Various Bad 25 reviews!
2 posters
Page 1 of 1
Various Bad 25 reviews!
by WeAreTheWorld. Sun Oct 07, 2012 1:11 am
Entertainment Weekly
MUSIC REVIEW
Bad 25 (2012)
Michael Jackson
Reviewed by Ray Rahman | Sep 05, 2012
The three discs and one DVD of live, remixed, and remastered material here are a potent reminder of just how much Bad's pulsing pop holds up. But the real treasures are the six previously unreleased tracks: Noticeably unfinished (refreshingly so, given Bad 25's hermetic polish) numbers like rhythmic earworm ''Don't Be Messin' Around'' and tender ''I'm So Blue'' shine, while ''Al Capone,'' an early sketch for ''Smooth Criminal,'' is strong enough to stand alone as its own single. A
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vibe
BAD 25 SHINES LIGHT ON MICHAEL JACKSON’S MOST UNDERRATED ALBUM, ERA, AND COMPETITIVE OBSESSIONS
Keith Murphy Posted September 18, 2012
In the summer of 1986, Thriller hung around Michael Jackson’s neck like a mammoth, neon albatross; a 25-million-copies-sold albatross to be exact. Indeed, it is now well documented that the biggest pop star to ever moonwalk across the planet wanted to bury music’s most commercially/culturally successful album of all time (now 42 million and climbing in America alone). To achieve this ridiculous coup, Jackson envisioned a follow-up work that was bolder, more musically groundbreaking, and grander in epic songwriting scale.
When the dust settled months after its much-anticipated August 31, 1987 release, Jackson’s Bad album did not meet the late Gloved-One’s over-the-top ambitions of quadrupling his previous landmark 1982 statement in sales. But it did something much more impressive. The no. 1 Billboard album displayed a genius talent who grew exponentially as a songsmith, producer, and vocalist. Unlike previous releases, 1979’s glorious Off The Wall and the monster that is Thriller, this time Jackson ran the show, leaving all-world producer Quincy Jones to settle on backseat driver duties.
Which is why Tuesday’s release of BAD 25—a deluxe package featuring three discs that includes a remastered version of the original album; remixes by electronic music visionaries Afrojack and Nero; unreleased songs; and the first ever commercial DVD of the 1988 Wembley Stadium concert from Jackson’s record-breaking Bad tour—is an intriguing set. Let the music historians and insiders dwell on how Bad “failed” to meet the record industries’ (and MJ’s) grandiose sales expectations. Brush aside Bad’s impressive U.S. numbers of more than 20 million copies off the shelves. And set aside its movie-quality barrage of award-winning music videos. It’s all about the songs, which includes five no. 1 singles. “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Man In The Mirror,” “Liberian Girl”…this is greatness, y’all.
To discuss BAD 25, VIBE caught up with members of Jackson’s Bad-era band including acclaimed keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, guitarist Jon Clark, and choreographer Vince Patterson. From what it was like to work with a hungry Jackson in the recording studio during the making of Bad and their time on the record-breaking madness of the Bad tour to the one person Jackson viewed as his true competition, this is a Q&A that shows why MJ remains a transcendent figure nearly three years after his death. Bad, indeed.—Keith Murphy (@Murphdogg29)
VIBE: For Michael, there was a lot to live up to with the release of Bad. By now we’ve all heard the stories about how he was intent on destroying the record sales of Thriller. But Michael was also intent on raising the bar artistically with Bad from the album to the tour. Can you talk about his mindset going into that era, album and tour?
Greg Phillinganes: He simply wanted to top Thriller.
He was aiming for 100 million copies, so says the legend, correct?
Greg: Yes, but there’s a fine line between having a goal and being unrealistic [laughs]. Thriller broke all the records. It became this massive iconic success that it is today. But Michael was driven [during those Bad album sessions]. By this time he had way more songwriting and production input in the music. It was still up to Quincy [Jones] to keep everything solid and make sure we didn’t lose touch with reality.
Was there any moment during those Bad studio sessions that you thought, this is surreal…I’m playing for Michael Jackson!
Greg: All the time. I remember making “The Way You Make Me Feel” in the studio. Michael would stand right next to me when I would do my [keyboard] part. He would just groove and bob his head and snap his fingers.
That had to be intimidating, right?
Greg: Well, the thing is Michael was very much into the character of not only each song, but each part of the song. Sometimes you don’t realize how brilliant he was. I know it’s now funny for me to say that, but you actually forget Michael’s sheer brilliance in not only dancing, but in his songwriting and singing. My God, he was great! You could to see the extent of his influences: Fred Astaire, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr…everybody.
Patterson: From a dancing aspect, Michael always wanted to raise the bar. He was never a choreographer except for his own movements. But he still knew what he wanted from the [other dancers]. I was involved in videos for “Beat It,” “Thriller,” and all of the ones off the Bad CD, including “Smooth Criminal” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.” And you know Michael did really evolve.
He was also a serial perfectionist, right?
Vince: [Laughs] Yes! I’ll give you an example from the “Smooth Criminal” [video shoot]. There’s this one dance phrase that repeats itself in the video. I gave it to Michael and he stood in front of the mirror for four hours doing just the same count again and again and again! I kept coming over and saying, “Michael come on…you can take a break.” And Michael told me, “No, Vincent…I want to do this ‘til it’s perfect.” Michael was a taskmaster on himself.
And that inhuman drive carried over to the actual Bad concerts?
Jon Clark: True. My job on the tour was to play the guitar parts that you heard on the Bad album. I knew all the guys that played on his albums like Paul Jackson and David Williams. I can tell you what Michael gave me as a guy coming in as support for my role as the guitar player on that tour. It was life changing for me. Michael told me one thing when we first met…he said, “You know, guitars make me dance.” What do you say to that [laughs]?
You just play your *** off…
Jon: [Laughs] Yes…that’s exactly what you do! We were all watching the Bad concert movie the other day. You notice that the speed and pace of the show was just amazing. I looked back at Greg, who was Michael’s music director, and I said, “I can’t believe we were doing that show at this fast of a tempo.” But at the same time, not one note or one groove or one space in the music changed. The spirit of the songs never changed because Michael set the tempo.
There are many readers who may be too young to remember. But could you describe just how mammoth the Bad tour was during that time?
Jon: It’s important to note that at the time the Bad tour was the biggest production ever. We were in London and someone said that this was the biggest tour they had ever seen…bigger than U2, bigger than everyone. And I just remember during the “Billie Jean” section there was a special light that was developed just for Michael’s tour. It was made just for him to do his thing on “Billie Jean”.
Vince: That was spectacular. But you know what was even more spectacular? Watching Michael dance from behind! But this is what also blew me away, Keith. In terms of that time we thought the Bad tour was huge. And it was. We thought what we were actually constructing on the stage was huge, but looking back at it in comparison to what happens today this was basically a very simple, simple show.
How so?
Vince: There were no set changes or costume changes. The only time Michael left the stage is when he graciously left the stage and gave those amazing musicians the chance to really show the world what they could do. But this was a very simple tour. It was about the musicians, the music, the dancing and Michael’s performance. That’s what blew me away.
Greg: The true bigness of the Bad tour was the size of the actual set. We were building sets in the stadium as opposed to the arenas. We had several bags of airplane regulation landing lights [laughs]. They would blind the hell out of you when they first turned on. But Michael’s favorite toy was the cherry picker. It was the extended ladder with an arm that moved out, so he was able to dangle off of it over the crowd.
Jon: Dangerously dangle off it [laughs].
Greg: Right…the fans loved it, but it scared the hell out of the insurance guy [laughs].
As groundbreaking as the Bad tour was musically the instruments that were being used on the Bad album were groundbreaking as well. The keyboard work was state-of-the-art from the Synclavier to the Synth Axxe. How cutting edge was the actual work on the Bad album?
Greg: It was very cutting edge. The Synclavier had just become the major player in synthesizers. We carried two full-blown units. And they were not cheap.
How much of a task was it to transfer the sounds on Bad to an actual live format? I could imagine how daunting it would be to bring songs like “Bad” or “Smooth Criminal” to a live setting given the technical work it took to record those tracks.
Greg: I had already made those sounds on the Bad album. I created them in the studio, so I totally had an advantage. But the new technology really helped everyone on the Bad tour when it came to creating the support tracks…the things we couldn’t actually play from the album. The Synth Axxe was part of that [arsenal]. We were able to maximize the strengths of everyone in the band. One of our band members, Chris [Currell], was really brought on as a programmer. He wasn’t really into performing, but man, we dressed him up. Chris ended up looking like one of the members of KISS [laughs]. He ended up making a solo out of playing samples!
Jon: That freaked me out, Greg. It was actually brilliant.
Greg: Yeah…the guys was playing a freaking solo with nothing but samples on the Synclavier. And he was doing it in time. He wore it out every night.
Jon: I was subbing for people like Ray Parker Jr. and Paul Jackson Jr. That was my gig. So I learned a lot from these guys. When the Bad tour came around I kind of had an idea of what I needed to do. It wasn’t a George Michael gig, it wasn’t a James Brown gig…it was a Michael Jackson gig.
And a Michael Jackson gig is a whole different ballgame, right?
