hand, I had never really liked his music much personally and was not a fan of his style of singing. Then again, he's certainly an iconic artist. But then again, he was an absolute piece of garbage human. Anyway, I was still curious about "Off The Wall", because I had only ever known MJ's big later hits but never actually listened to one of his albums in entirety. Well, and the album was... okay. To me, it was nothing special, because it's not my favorite style of music, and I still really don't like MJ's voice. But on the other hand, one can hardly deny that this is a very well produced, groovy, funky, very danceable peak disco album. I didn't care about most of the individual songs, but the whole sound of this is pretty great and you can really see a rising star in action here (if this is the right word - I mean, he was already pretty big at the time, just not the global superstar he was about to become). Anyways, I'll add the classic "Don't Stop 'Til You get Enough", "Rock With You", and "It's The Falling In Love" (a little hidden gem) to my playlist. 3/5 stars.

Not his strongest album, pretty good, feels like some of the album is a little weak though

Great basslines!

Sure do miss the days this could be enjoyed without qualifiers … I get burnt out on disco after a few tracks, but this may be Quincy's finest moment, so each individual track is fantastic.

All listenable, some positively enjoyable.

Don't stop till you get enough and rock with you are great songs. Knocked off a star as he's a paedo.

Keeps moving. A good dance record. A bit of a victim of its success. I never need to hear dont stop or rock with you ever again. Working day and night is a good track. Not as good when it slows down

Mid album, great start, but i just didn't like the long songs. Great vocals tho, ofc and beats were too notch as well.

Zeer Michael Jackson. Ik geef het 3 sterren, maar het verdient er waarschijnlijk 4.

...

Quincy jones masterpiece, shame Michael is a wrongen and his voice grates after a while

Good music, bad man. Couldn't finish, couldn't think of nothing else than a p-files

Il ne faut pas se mentir, l'album a mal vieilli excepté le début qui démarre excellement. Début = 5 étoiles et j'ai presqu'envie de le prendre au mot "don't stop 'til you get enough"... mais voilà après rock with me, je donnerai un bon 2/3 étoiles.... Et l'album semble trop long. Bref, je m'en tiens à 3 étoiles !

This may have been Michael Jackson's best album. However, I don't like the style, the arrangements, or the voice. Listening to the music again didn't give me a pleasant feeling of nostalgia. However, it wasn't so annoying that I had to turn it off. 3/5

Of the three Michael Jackson's album in this list, I think I liked this one the best. "Bad" suffers from the dated 80's sound production, and while "Thriller" may have his biggest hits ever, I think it is a bit inconsistent. This album may not be his biggest, but I think it is the most solid. It is composed of very solid, groovy, funk and fun songs with a handful of slower and sad moments. Did I love it? Not really. Regardless of Michael Jackson's insane voice and being quite fun, I'm not a big fun of disco, and the mellow songs weren't doing anything for me. So that is why it is not getting a higher score.

Is it an iconic album? Yes. Is it objectively good? Also yes. Do I despise the sight and sound of MJ? Again: yes. This is a generous three.

- avausraita yks parhaista biiseistä evö - toinen biisi samoin - lopuista tulee kyl vähä semmone fiilis että discohaulikolla ammuttiin ja parhaat tulokset laitettiin ekaks kaheks biisiks

Good opening but too much of the back half was mehish

Some decent songs

Very groovy, r&b and disco

I feel like its not one of my type of music, maybe for someone is the best album but for me its different because its a type of music that few people listen and few other doesn't like it all. So my opinion is that maybe its between a 1/10

Catchy disco

Obviously I’d heard the hits, but never the album in full. Before everything went mental and MJ was just good at what he did. Everything is completely solid here, of course it is. The musicians are tight, the production is stellar. For what it is, it’s great. Singles aside - which are regularly aired almost everywhere still to this day anyway (which says a lot) - I can’t see me returning to this too much.

The hits hit

A great pop album full of well known songs. However I can’t imaging myself reaching for this myself, Michael Jackson unarguably being a talent, it just doesn’t resonate with me

Upbeat and funky if a little date

It's Michael. Relevant? Maybe? Top must listen type album, maybe not. I don't know...what am I even talking about?

Not a fan of Michael Jackson as a human, but his music is boogie-licous.

Pretty good album. Fun listen the whole way through, and its obvious why they call MJ the King of Pop. That said it sort of blended together, I didn't even realize I'd finished it until it started repeating.

As far as MJ albums go… this just felt a little nothing to write home about? Which feels CRAZY when almost half of the track list comprises MJ songs I couldn’t live without (Don’t Stop…, Rock with You, Off the Wall, She’s Out of My Life), and yet. I think I was a little bored!

Yllättävän hyvä, yllättävän disco! I can't help it jäi mieleen, kuulosti jotenkin freshiltä että voisi olla tätä päivää. Tätä kutsuttaisiin nykyään indiemusaksi.

It’s better than his other stuff. Probably because it’s fun disco and doesn’t make me deeply uncomfortable or annoyed

Save:1

First record I ever bought was Bad. Second record was Thriller. I never purchased Off the Wall - how my life could have been different had I made that leap. Disco/pop/funk not really my jam although can appreciate the talent.

Day763 - if this was a two song album and michael jackson wasn’t such a weirdo it would be perfect

Decent, esp first 2/3rds. 3.5

It's undeniable that Michael Jackson both had some incredibly catchy songs and had a complicating, horrifying, life beyond the public face. In this essay I will

Liked one song, not super interested but easy to listen to

Obviously a good pop album…leaves me cold

Kein großer Fan von MJ. Hatte das Album vorher nicht aufm Schirm. Bin daher positiv überrascht. Einige gute Songs dabei, Album kann man gut hören.

