Michael Jackson Off the Wall: ...it's a miracle! Michael Jackson cured my chorophobia! (ISYMIYSMY W/O)
Written: May 26 '05
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Pros: Your dance track wishes it could grow up to be these dance tracks…
Cons: If you're scared of dancing, don't listen to this album. You'll be compelled to move…
The Bottom Line: Keep on with the force don't stop - don't stop 'til you have this disc
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| bob_tomato's Full Review: Off The Wall by Michael Jackson |
I did it. It was tempting, but I didn't give in.
This review is entirely devoid of jokes about Michael Jackson's personal life.
It is funny to consider that I, bob_tomato, am writing a review of a Michael Jackson album. I don't normally review dance-oriented pop albums (except in response to the occasional dare - thanks Kristina…)
So, what drove me, a rhythmic-motion challenged thirty-eight year old with slight chorophobia out onto the dance floor once again? Well, peer pressure, pride and a badly missed deadline…
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ISYMIYSMY
This review is my (extremely late) entry to MattA75's 5th annual I'll Show You Mine If You Show Me Yours write-off, the best damn write-off in the entire music category. The basic idea is simple – Matt pairs up two music writers and they exchange recordings from their personal collection to be reviewed by each other. The catch, and what makes this write-off so much fun, is that each writer is challenged to send the other writer a recording that is outside of his normal musical tastes.
This year, my partner for the write-off is none other than Mr. Community Care himself, roheblius aka Garrett Gonzales. Garrett reviews a lot of dance pop and r&b so I sent him a copy of Huey Lewis and the News' Plan B, their largely ignored most recent release.
Garrett decided that it was time for me to show my dance moves again (such as they are) and sent me Michael Jackson's Off the Wall.
You really know how to hurt a tomato, don't you, GG? ;)
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Off The Wall
Despite all the stereotypes, accusations and innuendo that make MJ such a too-easy target, Off The Wall deserves respect as one of the greatest dance albums of all time, and it showcases Jackson's incredible talents displayed at the height of his popularity. Forget everything you've seen and heard in the press about the man and concentrate for a moment on an album full of dance, funk and real emotion.
Jackson was already a superstar prior to the release of Off the Wall, but at that point, he was still considered part of the Jackson Five, "just" the fabulously talented lead singer of a group that ruled the dance floors of the seventies decade. Released in 1979, Off the Wall was the recording that showed the world Michael's immense talents as a solo artist, featuring his fully matured vocal talent along with his gift for passionate performance of each song. Jackson worked with legendary Motown producer Quincy Jones to create Off the Wall, a collection of songs that would prove timeless due to their energy, inventive grooves, and fabulously arranged instrumental performances.
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…there ain't no way you're gonna sit us down
If you told me that someone had written a song that likened the seventies' peculiar gestalt of dance, music, sex and romance to "The Force", defined by George Lucas' 1977 blockbuster film Star Wars, I'd probably tell you it was bound to be nothing but Bantha poodoo. But this particular song would turn out to be a hyperspeed rocket to megastardom for the already ridiculously famous MJ…
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough is probably the quintessential dance recording of all time –infinitely groovy, exquisitely simple, fantastically catchy – it truly is an irresistible Force to be reckoned with for even the most chorophobic among us. It doesn't matter what you think of the lyrics of this song – they are secondary to the beat, the horn hits, the sliding strings, the grooving guitars and the percussion that pound at the edges of the soundscape. Quincy placed every sound perfectly – Michael provides a falsetto chorus that permeates from all sides, and he sings his own response to these muses from the center. There is already something primal at work in the soul in response to rhythmic bass played at this tempo, but when combined with hand claps and Jackson's peculiarly unique vocal outbursts, the effect is overwhelming.
Where Don't Stop creates an urgent need to express one's self out on the dance floor, the very next song, Rock With You is a call to the dance floor for lovers to share the beat together. The groove is not so insistent as the first song (despite the fact that it's exactly the same tempo), but it is equally irresistible. Michael sings in a sly whisper at times, enticing and inviting – the song is upbeat and danceable, but in a flowing, romantic manner perfected here for the disco genre by Jones and Jackson.
This dance party doesn't slow down too quickly either; the entire first half of the album is spent celebrating life – or getting away from the cares of life – out on the dance floor. Working Day and Night, Get on the Floor, and Off The Wall round out the first side of the record, all terrifically danceable songs that keep the party moving. Jackson is at his most guttural throughout these songs, punctuating phrases with his trademark grunts, heavy breaths, and various vocalizations. When you get lost out on the dance floor of Off The Wall, these are the sounds of the performer hard at work to make you move. I always felt that these sounds just didn't work in his later albums, like Bad or Dangerous, but in Off The Wall, they are genuine and they add much to the recording.
It's not until the second side opens with Paul McCartney's contribution to the album,Girlfriend, that the project shows any sign of faltering. I think that Q and MJ made the most of this song, and Jackson does a good job singing it, but it still sounds like more of a favor to Sir Paul than true inspiration. This one serves to take the party feeling down a bit, but the next song makes all the party people sit down…
And this is where I really get into trouble with some people: I have issues with She's Out of My Life. The positives: it's a beautifully written ballad, Michael gives it a fantastic reading, and it tugs at all the right emotions. The negative: it's all too much for me. Maybe it's too theatrical for me to accept it amongst all the dance party tracks of Off The Wall - maybe it's just too different from the rest of the album for me to like it in context. But I still find it too much even taken out of context – MJ gets props for the performance and the undeniable emotion that he wrings out of the song, but it's all too much for me. I would have preferred a song or two at this point for some slow dancing, but this is a spotlight song for the singer, and takes all the focus off the dance floor. It may be a welcome relief to some, but in context, both Girlfriend and She's Out of My Life threaten to derail the entire dance atmosphere.
I much prefer the jazzy sentiments of I Can't Help It (a superior precursor to Thriller's Human Nature) – Quincy's jazz influence is heavy on this one, especially with the Rhodes piano and bass interpretations. The song also begins to get your feet moving again after the "interruption" of She's Out of My Life… fortunately, Patti Austin shows up to sing It's the Falling in Love along with Michael, and the dance party starts up again, climaxing in the album's finale Burn This Disco Out. The final song feels like a finishing song – it's not nearly as strong a dance track as anything on the opening half of the album, but it is sufficient to give the party people something to groove to as they leave the dance floor for the evening…
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Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Off The Wall is the pinnacle for the dance revolution of the seventies decade, and it also set the standard for the decades to come - not even Jackson's best-selling album Thriller can manage to top the standard set by Off The Wall. All of the dance tracks are loaded with the funk that permeated the previous decade, but the instrumental arrangements of the horns and guitars accenting the strong emphasis on bass and percussion predate the club mixes of coming generations. The sixth and seventh tracks threaten briefly to shut the party down, but the last three songs recover enough of the beat to provide a satisfactory ending to one of the best dance recordings ever made.
I was late to the party for this write-off, but don't you be late to the Michael Jackson's party Off The Wall…
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Michael Jackson - Off The Wall
Originally released in 1979 by Columbia Records
Track Listing
Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough / Rock With You / Working Day and Night / Get on the Floor / Off the Wall / Girlfriend / She's Out of My Life / I Can't Help It / It's the Falling in Love / Burn This Disco Out
Recommended:
Yes
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Location: Dallas Metroplex
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