Jon: It really was. But here’s the thing. David Williams was Michael’s favorite guitar player. And it’s impossible to play like this guy, but I knew what he was doing. For me, as a musician, I knew what I needed to do programming wise. I spent many, many, many hours getting it right; all the hours spent programming guitar sounds for me and Jennifer [Batten] for that tour. So I got it right away.
But as with most Michael Jackson productions, choreography was just as important as the music. Vince, did you have a tougher road recreating some of Michael’s music videos, especially from the Bad album?
Vince: A lot went into that. The tour started in Japan, and once they decided they were going to go around the world I was pulled in. I sat with Mike and Greg and talked about changing the order of some of the songs around and what pieces would go in it. But because it was Michael and everything was movement related, everybody was dancing. I don’t care if they were standing behind keyboards or playing drums. I wanted to make sure that everybody had something to do movement wise. It was more than just re-creating the videos.
You guys were playing stadiums that held 70,000 plus people. Did you ever look out onto that massive crush of people, kaka your pants and say, “This is insane”?
Jon: Kind of…I did…yes [laughs].
Vince: I forgot how it looked when Michael threw his hat out in the audience and when there was that quick shot of these people I thought, “Oh, my God…they are gonna rip each other’s arms off!”
Jon: I never kaka my pants when I looked out into the crowd [laughs]. But I will tell you that you will never know what it feels like to see 70,000 people swaying while you are playing “Man In The Mirror.”
Greg: It’s like watching the movie Saving Private Ryan. When they are storming the beach and there’s not a word spoken, you just hear bullets and screams. My first experience on the Bad tour in Tokyo when those airplane lights opened, it was like Saving Private Ryan. You didn’t hear anything…you just saw. I saw Michael’s eyes looking at me and he came over. It was just a surreal moment. I can’t express it to you. It was all in slow motion.
Michael was really known as the ultimate competitor. He looked at other artists in terms of what they did musically and performance wise and wanted to top them. During the Bad era who was the one person that Mike looked at and said, “Oh, I have to raise my game to another level”?
Jon: That had to be Prince [laughs]. During the Thriller and Bad eras, it what just those two guys—Michael and Prince. And they both knew it. Everyone has read about that infamous summit that Quincy put together. Only Quincy could bring Michael and Prince together in one house and try to convince them to do “Bad.” But Prince [decided not to be a part] of the song. You could see the friendly rivalry between those two, even on their tours and in their videos. Michael would tend to hone in on some of things Prince was doing. They were both amazing and brilliant.
Imagine those conversations…
Greg: Crazy. But the craziest thing is at the Wembley shows I personally set out to make a statement. During the band solos I would play tunes from artists that I would find out were in the audience. So I had heard Prince was at the show. So I did a whole separate section of “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” by Prince. I’m talking about the groove, the breakdown and everything! We stepped down to the front of the stage and got the audience to clap on the four. We wore that kaka out [laughs]. And I still don’t know if Prince was really in the audience. But the bad news is that session will not be included in this DVD because Prince decided not to give us the rights. And I wish he would change his mind.
Jon: And you know what, it was just an homage to him.
Greg: And that’s the irony…
Vince: There was a mantra that Michael had always said for as long as I’ve ever known him. He would pull you aside and say, “We gotta do something that the world has never seen before. I want to give something to the people out there that loves us that they’ve never seen before.” That was Michael’s goal…to constantly break the boundaries. And that goes for anything he was doing whether it was an album, a live tour or a short film. That’s why Michael was so competitive. That was his drive.
Looking back at Michael Jackson’s Bad album, what is the overall legacy of that work?>
Greg: Bad showed off his solo artistry because Michael was more involved production wise and songwriting wise. Yes, he worked with Quincy…but it was not quite as much as Off The Wall and Thriller. You saw the transition of Michael becoming more of a solo force behind the scenes and away from the Jacksons. By the time he went into Dangerous, Quincy was no longer there. Michael started bringing in different producers to express his musical ideas. I think Bad is the most definitive expression of Michael’s craft.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Music Review: Michael Jackson - Bad 25 - Deluxe Anniversary Edition [3-CD/1-DVD]
By The Other Chad, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
Published 6:01 p.m., Monday, September 17, 2012
Marking the quarter century mark since the release of Michael Jackson's work of pop genius, Bad 25 is a positively electrifying celebration of this often underrated album. Released five years after Thriller, Bad ended up being regarded by many as a disappointing follow up to what became the best-selling album of all time. While Thriller was certainly a hard act to follow, Jackson did so by stepping up his songwriting output. With only two exceptions ("Man in the Mirror" and "Just Good Friends"), he wrote the entire record.
Of course, songwriting credits alone don't spell greatness. What does is the sheer craftsmanship and artistry that went into songs like "Smooth Criminal," "Dirty Diana," "Leave Me Alone," and "The Way You Make Me Feel." These hits helped define pop music in the late-'80s and continue to serve as standard bearers. Even the lesser known album tracks, such as the propulsive "Speed Demon" and silky "Liberian Girl," stand out as prime examples of Jackson's abilities. It helped having Quincy Jones on board as producer, as he had been for Off the Wall and Thriller.
In other words, Bad is a treasure chest of indelible pop hooks, tasteful arrangements, devastating dance grooves, and some impeccable vocal performances. Epic/Legacy Recordings, in collaboration of the Estate of Michael Jackson, meant business when they put together this special anniversary edition. The remastered album sounds great, but the draw for fans is the additional material.
I'm going to jump right to the DVD, which contains a full, unedited two-hour concert from London's Wembley Stadium, July 16, 1988. Want to see a 26-year-old Sheryl Crow duetting with Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You?" Crow was a backing vocalist on the Bad tour, but was given a featured spot on that chart-topping ballad. Looking for a few surprises in the set list? There's a slamming take on the Jacksons' 1980 hit "This Place Hotel." This concert is simply incredible from start to finish. Jackson literally finishes "She's Out of My Life" in tears, bringing a stunning level of intimacy to the 72,000 fans on hand.
Here's the only catch-the video of the concert was sourced from a VHS cassette from Jackson's private collection. It was made from the JumboTron feed that the concertgoers saw that night. While the image has been remastered, we're still stuck with a mid-'80s home video-quality picture. It's not nearly as bad as it might sound though. The image, for all its obvious shortcomings, is never difficult to watch. The best part is that the audio was all sourced from the multitrack board tapes, which means it's excellent. In fact, the DVD boasts a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.
There are a couple bonus clips included on the DVD. "The Way You Make Me Feel" was not performed during the July 16 show, but it was the night before. They recreate the music video, with Sheryl Crow sashaying around as the object of Jackson's affection. A pair of songs from a September, 1987 show in Japan are included, "Bad" and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." Crow duets with Jackson on the latter, getting soulful and pulling some priceless Joe Cocker faces during an extended ending that isn't present in their duet from the Wembley performance.
Though slightly edited to fit on one CD, the entire concert is included as a live album-which makes it the first of Jackson's solo career. The only things missing from the concert video are a "Bad Groove" jam section (that Jackson was not involved in) and a few extended endings (including a spine-tingling coda to "I'll Be There"). In other words, it's a sensational live album with 16 tracks of primo Jackson greatness in pristine sound quality.
Then there are the studio outtakes, alternate versions, and new remixes on the other disc. While the remixes may be interesting for some listeners, I didn't find them to be an essential (or even desired) part of the package. But two Afrojack remixes of "Bad" (one featuring Pitbull) and Nero's remix of "Speed Demon" are included. Carrying over from the 2001 Bad reissue are "Streetwalker," "Fly Away," and the Spanish version of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." This edition adds a French language version of the latter song for good measure.
The real prize is a group of six unvarnished, previously unreleased demos, all written by Jackson and recorded during the Bad sessions. The most immediately attention-getting is "Song Groove (a.k.a. Abortion Papers)," a track that many fans have already begun debating the meaning of. Regardless of whether it carries a pro-life or pro-choice message, it presents a scintillating dance groove with a fiery vocal. While I can't quite decipher all the lyrics, the liner notes include some quotes from Jackson's own notes about the song that suggest it's something more ambiguous than a straightforward "message" song.
"Al Capone" bears strong rhythmic and structural similarities to the track it evolved into, "Smooth Criminal," but it stands as its own funky workout. I love the piano-driven "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" and the smooth sounds of "I'm So Blue" and "Free." Those three are fascinating glimpses at Jackson's songwriting process as they each have clearly unfinished lyrics. Much more complete is "Price of Fame," a song about obsessive fans that sounds more or less album-ready and would've made a great addition to the final product.
Two booklets are included, each with pictures and liner notes. There's also a double-sided mini-poster folded up inside the matte-finish black box. We fans can only hope for similar treatment for Dangerous and beyond, but for now Bad 25 offers plenty.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Houston Chronicle
'Bad 25' remembers the mastery of Michael Jackson
By Joey Guerra | Monday, September 17, 2012 | Updated: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:38pm
Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album was unleashed near the end of 1982, cementing his legacy as a superstar solo artist. It's a remarkable, unrivaled collection and has served as a blueprint for practically every pop album in its wake. You can hear, see and feel Jackson's influence in the work of Beyoncé and Chris Brown, Usher and Britney Spears, Madonna and Adam Lambert.
I was just 8 years old at the time, but "Thriller" made its mark on me, too. I sang along with the words. Tried to mimic the dance moves. Scooped up Jackson folders at Kmart and sold them to classmates (at retail price, of course).