I have a headache :(

Michael Jackson has two very famous and 1001 worthy albums. This is not it but whatever let's boogie.

Not my favorite Michael Jackson album but it's pretty good. I really like his voice and well, he is the king of pop for a reason

Jeg kan godt høre, at det er godt, men det bliver aldrig min ting.

I stopped when I got enough and not before

a classic, loved it

That's not my taste in music - But some pleasant songs - Great musician

a classic, but ehh

Not familiar with this album. Very 70s disco funk. Easy to listen to and less poppy than his 80s stuff. A little cheesy. Back half not as good as front. Highlights: don't stop till you get enough, rock with you

Quincy Jones shaped 𝘖𝘧𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘭 into a slick, deeply funky record, and you can hear his fingerprints all over the arrangements — bright horns, tight grooves, and a polished sense of rhythm. Still, while the album is an important step in Michael Jackson’s evolution, it doesn’t feel like his best work to me. The genre range is fairly narrow, especially compared to the stylistic breadth he would reach on 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳. As a showcase of potential, it’s impressive; as the work of someone destined to become the “King of Pop,” it doesn’t yet fully get there — even though the raw talent is obvious.

Some good songs (especially the first two) but some of the others just don't hit the same, and have cringey lyrics

I really enjoy this album in the first half. Back half got a little sappy for me, and not my typical genre of music I connect to.

Pop and fun but not super creative

Good solid album signs of him becoming the king of pop but not quite there yet in this album.

Very fun! A few classics on this one, crazy it came out three years before thriller. Also I wish there were half stars cuz like three feels harsh but ig this is my truth.

нормик, задорный старт, поп-стандарт и все такое, с трех попыток послушать залпом только один хайлайт - rock with you

So good as always MJ

Off the wall

Hyvä groove! Tein päiväkirjaa/scrap book samalla ja oli tosi kivaa. Ajauduin ton albumin kautta semmoseen koloon, missä mulla tuli vaan hyvää musaa putkeen, mikä oli mahtavaa! Pitää kuunnella uudelleen, jotta oikeesti tiedostan ja hahmotan kappaleet.

There are some great tunes on this, and the album's biggest weakness may be that most of them are all in a row. The first five tracks are all fantastic, especially the opener and the title track. They're funky, detailed, and perfectly produced. After the title track though the album plummets into the weirdly silly "Girlfriend" and the ballad "She's Out of My Life," which is not bad but painfully ordinary. After that only "It's the Falling in Love" really excites. It also should be noted that most of the upbeat tracks play with the same formula, meaning they blur together a bit. When a set of songs are as good as these it doesn't matter much, but it does make it hard to point at the tracklist and identify what makes each song great individually. Undoubtedly a fun album but one that's missing just a bit of variety to really be special.

I am more familiar with Michael Jackson's music from the 90s. He definitely had an identifiable sound. I love the vibe of Rock with You. He is just so happy! Very disco, very 70s sound; but decidedly Michael Jackson.

Had me dancing in the kitchen and took me back to the dance clubs in Austin & Dallas!! 🪩🕺😎

I am generally not really an MJ fan, or disco for that matter. Yet, this album is actually pretty solid. Really thanks to the production by Quincy Jones bringing these songs to life.

Nothing is quite as exciting as Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, but rest of the album is solid

Michael Jackson's Off The Wall? Yeah I'd say he is, he's off the planet. Isn't he going to freeze himself?

1st listen to the album, but have heard the first 2 songs and like them. This was MJ just before transition to upbeat pop.

Temp

Fun - I don’t think I’ve ever actively listened to a full Michael Jackson record before. It’s good, very disco. I like Rock with You and She’s out of my life the most.

I liked this, but for me it’s not quite prime MJ. Like it’s definitely good, great even, but it’s not what I come for Michael Jackson for. I think with albums like Bad and Thriller there was an edge he had, that just isn’t present here. However this album is still a blast of a listen

The King of Pop proves it with this one. The precursor to Thriller. The album kicks off with two bangers and away we go. A real good dance album I would say, super upbeat and the vocals shine through. MJ is not a super favorite of mine but of course I know all the hits, and really this genre of music isn’t something I’d listen to often. I might put it on if I had company over. I love the album art. All in all this is a solid record but certainly not something I’d return to.

Decent, iconic would listen to again

The album peaks with its first two songs, the big singles. A few sporadic moments of musical brilliance across the rest of the record (slap bass on "Get on the Floor," and properly melancholic orchestrations on "She's Out of My Life") don't elevate it the album beyond being a good debut by a classic performer who would improve immensely on his next few projects.

It was Michael Jackson, it wasn't particularly special to me, but it is good.

Kinda mid

This is a disco album. I recognized several songs, some I did not even realize were Michael Jackson. This is a very upbeat and dance friendly album. It is no surprise why this is so highly rated. I would listen again, but maybe not right away as I'm not really a big fan of disco generally.

The opening song goes HARD, rest is pretty groovy. I love the basslines. Fav song is ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough’.

This is one of those disco staples you can’t help but move to. For me, it just feels overall playful and purely created to trigger dance and fun. Two songs I could not prevent myself from forwarding, they seemed so repetitive and poppy. But Overall though this list brings backyard memories and got me grooving.

super funky!! i liked the 1st half better than the 2nd half, although burn this disco out was one of my faves

Catchy tunes that I’ve heard way too many times.

they call him the king of pop for a reason. these songs are impossibly catchy.

