Michael Jackson's Six Studio Albums From 1979 Through 2001
July 6, 2009
By Marvin Markus
Michael Jackson began his career an adult with 1979's Off the Wall which many look upon as his real debut solo album even though he had already released four solo albums as a youngster. This article is an overview of his six studio albums beginning with Off the Wall through 2001's Invincible.
Off the Wall - This album made Michael Jackson a real solo star. He was no longer the "little kid in the Jackson Five." Admittedly he was always the star of the Jackson Five but he was still mostly known for his work with them and not for his solo stuff until Off the Wall which included two #1 hits "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" & "Rock with You."
Thriller - Jackson's masterwork. It's still seen by most music critics as Jackson's best album and as one of the best albums of the 1980s. It's also the biggest selling album of all time. It features many of his very best known songs including "Thriller," "Billy Jean," & "Beat It." Something that is often overlooked is that unlike many pop stars, Jackson actually wrote many of his biggest hits and he wrote four of the nine songs on this album.
Bad - This album is way too often overlooked in comparison with Thriller just because it didn't match the ridiculous sales numbers of that monumentally album. But what about the five #1 singles that Bad produced? And how about the fact that Jackson wrote 8 of the 10 songs on Bad himself? In my opinion the Bad album is an essential part of the Jackson discography.
Dangerous - Following up the insane success of Thriller (most copies sold ever) and Bad (five #1 singles) Dangerous was bound to have a hard time living up to the hype. But it has gone on to sell over 32 million copies worldwide and it included a great deal of 10 top ten hits even if it only had one #1 in the US ("Black or White.")
HIStory - HIStory included one disc which was a "greatest hits" collection up to that point and a second disc which included all new material. Each disc had 15 songs on it. Among the 15 new songs the most well known are "You Are Not Alone" which hit #1 in the US (and in many other countries around the world) and "Earth Song" which hit #1 in the UK and sold more copies than any other MJ single there.
Invincible - MJ's final album (at least while still living) is considered to be his worst album by almost all music critics and most of his fans. But does that mean it has no redeeming qualities? No. It includes some excellent songs such as "Butterflies" & Threatened" and it featured the hit single "You Rock My World" which reached #10 in the US and #2 in the UK.
Off the Wall - This album made Michael Jackson a real solo star. He was no longer the "little kid in the Jackson Five." Admittedly he was always the star of the Jackson Five but he was still mostly known for his work with them and not for his solo stuff until Off the Wall which included two #1 hits "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" & "Rock with You."
Thriller - Jackson's masterwork. It's still seen by most music critics as Jackson's best album and as one of the best albums of the 1980s. It's also the biggest selling album of all time. It features many of his very best known songs including "Thriller," "Billy Jean," & "Beat It." Something that is often overlooked is that unlike many pop stars, Jackson actually wrote many of his biggest hits and he wrote four of the nine songs on this album.
Bad - This album is way too often overlooked in comparison with Thriller just because it didn't match the ridiculous sales numbers of that monumentally album. But what about the five #1 singles that Bad produced? And how about the fact that Jackson wrote 8 of the 10 songs on Bad himself? In my opinion the Bad album is an essential part of the Jackson discography.
Dangerous - Following up the insane success of Thriller (most copies sold ever) and Bad (five #1 singles) Dangerous was bound to have a hard time living up to the hype. But it has gone on to sell over 32 million copies worldwide and it included a great deal of 10 top ten hits even if it only had one #1 in the US ("Black or White.")
HIStory - HIStory included one disc which was a "greatest hits" collection up to that point and a second disc which included all new material. Each disc had 15 songs on it. Among the 15 new songs the most well known are "You Are Not Alone" which hit #1 in the US (and in many other countries around the world) and "Earth Song" which hit #1 in the UK and sold more copies than any other MJ single there.
Invincible - MJ's final album (at least while still living) is considered to be his worst album by almost all music critics and most of his fans. But does that mean it has no redeeming qualities? No. It includes some excellent songs such as "Butterflies" & Threatened" and it featured the hit single "You Rock My World" which reached #10 in the US and #2 in the UK.
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