Towelie Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Oddly, Off The Wall gets celebrated as being the "real musicians" MJ album (mostly because it pre-dates the synths and drum machines used heavily on MJ's 80s and 90s albums) and yet its predecessor "Destiny" released by The Jacksons only one year prior to OTW gets largely ignored.I would argue that Destiny is as strong and in places even stronger than OTW. It may not quite reach the dizzying heights of DSTYGE, but every song on Destiny is a winner and displays some incredible musicanship throughout.Here is my track-by-track review of my favourite album by The Jacksons:Blame It On The BoogieBIOTB is probably my least favourite of all The Jacksons big disco hits and my least favourite song on the album. Not a bad song but lacks the funk and cool-factor of songs like Shake Your Body, Things I Do For You, Walk Right Now or DSTYGE.Push Me AwayI feel Push Me Away is criminally overlooked and underrated. It is truly a stunning piece of music, the strings are so dreamy and etheral. The subtle guitar solo in the middle is my favourite moment on the entire record. And MJ's vocal delivery on this one is so understated and beautiful. I really cannot praise this song enough. Best on the album for me.Things I Do For YouOn the surface an irresistible funk-disco hybrid with some incredible slap bass guitar from the legendary Louis Johnson. If you delve a little deeper and listen to the lyrical content it is quite clear that this song like many others on the record has autobiographical undertones.Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)One of the coolest songs ever written. Covered and sampled by everyone from Prince to Shaggy, this song is one of the ultimate disco-funk anthems imo, perhaps second only to DSTYGE. And those horns are epic!DestinyLovely acoustic opening, leading into a fine mid-tempo number with a vibrant vocal delivery from Michael and a surprisingly funky chorus. Good track.Bless His SoulOne of the hidden gems of the album. Beautiful track and again another autobiographical one. Lines like "I try to please them so, but how far can this pleasing go?" and "there is no life for me at all, cause I give myself at beck and call" sound as if he could be singing about his own family, which would be ironic considering they sing also on the track. It builds spectacularly up to the climatic refrain "the life you're leading is dangerous, it's so dangerous, dangerous, dangerous." Second best track on the album.All Night Dancin'Randy and Michael sure knew how to write a funky tune and this song is no exception. I never see this one getting any love on the boards, but it's as good as most of OTW or Triumph imo. A little like a precursor to tracks like Working Day & Night and WBSS. Absolutely epic funk-disco sensibilities on this one, top drawer musicianship, brilliant hammond organ solo, handclaps and a truly exception electric guitar solo towards the end. Very underrated song.That's What You Get (For Being Polite)Another hidden gem in The Jacksons catalogue. Michael writes from the perspective of a supposed fictional character Jack, singing lines which are quite obviously about his own personal torment, such as "Jack still cries, day and night, Jack's not happy with his life." A fantastic and poignant ending to the album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Cnut Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 What about music fans who don't like blacks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussTCB Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Bought this LP just for Blame It On The Boogie a while back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towelie Posted February 28, 2015 Author Share Posted February 28, 2015 ^^ Worst song on the album. Seriously, give the rest of it a spin... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieselDaisy Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 What about music fans who don't like blacks? Just tell them to wait a few years for Michael and the problem will remove itself with each passing year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.