Michael Jackson - Off the Wall poll

I was shocked when I found out we hadn't done Iggy Pop - The Idiot poll until this year. I'm even more shocked that we have not done this album.

I may have to go with this one - love the film and it’s one of my favorite scenes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA33s_HRxmI

I may have to go with this one - love the film and it’s one of my favorite scenes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA33s_HRxmI

Agh, sorry for the double post.

Lol at that scene

Here is the real Bad poll: Your poll is mine : who's Bad ?

"Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" is a miracle as a percussive track alone.

But...I'm gonna vote for "Get on the Floor."

hate to vote for the obvious choice but man the leadoff track here is one of a handful of absolutely perfect pop songs. the moment like 2/3 through where the low strings underpin Michael's voice is one of my favorite moments in pop music ever

feel like every song on the first side is the obvious choice

"I Can't Help It" (thanks, De La Soul!) is one of Stevie Wonder's least heralded songs.

Workin' Day and Night for me I think.

Can I just say Triumph is this album's equal and Walk Right Now is my favourite Jackson (solo or otherwise) track pre-1982.

Rock With You just over "Working Day and Night"

sorry to be basic but DSTYGE is part of the fabric of the universe for me, one of the highest ecstatic highs in recorded music.

^^^

as much as i love all of it..otm.

Tie between “I Can’t Help It,” “She’s Out of My Life” and the entirety of Side 1

But the only thing keeping me from just automatically picking “Til You Get Enough” and moving on with my evening is that “Wanna Be Startin Somethin” so thoroughly bests it as an unimpeachable opening shot

i mean...those are 2 of the best opening tracks in history right there

Haha…I can’t believe I made that observation 10 years ago and we’re only now correcting this iniquity…My love for the title track knows no bounds…Not only do I think it’s one of the greatest vocals of all time (his bv’s as are close to a choir of cherubim that has ever been recorded) but I believe it has aural psilocybin hidden in its grooves. That shit has the power to heal and brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

live your LIFE off the WALL

yeah i think i am going title track

"Get on the Floor" woulda been my third place.

not a bad track though.

(on the album, I mean)

rock with you is my fave forever

the verse comes in so sultry and smooth and then the way the prechorus kicks up into something else like oh shit now it’s a jam
FEEL THAT HEAT
AND WE CAN RIDE THE BOOGIE
SHARE THAT BEAT OF LOVE

and THEN
then it fkn goes into outerspace and its over for everybody
I WANNA ROCK WITH YOU (ALL NIGHT)
etc

This is the MJ album I’m most likely to play in full.

“Rock With You,” my favorite song of his.

VG OTM essentially

From Wikipedia:

“Off the Wall is certified 9× Platinum in the US and has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.[27][28][29] It has also gained Platinum certifications in eleven other countries. The album's success led to the start of a nine-year partnership between Jackson and Jones; their next collaboration would be Thriller (1982), which is the best-selling album of all time.[30]”

I think it keeps changing places with Eagles Greatest Hits album

two rival families that keep buying extra copies of competing albums to send their favorite to the top of the list

xp only in the US

I thought it was best selling world wide but unsure

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eagles-greatest-hits-overtakes-michael-jacksons-thriller-as-best-selling-album-713224/

The Eagles officially have the best-selling album of all time. Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 has overtaken Michael Jackson‘s Thriller, reclaiming the top spot nearly a decade after the King of Pop’s death.

The band’s Greatest Hits 1971-1975 spent nearly a decade as the best-selling album of all time until Thriller bypassed it in the aftermath of Jackson’s death in 2009.

And now 5 years old

title track for me

This is impossible, but at this point for me it's the title track or Workin'.

« Rock with you » might be the best sounding track EVER for me (and a fantastic song too!). But I still can’t decide if it would be my vote…
The only weak song here is « Girlfriend ».

sorry to be basic but DSTYGE is part of the fabric of the universe for me, one of the highest ecstatic highs in recorded music.

otm!

his dubs in the 2nd verse I'm melting

But the only thing keeping me from just automatically picking “Til You Get Enough” and moving on with my evening is that “Wanna Be Startin Somethin” so thoroughly bests it as an unimpeachable opening shot

hard disagree here, in fact I think a strong case can be made that Off the Wall >>>> Thriller

Well Thriller suffers from being overplayed/overhyped etc (and from the silly Macca collab) but the actual tracks are still stellar (although I’m not too fond of the title track). Two great albums with maybe Thriller a bit above. But I’d definitely rather listen to OTW now.

oh yeah didn't mean to sound anti thriller, it's obv classic for a reason

Rock With You because of the synth hook. Has been a fav since I was like 3 years old.

