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Dad Rock takes on Jackson's 'Off the Wall'

Patrick Foster and Jim Lenahan
USA TODAY
This image provided by MJJ Productions, Inc. shows the cover of the album, "Off the Wall," by Michael Jackson. Jackson's "Off the Wall" is being reissued alongside a Spike Lee documentary about the hallmark 1979 album.

There was a short, key period of Michael Jackson's career that in retrospect may be the most interesting. No longer a child star, but not yet the King of Pop, Jackson was humble and hungry, trying to prove that he had the talent to break away from his handlers — and his brothers — and establish himself as a legitimate and credible solo artist.

The album that did that for him was Off the Wall. Released in 1979, Jackson was just 20 years old when he recorded the album. Although it was far overshadowed by its follow-up, Thriller, Off the Wall today stands as a portrait of an artist finding his voice, trying different musical styles, and most important, just having fun. There's no saving the world here, unless that starts with a great night on the dance floor. Here, Jackson just wants to Rock With You, Get on the Floor and Burn This Disco Out. And his most important piece of advice was this: Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. (And though it wasn't one of the greatest-selling albums of all-time, Off the Wall did go eight-times platinum and produce four top-10 pop singles.)

Spike Lee revisits young Michael Jackson in 'From Motown to Off the Wall'

This month, Showtime is airing a documentary about the making of Off the Wall.The Spike Lee-directed film, Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, is also included in a new reissue of the album, coming Feb. 26 in CD/DVD and CD/Blu-Ray sets.

On this week's episode of USA TODAY's Dad Rock podcast, hosts Patrick Foster and Jim Lenahan take a track-by-track look at Off the Wall.

"If disco could potential evolve into something, and I know inherently it's probably a form that was inevitably going to burn out ... this was one direction that I think disco could have gone," Foster says of the title track specifically but also the album overall. "It's little more progressive in the melody; there's still a really driving beat, but it's also got that caressing feeling ... You could hear it late night on the radio and be comforted by the feeling and the sound of the whole song while still having the theme be 'off the wall'; I'm gonna get loose."

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