3.5

A few more classics and just generally a good vibe album.

Bra det her, synd fyren var så shady.

Good shit, liker de funky låtene. De rolige er jeg litt mindre fan av. Men jevnt over ganske bra.

It took me several days to review this one because my spouse didn't want it playing because it reminder her too much of baby sitting, and not in a good way, apparently. I mentions this because it is really heard for people of our generation to give Michael Jackson a fresh listen. You know the saturation of Mariah Carey during the two months surrounding Christmas? There were many years where it was like this for Jackson, only year round. I think a large part of the appeal of Michael Jackson was his work as a performer. His father raised him to be a product, which means that everything in his music and performance was designed to appeal to the masses. That comes across in the meticulous production of this record, which to my ears sometimes seems a little too tight. On "Off the Wall" we see Jackson starting to break out on his own and the resulting exuberance comes through on these tunes. I enjoyed this album the most on the listens where I told myself that just having a good time was okay. There are some fun, funky grooves here presented as pop or disco. It was interesting to listen to this knowing just how Jackson would land in the future. Overall, this was another fun listen. However, sometimes it is hard to get over old grudges.

funky and groovy vibe, very disco-esque, just not for me

And a half

Based only on the music, and not the freakish soul he supposedly became... He was genius entertainer & magical dancer. IMO The songs have too much of his signature breathy 'ah, ah" and hiccups that I don't want to hear. The instrumentation and disco-y synth were cool, but I can't get into the lyrics. Listened before? N Saved tracks? N Favorite tracks? Off the Wall, She's Out of My Life, ⭐⭐⭐ Liked it. Saved no tracks

The music is really good but I have a hard time separating the art from the artist. I wouldn't listen to this again on principle but at least I know what the hype is about

One of those problematic artists that are naturally going to come up a few times on this project. This album has some corkers but is very front loaded and isn't one I would actually choose to listen to, so for me is an enjoyable but inessential 3.

not for me

Competent but not really doing anything that I find interesting. And you already have thriller on the list. Either one is fine but not both.

It was a classic

Didn't listen

Off the Wall starts off red hot with two of my favorite tracks in the whole MJ catalogue. The rest of side 1 is strong too and in general makes you want to groove your ass off. Some tracks on side 2 are a little too slow and did not pique my interest, but that doesn't significantly alter my view of the album. While Off the Wall was not MJ's very first solo album, it was the first produced by Quincy Jones. It laid a solid foundation for what was to come

Nicht so mein Ding, zu viel Klischees, irgendwie auch teilweise kein Faden, kündigt aber schon das größerer Thriller an

Perfectly fine pop music, but he will go on to make much better stuff. Some of the tracks do overstay their welcome, like the opener, but generally everything is solid.

kinda relentless

3.0

It’s good but not entirely my vibe

Didn’t like it as much as I thought I would.

This album makes the musical language that we are all familiar with (the ow! and hey-hey!) feel fresh again. Nice to go back to the 70s to more of the source. would listent to a couple of these songs again so it gets a 3 with reservations.

Not my style, I can see the marks of genius though.

A couple of really good songs but the rest is pleasant at best. 3/5

Favourite track: She’s Out of my Life

Comes in like a lion but bows out like a lamb. Doesn't finish the album with the same energy.

There are times like this where I wish I was more of a Michael Jackson fan, because I could say I listened to this album nonstop when I was a kid and welcomed this coming-of-age album. Since I didn't, I'll admit that I didn't recognize a single one of the tracks on this album, which I now know is often considered his best album. It starts off strong, with several pounding dance numbers, then kind of meanders into a weird mix of ballads and soft pop until returning to the disco floor at the very end. I'm really impressed that he was the main songwriter for the Jacksons, and for nearly all of his solo albums, and this alone elevates him above so many other pop singers past and present. And of course his impeccable voice and presence on stage too (it's so funny to see his trademark moves and voice in the videos to "Don't stop 'til you get enough" and "Rock with you", in a very young looking face and body before all of the body dysmorphia kicked in (or at least before he acted on the dysmorphia)).

Silky smooth stylings haven't aged well though this may have sounded more interesting in 1979.

*Off The Wall* has tremendous energy through its first half; from "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" to "Off The Wall" it's a non-stop party, with muscular grooves rockin' the joint (even if the songwriting is occasionally thin). The latter half of the album is spotty though, with weaker songs and drippy ballads dragging down the proceedings. The Stevie Wonder-penned "I Can't Help It" and album closer "Burn This Disco Out" do their best to remedy the situation but it's too little, too late.