"Bad" came around five years later and produced another string of hits. Its first five singles all shot to No. 1, but it only sold a fraction of the 30 or so million "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time, moved in the U.S. alone. (To be clear, 10 million copies is hardly a failure.)
But I was 13 by then, and music had become an intrinsic part of my life, an outlet for expression and a means of escape. The songs of "Bad" are embedded in my memory perhaps more vividly than "Beat It" or "Billie Jean." And that cover photo, all steely gaze, straps and belts, remains iconic.
"Bad 25," in stores now, repackages the original album with lush bonus features and artwork, including unreleased demos and a 1988 concert at Wembley Stadium in London. This is a layered, loving tribute whose power ultimately resides in the genius of the original album.
I remember waiting impatiently for the parade of MTV video premieres from the album: "Bad," "Man in the Mirror," "Leave Me Alone," "Dirty Diana." These weren't mere promotional clips. They were mini-movies. In its entirety, the "Bad" short film, directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Richard Price, ran 18 minutes and debuted in prime time on CBS in 1987.
A "Bad 25" documentary, produced and directed by Spike Lee, is set to debut on ABC in November. It screened at the Venice and Toronto film festivals and includes rare footage and interviews with Jackson's collaborators and friends, including Scorsese, Kanye West and Justin Bieber.
The entire album has been remastered, and the best songs still sound crisp and modern. Jackson co-wrote and co-produced the bulk of it with Quincy Jones, who knew how to balance commercial sheen with eccentric edges.
The title track still bristles with zeal and aggression, and "The Way You Make Me Feel" could be a hit on radio today - or any day. It's a perfect pop song - joyful and ominous, buoyed by a galloping beat and razor-sharp vocal work.
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" remains a highlight, an alternately hushed and sweeping ballad lifted high by Jackson's pleading, emotive vocal. "Dirty Diana" grooves harder than most anything on current rock radio, and the often-overlooked "Liberian Girl" is a smooth, soothing gem.
A second disc boasts unfinished demos recorded at Jackson's Hayvenhurst home in Encino, Calif. Among the filler are previously issued "Flyaway," "Streetwalker" and Spanish and French versions of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." There's also a frenzied Afrojack remix of "Bad" featuring an unnecessary Pitbull rap.
To be sure, there are some true finds, including "Al Capone," which would eventually become "Smooth Criminal." Traces of the final song are evident, but the final result was a wholly different song. "Free" and "I'm So Blue" are lovely, lilting tunes that fall in line with Jackson's penchant for simple, effective balladry.
"Song Groove," also known as "Abortion Papers," rides a distinctly '80s rhythm for its tale of a young, religious girl who decides to have an abortion. Imagine the fuss that would have created. It dwindles into repetition, but Jackson's message is clear even in the early stage.
Jackson describes "Price of Fame" in the liner notes as an ode to "the girls who are over-obsessed with me, who follow me, who almost make me kill myself in my car, who just give their lives to do anything with me, to see me - they'll do anything and it's breaking my heart. It's running me crazy. It's breaking up my relationship with my girl, with my family."
The song's ominous strings and melody make it a ringer for "Billie Jean," which might be why Jackson never put it on an album.
The biggest draw of "Bad 25" is likely to be the July 16, 1988, concert at Wembley Stadium. It was one of seven sold-out shows, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana were in attendance. Jackson brought the same show to the Summit (now Lakewood Church) for three shows, April 8-10, 1988, and I was at one of them. When I close my eyes, I can still remember the electricity, the cheering, the pop magic.
Jackson had every show on the tour recorded for his review, but we're talking late-'80s. This is pre-HD, videotape quality, and the footage is often grainy. But the power is undeniable. He gives every inch of himself - quivering lips, hips and hands - to the songs, kicking off with the rocket-fueled blast of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin.'" He pairs up with hilariously halter-topped, big-haired background singer Sheryl Crow for "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." And the one-two punch of "Smooth Criminal" and "Dirty Diana" is nothing short of fantastic. His dancing, of course, remains a remarkably controlled feat.
But despite the fanfare, the hysteria, the sheer hugeness of the songs, performances and persona, "Bad 25" manages to highlight the artistry and the inspiration that Jackson so desperately wanted to be remembered for. His gift to us is our gift to him.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NBC News' The Grio
‘Bad 25′: A Michael Jackson masterpiece gets its due Opinion
by Adam Howard | September 18, 2012 at 2:00 PM
How do you follow up the most successful album ever made? This unenviable task confronted a 28-year-old Michael Jackson in 1986 when he undertook his ambitious solo album Bad.
The blockbuster album, released in August of 1987, failed to live up to Jackson’s unbelievably lofty expectations (he reportedly wanted to sell 100 million copies) but it still managed to spawn five number one hits, a record that was matched for the first time last year by Katy Perry.
Twenty-five years after its initial release, Epic/Legacy Recordings is giving this often underrated classic the recognition it deserves with a lovingly packaged box set — Bad 25 — which features a remastered edition of the original LP, several terrific unreleased tracks from the original Bad recording sessions, as well as a DVD and CD of Jackson’s celebrated 1988 concert at Wembley Stadium in London — you know, the one with all those fainting teenage girls.
As if this treasure trove were not enough, filmmaker Spike Lee — as of late, one of Michael Jackson’s biggest boosters — has directed and produced a full-length documentary exploring the inspired and frequently arduous process of creating the album, which sold over 8 million copies in the United States alone and now ranks as the fifth all-time best-seller internationally. The film, which will debut on ABC this Thanksgiving, is already scoring rave reviews.
Jackson’s ambition for Bad was to build upon the popularity of its predecessor Thriller in every conceivable way. He wrote 9 of the 11 final songs himself (whittled down from a rumored 60-plus tracks), the sound of the music grew more complex and Jackson moved farther away from his genteel “lover, not a fighter” image.
“By the time we were working on Bad, Mike’s ideas became stronger and clear,” Greg Phillinganes, a musician who worked on both the album and its subsequent international tour, recently told TIME. In the same piece, Jackson’s lawyer and co-executor of his estate, John Branca, says, “He was intent on topping himself and he put a lot of pressure on himself to do that.”
By most accounts, Jackson’s infamous perfectionism paid off. Bad boasts unforgettable ballads like “Man In the Mirror” and dancefloor staples like “Smooth Criminal” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.” State-of-the-art music videos accompanied the album and were ubiquitous on MTV — the most indelible of which was arguably Martin Scorsese’s take on the hit title cut, which featured an up-and-coming Wesley Snipes as an antagonist. Yet, while Bad now routinely lands on Greatest Albums of All Time lists, its legacy as a masterpiece was never all that assured.
Jackson had largely disappeared from the pop culture landscape following the unprecedented success of Thriller. With the exception of his historic role in crafting “We Are the World” in 1985 and his starring role in the 3-D sci-fi epic Captain EO for Disney in 1986, he appeared to be ceding his place at the top of the charts to the artists who came in his wake.
The press grew skeptical and Jackson started to get some of the first negative notices of his career. “The year 1985 has been a black hole for Michael watchers, who witnessed the most spectacular disappearing act since Halley’s comet headed for the far side of the solar system in 1910,” wrote Gerri Hirshey for Rolling Stone. In 1988, that magazine’s readers would vote Jackson the “Worst Male Singer” and “Worst Dressed.”
“People are responding negatively to his image and to the hype,” said Rolling Stone music editor David Wild at the time.
People magazine was only slightly more charitable, its cover heralding his 1987 return to music read: “He’s back. He’s Bad. Is this guy weird or what?”
The King of Pop’s decision during this period to purchase a sizable portion of the highly-prized Sony/ATV music publishing catalogue, which included classic songs by The Beatles and others, not only angered Jackson’s longtime friend and collaborator Paul McCartney, but also legions of music fans. Many people resented the re-purposing of influential 1960s rock songs for what they considered crass commercial use. Jackson made a fortune, but also a few enemies in the process.
It was also around this period that the “Wacko Jacko” moniker, which according to The Atlantic may have had racial connotations, was attached to the singer by the tabloid press, where it would remain a mainstay for the rest of his life. Some of the coverage of his eccentricities was the result of self-inflicted wounds. Jackson himself is alleged to have been the source of outrageous rumors that he sought to purchase the Elephant Man’s bones and slept in a hyperbaric chamber, but some of the backlash was a symptom of his hypersensitive persona and drastically evolved physical appearance.
It was Jackson’s dramatic physical changes that sparked the greatest backlash within his African-American fanbase. Comedian Tommy Davidson once mocked the opening of the song “Bad” with the lyrics, “This nose ain’t mine!” while others simply marveled at how in just three years the biggest black star in the world had grown several shades lighter.
Jackson would later attribute his change in hue to the skin disease Vitiligo, an explanation that was confirmed by autopsy reports following his death, but the scuttlebutt at the time was that the singer was distancing himself from his black roots in an effort to further ingratiate himself with white audiences.
In a particularly vicious 1987 Village Voice column, black pop culture critic Greg Tate wrote, “Jackson emerges a casualty of America’s ongoing race war — another Negro gone mad because his mirror reports that his face does not conform to the Nordic ideal.”
