Off the Wall cover

Off the Wall

Released

On Off the Wall, the 1980s come early…or do they? The ’70s disco era of orchestral strings, booming basslines and high-hat rhythms, courtesy of producer Quincy Jones, still animate “Working Day and Night,” “Get on the Floor” and more. But the flawless Off the Wall also came complete with music videos (“Rock with You,” “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough”), and a mega-superstar aesthetic that would redefine the template of what it meant to be a pop star in the next decade—like the musical blockbuster equivalent of Jaws or Star Wars. Thriller was the 2.0.

Miles Marshall Lewis

Recommended by

Suggestions
Wish It Would Rain cover

Wish It Would Rain

The Temptations
Jaiyede Afro cover

Jaiyede Afro

The Heliocentrics, Orlando Julius
Bootsy? Player of the Year cover

Bootsy? Player of the Year

Bootsy’s Rubber Band
Hell cover

Hell

James Brown
The  Lost Motown Album cover

The Lost Motown Album

The Fantastic Four
Keep on Steppin’ cover

Keep on Steppin’

The Fatback Band