Editor’s Note: From Albumism’s inception back in 2016, we’ve remained unabashedly and unequivocally passionate about our mission of celebrating the world's love affairs with albums past, present and future.

But while our devotion to the album as an art form has remained steadfast, as evidenced by our deepening repository of individual album tributes and reviews, we’ve admittedly seldom taken the opportunity to explicitly articulate our reverence for the virtues of artists’ complete album repertoires as a whole.

Hence why we’ve decided to showcase what we believe to be the most dynamic discographies of all time in this recurring series. In doing so, we hope to better understand the broader creative context within which our most beloved individual albums exist, while acknowledging the full breadth of their creators’ artistry, career arcs, and overall contributions to the ever-evolving musical landscape.

We hope you enjoy this series and be sure to check here periodically for the latest installments.

MICHAEL JACKSON

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Michael Jackson. The world had never seen, and is unlikely ever to see again, an artist that captivated or had the same kind of career as the boy who grew up in the harsh industrial town of Gary, Indiana, and would go on to be known and revered the world over.

Any career-spanning retrospective of Michael Jackson tends to define his success as pre-destined; the child with the soulful-beyond-his-years voice bred on ambition and discipline to be the best was, of course, going to be the biggest artist in the world. But Jackson's path was anything but.

We've had child stars before. We've had Stage Dads and Momagers well before those terms were coined. We've had teen heartthrobs. We've had boybands. We've had landmark albums. We've had global stars. But we've only had one Michael Jackson.

Even in talking about his artistry, people tend to focus on the superstar rise of his adult solo career, from the disco defiance of Off the Wall through to the captivating maturing sound of Invincible. And even then, that success is accepted as a given.

But Jackson's canon is more than just the adult solo albums he's best known for. His canon is an astounding eleven solo studio albums, ten group studio albums as The Jackson 5, and another five studio albums as The Jacksons. That's not counting the main lead on a soundtrack album, The Wiz, or various live albums, or the multitude of compilation and greatest hits repackaging (or two posthumous releases). That's twenty-six albums of studio wealth and wonder.

Jackson's discography is the charting of a superstar, the development of an artist, and the sound of seismic change.

From his introduction riding a sliding piano on The Jackson 5 smash, "I Want You Back," Michael stood out from his adult contemporaries for his ability to shape a song as his own, even at the young age of eleven. As a Number One hit, "I Want You Back" made the establishment sit up and notice. And notice they did, as The Jackson 5 scored four consecutive number one hits with "ABC" (ok, there's the kiddie novelty song, but it's still funky as all hell), the stomping "The Love You Save," and the promise of salvation in the soulful ballad "I'll Be There." And leading the charge was this whirring wunderkind out front with a voice and feeling that defied his years.

From there, The Jackson 5 were off. And over the course of six years, they would chart their development as artists with the backing (and sometimes overly controlling nature) of the Motown Machine. From their debut album through to their final Motown release, 1975's Moving Violation, The Jackson 5 blossomed and rode the soundwaves of the time, creating timeless classics like "Never Can Say Goodbye," "Looking Through The Windows," and "Dancing Machine" along the way.

In parallel to this, young Michael was tapped for several solo albums that further impressed with his vocal prowess and spawned hits like "Got To Be There," "Ben," "With a Child's Heart," and "One Day in Your Life."

Moving to Epic Records and rebirthing themselves as The Jacksons (minus brother Jermaine and plus youngest brother Randi) gave them greater control over the songs they were recording and the opportunity to write and produce themselves. It was during this transition period that the brilliance of Michael Jackson really began to shine. At Motown, he had proven himself as a great interpreter of songs, but Jackson, the singer-songwriter artist, began to emerge at Epic.

For their Epic debut, The Jacksons (1976), Michael penned the jangly upbeat "Blues Away" which belies the suffocating feelings of depression detailed in the lyrics (a soon to be Jackson mainstay) and co-wrote the smooth funk of "Style of Life" with guitarist brother Tito.

With 1978's Destiny and 1980's Triumph albums, the brothers wrote and produced themselves, with Michael taking a stronger lead in both the songwriting and production departments, channeling the melodies in his head into the music on the wax. Destiny's disco-tinged vibe blends the party pleaser "Blame It on the Boogie" with funk floor fillers like "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "Things I Do For You" with softer soul moments in the haunting "Push Me Away" and the rapturous "Destiny." And Triumph further showcases, spawning timeless tracks like "Can You Feel It," "Lovely One," "This Place Hotel," and "Give It Up." Even on 1984's less cohesive Victory album, Jackson's contributions, the rocking "State of Shock," and the stripped lament of "Be Not Always" rise to the occasion.