This theory overlooks Jackson’s Afro-centric musical sound, spearheaded by legendary producer Quincy Jones, and his identification with black culture in nearly all of his music videos from the predominately black gangs of “Beat It” to the African motif of “Remember the Time,” just to name a few.
“I’m a black American, I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am,” Jackson emphatically told Oprah Winfrey in 1993 and he never wavered from that stance (at least publicly) until the day he died.
Still, these minor controversies seem quaint compared to the firestorm of scandal that consumed much of his later life.
Listening to the classic, refurbished Bad gives fans an opportunity to revisit the last era of Jackson’s career where he was still the purest, most popular musical star on the planet. His career was at a pinnacle, instead of at the beginning of a decline. And the trip down memory lane is rewarding to say the least.
Bad certainly deserves a place alongside Thriller and Off The Wall in the pantheon of pop music perfection. And the sterling new tracks, some of which have appeared in other special editions, make a compelling case for the fact that Bad could have been a formidable double album. Catchy cuts like “Al Capone” and “Streetwalker” could easily have climbed the charts in any era. Yet, the real find of this well-packaged set is the footage from Wembley.
The quality is not pristine — the footage is apparently culled from Jackson’s personal VHS copy — but that’s part of its charm. Much like This Is It, this DVD is a chance to marvel at what made the King of Pop musical royalty. Even the biggest Jackson detractor can’t help but be impressed by his ability to both dance and sing at the same time with this level of quality and intensity. His performances glide effortlessly through his then-already decades long career from the Jackson 5 to the latest tracks from his current album.
It is impossible to listen to any new Jackson output without viewing it through the prism of his sudden, tragic death just three years ago. And like so much of what Jackson did, in hindsight we see how ahead of his time he was.
On Bad 25 and in this invaluable concert footage we see a Michael Jackson still at the peak of his powers, before his prolonged descent into scandal and sickness. It’s all still there — that voice, so tender yet fierce, the poise, the strut and the magical rapport with an audience of 72,000 fans that only a true pop icon can muster.
This is a last glimpse of the Michael Jackson we want to remember and it is a beautiful sight to behold.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Showbiz411.com
Michael Jackson “Bad” Tracks: Mysteries Explained
08/29/12 3:23amRoger Friedman
Sony Music really liked our story about the new Michael Jackson tracks, the unreleased material from “Bad.” But I’m told the Jackson estate is nervous I’ve implied the tracks were less than genuine. Never! They are 100% pure Michael, and just great.
Here’s an explanation for my earlier questions, just so every is, as we say, on the same page. A source close to the estate emailed me:
“There are no mysteries about the tracks. They were all done in Michael’s studio at Hayvenhurst. Bruce Swedien never worked at Hayvenhurst with Michael and would only have heard the tracks that Michael brought to Quincy [Jones] to include on the album. As a result, there are many songs that would be unfamiliar to Bruce. And, as far as Bill [Bottrell] is concerned, he doesn’t even know the names of all of the tracks he did work on. Is it really surprising that, with the amount of tracks worked on during the BAD sessions, that there are some Bill doesn’t remember having done some engineering on? And, by the way, Bill wasn’t the only engineer working with Michael at Hayvenhurst. Matt Forger was there then as well.”
Fans will love all the versions of “Bad25,” believe me. And I do hope Sony tries to get a couple of hits out of the demos. “I’m so Blue” is so catchy it’s embarrassing!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BBC
BBC Review
An awesome, evergreen and essential pop masterpiece.
Mike Diver 2012-09-17
A multi-million-unit-shifter, Bad was (and remains) as important to 1980s pop culture as the rise of the Walkman, the Back to the Future movies, and the shooting of JR. Like 1982’s Thriller, it’s an album that appeared to easily find a home within the record collection of rockers and poppers, punks and poets alike.
Ubiquity comes cheap in 2012 (thanks, internet), but in 1987, it was earned by being the best of the best. And Bad was just that: almost a greatest hits package, it spawned nine hit singles. Its chart campaign didn’t begin with the title cut, but with I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, a number one in both the US and UK. In Britain, Bad (the song) peaked at 3, as Rick Astley sat atop the pile.
The title track rocketed to No.1 in the US, followed by The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror and Dirty Diana. Jackson’s star was at its zenith across the 1980s – but fame never guarantees critical approval. Yet Bad was as well-received in the press as it was by Jackson’s fans. It’s a special rarity: a commercial behemoth with nary a lapse in quality across its 48 minutes.
Quincy Jones’ production is tight yet yielding, every song allowed to breathe and never cluttered by needless elements. Dirty Diana is remarkably lean, Steve Stevens’ flamboyant guitar aside, yet powerful too. Speed Demon, deemed “filler” by critics at the time, is fun funk-rock that’d sit happily on a Prince album of the period, compositionally if not lyrically.
Unreleased demos make up the majority of this anniversary release’s second disc. Amongst the most interesting are Song Groove (A/K/A Abortion Papers) and Price of Fame. The former, aggressive of percussion yet light of synth, is about a Christian girl carrying an unwanted pregnancy. “Michael knew (it) could be controversial,” read the accompanying notes; but Jackson handles the subject matter with tenderness.
Price of Fame addresses the pressures Jackson felt as a pop idol. Of his obsessed followers, he wrote: “They’ll do anything and it’s breaking my heart… It’s running me crazy.” It is, perhaps, a first instance of the cracks that’d soon spread. But nothing that was to come in Jackson’s career could ever take the shine off this awesome, evergreen and essential pop masterpiece.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blog Critics
Music Review: Michael Jackson - Bad 25 - Deluxe Anniversary Edition [3-CD/1-DVD]
Marking the quarter century mark since the release of Michael Jackson’s work of pop genius, Bad 25 is a positively electrifying celebration of this often underrated album. Released five years after Thriller, Bad ended up being regarded by many as a disappointing follow up to what became the best-selling album of all time. While Thriller was certainly a hard act to follow, Jackson did so by stepping up his songwriting output. With only two exceptions (“Man in the Mirror” and “Just Good Friends”), he wrote the entire record.
Of course, songwriting credits alone don’t spell greatness. What does is the sheer craftsmanship and artistry that went into songs like “Smooth Criminal,” “Dirty Diana,” “Leave Me Alone,” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.” These hits helped define pop music in the late-‘80s and continue to serve as standard bearers. Even the lesser known album tracks, such as the propulsive “Speed Demon” and silky “Liberian Girl,” stand out as prime examples of Jackson’s abilities. It helped having Quincy Jones on board as producer, as he had been for Off the Wall and Thriller.
In other words, Bad is a treasure chest of indelible pop hooks, tasteful arrangements, devastating dance grooves, and some impeccable vocal performances. Epic/Legacy Recordings, in collaboration of the Estate of Michael Jackson, meant business when they put together this special anniversary edition. The remastered album sounds great, but the draw for fans is the additional material.
I’m going to jump right to the DVD, which contains a full, unedited two-hour concert from London’s Wembley Stadium, July 16, 1988. Want to see a 26-year-old Sheryl Crow duetting with Jackson on “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You?” Crow was a backing vocalist on the Bad tour, but was given a featured spot on that chart-topping ballad. Looking for a few surprises in the set list? There’s a slamming take on the Jacksons’ 1980 hit “This Place Hotel.” This concert is simply incredible from start to finish. Jackson literally finishes “She’s Out of My Life” in tears, bringing a stunning level of intimacy to the 72,000 fans on hand.
Here’s the only catch—the video of the concert was sourced from a VHS cassette from Jackson’s private collection. It was made from the JumboTron feed that the concertgoers saw that night. While the image has been remastered, we’re still stuck with a mid-‘80s home video-quality picture. It’s not nearly as bad as it might sound though. The image, for all its obvious shortcomings, is never difficult to watch. The best part is that the audio was all sourced from the multitrack board tapes, which means it’s excellent. In fact, the DVD boasts a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.
There are a couple bonus clips included on the DVD. “The Way You Make Me Feel” was not performed during the July 16 show, but it was the night before. They recreate the music video, with Sheryl Crow sashaying around as the object of Jackson’s affection. A pair of songs from a September, 1987 show in Japan are included, “Bad” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” Crow duets with Jackson on the latter, getting soulful and pulling some priceless Joe Cocker faces during an extended ending that isn’t present in their duet from the Wembley performance.
Though slightly edited to fit on one CD, the entire concert is included as a live album—which makes it the first of Jackson’s solo career. The only things missing from the concert video are a “Bad Groove” jam section (that Jackson was not involved in) and a few extended endings (including a spine-tingling coda to “I’ll Be There”). In other words, it’s a sensational live album with 16 tracks of primo Jackson greatness in pristine sound quality.
Then there are the studio outtakes, alternate versions, and new remixes on the other disc. While the remixes may be interesting for some listeners, I didn’t find them to be an essential (or even desired) part of the package. But two Afrojack remixes of “Bad” (one featuring Pitbull) and Nero’s remix of “Speed Demon” are included. Carrying over from the 2001 Bad reissue are “Streetwalker,” “Fly Away,” and the Spanish version of “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” This edition adds a French language version of the latter song for good measure.
