Amazon.com essential recording

“We wanted a tough album,” producer Quincy Jones recalls in a bonus interview on this special edition of Bad. Though the 1987 blockbuster would appear to be Michael Jackson’s most personal statement to date–9 of its 11 cuts were written solely by him–its appeal also rested more on craft than the idiosyncratic art of Thriller and Off the Wall. At the same time, most of Bad has aged well in spite of its digital brittleness and MIDI treatments of gem (more…)

email image control

Amazon.com essential recording

Given the pace of Michael Jackson’s post-Thriller release schedule, it’s striking that Off the Wall appeared between two albums with his brothers, Destiny (1978) and Triumph (1980), on which the twentysomething phenomenon was also fully engaged. Aided by richly detailed but not overdone production, Off the Wall redefined how much Michael might do. Tracks like “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” “Rock with You,” the title cut (all Top 10 singles), an (more…)