Had an off day today and did not feel like doing anything so thought I'd have a discography day i.e. listen to all the albums of an artist and went with Michael Jackson.
MJ's first solo album (I don't have any of his solo albums from childhood), is still effervescent, bubbly and powerful. Songs like Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Rock with You, etc. will still get you tapping your feet and probably dancing. Though not as polished as Thriller and Bad, Off The Wall is still a powerful album and more pronounced with MJ's raw energy. Definitely a must have album in any music lover's collection and especially if you are a Michael Jackson fan.
Definitely Michael Jackson's most popular album (if not the most popular album of all time) and loaded with all-time hits like Thriller, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', The Girl Is Mine, Billie Jean and the mega hit Beat It. This album has probably been played out in many homes and may not be as popular (akin to Hotel California which still continues to be overplayed), but it still has some amazing music (especially compared to what passes for music in this day and age). Definitely an album that belongs in every music collection especially for the nostalgia factor even if it's not heard regularly.
Michael was probably getting all weird by the time this album came out, what with a black man becoming white and the alleged rumours of going in for a sex change operation, nonetheless the album itself is excellent. My personal favorites from this album are Dirty Diana, The Way You Make Me Feel, Liberian Girl, Another Part Of Me, Leave Me Alone, Man In The Mirror and the wonderful I Just Can't Stop Loving You. I still remember the popular videos Bad and The Way You Make Me Feel (I still remember the beautiful girl in the video). Bad was definitely polished though it suffered in comparison to Thriller, nonetheless looking at it now it still has some excellent music and Michael Jackson performing at his peak as a musician.
Probably Michael Jackson's weakest album (personally for me) and I was not particularly fond of any of the videos either. I had also personally made the switch from pop/R&B to rock/blues/metal by this time and was more into retro rock like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Little Feat, Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, Rainbow, etc. as well as metal bands like Metallica and rock groups like Bon Jovi. However, I did land up at the music store early in the morning to pick up the album the day it released. Not too many favourites from this album though I do enjoy Give In To Me (mainly for the guitar riffs by Slash from GNR), Who Is It, Heal The World, and Will You Be There (used in the movie Free Willy). Not the best of Michael Jackson (IMHO), but still great music considering what passes for music from lesser talented folks.
Michael was back and with his first compilation of greatest hits and a new album that had some good tracks. History though was all about the greatest hits compilation and the new album does pale in comparison to the hits. Nonetheless a few good tracks like Scream (I'm still not sure what they spent the $7 million for the video on... reportedly the most expensive video back then), They Don't Care About Us, and You Are Not Alone (featuring his then wife Lisa Marie Presley in the video). Good compilation of his best work as well as some new interesting tracks make this an album worth owning.
Blood on the Dance Floor is mainly a remix album of his previous hits along with some new tracks. The title track Blood on the Dance Floor is definitely a hit (killer video), Ghost (even better video), and well rounded with other good dance numbers like Morphine and Supafly Sister. I'm not particularly fond of the remixed versions of his previous hits, but then I find most remakes (in movies and remixes in music) don't stand up to comparisons with the originals. However, Blood on the Dance Floor is an excellent dance/party album and definitely recommended if you're looking for some foot tapping numbers.
I remember when this album came out and there was talk of it doing 30 million in terms of sales. My friend remarked that this kind of music was no longer popular (the world had moved on to rap and hip-hop) and it would be hard to achieve those numbers in sales. Musically I was a dinosaur since I had graduated to solely listening to music from the 60s and 70s and was completely into rock and metal. That said, this is an album that I have hugely enjoyed for the most part. You Rock My World is still a personal favorite, along with many tracks from this album like Butterflies, Break of Dawn, Heaven Can Wait, etc. However, looking back... my friend was right... this kind of music was no longer mainstream and hence the album did not do particularly well... still its an excellent album and hugely underrated. Definitely recommended for light, enjoyable music from one of music's greatest and also for sentimental value as it was his last studio album.
