For many, Michael Jackson’s greatest release will always be Thriller, yet I consider that album to be his weakest, from a musical perspective, instead suggesting that Off The Wall is far superior, closely followed by Bad and Dangerous. Off The Wall is tight, purposefully fluid, and lacks filler. With disco vibes, funk, and soft rock influences, merged with some sensational pop styling, Off The Wall is not only one of Jackson’s greatest albums but is one of the best albums released in the 70s; particularly in 1979. 

Jackson’s first album with Quincy Jones in the production chair showcased just how far he could go as a solo artist with the right team behind him. Yes, his earlier solo Motown releases were thoroughly enjoyable, but they lacked Jackson’s opinions, for he was positioned to be the singer of other people’s songs rather than his own. No more is this relevant than on his 1975 album, Forever, Michael; a solid release of catalogue tunes but one that failed to capture the attention of the music-loving public. While Jackson and his brothers would move to Sony Music in 1976, and subsequently begin to write their own music, The Jacksons showed promise and released some of my favourite Jackson-family material, but going solo with Jones provided the singular focus and creative freedom that allowed Jackson to achieve superstardom, ultimately transforming himself into the King of Pop. 

Of course, it wasn’t merely these two men who should be congratulated for the results heard on Off The Wall. The musicians and entire production team should be praised for recording an album that is a textbook example of how music should be recorded and mixed; thank you, Bruce Swedien! There isn’t a singular misstep in the entire 42-minute runtime and while Jackson would only pen three songs from this 1979 masterpiece, when you have the likes of Rod Temperton, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and David Foster writing some of their very best music, there leaves little doubt as to why Jackson and Jones would record these songs, ultimately making them Jackson’s own. Even though Paul McCartney recorded Girlfriend with Wings in 1978, it isn’t good and is likely the worst song McCartney ever recorded. Yet, while not the most notable song featured on Off The Wall, Jackson performed it exquisitely. 

As it pertains to the mastering, Off The Wall hasn’t always been as uniform as the recording demands. While I’ve been fortunate to own the 2009 Music On Vinyl (MOV) reissue, the noise floor of this particular release is a little higher than I’d ideally like, thereby creating a distraction when playing at higher volume levels. While this could be overlooked, given the fact that a diamond-tipped needle is being dragged through the vinyl groove, and it’s still remarkable that records can even reproduce sound, there’s a little too much shrillness and focus on the treble range as well as a little cymbal crunching that’s grating on songs such as Rock With You. Given MOV releases are digitally sourced, this one reportedly being from the 2001 remastering sessions that reduced the overall dynamic range of the recording in preference for loudness, I shouldn’t be surprised with the less-than-perfect sonic reproduction. Jackson’s vocal also suffers a little and while he has always had a minor level of sibilance, you notice it more on this vinyl reissue as the mastering causes it to be more pronounced; particularly on I Can’t Help It and Off The Wall. Still, these quibbles aside, the mid to low-end aspects of this pressing are quite nice with a solid and speedy bass response and enough oomph to get you on the dance floor.  

Turning our attention to the (Hi-Res) Lossless Apple Music stream, an Apple Digital Master, the aforementioned issues from the vinyl reissue are gone. What we’re left with is a thoroughly enjoyable reproduction that has me feeling somewhat ambivalent towards the vinyl counterpart. Put simply, the stream undeniably sounds right. Yes, there’s a little less bass but at the same time it’s taut and well-defined while not being overbearing, thereby allowing the stream to present the album in greater detail with amazing separation between instruments and all musical elements. There’s so much clarity that you’ll swear Jackson is in the room with you, particularly on the classic vocal-focused piece, She’s Out Of My Life. 

While Off The Wall is one album that most certainly should be owned on vinyl, for the fold-out gatefold is exceptional, it’s strongly recommended that you listen to the Apple Music stream before picking up a physical release as you may find that it is more than enough to adequately suit your needs. 

Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough is self-affirming, in much the same way as Queen’s We Are The Champions is, in that Jackson’s lyrical intent need not be literal with regard to how the listener will interpret the song. While the spoken word introduction has always felt strange to me, I couldn’t imagine Off The Wall opening any other way. Despite that, I do question if it was needed. Besides the addictive upbeat dance floor rhythm, Jackson’s falsetto-styled vocal is simply magnificent and challenges Barry Gibb’s for superiority. One element Jackson had over the Bee Gees, however, was his renowned use of scat vocal techniques. While not the first to use such non-verbal vocal cues, Jackson perfected the technique ensuring that it was subtle, yet purposeful in adding to the overall presentation of the song. 

The live recording from The Jacksons’ 1981 release, Live, is a little more rock and roll with a touch of funk when compared to the album version and while there’s nothing wrong with that, and it’s a fun uptempo live performance, it’s unlikely that you’ll seek this rendition out, as it simply isn’t on par with the album version. Yes, I acknowledge the differences between studio and live recordings but even after considering that, I stand by the previous statement.

The music video, however, is still fun after all these years and while the filming techniques have transitioned well beyond what was capable in 1979, it still impresses and is a window into the disco era for those of us that couldn’t experience it for ourselves.  

