How strong is the impact of the ‘Off The Wall’ album?

mj_frenzy

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In my opinion, ‘Off The Wall’ was a record that not only signaled MJ’s first adult, solo venture but also its impact managed to remain apparent & strong still today (despite its disco roots & the many years since its release).

It can be considered a happy, uplifting & euphoric album with its sad moments as well, reflecting in that way the late teen/early adult human period. Also, the extensive use of the disco elements gives the record a more carefree feeling, implying that people should make light of their problems.

I think that it is not a coincidence that some of the best moments from his final album ‘Invincible’ (that came out after nearly 30 years) are strongly reminiscent of the ‘Off The Wall’ feeling. I mean that songs like ‘Break Of Dawn’, ‘You Rock My World’, or ‘Butterflies’ have a profound love/erotic feeling, lyrically, musically & vocally (in a very similar way like songs from the ‘Off The Wall’ had).

‘Off The Wall’ is often singled out for criticism because of its shallow lyrics. But for me, these lyrics are in line with the general concept/feeling of that album. In other words, its lyrics, for the most part, are straightforward & honest like the human feelings that they try to reflect. Of course, they could probably have been worked a bit more, but I think this is not the case, especially for a disco-oriented record.

Artistically, it came out with a simple cover conveying at the same time an optimistic feeling, totally in sync with the disco mood of that period.

Technically speaking, the recording process of the album took advantage of the ‘Scotch’ tapes technology & its sonic benefits, hence the album’s crystal sound.

Personally I was not even born at that period. But I firmly believe that people/fans that were also fond of the disco sound at that time have indisputably an additional reason to speak highly of that record.

In my view, not only has the sound of ‘Off The Wall’ not evaporated, but also it can be played even today at parties/dance floors without sounding like a product from the past/previous era.
 
It was ranked as the 68th greatest album of all time by the Rolling Stone.
"The ballads were what made Off the Wall a Michael Jackson album," Jackson remembered of his big solo splash, which spun off four Top 10 hits and eclipsed the success of the Jackson 5. "I'd done ballads with [my] brothers, but they had never been too enthusiastic about them and did them more as a concession to me than anything else." In "She's Out of My Life," you can hear Jackson actually break down and cry in the studio. But the unstoppable dance tracks on Off the Wall – sculpted by Jackson and producer Quincy Jones – remain more or less perfect examples of why disco didn't suck. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Rock With You" and "Burn This Disco Out" still get the party started today."
I believe that Off the Wall produced some of the greatest pop music of all time. It established Michael Jackson as a professional solo artist and not just a teenage star.
I could listen to this album over and over again! 'Thriller' might have eclipsed it in the impact it made in the music industry, but I feel like nothing was better than 'Off the Wall'. It is just so full of joy!
 
Sensational RIDICULOUS first solo album- who else could have done it? To go from the playful disconess (but still amazing Destiny) to this was remarkable.

Michael played safe with this album. Him only writing the select few songs must have been a confidence thing, and it paid off. We got some great songs from him on this album, but I dont think anyone really cares about how many songs MJ wrote for Off The Wall.

Judging by Sunset Driver, I think Michael was artistically already ahead of his time. That song sounds like it could have been written at any point of the 80s (instrumentation aside) but it would not have fit with the feel of OTW.

It almost seems to be the album that "music snobs" turn to, I think a lot of the time due to the fact that I think they feel Thriller has had enough attention. But, to their credit, Off The Wall is a very "Music" driven album, and the closest we will ever hear to a full album of Michael and just a "regular band" without synths and such. It was almost like a "Goodbye Motown" era album. The day of the 6 piece band were finished heading into the 80s. James Brown went that way. Diana Ross. Even Jackie Wilson was going there before what happened happened.

Its the perfect first album in the solo works of Michael Jackson. Without it being in any way a subpar album, it was able to highlight his growth as a singer, dancer and producer. Artistically Michael is no where near his best, but the fact he could still come out with something like this really did set the way for what he was destined to become.
 
Strong enough to have a very tough impact on a lot of people! Imo it shouldve won more grammys but i read that mj said that the company didnt promote thee album properly. Its in this book the genius of mj. Good book
 
It's the solo album of his that I listen to the most to this DAY. I still have the copy one of my sisters bought for me when it first dropped, lol! It's definitely one of my favorite albums of all time, period.
 
Enormous impact,to the point that from a specific day on the 70s till today it has been part of my life soundtrack . Two of my friends says it is a Masterpiece and i can agree with that.
 
For me it was the album that I met with Michael Jackson Dont 'stop you get enough song from there I started to listen to your music , videos etc.
 
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