Possibly the most important question of the day

In the history of human evolution, there have been some big questions. Questions which have occupied the minds of the great and good. Questions which have demanded serious thought, and have warranted prolonged debate. Questions like:

Is there a God?
What’s the meaning of life?

Here’s one such question: Thriller, or Off The Wall?

It’s a question which, if understood, truly divides. I’ve posed the question to many people, and the level of heated interest that it can engender in total strangers is astounding. To be fair, some people just think I’m nuts. They have no clue as to what this random bloke with a northern English accent is banging on about.

In my mind, there’s a clear answer. It’s open to debate, but there’s still only one way that the debate should pan out. Both albums represent an artist at his creative peak. They represent the birth of a phenomenon. They are both about as solid an album as any artist has any right to shoot for in their career. Michael Jackson did it twice. On the trot. Between them they capture ‘Billie Jean’ and ‘Rock With You’. Surely two of the most accessible, infectious examples of soul music crossing over into pop territory, and showing the world how to do it right.

The answer: ‘Off The Wall’. Every time.

Here’s my rationale. There’s simply not a bad note on the album. Not a single thing could change to make it any better. It represents the moment at which Michael Jackson was at his musical peak. To me, for all its brilliance, ‘Thriller’ represents the point at which the music started, only slightly, to only be one element of the creative output. Even writing this, I know I have to be 100% clear – I am not knocking ‘Thriller’ at all – merely stating that as a body of pure music, ‘Off The Wall’ steals it. It’s also got the best title track. By far.

I’d love to hear your thoughts…