Heehee

I used to think Michael Jackson’s bizarre persona - that contradictory mishmash of black and white, male and female, child and adult, innocent and dangerous - didn’t come together until the 1980s. But its central and most terrifying component appears right at the start of Off the Wall. ‘You know, I was, I was wondering,’ he intones, ‘if you could keep on, because the force, it’s got a lot of power and it makes me feel like, ah, it makes me feel like, ooh…’ What makes Jackson so uncanny is the sense of obsessive compulsion barely concealed beneath his quiet, polite exterior. At the beginning of Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough, the mask slips. He may be asking nicely, but he won’t take no for an answer. He recalls no one more than Norman Bates - that other demure transgressive who straddles the lines between genders, between parent and child, between romantic naïf and sex predator. When Jackson began wearing an actual mask in 1986, he didn’t become any less strange. He somehow inhabits Don’t Stop honestly, which makes it such a remarkable opening track - possibly his best single. He isn’t yet in the myth-making mode of later years, with their messianic self-pity and self-aggrandisement, but he’s escaped the mawkishness of his early Motown records. The song’s energy carries the first half of the album through to Get on the Floor. It’s significant that most of these four tracks are credited to Jackson alone: their tense funk and disco pulse maintain that compulsive force, even when Jackson pretends to be a working man - a performance that rings hollow. The second half, however, sinks into the unlistenable Broadway schmaltz of Girlfriend, She’s Out of My Life, and the rest. Written by relative normies like McCartney and Wonder, these are stylised continuations of the safe, universalist Motown mode. But Jackson isn’t safe or universal. When the album ends on Burn This Disco Out, note the phrasing - not burn down like Disco Inferno or Morrissey’s suggestion, but burn out, as if running out of energy. Jackson’s compulsive power works best in single bursts - singles - rather than extended forays. It’s the fevered wank, not the night of passion. And the wanker’s fervour easily becomes fantasy of self, as Jackson would later prove. Allegedly, just before his death, Jackson begged his doctor to keep him alive, lest ‘God give my ideas to Prince instead.’ But Jackson and Prince were never working from the same material. Prince was the generous lover pretending to be a creep. Jackson was the creep trying too hard to play innocent. Prince believed in sex as communion, as exchange. Jackson believed in compulsion, in the drive that annihilates the other. The force that “makes me feel like, ooh…” is the same force that empties him out. But, on the first half of Off the Wall, when he embodies that force without shame, you understand why it was so compelling to him. 2.5 A brutal contrast with Madonna from a day before. Off the Wall is no less a commercial fishing expedition than Ray of Light but my goodness what an exceptional singer Michael Jackson sounds after an hour of Madonna. He really had a wonderful voice with dramatic commitment built into every second and dazzling variety in timbre. He also had an instinct for vocal arrangements that grab your attention, even during the weaker songs (Get on the Floor, Girlfriend). Lyrically it’s all either dancing or pining and although the horns and strings are very slick they are inescapably generic. Still I can’t say I was bored - it’s a tight 40 minutes and if you are going to have just one of these tracks be six minutes long then ‚Don’t Stop…‘ was the right choice. 3/5

This album is really nice at some points as well as uninteresting and bland at some others. It is not great at all, but not bad though. It just feels insipid when the songs start to feel the same. It's a good album to listen to without much attention, it's funky, groovy... very enjoyable. But just that.

Honestly, not as good as I expected. Fun but not era-defining.

Pretty average but im sure insane for its time

Highlight Song/s: Rock with You, Girlfriend and It's the Falling in Love First Michael Jackson album, definitely what I expected to hear. High-pitched vocals, disco beats, lyrics mostly songs about love, heavy 80s vibes I spaced out a little bit on "Working Day and Night" and Get on the Floor the result was they kind of blended in together, so I didn't even notice that a song had ended. That says a tad bit about the backing tracks, and a tad bit about my interest in the album. It was alright but I wouldn't seek it out again. That's probably the case with other Michael Jackson albums or songs, if it came on in real life or GTA: Vice City I wouldn't skip it or turn it off. But I wouldn't go searching for a song or album by him.

Gets the hips moving.

Early on in this project I gave Thriller five stars. I was shocked at how many of the songs held up and I enjoyed, even if I didn't when the album came out. I wasn't certain about this record, because the hits were not songs I really liked. I figured maybe I'd enjoy the rest at least. After listening, I felt the best part of Off The Wall were indeed the singles. The other songs truly felt like filler to me. What I really enjoyed about Thriller was the mix of styles, and this album is pretty much straight ahead disco. It's good disco, but little else. I believe my run of four or five star albums is about to come to an end.

High: Dont stop til you get enough has a lot of Disco energy to last me forever. Low: Working day and night is weaker for me but mainly because I dont particularly like maximum funk. I feel bad as this is probably top 70s dance perfection...however when I am being honest, I came to love the Michael Jackson that had fully devolved into a weird little music goblin. This is the "pure" stuff, and I just prefer the later, deranged-self stuff. Not sure this ages well either.

Objectively very good, lots of disco energy and you cant help but move your body to it. The thing that stood out most to me, at least on the Tidal version, is the immaculate precision with which everything is performed and recorded. All the vocals are pitch perfect, bang on, a voice like a razor blade. Then every musical element is masterfully performed, recorded and produced. This really is an incredibly polished, master class of an album. Where I struggle with it, is purely a matter of taste. I can't find a space for this type of music in my life. It's just too poppy and at times it's sickly sweet to the point of cringe, e.g. 'Girlfriend'. I would just never listen to this sort of happy-clappy pop, no matter how expertly produced it is. I can appreciate the artistry but there's no connection for me.

Classic, some good songs

Quality production. But don't get this chicken stuff, probably too meta for me.

So much disco. Lots of bops.

An album I think is weaker than the late 70s Jacksons output and certainly not as good as his next couple of albums. Still enjoyable and I chose the Stevie Wonder written “I Can’t Help It” and the Carole Bayer Sager/David Foster song “It’s the Falling in Love.” McCartney’s “Girlfriend” almost made it. And “Rock With You” has made a lot of other playlists for me historically.