The real prize is a group of six unvarnished, previously unreleased demos, all written by Jackson and recorded during the Bad sessions. The most immediately attention-getting is “Song Groove (a.k.a. Abortion Papers),” a track that many fans have already begun debating the meaning of. Regardless of whether it carries a pro-life or pro-choice message, it presents a scintillating dance groove with a fiery vocal. While I can’t quite decipher all the lyrics, the liner notes include some quotes from Jackson’s own notes about the song that suggest it’s something more ambiguous than a straightforward “message” song.
“Al Capone” bears strong rhythmic and structural similarities to the track it evolved into, “Smooth Criminal,” but it stands as its own funky workout. I love the piano-driven “Don’t Be Messin’ ‘Round” and the smooth sounds of “I’m So Blue” and “Free.” Those three are fascinating glimpses at Jackson’s songwriting process as they each have clearly unfinished lyrics. Much more complete is “Price of Fame,” a song about obsessive fans that sounds more or less album-ready and would’ve made a great addition to the final product.
Two booklets are included, each with pictures and liner notes. There’s also a double-sided mini-poster folded up inside the matte-finish black box. We fans can only hope for similar treatment for Dangerous and beyond, but for now Bad 25 offers plenty.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
MUSIC REVIEW
Bad 25 (2012)
Michael Jackson
Reviewed by Ray Rahman | Sep 05, 2012
The three discs and one DVD of live, remixed, and remastered material here are a potent reminder of just how much Bad's pulsing pop holds up. But the real treasures are the six previously unreleased tracks: Noticeably unfinished (refreshingly so, given Bad 25's hermetic polish) numbers like rhythmic earworm ''Don't Be Messin' Around'' and tender ''I'm So Blue'' shine, while ''Al Capone,'' an early sketch for ''Smooth Criminal,'' is strong enough to stand alone as its own single. A
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vibe
BAD 25 SHINES LIGHT ON MICHAEL JACKSON’S MOST UNDERRATED ALBUM, ERA, AND COMPETITIVE OBSESSIONS
Keith Murphy Posted September 18, 2012
In the summer of 1986, Thriller hung around Michael Jackson’s neck like a mammoth, neon albatross; a 25-million-copies-sold albatross to be exact. Indeed, it is now well documented that the biggest pop star to ever moonwalk across the planet wanted to bury music’s most commercially/culturally successful album of all time (now 42 million and climbing in America alone). To achieve this ridiculous coup, Jackson envisioned a follow-up work that was bolder, more musically groundbreaking, and grander in epic songwriting scale.
When the dust settled months after its much-anticipated August 31, 1987 release, Jackson’s Bad album did not meet the late Gloved-One’s over-the-top ambitions of quadrupling his previous landmark 1982 statement in sales. But it did something much more impressive. The no. 1 Billboard album displayed a genius talent who grew exponentially as a songsmith, producer, and vocalist. Unlike previous releases, 1979’s glorious Off The Wall and the monster that is Thriller, this time Jackson ran the show, leaving all-world producer Quincy Jones to settle on backseat driver duties.
Which is why Tuesday’s release of BAD 25—a deluxe package featuring three discs that includes a remastered version of the original album; remixes by electronic music visionaries Afrojack and Nero; unreleased songs; and the first ever commercial DVD of the 1988 Wembley Stadium concert from Jackson’s record-breaking Bad tour—is an intriguing set. Let the music historians and insiders dwell on how Bad “failed” to meet the record industries’ (and MJ’s) grandiose sales expectations. Brush aside Bad’s impressive U.S. numbers of more than 20 million copies off the shelves. And set aside its movie-quality barrage of award-winning music videos. It’s all about the songs, which includes five no. 1 singles. “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Smooth Criminal,” “Man In The Mirror,” “Liberian Girl”…this is greatness, y’all.
To discuss BAD 25, VIBE caught up with members of Jackson’s Bad-era band including acclaimed keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, guitarist Jon Clark, and choreographer Vince Patterson. From what it was like to work with a hungry Jackson in the recording studio during the making of Bad and their time on the record-breaking madness of the Bad tour to the one person Jackson viewed as his true competition, this is a Q&A that shows why MJ remains a transcendent figure nearly three years after his death. Bad, indeed.—Keith Murphy (@Murphdogg29)
VIBE: For Michael, there was a lot to live up to with the release of Bad. By now we’ve all heard the stories about how he was intent on destroying the record sales of Thriller. But Michael was also intent on raising the bar artistically with Bad from the album to the tour. Can you talk about his mindset going into that era, album and tour?
Greg Phillinganes: He simply wanted to top Thriller.
He was aiming for 100 million copies, so says the legend, correct?
Greg: Yes, but there’s a fine line between having a goal and being unrealistic [laughs]. Thriller broke all the records. It became this massive iconic success that it is today. But Michael was driven [during those Bad album sessions]. By this time he had way more songwriting and production input in the music. It was still up to Quincy [Jones] to keep everything solid and make sure we didn’t lose touch with reality.
Was there any moment during those Bad studio sessions that you thought, this is surreal…I’m playing for Michael Jackson!
Greg: All the time. I remember making “The Way You Make Me Feel” in the studio. Michael would stand right next to me when I would do my [keyboard] part. He would just groove and bob his head and snap his fingers.
That had to be intimidating, right?
Greg: Well, the thing is Michael was very much into the character of not only each song, but each part of the song. Sometimes you don’t realize how brilliant he was. I know it’s now funny for me to say that, but you actually forget Michael’s sheer brilliance in not only dancing, but in his songwriting and singing. My God, he was great! You could to see the extent of his influences: Fred Astaire, James Brown, Sammy Davis Jr…everybody.
Patterson: From a dancing aspect, Michael always wanted to raise the bar. He was never a choreographer except for his own movements. But he still knew what he wanted from the [other dancers]. I was involved in videos for “Beat It,” “Thriller,” and all of the ones off the Bad CD, including “Smooth Criminal” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.” And you know Michael did really evolve.
He was also a serial perfectionist, right?
Vince: [Laughs] Yes! I’ll give you an example from the “Smooth Criminal” [video shoot]. There’s this one dance phrase that repeats itself in the video. I gave it to Michael and he stood in front of the mirror for four hours doing just the same count again and again and again! I kept coming over and saying, “Michael come on…you can take a break.” And Michael told me, “No, Vincent…I want to do this ‘til it’s perfect.” Michael was a taskmaster on himself.
And that inhuman drive carried over to the actual Bad concerts?
Jon Clark: True. My job on the tour was to play the guitar parts that you heard on the Bad album. I knew all the guys that played on his albums like Paul Jackson and David Williams. I can tell you what Michael gave me as a guy coming in as support for my role as the guitar player on that tour. It was life changing for me. Michael told me one thing when we first met…he said, “You know, guitars make me dance.” What do you say to that [laughs]?
You just play your *** off…
Jon: [Laughs] Yes…that’s exactly what you do! We were all watching the Bad concert movie the other day. You notice that the speed and pace of the show was just amazing. I looked back at Greg, who was Michael’s music director, and I said, “I can’t believe we were doing that show at this fast of a tempo.” But at the same time, not one note or one groove or one space in the music changed. The spirit of the songs never changed because Michael set the tempo.
There are many readers who may be too young to remember. But could you describe just how mammoth the Bad tour was during that time?
Jon: It’s important to note that at the time the Bad tour was the biggest production ever. We were in London and someone said that this was the biggest tour they had ever seen…bigger than U2, bigger than everyone. And I just remember during the “Billie Jean” section there was a special light that was developed just for Michael’s tour. It was made just for him to do his thing on “Billie Jean”.
Vince: That was spectacular. But you know what was even more spectacular? Watching Michael dance from behind! But this is what also blew me away, Keith. In terms of that time we thought the Bad tour was huge. And it was. We thought what we were actually constructing on the stage was huge, but looking back at it in comparison to what happens today this was basically a very simple, simple show.
How so?
Vince: There were no set changes or costume changes. The only time Michael left the stage is when he graciously left the stage and gave those amazing musicians the chance to really show the world what they could do. But this was a very simple tour. It was about the musicians, the music, the dancing and Michael’s performance. That’s what blew me away.
Greg: The true bigness of the Bad tour was the size of the actual set. We were building sets in the stadium as opposed to the arenas. We had several bags of airplane regulation landing lights [laughs]. They would blind the hell out of you when they first turned on. But Michael’s favorite toy was the cherry picker. It was the extended ladder with an arm that moved out, so he was able to dangle off of it over the crowd.
Jon: Dangerously dangle off it [laughs].
Greg: Right…the fans loved it, but it scared the hell out of the insurance guy [laughs].
As groundbreaking as the Bad tour was musically the instruments that were being used on the Bad album were groundbreaking as well. The keyboard work was state-of-the-art from the Synclavier to the Synth Axxe. How cutting edge was the actual work on the Bad album?
Greg: It was very cutting edge. The Synclavier had just become the major player in synthesizers. We carried two full-blown units. And they were not cheap.
How much of a task was it to transfer the sounds on Bad to an actual live format? I could imagine how daunting it would be to bring songs like “Bad” or “Smooth Criminal” to a live setting given the technical work it took to record those tracks.
Greg: I had already made those sounds on the Bad album. I created them in the studio, so I totally had an advantage. But the new technology really helped everyone on the Bad tour when it came to creating the support tracks…the things we couldn’t actually play from the album. The Synth Axxe was part of that [arsenal]. We were able to maximize the strengths of everyone in the band. One of our band members, Chris [Currell], was really brought on as a programmer. He wasn’t really into performing, but man, we dressed him up. Chris ended up looking like one of the members of KISS [laughs]. He ended up making a solo out of playing samples!
