Bad [EXTRA TRACKS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] [SPECIAL EDITION]

Bad,“We wanted a tough album,” producer Quincy Jones recalls in a bonus interview on this special edition of Bad. Though the 1987 blockbuster would appear to be Michael Jackson’s most personal statement to date–9 of its 11 cuts were written solely by him–its appeal also rested more on craft than the idiosyncratic art of Thriller and Off the Wall. At the same time, most of Bad has aged well in spite of its digital brittleness and MIDI treatments of gems like Jimmy Smith’s organ solo on the title track.

While the third best of his first three Epic solo discs, Bad carries a lot of what people love about Jackson’s music. This disc also benefits from two fine outtakes, the exciting, uptempo “Streetwalker” and the Carpenters homage “Fly Away.” Either could easily have extended the record’s run of hit singles.

Bad Reviews

Like most people, after the sudden death of the King of Pop, my interest in his music grew. Now I’m not one of those guys who ridiculed the man and only started listening to his music after his death, but I only had Thriller and Off the Wall. This album was a welcome addition.

By the time this album came out, Jackson was changing, gaining him the moniker of Wacko Jacko. He had apparently tried to buy the Elephant Man’s bones, he was caught sleeping in an oxygen chamber, and as shown on the cover, his skin was steadily lightening. I find it amusing that near the end of his life, he was known more for his escapades than what he should have been known for: his music. This album is a prime example of why he is the King of Pop.

The album has a perfect combination of danceable songs, some gritty rockers, and emotional ballads. From the darker songs, like the opening title track, a rocker about a groupie called Dirty Diana, and the fast-paced Smooth Criminal, it shows MJ’s more adult side. Some other catchy tracks include Speed Demon and the mysterious-sounding Another Part of Me, and Leave Me Alone. The more emotional ballads, such as Liberian Girl, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You with Siedah Garrett, and the more personal track, Man in the Mirror. He also has a duet with Stevie Wonder in Just Good Friends.

And who could forget the music videos? His one for Bad is an 18-minute classic with Wesley Snipes, where he dons that leather outfit. And Leave me Alone is a facetious response toward the tabloids.

The bonus tracks consist of interviews from producer Quincy Jones, two unreleased tracks, and a Spanish version of I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. There could have been more, but it doesn’t matter.

This album is a classic, rivaling Thriller. RIP MJ. But don’t worry, we still got great pop artists like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga. That was sarcasm.

I remember buying this album in 1987 when I was sixteen. I love this album. My favorite track is “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. This is a beautiful duet with Siedah Garrett. I also love “Dirty Diana” and “The Way You Make Me Feel”. Another part Of Me and The Man In The Mirror and the title tracks are also monster hits off this album. There are some lesser known songs on this album that I love. “Speed Demon” has a great beat to it. “Liberian Girl” is a smooth sexy cut. “Just Good Friends” is an upbeat track. “Leave Me Alone” is a personal song about Michael’s yearning for privacy. This is a good tune. This is an excellent album overall.

BAD is an incredible follow up to Thriller that features MJ’s songwriting talents, as 9 of the 11 songs are written by him alone. It’s an incredible achievement that’s filled with memorable, dancable, moving, groving songs that will stay with this listener forever. He really came into his own with this album. Thankfully, it’s all preserved and remasered for our continued enjoyment.

The sound presented here is really incredible. The pulsating bass on Bad really stands out as does the vocal layering on Leave Me Alone. It’s amazing how much better technology is, that this kind of clarity that can be achieved with a 14 year old recording. It’s also amazing how well thes songs stand the test of time. These tracks don’t seem dated at all.

Aside from the remastering, this special edition also features 9 new photos (plus the original 8 fish eye lens photos), interviews with Quincy Jones and 3 rare songs. A few nit picks: the isn’t a track listing for the bonus material in the booklet, the spoken intro to ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ has been excluded for some reason, some cd cover art would’ve been nice (all we get is a red cd with white lettering) and I was disappointed to see there wasn’t a photo underneath the clear CD tray.

The bonus song ‘Streetwalker’ was vying for the place ‘Another Part of Me’ took on the album. It’s an ambitious song that beautifully captures a street feel with lots of horns and bass. It’s very much dancable and running 5:49 it would’ve been the longest song on the album. It’s wonderful to finally be allowed to hear it but I’m glad it was cut from the album. Not because it’s bad but because Another Part of Me is so wonderful. I’d have hated to miss out on it for all this time.

‘Fly Away’ is a mid tempo love song. A lyrical bon-bon akin to ‘I Can’t Help It’ from Off The Wall. It’s not mentioned in teh interview sections why this song was deleted from the album, but it surely deserved a spot, just as long as it wasn’t going to replace any other song already on the ablum.

The spanish version of ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ is really beautiful and it’s fun to hear MJ singing in another language ( he nails those rolling the ‘R’). Probably won’t listen to it much, but it’s nice to have anyway.

Ultimately, this special edition is the only edition of BAD to own. The songs have never sounded better and you get 3 incredible bonus songs plus interviews with Quincy Jones. Aside from all that, this is one of the greatest albums from the 80’s. How can you go wrong with a cd that features not one but FIVE number one hits?!?! BAD is Great!

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