Buen disco, y buen ejercicio de tratar de separar la obra de la persona. Se intentó y se pudo más que para otros casos (te estoy mirando Kanye) donde no me gustaba ni la música ni lo que estaban diciendo. Música 4 Contexto del artista -1 Notita final: 3

Even tho it’s not my sort of thing, and even tho he’s not at his best, meh Michael Jackson is still objectively pretty spectacular. 3.5

Lovely. Great stuff. But a 3 for me. This ain’t Thriller.

I never cared for MJ’s music (or him after we found out he’s a pedo), but his influence can’t be denied. For me though, the best parts were what I’m sure are the “Q factor,” Jones’ horn arrangements and such.

rock with you is MJ's best song by far and i'll fight anyone who disagrees

As someone who only knows about MJ through the American zeitgeist, I've never gave a full album a chance. This is pretty good. Obviously the funk is a strong suit, though it does suffer from long-song-slow-fade where it repeats with no changes for too long. This also confirmed for me that Michael Jackson's ballads are, in fact, a chore to get through.

it's not the first time i'm trying to listen to his records but it just doesn't work. i understand it's good. the sound is so clear and the mixing is so good. it just that his music doesn't work for me at all and i can't make myself like it.

Some bangers, but also quite a few cookie cutter love songs that in hindsight feels so very out of place.

As with some other artists in the list, I never thought I would listen to a whole record by MJ. Not that you have to when it comes to "Thriller"—nearly all the songs on the album were also (hit) singles—but still. Honestly, I never was a big MJ fan; I always sided more with Prince in my youth, and him turning out to be a child molester didn't help either. To separate the artist from the art - is that even possible? - this is not a bad album per se, thanks to the genius and clean production of Quincy Jones. But after some of the classic stompers, it gets dreary. I have always been more into funk than disco, so this album and his later reputation don't really do it for me. 3/5

Best Song: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough I wasn't crazy about this, it sounds rather dated to me. There are some good songs on here but nothing like Thriller. 3/5.

This Quincy Jones guy is pretty good, hey?

The hours are great but the rest of it is kinda meh

Jackos bäst? Ja kanske, men inte superbra väl? När han fortfarande var mestadels svart, rent musikaliskt alltså. Här får vi Quincy's lyxdisko fyllt med storbandsblås och stråkar men också funkbas och wacka-wacka gitarr. "Rock with you" det är väl ungefär så bra som musik kan bli, en av världens bästa låtar då som nu. Resten på A-sidan (inklusive Dont stop) är mycket lättvikts-Prince, absolut inte dåligt, tvärtom men andra gör det bättre och funkigare. B-sidan inleder fint med titelspåret men kraschar duktigt sedan i nån tonårspop, smetiga ballad och onödig duett. Det är tur att den smygande jazzfunken i "I can't help it" kommer och bryter av med skivans nästbästa låt. För sen havererar det igen med låtsasdisko i avutningsspåret, den är ganska fruktansvärd. Där märks det tydligt att Quincy kommer från jazzen och inte riktigt vet vad han sysslar med, det är inte Moroder precision för dabsgolvet direkt. Thriller är ännu mer schizofren vilket gör det här till Jackos bästa trots allt, men den övertygar ju inte mer än i enstaka stunder. Svag trea Lyssna hellre på Prince - For you, Earth Wind and Fire - Raise!

Starkt album i 5 spår. Sedan kraschlandning ner i balladträsk. Näsan över träskytan igen i avslutande Burm this disco out.

Ett ganska svårt album. Framförallt om man betänker att detta var Jacksons första stora steg mot en universell iung of Pop. Förutom Don’t stop… är det inte ett särskilt direkt album. Däremot besitter det stora kvaliteter vid noggrannare lyssning. Massor med små fina finesser i Quincys produktion. Och discon är alltigenom närvarande. Jackson sjunger bra. Allra bäst när han sjunger ut vilket han gärna fått göra i större grad. Stark trea.

Stvar s disco/funk pjesmama je što su interno strašno repetitivne. Ovdje još mrzim njegov glas ali opet je iznadprosječno za ono što jest. Pomislila sam čak da ću dati četvorku ali je pred kraj došlo do dosadnijih pjesama.

This is Michael Jackson in his relative innocence. I quite liked it. Not a big MJ fan in general but I could tolerate this quite well.

Pleins de hits mais je crois que je suis pas convaincu par l’ensemble

A pretty good melding of disco, funk, r&b, easy listening, and pop in general. Not a great album, but it had a couple of real bangers. With Quincy producing, it was a good formula that would peak with Thriller.

pretty good! obviously know who michael jackson is, but never really listened to much of his discography. these albums are nice as introductions.

Can there be too much groove? If this album is your perception of groove, the answer is no. No, there cannot be too much groove. In fact there could be more groove in place of that god awful ballad. Ballads always put me off pop singers. Lyrics are just too cringy. It’s better when the lyrics are just nonsense about partying and dancing and sex with a cool bass line and good beat. But this album over all was pretty good. I liked it. The songs were pretty interesting, and not too similar to each other. Most of the lyrics were just the right amount of cliche to not be annoyed by it and just let yourself enjoy it. And it gave me a better image of Michael Jackson. He’s a funky guy, but still, a bit of a cheesemunk.