MJ's first solo album (I don't have any of his solo albums from childhood), is still effervescent, bubbly and powerful. Songs like Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, Rock with You, etc. will still get you tapping your feet and probably dancing. Though not as polished as Thriller and Bad, Off The Wall is still a powerful album and more pronounced with MJ's raw energy. Definitely a must have album in any music lover's collection and especially if you are a Michael Jackson fan.
Definitely Michael Jackson's most popular album (if not the most popular album of all time) and loaded with all-time hits like Thriller, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', The Girl Is Mine, Billie Jean and the mega hit Beat It. This album has probably been played out in many homes and may not be as popular (akin to Hotel California which still continues to be overplayed), but it still has some amazing music (especially compared to what passes for music in this day and age). Definitely an album that belongs in every music collection especially for the nostalgia factor even if it's not heard regularly.
Michael was probably getting all weird by the time this album came out, what with a black man becoming white and the alleged rumours of going in for a sex change operation, nonetheless the album itself is excellent. My personal favorites from this album are Dirty Diana, The Way You Make Me Feel, Liberian Girl, Another Part Of Me, Leave Me Alone, Man In The Mirror and the wonderful I Just Can't Stop Loving You. I still remember the popular videos Bad and The Way You Make Me Feel (I still remember the beautiful girl in the video). Bad was definitely polished though it suffered in comparison to Thriller, nonetheless looking at it now it still has some excellent music and Michael Jackson performing at his peak as a musician.
Probably Michael Jackson's weakest album (personally for me) and I was not particularly fond of any of the videos either. I had also personally made the switch from pop/R&B to rock/blues/metal by this time and was more into retro rock like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Little Feat, Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, Rainbow, etc. as well as metal bands like Metallica and rock groups like Bon Jovi. However, I did land up at the music store early in the morning to pick up the album the day it released. Not too many favourites from this album though I do enjoy Give In To Me (mainly for the guitar riffs by Slash from GNR), Who Is It, Heal The World, and Will You Be There (used in the movie Free Willy). Not the best of Michael Jackson (IMHO), but still great music considering what passes for music from lesser talented folks.
Michael was back and with his first compilation of greatest hits and a new album that had some good tracks. History though was all about the greatest hits compilation and the new album does pale in comparison to the hits. Nonetheless a few good tracks like Scream (I'm still not sure what they spent the $7 million for the video on... reportedly the most expensive video back then), They Don't Care About Us, and You Are Not Alone (featuring his then wife Lisa Marie Presley in the video). Good compilation of his best work as well as some new interesting tracks make this an album worth owning.
Blood on the Dance Floor is mainly a remix album of his previous hits along with some new tracks. The title track Blood on the Dance Floor is definitely a hit (killer video), Ghost (even better video), and well rounded with other good dance numbers like Morphine and Supafly Sister. I'm not particularly fond of the remixed versions of his previous hits, but then I find most remakes (in movies and remixes in music) don't stand up to comparisons with the originals. However, Blood on the Dance Floor is an excellent dance/party album and definitely recommended if you're looking for some foot tapping numbers.
I remember when this album came out and there was talk of it doing 30 million in terms of sales. My friend remarked that this kind of music was no longer popular (the world had moved on to rap and hip-hop) and it would be hard to achieve those numbers in sales. Musically I was a dinosaur since I had graduated to solely listening to music from the 60s and 70s and was completely into rock and metal. That said, this is an album that I have hugely enjoyed for the most part. You Rock My World is still a personal favorite, along with many tracks from this album like Butterflies, Break of Dawn, Heaven Can Wait, etc. However, looking back... my friend was right... this kind of music was no longer mainstream and hence the album did not do particularly well... still its an excellent album and hugely underrated. Definitely recommended for light, enjoyable music from one of music's greatest and also for sentimental value as it was his last studio album.