Heh same. I saw the striking video at a very young age, probably the earliest music experience I can remember and still adore the song to this day

Fun fact about “Don’t Stop”: the drummer never once hits the crash cymbal. Most players, seasoned pros or otherwise, would reflexively hit it at the end of every eight or sixteen bars, or to end fills. Not John Robinson.

But the only thing keeping me from just automatically picking “Til You Get Enough” and moving on with my evening is that “Wanna Be Startin Somethin” so thoroughly bests it as an unimpeachable opening shot

Couldn't agree more, even though I'm much more likely to listen to Off the Wall.

My band is finally finishing an album of New Orleans brass band arrangements of Jackson tunes that's been cooking than a decade, and for fun I looked at the breakdown of which albums the tunes came from:

Dangerous - 2
Bad - 3
HIStory - 2
Thriller - 3
Off the Wall - 1
This Is It - 1

Knew who the poster would be before clicking.

I thought it was best selling world wide but unsure

yeah that RS article is just about RIAA sales. unfortunately misleading title. Worldwide Thriller is something like at least 20 mil ahead of its nearest rivals.

wow I really think “wanna be starting something” PALES next to don’t stop!!!

They're both all-time but I've probably heard Don't Stop too many times by now.

Also Don't Stop is much simpler in terms of structure -- you've got the A and B sections that both seem to last forever, and the iconic horn bridge, and that's about it.

Wanna Be Starting is like this through-composed sugar rush of hooks by comparison, all these different little sections and weirdo lyrics.

It’s just too much, it’s like a crappy blockbuster or something, just my opinion

This cover nails the groove:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMRUxguvrt0

Don't Stop is much simpler in terms of structure -- you've got the A and B sections that both seem to last forever, and the iconic horn bridge, and that's about it.

Wanna Be Starting is like this through-composed sugar rush of hooks by comparison, all these different little sections and weirdo lyrics

This, 100%. I adore "Don't Stop," but dance bridge aside, it's got a lot fewer "attractions" than WBSS does. Pitchfork was right to rank it (was it?) second in their singles of the '80s countdown.

I did vote "DSTYGE" here btw

This is a really toploaded album, wonder if the results will be in basically the same order as the tracklist.

I never really thought about it until charting it out as an instrumental btw

rock with you also a great showcase for MJ’s vocals- the way he hits those high notes is so so great

at a glance to me as a kid, it looked like hands were growing out of his pockets and the horror the horror. go ahead. unsee it.

My first post right here!

"Rock With You" is the jam for me. That snare drum sound is so fat and the intro fill just grabs you. Also love the reverbed handclaps in the chorus. The vocals are of course totally superior. I now remember being in total awe of that suit he's wearing in the video. I had made a VHS tape copy of the Greatest Video Hits that was released around the time of HIStory. Watched that tape over and over for two whole years when I was 10 or 11 years old.

Welcome aboard, burdette!

That snare drum sound is so fat and the intro fill just grabs you.

^^^^ this.

Also, is “Rock With You” the last US #1 single to feature the flugelhorn?

This is a really toploaded album, wonder if the results will be in basically the same order as the tracklist.

"Girlfriend" (in its awfulness) is the only thing preventing each song being weaker than its predecessor, though the album's starting from an incredible peak.

I....like "Girlfriend"?

I'll admit I generally turn it off after the title track. feels like he was hedging his bets about which kind of pop star he was going to be by including the ballads.

I don’t think he was hedging at all — he showed that he wanted to be every kind of pop star, and achieved that (to put it mildly) on Thriller.

I like Burn This Disco Out a lot. Probably like my 3rd or 4th favorite on the album really.

I don’t think he was hedging at all — he showed that he wanted to be _every_ kind of pop star, and achieved that (to put it mildly) on _Thriller_.