Rock With You, a mid-tempo ballad, is the perfect song to follow Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough and is just one example of why Off The Wall is a perfect example of a cohesive album experience that is full of killer tunes with absolutely no filler. Rock With You will not only get you on your feet, but it’s a great tune to sing along to with its catchy lyrics and all-encompassing rhythm. 

The live recording from The Jacksons’ 1981 release, Live, has a synth-styled presentation with jazz cues mixed into the overall tempo. As with Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, this isn’t the strongest performance and I’d go so far as to say the Jackson brothers added no value to the song. Nevertheless, for an early live recording, it will appeal to fans who wish to hear all available versions of this timeless tune.

The music video, in this instance, isn’t as impressive as the one for Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough. While closer in style to other mainstream music videos of the era, the biggest failing is that Jackson is presented alone throughout the entire video, and given the context of the song, one would have assumed that there would have, at the very least, been a love interest present throughout the video or a dance club full of people rocking out with Jackson. That said, it’s not fundamentally bad, but in retrospect, it could have been so much better.

Workin’ Day And Night is funky and is one of the greatest tunes from Off The Wall. The Immortal version is, however, terrible. Understandably, it was created with a different intent than the original album recording but I increasingly grow weary of alterations made to the music we all know and love. It’s as if the estates of deceased artists can’t help but cash in on an artist’s legacy. If I had my way, I’d leave the catalogue untouched and simply make sure it is continuously available, in every possible format. 

The live recording from The Jacksons’ 1981 release, Live, isn’t as bad as the other songs featured on that particular recording, although the ending is atrocious. The Jacksons certainly didn’t work Day and Night to perfect this performance as it’s a little too loose in every aspect; although Michael’s vocal presentation was spot on.

Get On The Floor is disco 101. It may be blatantly obvious, but this is one song that will get you on the dance floor; exceptional!

Off The Wall, in retrospect, appears to be a musical influence for Thriller, particularly with regard to the introduction. In truth, however, it’s just a solid rhythmically disco-charged tune with plenty of rhythm and blues elements. While worthy of the title track position, its upbeat tempo and lyrics, looking positively beyond the mundane and troubling aspects of life, are compelling from both lyrical and musical perspectives. 

Girlfriend is corny and cliché but it’s so good. The original Wings’ version, as alluded to earlier, isn’t!

She’s Out Of My Life is a magnificent ballad that highlights Jackson’s vocal prowess like no other song in his catalogue of music. The delicate resonance in his vocal humanises the song as you can feel the emotion in Jackson’s voice, despite the song not being written, and therefore not personalised, by the King of Pop himself. 

The demo version from This Is It is understandably raw but this bare-bones recording is simply exquisite for Jackson has an incredible vocal that, in its natural state, is stunning! While it won’t supplant the final album version from Off The Wall, it’s well worth checking out if you’re a fan of the song. 

The live recording from The Jacksons’ 1981 release, Live, is similar to the studio recording but is one of the better performances of Jackson’s solo material from this particular release. As lovely as it is, however, I dare suggest that it would have been even better had it been performed with only an acoustic guitar; akin to the demo. Regardless, it’s a solid performance and another value-added proposition for fans of the song.  

Further to that, you really need to hear Willie Nelson's magnificent interpretation. It is honestly a toss up as to who performed it better. 

The music video is about as good as you’re going to get. She’s Out Of My Life really isn’t music video material, yet, when watching it, you’ll become even more captivated by Jackson’s performance than the song itself. It’s an interesting dichotomy but one that I can’t take my eyes off. 

I Can’t Help It has a glorious sonic soundscape with a soft fluid jazz feel to it. Stevie Wonder and Susaye Greene penned this tune and while it isn’t, and was likely never intended to be, a chart-topper, the culmination of these incredible musicians ensures that I Can’t Help It is memorable and will keep you coming back for more.  

It’s The Falling In Love picks up the pace perfectly without jolting the senses. As with I Can’t Help It, It’s The Falling In Love is somewhat unassuming and is the quintessential B-side. That said, I dare you to sit still and not sing along to this wonderful upbeat tune; I can’t do it! Patti Austin’s intermingling vocals on this song are similarly exceptional and complementary to Jackson’s incredible performance. Interestingly, Jackson wasn’t the first to record this catchy song for Carole Bayer Sager (co-writer of the song with David Foster) recorded it for her 1978 release, …Too; a solid recording in a similar style, but make no mistake about it, Jackson and Co. took it to another level entirely. Dee Dee Bridgewater also recorded the tune with sultry vocals for her 1979 release, Bad for Me while Dionne Warwick’s rendition from 1980 attempted to modernise it with an 80s vibe. As good as these other interpretations are, however, none come close to Jackson’s recording. 

Burn This Disco Out is the perfect bookend for the album for it leaves you wanting more. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been able to play Off The Wall only once; a true testament to its production qualities and conciseness. Exceptional!  

There are landmark albums and then there is Off The Wall. Yes, Thriller and the subsequent 1983 Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever performance made him a superstar, but Off The Wall is Jackson’s most musical release. It’s fun, with serious elements, but at its core, it’s an addictive musical experience that is not only heard but also felt. We are, indeed, fortunate that there are a plethora of exceptional Michael Jackson albums for us to enjoy, but there is only one Off The Wall; a timeless masterpiece!