Very top heavy album. Starts off strong with some classic disco/funk pop songs, but really loses steam after that. The ballad is kind of an album killer. Bass on the album is quite good. Overall the album is still fun and fairly good. 3/5 Might listen again

1979 Some bangers on here. I quite enjoyed the fist half, but keep it to yourselves. Second half was a bit lame in comparison, so a 5/10 it is. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (5/10)

72/1001 :: Michael Jackson - Off The Wall Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Rating: 5 Listen before you die: Yeah Fav Songs: Don’t Stop Til You get Enough, Rock With You Another day, another Michael album. This album was a tale of 2 half. The first half was very upbeat, dancy, even aggressive at times. The 2nd half was more 80’s R&B which I didn’t love. It wasn’t horrible but it was kinda what I expected it to be. I seriously don’t understand why Michael is put on such an all time great pedestal. He’s got some great songs but from I’ve heard his albums are decent not great.

Easy listen. Nothing really stuck out to me as overly memorable. Since decent beats.

Enjoyed this more than I thought i would. Put aside any personal thoughts of what Jackson may or may not have been. Quincy Jones’ production is immaculate—tight grooves, lush arrangements, and infectious energy, especially in the first half with hits like “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You.” The second half softens, with ballads and lighter fare that don’t quite match the opening punch. Still, it’s a milestone in pop history, even if it doesn’t sustain its momentum all the way through.

Well done but leans too far disco for my taste.

There was a time in my life where I was ignorant as to whether or not I was able to keep up with the force. This ignorance meant that I was unaware that the force had a lot of power to it. Thankfully Michael Jackson made me aware of the force and that it in fact had a lot of power to it and additionally it made him feel like 'HOO'.

Solid pop album that lets you see the bridge from 70s pop sounds to Jackson’s later albums. Some good hits on here, but also a few tracks that lost me.

Gut

It is ok. But also gets compared to Thriller and Bad.

Too much of the same. A couple of good songs and the rest sounded and felt too similar.

Aquí se expresa nuestro acercamiento o alejamiento a su propuesta musical. En eso, mi aceptación es:

I knew far more of this album than I expected. I have listened to this one since I was given a record player and Thriller for Christmas in the early 80's. I then went out and picked some great records and borrowed a bunch as well. This was one I borrowed. It still holds up and you can hear Quincy influences throughout the album. It's a good album. It's not his best. Micheal hit his peak later but you can hear where he is going with this one. There is some great funk songs and I swear there is some Broadway in here. This album is Micheal no longer a child but moving to the superstar we get later. Even if you aren't a fan of the king of pop you can't deny his talent.

Michael Jackson before he became the MJ we all remember.

Michael’s disco record is better than it should be - I’ll give most of that to the Quincy Jones production, which is out of sight. Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough is stupidly good. My hope/guess is Michael was not sexually abusing children at this point so I will not deduct stars for that.

First two songs are very good, but there are features in subsequent songs that make me lose interest aswell as slow songs/boring melodies.

Have wondered why MJ hasn’t been cancelled like many other artists. I’m going to try and focus on the music, but is that really okay?! I mean classics, funk, disco, groove. Just the MJ sound but almost can’t listen without everything else coming in - how him and others so feels a bit icky or weird. Also recognise all the fills, break downs, staccato’s and punches a lot of bands use in live performances. First two songs classics, then kinda gently loses rating as it goes. Coming to a slow, gradual stop by the end. Musically alone, surprising 3.5

Great album that I think just unfortunately loses its steam towards the end. Jackson undeniably puts out some great grooves though!

The album starts out as an absolute riot with Don't Stop Til You Get Enough and Rock With You, but slows way down in my opinion. There are really no bad songs on here, but I think there is a bit of a slow, less interesting part in the middle. I'm not a big disco fan so this is not an album I would return to, but it sets up better things.

The production elevates some of the weaker songs, but a couple of songs would benefit from some editing - great three minute songs that are dragged out to 5 minutes or more and lose impact as a result. I do find his voice quite grating at times, there are particular inflections that sound like Eric Cartman singing.

Can’t say I have a lot to say about this one other than I like it in the same way I broadly like any peak-era Michael Jackson I hear. Every pop era has a handful of people working on another level and that’s him here.

Disco and funk influenced pop.

Det er lidt svært. Det er farvet af hans pædofilisager. Objektivt er musikken i centrum her, mere end manden. Det er ikke noget helt tosset album.

two mainstream popular, the rest are alright to get through in the background

It’s decent. Funky. Quincy Jones’ production is great.

I was expecting I’d enjoy this more.

1 movie soundtrack 2 danny sexbang cover best thing that came from this song 3 funk 4 I like 5 mood change 6 I like 7 ballad my least fav 8 I like instrumental 9 no note 10 aight good ending! Overall: I like the dunk and disco elements and the harmonies are really nice to listen to as always Cover: eerie asf icl

(62/100)

I like the first half of this album!

His breakthrough solo album from the mid 70s. Couple of hits. Good, funky disco.

I’ve never been an MJ fan, even before the full-on craziness and paedo shit came out - it’s just not my kind of jam, and the super-slick over-production doesn’t help either. It’s very uninteresting to me, but at least it doesn’t have as many “ow”s, “cha”s, “sha-MONE”s or “hee-hee”s as his later stuff. Scrapes a 3.

"Don't stop..." and "Rock with you" are classics, but there are better MJ songs on later albums.

Extremely samey and repetitive, but very funky

Wasn’t as good as the other MJ album we got but still very good

Good Michael Jackson but not the best Michael Jackson

Got a dark skinned friend, look like Michael Jackson. Honestly thought I'd like this a lot more but there were a lot of songs that would be regarded as saccharine, boring, or corny if they were by someone other than MJ. Closer to a 2 than a 4, but the overall vibe saved it from a dearth of catchy songs.

some classic tunes and others that I had never heard before. Ok

Great two songs to start off with but it runs out of steam through the middle. Stand out songs - don't stop till you get enough, Rock with you

The classics are classic. Discovered the song Girlfriend and can’t stop listening. Songs are long.