I'm also in the WBSS camp. My favourite (solo) Michael song until the 90s.

I don’t particularly like « girlfriend » but it doesn’t bother me. I’ll even admit I can see how « the girl is mine » could have been a nice track had it not been that silly duo : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHh4CzSZTCw

I hate The Girl is Mine

DSTYGE is fantastic of course but WBSS sounded like the future. And it still sounds contemporary in a way

thing with both Don't Stop and Wanna Be is not just that they're incredible pop songs but that as leadoff tracks they emphatically declare "I am the biggest pop star in the world right now". only thing right now that seems close is maybe "Let's Go Crazy"

I hate The Girl is Mine

I hate The Girl is Mine

No idea what happened there !

thing with both Don't Stop and Wanna Be is not just that they're incredible pop songs but that as leadoff tracks they emphatically declare "I am the biggest pop star in the world right now". only thing right now that seems close is maybe "Let's Go Crazy"

(Also because they are not great songs)

Welcome burdette hope you have fun here.

I’m hoping that, with the help of AI, “The Girl Is Mine” can be reconfigured so that Michael and Paul are instead arguing about Michael’s purchase of the Beatles publishing.

"The Doggone Girl Is Mine" is more fitting as a title - accurately reflects the lyric while capturing the insipidness of the whole thing. (And not once have I ever heard anyone in real life use the world "doggone." Was it common lingo in 1982?)

thing with both Don't Stop and Wanna Be is not just that they're incredible pop songs but that as leadoff tracks they emphatically declare "I am the biggest pop star in the world right now”

I think ‘Girlfriend’ is probably the weakest cut on the album but I can’t imagine the album without it…but ‘ I Can’t Help it’ is a fucking balm…as gorgeous a song as Stevie ever wrote…search for his demo on you tube…phenomenal…‘It’s the falling in love’ is one of the most engaging duets Michael ever recorded…perfect synergy…I’d say this album is actually pretty back loaded if anything

I’m hoping that, with the help of AI, “The Girl Is Mine” can be reconfigured so that Michael and Paul are instead arguing about Michael’s purchase of the Beatles publishing.

I have listened to this three times since I made thread, will try a few more and then vote.

« Paul, I think I told you, I’m a buyer not a fighter »

(And not once have I ever heard anyone in real life use the world "doggone." Was it common lingo in 1982?)

Huh I had never checked the credits for this album and turns out my favorite song in here is a Stevie Wonder composition. Figures.

Recommend checking the Terje remix for it too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVlbcKUzAgg

I’ve been mulling a poll of the songs Stevie wrote for others; I think “I Can’t Help It” could win that one

"Tell Me Something Good" would give it a run for its money. Another good poll would be Stevie's guest harmonica appearances, "I Feel For You", "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues", etc.

voted "Rock With You" because it still gives me goosebumps even after almost 40 (!) years of hearing it, but man, what an album

Yeah that might be it

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Damn, had this whole thing written out and lost it. Longer story short, not sure if I like side 2 too much. It does come after those first five songs so anything else would be hard anyways but side 2 is on the weaker side for me. She's Out of My Life is the best out of that bunch.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I mean…when “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough” is on a ballot, how do you not vote for it?”

“Get on the Floor” deserved at least one more vote

When Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) was a guest DJ on KCRW:

Michael Jackson, “Don't Stop til You Get Enough”

PR: When this album came out...(Jackson) had done so much on this album, it was so him and Quincy. I was in The Groundlings already, I was already Pee Wee Herman, I was just really at the very, very earliest beginning part of my career. And I used to take a cassette tape of this, of “Don't Stop til You Get Enough” and make the entire Groundling company listen to it on my gigantic ghetto blaster backstage before we would do the show. This was my warmup music. I think what a lot of these pieces of music have in common is, at least for me, is that they just make me feel fantastic. I listen to this music and I'm not only inspired but I'm energized and I'm ready to go create and be who I want to be, and I appreciate that so much from these people.

Thanks for polling this…can’t really argue with the results…it’s a fantastic record

Pee Wee Herman otm

made a note to relisten to this due to this thread and I'd completely forgotten about "Get On the Floor" - what a fuckin tune

ESPECIALLY

yeah, it's so good.