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What Is Michael's Most Underrated Album?

Least Appreciated Album

  • Off The Wall

    Votes: 41 9.9%

  • Thriller

    Votes: 6 1.4%

  • Bad

    Votes: 18 4.3%

  • Dangerous

    Votes: 48 11.6%

  • HIStory

    Votes: 67 16.1%

  • Blood on the Dancefloor

    Votes: 29 7.0%

  • Invincible

    Votes: 206 49.6%
  • Total voters
    415
MJultimatemusiclegen said:
History for me. It's simply a work of art, the whole album for me can be summed up in the outro to stranger in moscow, genius. The album is immensely interesting from a lyrical, harmonic, melodic and production point of view, and featured some new things from Michael. The album doesn't always make easy listening, songs like DS and Money and Little Susie arn't and weren't ever ment to be radio friendly singles, but works of art to be appreciated in their own right. Most radio/chart music is mere functionality designed to sell and to keep the cogs of peoples life's spinning in the illusion of foreground, but really the background. A lot of Michael's earlier music managed to achieve this, yet also fulfill it's artistic role and be a work of art, the perfect mix of creativity and marketability weaved by a passion unrivaled in the industry. Some of the music on history falls much more into the category of art, it is a challenge to appreciate the musical tapestry on many of the songs, like a great painting, it cannot be scanned at mere glance, it must be observed for long amounts of time, until the magic begins to unravel, the understanding grows, it's secrets become revealed. Perhaps sit down one night, or lie down, close your mind from distractions, and listen to the Album as though it were once again your first time, see what you make of it, it might cause some inner revelations, it certainly has with me tonight.
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I'd say HIStory. Stranger In Moscow alone makes it one of his strongest albums in my book, but there's so much more. Such a personal collection of amazing songs that doesn't get nearly the recognition it deserves.
 
'Thriller' is definitely underrated within the fan community from what I've observed. I rarely, if ever, see it discussed from an artistic perspective.

Elsewhere, if the options were available I'd vote for 'Music And Me', or even the first two Jacksons albums at cbs
 
Blood on the dancefloor, people just see the bad remixes and forget there are 5 magnificient songs here. Ghosts and Is it Scary are amongst the very finest of all time.
 
Blood on The Dancefloor should have been released in 2 ways.

1. As an EP with only the 5 new songs (and maybe the HIStory mix)

2. The way it was released. - 5 new songs and many remixes...

I would like the Estate to re-release BOTDF as an EP - the 5 songs only. (and maybe the HIStory mix)
 
I really do not like any of the remixes at all.... - on BOTDF
 
I like house music in general, so I appreciated some of the remixes on 'Blood On The Dancefloor'.

The 'History' (radio edit) remix was quite nice :) With the audio samples removed, the message takes on a more universal angle. It reminds me of Livin' Joy's 'Don't Stop Moving'.

I also loved the Silk Hurly remix of 'Remember The Time' :)
 
As someone else said, everything post-Bad is underrated. The best of MJs work in this period IMO is Dangerous. In fact, Dangerous is tied with Bad for me as MJs best album overall. It may not have had the smash hits that Thriller and Bad had, but as a body of work it is magnificent.
 
My vote goes for HIStory; mainly because I believe Earth Song it's one of his better works and the message of the song it's SO relevant. That song needs to be more discussed either within his fanbase and in the media in general. Climate change is real people, Michael spoke about it way before it became 'trendy' for celebrities to talk about it.
 
I've voted for Dangerous, because I don't hear that many people (outside of fan community) talk about it. I even hear people mentioning HIStory more than Dangerous. Yes, of course, Black or White and Remember the Time are well-known, but other than that-not so much. Go and play Give In To Me or Who Is It to a random person and I bet he/she wouldn't know it's Michael Jackson.

Other than that, Michael's entire pre-Off the Wall career is criminally underrated.
 
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I'm torn between Blood on the Dancefloor and Dangerous. But, as an overall album, I choose Dangerous. I remember reading a review of this album before that it's quite not a "love" album and it was criticized for being indicisive. However, Dangerous was able to showcase more of Michael in different areas that weren't featured or focused before which later lead into his later albums. I just think most of post-Quincy albums are usually not appreciated much except by his fans.
 
Bob George said:
Anything post-Bad is underrated. But the most underrated is Invincible. Dangerous and HIStory both occasionally receive some appreciation. But it's only really the fans that like Invincible.
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Yeh..You are correct.
 
I voted for Off the wall as Michael went into orbit with Thriller and So off the wall is often forgotten by the masses and as one member mentioned the Motown era where Michael did go solo already is so unrecognised. It feels like it’s all Jackson 5 and his solo albums are like thrown into the Jackson 5 box somehow.

So so if there was an option of Motown MJ then I would have chosen this as if you listen to the radio you often just hear stuff from Thriller and upwards :scream: and only fans play the earlier stuff.

Good poll :sarmoti

#haveyoursay
 
Honestly I don't think that Invincible is underrated within the fan community. Many people just don't consider it to be a strong album, that's all.

I would say HIStory because IMO, that is MJ's last true masterpiece.
 
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For me the most underrated MJ solo album is "Ben" cause its the most typical early MJ Solo Album ( more typical then off the wall from its content) with his first Solo Humantarian Songs and also songs with serious themes and a deeper meaning.
Its a important album cause MJ said before this album "Whatever I sing this is what I really mean. I don't sing it when I don't mean it".
So in the age of 13 where he recorded this album it was important for him to sing exectly this songs with this messages he wanted to spread (as an much older soul in a kids body).
Otherwise he would't have sung them.
The Humantarian was always in blood!
There are other early Jackson 5 songs who showed this too.

I will mention that the most underrated Jackson5/The Jackson Album for me is Skywhriter. Its my favorite Jackson 5 album from the Motown-era. It sounds great for me and I love it very much!
 
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i'm surprised Blood on the Dance Floor is not the most voted option (or 2nd most)

the remixes are forgettable (besides tony moran's History lesson, i thought that was nice) but the main songs are amazing yet are almost never brought up in discussion
 
Underrated by who? Fans or critics/general public.

If by former, then any of MJ’s first five albums including Off The Wall.

If by later, then MJ’s first four albums, Blood On The Dance Floor and Invincible.
 
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