This is a pretty nice early Michael Jackson album, but none of these songs are really popular. Overall, not too bad, it was a nice throwback to chill music from that time.

Front loaded album where the 1st half comes out swinging, second half drags. Interesting to see the kinks getting worked out. Sonically crisp with lots of fun little percussion pieces punctuating the better bits. Good, not great, album that points to the highs to come. 3.5/ 5

Good, but I would never listen to it my self.

favorites: Rock With You, Get On The Floor

Like other Michael Jackson album this one has great tracks but some that are bit duller. I enjoyed it very much, but I also can't say too much about it that's memorable.

First 2 tracks are obviously great. Disco classics. The rest is pleasant enough. Loses some steam on Side 2. Can hear the formation of a lot of Jackson's sound for the next decade. 3.5 Heard before? Not really, 2 of the singles Owned: No 0/1001, 0/2 Will I get? No Recommend: Sure

This was a mid album. Thriller was much better

The first half of the album is excellent, but the quality drops noticeably in the second half. Still, would be 4 stars without the 1 star deduction because of him being such a problematic person.

2.6

Итс окэй. Майкл Джэксон и Майкл Джэксон. Лучшая песня - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.

Couple of good songs but forgettable in many places, hard to stomach MJ these days

More fun that I anticipated. More disco feeling than the modern pop, to me. Some songs already familiar with but never connected them to Michael Jackson.

I realize now that I knew the name of the record, I know most of Jackson's hit, but there are not so many songs I knew on this one. So, about it, let's start with the good part: it's a solid funk album, the music is entertaining and made to dance. The bad part: it's kinda repetitive, Jackson is growing but not yet feeling his albums with hits, and let's be honest: his voice is really anoying, like a mouse squeaking for an hour.

Liked it! Not a ton to say that I didn't already say on the review of Bad. Great musicality and production but never really grabbed a hold of me. Fav Track: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

2nd half sucks but it does have MJ's best deep cut (Get On the Floor}

HEE-HEE! I like thriller much better.

Disco!

I think his next few albums are better than this.

++: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Get on the Floor, Girlfriend, I Can't Help It, Burn This Disco Out +: Rock with You, Off the Wall, She's Out of my Life, It's the Falling in Love +-: Workin' Day and Night 7,6/10

some nice songs a bit repetitive

I recognize the merit here. It’s not just doing much for me. Maybe if it was Saturday night this would be a different story. Also way too many grunts and oohs and gasps. Never liked that and never will. Sorry Michael

I just don’t enjoy Michael Jackson ballads so the last half drags but the obviously good tracks on this one are good for obvious reasons. Great dance tunes to close out the 70’s and launch MJ

I enjoyed the more funky tracks on this album. I was not a fan of the slower stuff.

Solid album. Decent groove and overall musicianship.

De eerdere muziek van Michael Jackson is vaak tergend saai. Thriller en Bad brachten de krachtige en creatieve nummers die echt een grote toevoeging waren aan de muziekgeschiedenis. Daarna werd het weer tergend saai. Off the wall lijkt wat tussen die saaie Michael en die creatieve Michael in te zetten. Don't stop till you get enough had zo op Thriller kunnen staan. Het nummer luidt op een prettige manier de jaren '80 alvast in. Daar is de Michael die ik later zo ben gaan waarderen. Deze kracht komt verder niet meer terug op het album. Michael zwakt bijna alles af met zijn opgerekte lettergrepen aan het einde van elke zin. Op de eerste helft wordt hier voldoende tegenover gezet. Op de tweede helft is het te gek. Te saai om te luisteren. Ik geloof dat dit de eerste keer is dat ik die helft in zijn geheel heb geluisterd. Uitmiddelen maar. Een 4 voor de eerste helft, mede door de openingstrack, en een 2 voor de tweede helft.

Het complete oeuvre van Wacko Jacko is op zich reden genoeg voor een apart project. Dan zou ik ze net als bij Taylor het liefst in chronologische volgorde luisteren, om zo de eventuele muzikale ontwikkeling of verandering te horen. Bij MJ hebben we nu alleen eerst Bad gehad, vervolgens Thriller en nu Off the Wall. Precies verkeerd om eigenlijk, we gaan terug in de tijd. En qua muziek doet dat het ook, we gaan duidelijk van de 80s terug naar de 70s. Het is meer disco en soul georienteerd. Of zelfs hele trage ballads. Daar had wel wat meer 80s overproductie tegenaan gegooid mogen worden, wat meer bombast. Hoe hoger het tempo, hoe beter de songs in dit geval. Zoals Eric ook al aangaf, voelt het 2e gedeelte dan ineens heel saai. Ik vind dat je nog wel de kwaliteit van MJ hoort, maar zeker een aantal van dat soort nummers achter elkaar, dan kakt de boel toch wel in. Bad gaf ik een 4, Thriller een 5, dit plaatje een 3. Ik vind het verschil met Thriller best groot eigenlijk, dat komt toch uit het niets vergeleken met dit album. Wat het extra knap maakt. Van Thriller dan, dit is meer een vergeetbare 3.

It was good pop music, not my favorite style but it was an enjoyable listen!

