Michael Jackson - Off the Wall (1979)

Michael Jackson - Off the Wall (1979)

Tracklist front / back album covers

Side one

1. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"   6:02

2. "Rock with You"   3:38

3. "Workin' Day and Night"   5:10

4. "Get on the Floor"   4:42

Side two

5. "Off the Wall"   4:11

6. "Girlfriend"   3:08

7. "She's Out of My Life"   3:41

8. "I Can't Help It"   4:28

9. "It's the Falling in Love"   3:52

10. "Burn This Disco Out"   3:39

2001 special edition bonus tracks

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" (Original Demo from 1978) (recorded December 1978, during Off the Wall sessions)   4:48

14. "Quincy Jones Interview #2"   0:30

15. "Introduction to Workin' Day and Night Demo"   0:10

16. "Working Day and Night" (Original Demo from 1978) (recorded December 1978, during Off the Wall sessions)   4:19

17. "Quincy Jones Interview #3"   0:48

18. "Rod Temperton Interview"   4:57

19. "Quincy Jones Interview #4"   1:32

Notes

The original LP, cassette pressings and first CD issue of Off the Wall contain the original mixes of "Rock with You" and "Get on the Floor".

Every song on the album is available either as A or B sides of single releases both in 7 or 12 inch format. Seven of the songs out of ten saw US release either as A or B sides and the UK had the remaining three songs available also as A or B sides of singles. As of 2000 the singles are available in both 7 and 12 inch formats and few different mixes, even though some releases have been more targeted to a UK/Europe audience. The original album mix of the title track is not available as a single and the original mix was kept for future reissues of the album, unlike the two songs mentioned in the upper note, the single mix did not replace the title track on all future reissues.

Michael Jackson Band Members / Musicians

Michael Jackson – lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (1-6, 9, 10), co-producer (1, 3, 4), percussion (1, 3), vocal arrangements (1, 3, 4, 6), rhythm and percussion arrangements (1, 3)

Patti Austin – lead and backing vocals (track 9)

Tom Bahler – rhythm arrangement (track 6), vocal arrangement (9)

Michael Boddicker – synthesizer (track 2), programming (5, 8)

Larry Carlton – guitar (track 7)

Paulinho Da Costa – percussion (tracks 1, 3-5, 8, 10)

George Duke – synthesizer and synthesizer programming (tracks 5, 6)

David Foster – synthesizer (tracks 6, 9), rhythm arrangement (9)

Jim Gilstrap – background vocals (tracks 1, 4)

Gary Grant – trumpet (tracks 1-6, 8-10)

Richard Heath – percussion (track 1)

Marlo Henderson – guitar (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10)

Jerry Hey – horn arrangements, trumpet, and flugelhorn (tracks 1-6, 8-10)

Kim Hutchcroft – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, and flute (tracks 1-6, 8-10)

Randy Jackson – percussion (track 1)

Mortonette Jenkins – background vocals (tracks 1, 4)

Augie Johnson – background vocals (tracks 1, 4)

Louis Johnson – bass guitar (tracks 1, 3-10), rhythm arrangement (4)

Quincy Jones – producer (all tracks), rhythm arrangements (4, 6, 9), vocal arrangements (6, 9)

Johnny Mandel – strings arrangement (tracks 7, 8)

Paulette McWilliams – background vocals (tracks 1, 4)

Greg Phillinganes – electric piano (tracks 1, 3, 5-10), synthesizer (1, 2, 5, 8), clavinet (4), rhythm arrangements (1, 3, 6, 8)

Steve Porcaro – synthesizer programming (tracks 6, 9)

Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (tracks 1-6, 8-10)

John Robinson – drums (tracks 1-6, 8-10), percussion (3)

Bruce Swedien – recording engineer and audio mixer (all tracks)

Rod Temperton – rhythm and vocal arrangements (tracks 2, 5, 10)

Phil Upchurch – guitar (track 3)

Gerald Vinci – concertmaster (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 8)

Bobby Watson – bass guitar (track 2)

Wah Wah Watson – guitar (tracks 4, 6, 9)

David Williams – guitar (tracks 1-3, 5, 10)

Larry Williams – tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, and flute (tracks 1-6, 8-10), alto saxophone solo (6)

Zedrick Williams – background vocals (tracks 1, 4)

Hawk Wolinski – Fender Rhodes (track 2)

Stevie Wonder – rhythm arrangement (track 8)

Ben Wright – strings arrangements (tracks 1, 2, 4)

Off the Wall is the 5th solo studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, the label he recorded under until his death in 2009, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met while working on the 1978 film The Wiz. Several critics observed that Off the Wall was crafted from disco, pop, funk, R&B, soft rock and Broadway ballads. The album features songwriting contributions from Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Rod Temperton, Tom Bahler, and David Foster, alongside three tracks penned by Jackson himself. Its lyrical themes include escapism, liberation, loneliness, hedonism and romance.

Between 1972 and 1975, Jackson released a total of four solo studio albums with Motown as part of The Jackson 5 franchise: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973) and Forever, Michael (1975). Before recording his next album, which came to be Off the Wall, Jackson desired to create a record not sounding like a Jacksons record, but rather showcasing artistic freedom and individualism. The album marked Jackson's transition from merely a teen idol as the lead singer of the Jacksons to an emerging adult talent, and though it was the fifth album of his career it is considered the starting point for him as a solo artist.