During Black History Month, the Estate of Michael Jackson
and Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings will release exclusive CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray
editions of the critically acclaimed new documentary MICHAEL JACKSON’s Journey
From Motown To Off The Wall, directed by Spike Lee, bundled with the
revolutionary 1979 album. The documentary made its world premiere at the
Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2016, and its broadcast premiere on SHOWTIME®
on Friday, February 5th at 9 P.M. ET/PT on-air, on demand and over the
internet. Starting February 26, it will be broadcast in territories around the
world.
THE ALBUM – The
importance of Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall cannot be overstated. Recorded
when he was just 20-years-old, the album heralded Michael’s stunning
emancipation as a singular musical force and creative visionary. It smashed the
ceiling on record sales for black artists, ushering in an exciting new era of
R&B-to-pop crossover airplay, chart, marketing and sales trends not seen
before in modern pop music. It’s the record that “invented modern pop as we
know it,” wrote Rolling Stone. For fellow black artists of the day, Michael
served as an illuminating inspiration.
To Black America, Off The Wall transcended music and
entertainment altogether. The success of the album marked a level of national
and international achievement that conjured pride in a culture that as late as
the end of the 1970s was still fighting for the kind of social acceptance that
Michael’s album received. Because of Off the Wall’s indelible influence, 21st
century artists as disparate as Beyoncé, Pharrell, Kendrick Lamar and The
Weeknd all have a blueprint they turned to for creating their own version of
superstardom.
Written by Michael Jackson, the first single from Off The
Wall, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” was Michael’s first Grammy and first
single to hit No. 1 in the U.S. and internationally as a solo artist. With the
singles “Rock With You,” “Off the Wall” and “She’s Out of My Life,” Jackson
became the first solo artist in history to have four singles from the same
album peak inside the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The album was an
enormous commercial success; as of 2014 it is certified eight times platinum in
the United States and has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, making it
one of the best-selling albums of all time.
The Music: “Don’t
Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”; “Rock With You”; “Workin’ Day and Night”; “Get on
the Floor”; “Off the Wall”; “Girlfriend”; “She’s Out of My Life”; “I Can’t Help It”; “ It’s the Falling in
Love”; “Burn This Disco Out.”
THE DOCUMENTARY
– Produced by Spike Lee, John Branca and John
McClain. For MICHAEL JACKSON’s Journey
from Motown To Off The Wall, director Spike Lee assembles a wealth of archival
footage, including material from Michael’s personal archive, interviews with
contemporary talents and family members, and Michael’s own words and image to
create this insightful chronicle from the star’s early rise to fame through the
release of this seminal album. A look at a chapter of his career that is rarely
examined, MICHAEL JACKSON’s Journey From Motown To Off The Wall allows
audiences to travel with Michael as he gets his start at Motown, strikes a new
path with CBS Records, and forges a relationship with legendary producer Quincy
Jones. An illuminated portrait emerges of how an earnest, passionate,
hard-working boy becomes the “King of Pop.”
Partial list of interviews:
Lee Daniels; The Weeknd; Pharrell Williams; Misty Copeland; Kobe Bryant;
Mark Ronson; John Legend; Questlove; Katherine Jackson; Joe Jackson; Marlon
Jackson; Jackie Jackie; L.A. Reid and
more.
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