There is something about this album where everything has this ethereal sound, which kind of drives me nuts. It doesn't help that "don't stop till you get enough" is so played out for me. I can't hear this song without thinking about being in a ballroom where the lights are dim for a wedding. Songs like "get on the floor" are where you start to hear what becomes his signature sound but surrounded by disco. It sounds like a mashup of genres. Overall, it is quite good, but not as good as what is to come in his career.

One of the greats for a reason

It’s a bop! I’d never listened to this album. Glad I did! Imma go 3/5.

Has some bops. You can tell why he was the King of Pop.

Michael’s songs on Off the Wall pulled me into each track even the ones I didn’t like at first. There’s a couple instrumental breakdowns with some “Michael-isms” that had me bobbing and thinking about what Corey Feldman tries to emulate, particularly the breakdown on track 4 (around 3 minutes) where you can’t really tell what MJ is saying. I’ve added the first two songs to a variety of different Spotify mixes over the years so it’s got some bangers but the album as a whole is just fine to me today. I’m sure it was an influential album in the late 70s and on repeat. However, I believe there’s more MJ on this list that would rank higher than this album for me, so it gets a 3.

Strong start, some issues with flow, bland finish. Notes of cherry and currant.

Started off well, but too many cheesy ballads. 3.5 stars

If you wonder what musical context this album emerged into, you'll only need to listen to Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough to head the disco. It's worth remembering that, at this point, Jackson was still making music with The Jackson 5 and could maybe legally order a beer in the US (he turned 21 the year that Off The Wall was released). He wouldn't reveal the Moonwalk to the world for another four years. I'm not a massive Michael Jackson stan and his particular pop oeuvre lands best with me when he's dabbling in rock (Thriller is my Michael album) but it's impossible to deny the polish and clarity of vision on Off The Wall. Both singles (the aforementioned Don't Stop and also Rock with You) are infectious and, if you live in the West and lived through a wedding dance as recently as the Oughts, will be immediately familiar. No doubt the legendary Quincy Jones's work as producer deserves credit. The horns on Workin' Day and Night are killer. Probably my favourite disco album of the 70's/80's cusp, but it's distinctly a part of that moment. Still a little colder than other genres I prefer, owing to a very clean production, I think. This is a notable and important stop on Michael Jackson's journey from Motown prodigy to the King of Pop, well worth investigation for context but enjoyable enough that you won't be mad about the time you spend with it.

Heard some songs from it before. A really funky disco album. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough is a massive banger 3/5

Decent. Pop. Except ballads

i'm gonna be honest this is my first ever michael jackson album?? lots of familiar songs and also some new ones! Fun! michael jackson has just never really been my thing. His music was played WAY to much in the restaurant i worked in while i was in college so it's just a little trigger lol

Enjoyable

TRACK 1. groovy, and works as a good intro for the rest of the album !! TRACK 2. classic soul song, love the little motifs and stuff, but otherwise it's kindaaaa just a normal song TRACK 3. LOVE THAT SINGING JUST BEFORE THE CHORUS, and the intro is just 😘 TRACK 4. UGHH LOVE THE BASSLINE, and the rest is SO POWERFUL TRACK 5. LOVE THE PRECHORUS AND CHORUS, but otherwise quite basic TRACK 6. quite basic, but also decently effective, IT JUST WORKS TRACK 7. SO SOFT, and the ears are PLEASED TRACK 8. Smooooooth again,, but pretty basic (STILL NICE) TRACK 9. love the BASS, and it's quite smooth yet again, nothing TOOOO extraordinary though TRACK 10. Top 3 on the LP, itssss SO GOOOOOD WHATT,, love it ALL

This isn’t a great MJ album, but there’s enough here for me to carry it to 3 stars. First two tracks crack on nicely, then it hits a lull, but the superb “She’s Out of my Life” saves it at the end. Looking forward to Bad and Thriller which are also on this list!

fun to listen to, since I've only listened to his most famous songs.

So I was surprised that this album started off strong. And then it continued... Personal enjoyment: 3/5 (because the first song is that good) Relevance to this list: 5/5

Here’s the first album I’ve gotten by the king of pop. “Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough” is a fine opener but too long and one of his more overrated hits in my opinion. I love “Rock With You”. I enjoyed most of the rest of the album but this is a style of music I don’t like, though I will stand by that Michael Jackson does disco better than most but I prefer his 80s pop more. I think though and this is a problem with the album structure is that they feel like a bunch of songs meant to be singles not one unified album so I feel like his albums are less than the sum of their parts.

Some very catchy songs on the album, but struggle to get into the album as a whole

Disco reigns supreme on this album. Produced by Quincy Jones, there can be no complaints about arrangement or production values. But, come on, this is basically 9 times the same song plus a token ballad. None of these songs are bad per se, but for me the album came across as exhaustingly similar throughout. The following two albums (Thriller and, especially, Bad), would introduce some welcome variation, but here, there isn't nearly enough of that. 3/5

Starts off great but then tails off into ballads and watered-down disco and funk. 3/5

Starts strong then fizzes a bit.

Good album. Good intro into Michael Jackson. Not one of his stronger albums I'd say but still enjoyable

Opzich wel een vrolijk album, maar toch is het niet echt mijn ding. Te poppy

I was a little disappointed by this. The first two songs are great, but the rest of the album never reaches those heights. Still, he's a great singer and they are decent songs, but I was looking forward to discovering that all of his songs were hidden gems, and that wasn't the case.

A really funky record

😏