MS: Michael’s agent had an album cover mock-up for Off the Wall, and it was horrible. I had done quite a few album covers for artists like Earth, Wind & Fire, Dazz Band … Stephen Harvey: I was an independent contractor at the time. So I contacted his agent and said, ‘Michael Jackson is going to be the biggest music star ever, and I want to help!’ So his agent invited me over to his office. He was a star! He outshone everyone in the movie, despite the fact that he was holding back.
That changed after I saw Michael in The Wiz. Mike Salisbury: Up to that point, I had branded Rolling Stone, and I’d been creative director at three or four advertising agencies, as well as at Warner Bros. The tuxedoed image they devised gave Jackson an iconic look that would subliminally link the singer to swing-era legends such as Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, while also helping Jackson become a record-breaking artist justified in declaring himself “The King of Pop.” What follows is an oral history of how Jackson joined with branding specialist/creative director Mike Salisbury and photographer Stephen Harvey to conceive and create the album cover for Off the Wall. In all, Jackson would tap the style for the entirety of his solo career, until his death in June 2009. The singer employed the style for his breakthrough music videos, including Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enoughand Billie Jean, as well as for his definitive Motown 25 television performance. The black-and-white style featured on the cover of Off the Wall helped fuel Jackson’s quantum leap to superstardom. The single Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough nabbed the singer his first Grammy Award for best male R&B vocal performance. The LP made Jackson the first solo artist to have four singles from the same album peak on the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Now celebrated as one of the greatest albums of all time, Off the Wall has sold more than 8 million copies in the United States alone. Having charted a fresh musical direction for himself, only one thing remained unresolved - he needed an image that would signal his newfound maturity to the world.
The LP would feature three original compositions that Jackson hoped would earn him entry into the pantheon of trailblazing R&B singer/songwriters, including James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Sly Stone. Toward his goal of shedding his teenybopper image, Jackson teamed with legendary producer Quincy Jones to record a make-or-break solo album, his first as an adult, titled Off the Wall. He thirsted for superstardom, and on his own terms at that. But Jackson wanted more than just stardom.
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The dynamic lead singer for The Jacksons was only 21 years old, yet he was already a Motown-seasoned star with 10 years of professional recording/performing experience under his belt. It was 1979 and Michael Jackson was at a crossroads.
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