And of course, amongst all of this was Michael's solo albums for Epic. In fact, from the period of Destiny to Victory, the run of albums of Destiny (1978), Off the Wall (1979), Triumph (1980), Thriller (1982), and Victory (1984), is a masterclass of songwriting, performance and production.

Off the Wall was another turning point for Michael, now an adult driven and ready to prove himself as a solo artist of note. With production by Quincy Jones (and co-production on Jackson's self-penned tracks) the album is an awakening. From Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"—a timeless, joyous disco-funk romp that still packs dancefloors today—to the seductive soul of "I Can't Help It" and the pure disco delight of "Rock with You," Off the Wall is an album of transcendence. And it lit the spark to what would follow.

With Thriller, Jackson returned with an album that was a cultural shift. Not only did it raise the bar in terms of genre-defying music, but it also broke sales figures and the segregated barriers of radio and MTV in the process. From the crossover hit of "Beat It" that fused Black rock with a blistering solo from Eddie Van Halen, to the party vibe of "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" through to the tribal beats meets clubland funk of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,'" Jackson delivered on his vision for an album where every track would be a hit song.

When you look at Thriller's tracklist, any artist would be satisfied with having either a "Human Nature" or a "Lady in My Life" or a "Thriller" on their album. Jackson had them all on one, and crowned them with "Billie Jean," a song so infectious and layered in its melodic brilliance that you forget the song is about denied paternity. What you do remember is the stalking bass line, the driving beat and counter accents, the twang guitar, the cooing chords, the revelatory strings, and of course, Jackson's vocals and stacked harmonies.

With Thriller's daunting follow-up, Jackson channels his ambitions into Bad and produces an undeniably brilliant album. From gospel in "Man in the Mirror" to the frenetic funk of "Smooth Criminal" and tempting rock of "Dirty Diana" to the infectious grooves of "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Leave Me Alone," Bad spawned five consecutive number one hits and once again affirmed Jackson's dominance.

Parting ways with the winning production partnership with Quincy Jones was a risk for Jackson, but he proved naysayers wrong with groundbreaking album after groundbreaking album. With 1991's Dangerous, Jackson progressed the sound of New Jack Swing producing hits like "Remember the Time" and "Jam" along with darker brooding tracks "Who Is It" and "Dangerous." The album also features a sharper edge in the mid-tempo rocker "Give in to Me" and the social commentary of "Black or White." A highlight is the anthemic "Will You Be There" that gives the landmark "Man in the Mirror" a strong showing in the title for Jackson's best gospel-inspired track.

Jackson delivered again with 1995's HIStory collection, with the new material finding Jackson more introspective and personal. From album opener "Scream" to closer "Smile," Jackson embarks on a journey of reflection and reckoning, coming out the other side stronger. Tracks like the haunting "Stranger in Moscow" and the perceptive "They Don't Care About Us" along with the deep funk of "Money" and "Tabloid Junkie" present an artist all too aware of the world around him and their perception of him. Augmented with Blood on the Dance Floor (1997), Jackson continues to peel back the veil of mystery with insightful tracks like "Ghost" and "Is It Scary," and the intimate reflection on addiction in the industrial-meets-classical brilliance of "Morphine."

Even on his last studio outing, the somewhat poorly sequenced Invincible, Jackson is still vital and engaging. Perhaps the lesser-known (if there is such a thing) of his later works, Invincible has Jackson owning neo-soul sounds in "Butterflies" and "Break of Dawn" and putting his fingerprints on industrial funk and glitch-pop with "Unbreakable" and "Heartbreaker." Even in the quieter moments like "Don't Walk Away" and "Heaven Can Wait," Jackson's voice still holds its allure. "You Rock My World" brings Jackson full circle with his legacy with a good vibe dance track reminiscent of the blueprint he created on Off the Wall and one of the album's standout tracks, "Whatever Happens" with Carlos Santana, features Jackson dabbling with Latin rhythms and melodies. Due to the album's lengthy recording sessions delivering an album that feels Jackson is chasing trends more than leading them, the chase is still quite an exhilarating experience.

With Jackson's untimely death in 2009 just as he was about to embark on a return to live performance, and with work already underway for a new studio outing, the music world has been left with a noticeable absence. For anyone interested in the journey of music and the awakening of artistry, Jackson is a must-listen-to artist. His brilliance on record (often overshadowed by his brilliance as a performer) makes him a landmark artist who left an indelible impression on music and the world of entertainment, which will ensure that he remains a touchstone for generation after generation.

Andy’s 3 Favorite Michael Jackson Albums of All Time:

1. HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)
2. Off the Wall (1979)
3. Thriller (1982)

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