Jon: That freaked me out, Greg. It was actually brilliant.
Greg: Yeah…the guys was playing a freaking solo with nothing but samples on the Synclavier. And he was doing it in time. He wore it out every night.
Jon: I was subbing for people like Ray Parker Jr. and Paul Jackson Jr. That was my gig. So I learned a lot from these guys. When the Bad tour came around I kind of had an idea of what I needed to do. It wasn’t a George Michael gig, it wasn’t a James Brown gig…it was a Michael Jackson gig.
And a Michael Jackson gig is a whole different ballgame, right?
Jon: It really was. But here’s the thing. David Williams was Michael’s favorite guitar player. And it’s impossible to play like this guy, but I knew what he was doing. For me, as a musician, I knew what I needed to do programming wise. I spent many, many, many hours getting it right; all the hours spent programming guitar sounds for me and Jennifer [Batten] for that tour. So I got it right away.
But as with most Michael Jackson productions, choreography was just as important as the music. Vince, did you have a tougher road recreating some of Michael’s music videos, especially from the Bad album?
Vince: A lot went into that. The tour started in Japan, and once they decided they were going to go around the world I was pulled in. I sat with Mike and Greg and talked about changing the order of some of the songs around and what pieces would go in it. But because it was Michael and everything was movement related, everybody was dancing. I don’t care if they were standing behind keyboards or playing drums. I wanted to make sure that everybody had something to do movement wise. It was more than just re-creating the videos.
You guys were playing stadiums that held 70,000 plus people. Did you ever look out onto that massive crush of people, kaka your pants and say, “This is insane”?
Jon: Kind of…I did…yes [laughs].
Vince: I forgot how it looked when Michael threw his hat out in the audience and when there was that quick shot of these people I thought, “Oh, my God…they are gonna rip each other’s arms off!”
Jon: I never kaka my pants when I looked out into the crowd [laughs]. But I will tell you that you will never know what it feels like to see 70,000 people swaying while you are playing “Man In The Mirror.”
Greg: It’s like watching the movie Saving Private Ryan. When they are storming the beach and there’s not a word spoken, you just hear bullets and screams. My first experience on the Bad tour in Tokyo when those airplane lights opened, it was like Saving Private Ryan. You didn’t hear anything…you just saw. I saw Michael’s eyes looking at me and he came over. It was just a surreal moment. I can’t express it to you. It was all in slow motion.
Michael was really known as the ultimate competitor. He looked at other artists in terms of what they did musically and performance wise and wanted to top them. During the Bad era who was the one person that Mike looked at and said, “Oh, I have to raise my game to another level”?
Jon: That had to be Prince [laughs]. During the Thriller and Bad eras, it what just those two guys—Michael and Prince. And they both knew it. Everyone has read about that infamous summit that Quincy put together. Only Quincy could bring Michael and Prince together in one house and try to convince them to do “Bad.” But Prince [decided not to be a part] of the song. You could see the friendly rivalry between those two, even on their tours and in their videos. Michael would tend to hone in on some of things Prince was doing. They were both amazing and brilliant.
Imagine those conversations…
Greg: Crazy. But the craziest thing is at the Wembley shows I personally set out to make a statement. During the band solos I would play tunes from artists that I would find out were in the audience. So I had heard Prince was at the show. So I did a whole separate section of “It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night” by Prince. I’m talking about the groove, the breakdown and everything! We stepped down to the front of the stage and got the audience to clap on the four. We wore that kaka out [laughs]. And I still don’t know if Prince was really in the audience. But the bad news is that session will not be included in this DVD because Prince decided not to give us the rights. And I wish he would change his mind.
Jon: And you know what, it was just an homage to him.
Greg: And that’s the irony…
Vince: There was a mantra that Michael had always said for as long as I’ve ever known him. He would pull you aside and say, “We gotta do something that the world has never seen before. I want to give something to the people out there that loves us that they’ve never seen before.” That was Michael’s goal…to constantly break the boundaries. And that goes for anything he was doing whether it was an album, a live tour or a short film. That’s why Michael was so competitive. That was his drive.
Looking back at Michael Jackson’s Bad album, what is the overall legacy of that work?>
Greg: Bad showed off his solo artistry because Michael was more involved production wise and songwriting wise. Yes, he worked with Quincy…but it was not quite as much as Off The Wall and Thriller. You saw the transition of Michael becoming more of a solo force behind the scenes and away from the Jacksons. By the time he went into Dangerous, Quincy was no longer there. Michael started bringing in different producers to express his musical ideas. I think Bad is the most definitive expression of Michael’s craft.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Music Review: Michael Jackson - Bad 25 - Deluxe Anniversary Edition [3-CD/1-DVD]
By The Other Chad, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
Published 6:01 p.m., Monday, September 17, 2012
Marking the quarter century mark since the release of Michael Jackson's work of pop genius, Bad 25 is a positively electrifying celebration of this often underrated album. Released five years after Thriller, Bad ended up being regarded by many as a disappointing follow up to what became the best-selling album of all time. While Thriller was certainly a hard act to follow, Jackson did so by stepping up his songwriting output. With only two exceptions ("Man in the Mirror" and "Just Good Friends"), he wrote the entire record.
Of course, songwriting credits alone don't spell greatness. What does is the sheer craftsmanship and artistry that went into songs like "Smooth Criminal," "Dirty Diana," "Leave Me Alone," and "The Way You Make Me Feel." These hits helped define pop music in the late-'80s and continue to serve as standard bearers. Even the lesser known album tracks, such as the propulsive "Speed Demon" and silky "Liberian Girl," stand out as prime examples of Jackson's abilities. It helped having Quincy Jones on board as producer, as he had been for Off the Wall and Thriller.
In other words, Bad is a treasure chest of indelible pop hooks, tasteful arrangements, devastating dance grooves, and some impeccable vocal performances. Epic/Legacy Recordings, in collaboration of the Estate of Michael Jackson, meant business when they put together this special anniversary edition. The remastered album sounds great, but the draw for fans is the additional material.
I'm going to jump right to the DVD, which contains a full, unedited two-hour concert from London's Wembley Stadium, July 16, 1988. Want to see a 26-year-old Sheryl Crow duetting with Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You?" Crow was a backing vocalist on the Bad tour, but was given a featured spot on that chart-topping ballad. Looking for a few surprises in the set list? There's a slamming take on the Jacksons' 1980 hit "This Place Hotel." This concert is simply incredible from start to finish. Jackson literally finishes "She's Out of My Life" in tears, bringing a stunning level of intimacy to the 72,000 fans on hand.
Here's the only catch-the video of the concert was sourced from a VHS cassette from Jackson's private collection. It was made from the JumboTron feed that the concertgoers saw that night. While the image has been remastered, we're still stuck with a mid-'80s home video-quality picture. It's not nearly as bad as it might sound though. The image, for all its obvious shortcomings, is never difficult to watch. The best part is that the audio was all sourced from the multitrack board tapes, which means it's excellent. In fact, the DVD boasts a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.
There are a couple bonus clips included on the DVD. "The Way You Make Me Feel" was not performed during the July 16 show, but it was the night before. They recreate the music video, with Sheryl Crow sashaying around as the object of Jackson's affection. A pair of songs from a September, 1987 show in Japan are included, "Bad" and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." Crow duets with Jackson on the latter, getting soulful and pulling some priceless Joe Cocker faces during an extended ending that isn't present in their duet from the Wembley performance.
Though slightly edited to fit on one CD, the entire concert is included as a live album-which makes it the first of Jackson's solo career. The only things missing from the concert video are a "Bad Groove" jam section (that Jackson was not involved in) and a few extended endings (including a spine-tingling coda to "I'll Be There"). In other words, it's a sensational live album with 16 tracks of primo Jackson greatness in pristine sound quality.
Then there are the studio outtakes, alternate versions, and new remixes on the other disc. While the remixes may be interesting for some listeners, I didn't find them to be an essential (or even desired) part of the package. But two Afrojack remixes of "Bad" (one featuring Pitbull) and Nero's remix of "Speed Demon" are included. Carrying over from the 2001 Bad reissue are "Streetwalker," "Fly Away," and the Spanish version of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." This edition adds a French language version of the latter song for good measure.
The real prize is a group of six unvarnished, previously unreleased demos, all written by Jackson and recorded during the Bad sessions. The most immediately attention-getting is "Song Groove (a.k.a. Abortion Papers)," a track that many fans have already begun debating the meaning of. Regardless of whether it carries a pro-life or pro-choice message, it presents a scintillating dance groove with a fiery vocal. While I can't quite decipher all the lyrics, the liner notes include some quotes from Jackson's own notes about the song that suggest it's something more ambiguous than a straightforward "message" song.
"Al Capone" bears strong rhythmic and structural similarities to the track it evolved into, "Smooth Criminal," but it stands as its own funky workout. I love the piano-driven "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" and the smooth sounds of "I'm So Blue" and "Free." Those three are fascinating glimpses at Jackson's songwriting process as they each have clearly unfinished lyrics. Much more complete is "Price of Fame," a song about obsessive fans that sounds more or less album-ready and would've made a great addition to the final product.
