Off the wall

The title of this article is ambiguous. Additional meanings are listed under Off the Wall (disambiguation) .

Off the wall
Michael Jackson studio album
Publication (s)	August 10, 1979
admission	December 4, 1978 - June 3, 1979
Label (s)	Epic Records
Format (s)	CD, LP, MC
Genre (s)	R&B , pop , disco
Title (number)	10
running time	42:16
occupation	Singing / backing vocals : Michael Jackson Backing vocals : Jim Gilstrap , Augie Johnson , Mortonette Jenkins , Paulette McWilliams and Zedric Williams Vocals / Backing vocals : Patti Austin (on It's the Falling In Love ) Electric bass : Louis Johnson , Bobby Watson Guitar : David Williams , Marlo Henderson , Phil Upchurch , Wah Wah Watson , Larry Carlton Drums : John Robinson Keyboard : Greg Phillinganes , Michael Boddicker , David "Hawk" Wolinski , George Duke , Steve Porcaro , David Foster Percussion : Michael Jackson , Randy Jackson , Richard Heath , Paulinho da Costa , John Robinson , Trumpet / flugelhorn : Jerry Hey Tenor saxophone / alto saxophone / flute : Larry Williams Baritone saxophone / tenor saxophone / flute : Kim Hutchcroft Trumpet : William Reichenbach Trumpet : Gary Grant Concertmaster : Gerald Vinci
production	Quincy Jones
Studio (s)	Allen Zentz Recording , Los Angeles (USA) Westlake Audio , Los Angeles (USA) Cherokee Studios , Los Angeles (USA)
chronology Forever, Michael (1975) Off the wall Thriller (1982)

Off the Wall was Quincy Jones' first of three highly successful productions for Jackson. (Photo: 2008)

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Off the wall   DE 25th 07/01/1980 (22 weeks)   CH 27 07/12/2009 (8 weeks)   UK 3 29.09.1979 (225 weeks)   US 3 09/01/1979 (193 weeks)

Singles

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough   DE 13 November 19, 1979 (28 weeks)   AT 11 01/01/1980 (9 weeks)   CH 4th 01/06/1980 (11 weeks)   UK 3 09/15/1979 (19 weeks)   US 1 07/28/1979 (21 weeks) Rock with you   DE 58 March 31, 1980 (10 weeks)   CH 68 07/12/2009 (3 weeks)   UK 7th 02/09/1980 (13 weeks)   US 1 03/11/1979 (24 weeks) Off the wall   CH 81 07/12/2009 (1 week)   UK 7th 11/24/1979 (11 weeks)   US 10 February 16, 1980 (17 weeks) She's out of my life   CH 97 07/12/2009 (1 week)   UK 3 05/03/1980 (9 weeks)   US 10 April 19, 1980 (16 weeks) Girlfriend   UK 41 07/26/1980 (5 weeks)

Off the Wall (English for: " Unorthodox ") is the fifth studio album by US singer Michael Jackson . It was released on August 10, 1979 by Epic Records and was produced by Quincy Jones . Jackson co-produced the songs Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough , Workin' Day and Night and Get on the Floor . He wrote three of the ten songs himself, u. a. also the Grammy-winning single Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough . It was his first solo release with Epic Records, the record label on which he still released his records until his death 30 years later.

Allmusic's music critics Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Stephen Holden noted that Off the Wall was a mix of funk, disco pop, soul, soft rock, jazz and pop ballads. The songs on the album range from 66 beats per minute on She's Out of My Life to 128 bpm on Workin 'Day and Night .

From Off the Wall were still over 20 million recordings sold; it was the world's most successful album by a black artist to date. Despite the success of his album, Michael Jackson was disappointed because he received only one Grammy in 1980 (for the opening title of the album Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough ). According to Jackson, it was “totally unfair” that he in particular did not receive the Record of the Year award . However, shortly before his death, in 2008, the album was finally inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame .

Emergence

When Jackson started working on Off the Wall , he wasn't sure how he wanted the final musical result. However, he didn't want another album that sounded like The Jacksons . Instead, he hoped for more creative freedom with the move to Epic Records, which he had been denied in his previous album productions under the Motown label. Quincy Jones, whom Michael Jackson met in 1978 while filming the film The Wiz, was responsible for the production of Off the Wall . In the run-up to work on the album, some had feared that Quincy Jones would not suit Jackson because of his pronounced funk orientation.

