On this day - 10th August 1979 Off The Wall (LP) by Michael is released. Mixing pop, R&B and jazz, the LP is produced by Quincy Jones with Michael co-producing the three songs which he wrote. He contributed Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough, Working Day and Night and Get on the Floor(co-written with Louis Johnson). Michael and Quincy sought top writers and musicians for the album, with Rod Temperton who contributed three tracks: Rock With You, Off The Wall and Burn This Disco Out. Paul McCartney contributed the playful Girlfriend, Tom Bahler gave the emotional She’s Out of My Life and Stevie Wonder and Susaye Greene offered the quirky I Can’t Help It. There was also one duet between Michael and Patti Austin called It’s the Falling in Love, which was written by Carole Bayer Sager and David Foster. Off The Wall breaks new ground vocally for Michael, with his most adventurous and mature vocals to date. It breaks music industry records by being the first album ever to spawn four Top Ten singles in the US, two of which become number 1 hits and are certified Gold. In Britain, for the first time in music history, a record five hit singles are released from one album.The album exceeds all expectations and is hugely successful on both the Pop and Black albums charts, eventually selling over twelve million copies worlwide. Some of the early copies of Off The Wall feature a free 7 picture disc of You Cant Win. At the Grammy Awards for 1979, Michael got nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance and also won in his category. Michael: Although Off The Wall had been one of the most popular records of the year, it received only one nomination: Best R&B Vocal Performance. I remember where I was when I got the news. I felt ignored by my peers and it hurt. People told me later that it surprised the industry too... I said to myself, Wait until next time - they wont be able to ignore the next album. I watched the ceremony on television and it was nice to win in my category, but I still was upset by what I perceived as the rejection of my peers. I just kept thinking Next time, next time. I can be brutally objective about my work as I create it, and if something doesnt work, I can feel it, but when I turn in a finished album - or song - you can be sure that Ive given it every ounce of energy and God-given talent that I have. Off The Wall was well received by my fans and I think thats why the Grammy nominations hurt. That experience lit a fire in my soul. All I could think of was the next album and what I would do with it. I wanted it to be truly great. The release of Off The Wall in the same month that Michael turned 21 and took control of his own affairs, was definitely one of the major landmarks of Michaels life. It meant a great deal to him because the albums eventual success proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a former child star could mature into a recording artist with contemporary appeal. source : Michael Jackson - The Visual Documentary
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 18:47:18 +0000
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