Two booklets are included, each with pictures and liner notes. There's also a double-sided mini-poster folded up inside the matte-finish black box. We fans can only hope for similar treatment for Dangerous and beyond, but for now Bad 25 offers plenty.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Houston Chronicle
'Bad 25' remembers the mastery of Michael Jackson
By Joey Guerra | Monday, September 17, 2012 | Updated: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 3:38pm
Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album was unleashed near the end of 1982, cementing his legacy as a superstar solo artist. It's a remarkable, unrivaled collection and has served as a blueprint for practically every pop album in its wake. You can hear, see and feel Jackson's influence in the work of Beyoncé and Chris Brown, Usher and Britney Spears, Madonna and Adam Lambert.
I was just 8 years old at the time, but "Thriller" made its mark on me, too. I sang along with the words. Tried to mimic the dance moves. Scooped up Jackson folders at Kmart and sold them to classmates (at retail price, of course).
"Bad" came around five years later and produced another string of hits. Its first five singles all shot to No. 1, but it only sold a fraction of the 30 or so million "Thriller," the best-selling album of all time, moved in the U.S. alone. (To be clear, 10 million copies is hardly a failure.)
But I was 13 by then, and music had become an intrinsic part of my life, an outlet for expression and a means of escape. The songs of "Bad" are embedded in my memory perhaps more vividly than "Beat It" or "Billie Jean." And that cover photo, all steely gaze, straps and belts, remains iconic.
"Bad 25," in stores now, repackages the original album with lush bonus features and artwork, including unreleased demos and a 1988 concert at Wembley Stadium in London. This is a layered, loving tribute whose power ultimately resides in the genius of the original album.
I remember waiting impatiently for the parade of MTV video premieres from the album: "Bad," "Man in the Mirror," "Leave Me Alone," "Dirty Diana." These weren't mere promotional clips. They were mini-movies. In its entirety, the "Bad" short film, directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Richard Price, ran 18 minutes and debuted in prime time on CBS in 1987.
A "Bad 25" documentary, produced and directed by Spike Lee, is set to debut on ABC in November. It screened at the Venice and Toronto film festivals and includes rare footage and interviews with Jackson's collaborators and friends, including Scorsese, Kanye West and Justin Bieber.
The entire album has been remastered, and the best songs still sound crisp and modern. Jackson co-wrote and co-produced the bulk of it with Quincy Jones, who knew how to balance commercial sheen with eccentric edges.
The title track still bristles with zeal and aggression, and "The Way You Make Me Feel" could be a hit on radio today - or any day. It's a perfect pop song - joyful and ominous, buoyed by a galloping beat and razor-sharp vocal work.
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" remains a highlight, an alternately hushed and sweeping ballad lifted high by Jackson's pleading, emotive vocal. "Dirty Diana" grooves harder than most anything on current rock radio, and the often-overlooked "Liberian Girl" is a smooth, soothing gem.
A second disc boasts unfinished demos recorded at Jackson's Hayvenhurst home in Encino, Calif. Among the filler are previously issued "Flyaway," "Streetwalker" and Spanish and French versions of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." There's also a frenzied Afrojack remix of "Bad" featuring an unnecessary Pitbull rap.
To be sure, there are some true finds, including "Al Capone," which would eventually become "Smooth Criminal." Traces of the final song are evident, but the final result was a wholly different song. "Free" and "I'm So Blue" are lovely, lilting tunes that fall in line with Jackson's penchant for simple, effective balladry.
"Song Groove," also known as "Abortion Papers," rides a distinctly '80s rhythm for its tale of a young, religious girl who decides to have an abortion. Imagine the fuss that would have created. It dwindles into repetition, but Jackson's message is clear even in the early stage.
Jackson describes "Price of Fame" in the liner notes as an ode to "the girls who are over-obsessed with me, who follow me, who almost make me kill myself in my car, who just give their lives to do anything with me, to see me - they'll do anything and it's breaking my heart. It's running me crazy. It's breaking up my relationship with my girl, with my family."
The song's ominous strings and melody make it a ringer for "Billie Jean," which might be why Jackson never put it on an album.
The biggest draw of "Bad 25" is likely to be the July 16, 1988, concert at Wembley Stadium. It was one of seven sold-out shows, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana were in attendance. Jackson brought the same show to the Summit (now Lakewood Church) for three shows, April 8-10, 1988, and I was at one of them. When I close my eyes, I can still remember the electricity, the cheering, the pop magic.
Jackson had every show on the tour recorded for his review, but we're talking late-'80s. This is pre-HD, videotape quality, and the footage is often grainy. But the power is undeniable. He gives every inch of himself - quivering lips, hips and hands - to the songs, kicking off with the rocket-fueled blast of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin.'" He pairs up with hilariously halter-topped, big-haired background singer Sheryl Crow for "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." And the one-two punch of "Smooth Criminal" and "Dirty Diana" is nothing short of fantastic. His dancing, of course, remains a remarkably controlled feat.
But despite the fanfare, the hysteria, the sheer hugeness of the songs, performances and persona, "Bad 25" manages to highlight the artistry and the inspiration that Jackson so desperately wanted to be remembered for. His gift to us is our gift to him.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NBC News' The Grio
‘Bad 25′: A Michael Jackson masterpiece gets its due Opinion
by Adam Howard | September 18, 2012 at 2:00 PM
How do you follow up the most successful album ever made? This unenviable task confronted a 28-year-old Michael Jackson in 1986 when he undertook his ambitious solo album Bad.
The blockbuster album, released in August of 1987, failed to live up to Jackson’s unbelievably lofty expectations (he reportedly wanted to sell 100 million copies) but it still managed to spawn five number one hits, a record that was matched for the first time last year by Katy Perry.
Twenty-five years after its initial release, Epic/Legacy Recordings is giving this often underrated classic the recognition it deserves with a lovingly packaged box set — Bad 25 — which features a remastered edition of the original LP, several terrific unreleased tracks from the original Bad recording sessions, as well as a DVD and CD of Jackson’s celebrated 1988 concert at Wembley Stadium in London — you know, the one with all those fainting teenage girls.
As if this treasure trove were not enough, filmmaker Spike Lee — as of late, one of Michael Jackson’s biggest boosters — has directed and produced a full-length documentary exploring the inspired and frequently arduous process of creating the album, which sold over 8 million copies in the United States alone and now ranks as the fifth all-time best-seller internationally. The film, which will debut on ABC this Thanksgiving, is already scoring rave reviews.
Jackson’s ambition for Bad was to build upon the popularity of its predecessor Thriller in every conceivable way. He wrote 9 of the 11 final songs himself (whittled down from a rumored 60-plus tracks), the sound of the music grew more complex and Jackson moved farther away from his genteel “lover, not a fighter” image.
“By the time we were working on Bad, Mike’s ideas became stronger and clear,” Greg Phillinganes, a musician who worked on both the album and its subsequent international tour, recently told TIME. In the same piece, Jackson’s lawyer and co-executor of his estate, John Branca, says, “He was intent on topping himself and he put a lot of pressure on himself to do that.”
By most accounts, Jackson’s infamous perfectionism paid off. Bad boasts unforgettable ballads like “Man In the Mirror” and dancefloor staples like “Smooth Criminal” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.” State-of-the-art music videos accompanied the album and were ubiquitous on MTV — the most indelible of which was arguably Martin Scorsese’s take on the hit title cut, which featured an up-and-coming Wesley Snipes as an antagonist. Yet, while Bad now routinely lands on Greatest Albums of All Time lists, its legacy as a masterpiece was never all that assured.
Jackson had largely disappeared from the pop culture landscape following the unprecedented success of Thriller. With the exception of his historic role in crafting “We Are the World” in 1985 and his starring role in the 3-D sci-fi epic Captain EO for Disney in 1986, he appeared to be ceding his place at the top of the charts to the artists who came in his wake.
The press grew skeptical and Jackson started to get some of the first negative notices of his career. “The year 1985 has been a black hole for Michael watchers, who witnessed the most spectacular disappearing act since Halley’s comet headed for the far side of the solar system in 1910,” wrote Gerri Hirshey for Rolling Stone. In 1988, that magazine’s readers would vote Jackson the “Worst Male Singer” and “Worst Dressed.”
“People are responding negatively to his image and to the hype,” said Rolling Stone music editor David Wild at the time.
People magazine was only slightly more charitable, its cover heralding his 1987 return to music read: “He’s back. He’s Bad. Is this guy weird or what?”
The King of Pop’s decision during this period to purchase a sizable portion of the highly-prized Sony/ATV music publishing catalogue, which included classic songs by The Beatles and others, not only angered Jackson’s longtime friend and collaborator Paul McCartney, but also legions of music fans. Many people resented the re-purposing of influential 1960s rock songs for what they considered crass commercial use. Jackson made a fortune, but also a few enemies in the process.
It was also around this period that the “Wacko Jacko” moniker, which according to The Atlantic may have had racial connotations, was attached to the singer by the tabloid press, where it would remain a mainstay for the rest of his life. Some of the coverage of his eccentricities was the result of self-inflicted wounds. Jackson himself is alleged to have been the source of outrageous rumors that he sought to purchase the Elephant Man’s bones and slept in a hyperbaric chamber, but some of the backlash was a symptom of his hypersensitive persona and drastically evolved physical appearance.