As a songwriter, in addition to the singer himself u. a. Also Rod Temperton (a member of the funk band Heatwave ), bassist Louis Johnson, Stevie Wonder and ex- Beatle Paul McCartney on the album. Off the Wall was recorded from December 4, 1978 to June 3, 1979 at Allen Zentz Recording, Westlake Audio, and Cherokee Studios. The mix was done at Westlake Audio, Los Angeles .

Other versions of the songs Rock with You and Get on the Floor were included on the first pressing of the album . These have not yet been published on other sound carriers. Since 2001 only the special edition has been sold. It also contains audio commentary by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton and two demo recordings as bonus tracks.

reception

Off the Wall reached number 3 on the US Billboard charts and stayed in the top 20 for 48 weeks. In the UK , it also reached number 3.

In the USA alone, 9 million Off the Wall records have been sold. The album sold more than 20 million copies internationally.

The two singles, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough and Rock with You , became number one hits on the US hit parade. The other releases, She's Out of My Life and the title track Off the Wall , made it into the top ten. This had not been the case with any album in the USA before.

The single Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough received a Grammy in 1980 in the category Best Male R&B Vocal Performance , and there was another nomination for Best Disco Recording for the same title.

The music magazine Rolling Stone voted Off the Wall 68th of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time .

On February 26, 2016, Off the Wall was re-released. The album with the original tracks was expanded to include a documentary by Spike Lee . He had already contributed a documentary to Bad 25 in 2012. The film Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to "Off the Wall" shows the development from child star of the Jackson Five to King of Pop. As the first solo album on the Epic label, Off the Wall was largely responsible for Michael Jackson's breakthrough. Stars like The Weeknd or Stevie Wonder have their say in the film, who share their memories of the time around Off the Wall with the audience. The new edition of the album was published in a special packaging: The inside can be written on with the accompanying chalk - a reference to the title lettering that adorns the cover. The bundle is available on CD / DVD or CD / Blu-Ray.

Track list

1. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson) - 6:04
2. Rock with You (Rod Temperton) - 3:40
3. Workin 'Day and Night (Michael Jackson) - 5:14
4. Get on the Floor (Michael Jackson, Louis Johnson) - 4:39
5. Off the Wall (Rod Temperton) - 4:05
6. Girlfriend ( Paul McCartney ) - 3:05
7. She's Out of My Life (Tom Bahler) - 3:37
8. I Can't Help It (Susaye Greene-Bowne, Stevie Wonder ) - 4:29
9. It's the Falling in Love (David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager) - 3:48
10. Burn This Disco Out (Rod Temperton) - 3:41

Special Edition (2001)

11. Quincy Jones Interview # 1 - 0:37
12. Introduction to Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough Demo - 0:13
13. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson's Original Demo Recording) - 4:48
14. Quincy Jones Interview # 2 - 0:30
15. Introduction to Workin 'Day and Night Demo - 0:10
16. Workin 'Day and Night (Michael Jackson's Original Demo Recording) - 4:19
17. Quincy Jones Interview # 3 - 0:48
18. Rod Temperton Interview - 4:57
19. Quincy Jones Interview # 4 - 1:32

Single releases

• Jul. 1979 - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
• October 1979 - Rock with You
• February 1980 - Off the Wall
• April 1980 - She's Out of My Life
• July 1980 - Girlfriend (UK only)

In Europe, the single Off the Wall came out at the same time as Rock with You was released in the US . Conversely, Rock with You was released in Europe when Off the Wall was released as a single in the United States .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Release date
2. ↑ Chart data album chart discography DE, CH, UK US
3. ↑ Chart data singles DE, AT, CH, UK, US
4. ↑ Album review ( Memento from June 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
5. ^ The Complete Michael Jackson, International Music Publications Ltd, 1997, ISBN 1-85909-447-3 .
6. ↑ Taraborrelli, p. 191
7. ↑ Taraborrelli, p. 183
8. ↑ Levy, Joe (Ed.): Rolling Stone. The 500 best albums of all time . (Original edition: Rolling Stone. The 500 Greatest Albums of all Time . Wenner Media 2005). Translation: Karin Hofmann. Wiesbaden: White Star Verlag, 2011, p. 81
9. ↑ Article in the Freie Presse from February 24, 2016 ( Memento from March 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive )