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Fans Album Reviews For:

Michael Jackson
(2 reviews sent in so far)

Thriller
by Darius Henry
August 29, 2009         
Rating: 10.0

I write this review on what would’ve been Michael Jackson’s 51th birthday. Thriller is, IMO, one of the greatest albums ever. And even though Keno doesn’t feel solo Michael Jackson is Classic Rock (yet he feels the Jackson 5 were), he has let me review him anyway and that’s cool. There is a reason why this album is the best-selling album of all time. It sold more than any other albums, including The Beatles’ White Album, Led Zeppelin IV, and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Of course the main reason this album sold so many is because it’s that damn good. But there are other reasons as well, including his wide variety of music.

This album starts off with “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”. It is, other than The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”, the greatest album opener of all time. It’s a great song to dance to and it automatically gives you a good mood. Plus great lyrics about people always startin somethin. And the music is so fantastic. The best part is the African chant at the end. What more can you ask for in this song. The next song, “Baby Be Mine”, is another winner in this album. Not my personal fave, but it is still a nice Soulful song in it. “The Girl is Mine” is another great song. This time, Michael is collaborating with Beatles’ own Paul McCartney. I like how it sounded so smooth, and yet we find Michael and Paul arguing over a girl. I love it very much. They both sing great in this tune. “Thriller” is seriously a great song. I love the Bass playing and I love the way Michael sang in this song. Of course you must check out his video of this song as it turns out to be one of the best music videos ever. You won’t regret it.

“Beat It” is the best song Michael Jackson has ever done. This is the most “Rocking” song on this album. I love the riffs, the singing, and the lyrics in this song telling people to just “Beat It.” Plus fantastic solo by Eddie Van Halen. One of the greatest songs of all time. “Billie Jean” is a strongly fan-favorite. Though I don’t agree that this is Michael’s best song, this song is still great. The bassline, the singing, and the lyrics are what make this song. It’s about Michael dealing with a crazy fan. “Human Nature” is one of the most beautiful ballads ever. Michael's singing is great; this is his best vocal work. Plus the music is great as well from the piano to the synthesizer. The lyrics are about the human nature. “PYT” is another nice song on this album. It’s a nice Funk song about, well, Pretty Young Thing. “The Lady of My Life” is the last song on this album. A good Soulful song about the Lady of his life. The music is beautiful. It’s my least favorite, but it sounds just as good as the entire album and it’s a very nice way to end this album.

When you think about it, you realize that this is seriously one of the best works in music history. No matter what you think of him, he was a fantastic musician and he was a talented dance that influenced so many people. So if you’re not one of the 28 million people who own this album, you better get your ass up and buy this record. This is a definitely a must-have and must-own album.

To listen to some sound clips from Thriller or to buy it. click on: Thriller [Special Edition] or Thriller [25th Anniversary Edition]

Off the Wall
by Darius Henry
December 27,2009
Rating: 9.5

Around the late 1970s, many people had thought that his career was over. His days with the Jacksons weren’t going so good. They continue to make great music, but it wasn’t selling as much. But little did those people know is that it was only the beginning. That is when he released his debut album, Off the Wall. True, he had released solo albums since Got to Be There, but most MJ fans, including myself, believe that Off the Wall is his REAL debut album, and for many reasons. One of the main reasons is he had a creative control for his album. He wrote, performed, and co-produces, with Quincy Jones of course, his own works, something he was not able to do while in Motown. For 30 years, this album proves to be MJ first effort as a solo artist, and boy, did he do a great job.

This album starts off with “Don’t Stop til You Get Enough”. A great disco tune and one of his best of all time. Great bass, great strings, and one of the coolest guitar solos in any MJ songs. The next song is mellow, but just as strong, “Rock with You”. Another great song that you can actually dance to, despite it mellow-ness. Love the synthesizer and love MJ vocals. “Working Day & Night” is a cool disco song. Love the disco rhythm. “Get on the Floor” is another winner. Great guitar rhythm on here, and great vocals on here. Love the bass as well.

“Off the Wall” is a classic song on here. It should’ve ended Side A, but that’s OK. The vocal performance on here is excellent. “Girlfriend” is a nice song written by Beatle’ own, Paul McCartney. It’s more Pop than other songs on here, but it still nice to listen to. “She’s Out of My Life” is one of the most beautiful songs MJ has ever done. It his best vocal performance on this album, maybe of all time. You can tell there is a lot of pain in MJ’s voice. It’s still fantastic though. Love the piano and the strings that express MJ’s sadness in this song. “I Can’t Help It” is another nice, yet a very fun song to listen to. The piano and the vocal are great on here. Love the bass as well. “It’s the Falling in Love” is probably the most forgotten song on this album. It’s still a nice song to listen to when you’re in love. “Burn This Disco Out” closes this album and it’s a great way to do so. Great Disco song, love the rhythm and the guitar on here. Love the horns as well.

This is a great way to start a career. I know that many people hated Disco and still do. I don’t hate it but I can see why people dislike it. But MJ is a huge exception because he made great music. This is a great album to start if you want to listen to MJ.

To listen to some sound clips from Off the Wall or to buy it. click on: Off The Wall (Bonus Tracks)

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