It was Jackson’s dramatic physical changes that sparked the greatest backlash within his African-American fanbase. Comedian Tommy Davidson once mocked the opening of the song “Bad” with the lyrics, “This nose ain’t mine!” while others simply marveled at how in just three years the biggest black star in the world had grown several shades lighter.
Jackson would later attribute his change in hue to the skin disease Vitiligo, an explanation that was confirmed by autopsy reports following his death, but the scuttlebutt at the time was that the singer was distancing himself from his black roots in an effort to further ingratiate himself with white audiences.
In a particularly vicious 1987 Village Voice column, black pop culture critic Greg Tate wrote, “Jackson emerges a casualty of America’s ongoing race war — another Negro gone mad because his mirror reports that his face does not conform to the Nordic ideal.”
This theory overlooks Jackson’s Afro-centric musical sound, spearheaded by legendary producer Quincy Jones, and his identification with black culture in nearly all of his music videos from the predominately black gangs of “Beat It” to the African motif of “Remember the Time,” just to name a few.
“I’m a black American, I am proud of my race. I am proud of who I am,” Jackson emphatically told Oprah Winfrey in 1993 and he never wavered from that stance (at least publicly) until the day he died.
Still, these minor controversies seem quaint compared to the firestorm of scandal that consumed much of his later life.
Listening to the classic, refurbished Bad gives fans an opportunity to revisit the last era of Jackson’s career where he was still the purest, most popular musical star on the planet. His career was at a pinnacle, instead of at the beginning of a decline. And the trip down memory lane is rewarding to say the least.
Bad certainly deserves a place alongside Thriller and Off The Wall in the pantheon of pop music perfection. And the sterling new tracks, some of which have appeared in other special editions, make a compelling case for the fact that Bad could have been a formidable double album. Catchy cuts like “Al Capone” and “Streetwalker” could easily have climbed the charts in any era. Yet, the real find of this well-packaged set is the footage from Wembley.
The quality is not pristine — the footage is apparently culled from Jackson’s personal VHS copy — but that’s part of its charm. Much like This Is It, this DVD is a chance to marvel at what made the King of Pop musical royalty. Even the biggest Jackson detractor can’t help but be impressed by his ability to both dance and sing at the same time with this level of quality and intensity. His performances glide effortlessly through his then-already decades long career from the Jackson 5 to the latest tracks from his current album.
It is impossible to listen to any new Jackson output without viewing it through the prism of his sudden, tragic death just three years ago. And like so much of what Jackson did, in hindsight we see how ahead of his time he was.
On Bad 25 and in this invaluable concert footage we see a Michael Jackson still at the peak of his powers, before his prolonged descent into scandal and sickness. It’s all still there — that voice, so tender yet fierce, the poise, the strut and the magical rapport with an audience of 72,000 fans that only a true pop icon can muster.
This is a last glimpse of the Michael Jackson we want to remember and it is a beautiful sight to behold.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Showbiz411.com
Michael Jackson “Bad” Tracks: Mysteries Explained
08/29/12 3:23amRoger Friedman
Sony Music really liked our story about the new Michael Jackson tracks, the unreleased material from “Bad.” But I’m told the Jackson estate is nervous I’ve implied the tracks were less than genuine. Never! They are 100% pure Michael, and just great.
Here’s an explanation for my earlier questions, just so every is, as we say, on the same page. A source close to the estate emailed me:
“There are no mysteries about the tracks. They were all done in Michael’s studio at Hayvenhurst. Bruce Swedien never worked at Hayvenhurst with Michael and would only have heard the tracks that Michael brought to Quincy [Jones] to include on the album. As a result, there are many songs that would be unfamiliar to Bruce. And, as far as Bill [Bottrell] is concerned, he doesn’t even know the names of all of the tracks he did work on. Is it really surprising that, with the amount of tracks worked on during the BAD sessions, that there are some Bill doesn’t remember having done some engineering on? And, by the way, Bill wasn’t the only engineer working with Michael at Hayvenhurst. Matt Forger was there then as well.”
Fans will love all the versions of “Bad25,” believe me. And I do hope Sony tries to get a couple of hits out of the demos. “I’m so Blue” is so catchy it’s embarrassing!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BBC
BBC Review
An awesome, evergreen and essential pop masterpiece.
Mike Diver 2012-09-17
A multi-million-unit-shifter, Bad was (and remains) as important to 1980s pop culture as the rise of the Walkman, the Back to the Future movies, and the shooting of JR. Like 1982’s Thriller, it’s an album that appeared to easily find a home within the record collection of rockers and poppers, punks and poets alike.
Ubiquity comes cheap in 2012 (thanks, internet), but in 1987, it was earned by being the best of the best. And Bad was just that: almost a greatest hits package, it spawned nine hit singles. Its chart campaign didn’t begin with the title cut, but with I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, a number one in both the US and UK. In Britain, Bad (the song) peaked at 3, as Rick Astley sat atop the pile.
The title track rocketed to No.1 in the US, followed by The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror and Dirty Diana. Jackson’s star was at its zenith across the 1980s – but fame never guarantees critical approval. Yet Bad was as well-received in the press as it was by Jackson’s fans. It’s a special rarity: a commercial behemoth with nary a lapse in quality across its 48 minutes.
Quincy Jones’ production is tight yet yielding, every song allowed to breathe and never cluttered by needless elements. Dirty Diana is remarkably lean, Steve Stevens’ flamboyant guitar aside, yet powerful too. Speed Demon, deemed “filler” by critics at the time, is fun funk-rock that’d sit happily on a Prince album of the period, compositionally if not lyrically.
Unreleased demos make up the majority of this anniversary release’s second disc. Amongst the most interesting are Song Groove (A/K/A Abortion Papers) and Price of Fame. The former, aggressive of percussion yet light of synth, is about a Christian girl carrying an unwanted pregnancy. “Michael knew (it) could be controversial,” read the accompanying notes; but Jackson handles the subject matter with tenderness.
Price of Fame addresses the pressures Jackson felt as a pop idol. Of his obsessed followers, he wrote: “They’ll do anything and it’s breaking my heart… It’s running me crazy.” It is, perhaps, a first instance of the cracks that’d soon spread. But nothing that was to come in Jackson’s career could ever take the shine off this awesome, evergreen and essential pop masterpiece.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blog Critics
Music Review: Michael Jackson - Bad 25 - Deluxe Anniversary Edition [3-CD/1-DVD]
Marking the quarter century mark since the release of Michael Jackson’s work of pop genius, Bad 25 is a positively electrifying celebration of this often underrated album. Released five years after Thriller, Bad ended up being regarded by many as a disappointing follow up to what became the best-selling album of all time. While Thriller was certainly a hard act to follow, Jackson did so by stepping up his songwriting output. With only two exceptions (“Man in the Mirror” and “Just Good Friends”), he wrote the entire record.
Of course, songwriting credits alone don’t spell greatness. What does is the sheer craftsmanship and artistry that went into songs like “Smooth Criminal,” “Dirty Diana,” “Leave Me Alone,” and “The Way You Make Me Feel.” These hits helped define pop music in the late-‘80s and continue to serve as standard bearers. Even the lesser known album tracks, such as the propulsive “Speed Demon” and silky “Liberian Girl,” stand out as prime examples of Jackson’s abilities. It helped having Quincy Jones on board as producer, as he had been for Off the Wall and Thriller.
In other words, Bad is a treasure chest of indelible pop hooks, tasteful arrangements, devastating dance grooves, and some impeccable vocal performances. Epic/Legacy Recordings, in collaboration of the Estate of Michael Jackson, meant business when they put together this special anniversary edition. The remastered album sounds great, but the draw for fans is the additional material.
I’m going to jump right to the DVD, which contains a full, unedited two-hour concert from London’s Wembley Stadium, July 16, 1988. Want to see a 26-year-old Sheryl Crow duetting with Jackson on “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You?” Crow was a backing vocalist on the Bad tour, but was given a featured spot on that chart-topping ballad. Looking for a few surprises in the set list? There’s a slamming take on the Jacksons’ 1980 hit “This Place Hotel.” This concert is simply incredible from start to finish. Jackson literally finishes “She’s Out of My Life” in tears, bringing a stunning level of intimacy to the 72,000 fans on hand.
Here’s the only catch—the video of the concert was sourced from a VHS cassette from Jackson’s private collection. It was made from the JumboTron feed that the concertgoers saw that night. While the image has been remastered, we’re still stuck with a mid-‘80s home video-quality picture. It’s not nearly as bad as it might sound though. The image, for all its obvious shortcomings, is never difficult to watch. The best part is that the audio was all sourced from the multitrack board tapes, which means it’s excellent. In fact, the DVD boasts a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix.
There are a couple bonus clips included on the DVD. “The Way You Make Me Feel” was not performed during the July 16 show, but it was the night before. They recreate the music video, with Sheryl Crow sashaying around as the object of Jackson’s affection. A pair of songs from a September, 1987 show in Japan are included, “Bad” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” Crow duets with Jackson on the latter, getting soulful and pulling some priceless Joe Cocker faces during an extended ending that isn’t present in their duet from the Wembley performance.
Though slightly edited to fit on one CD, the entire concert is included as a live album—which makes it the first of Jackson’s solo career. The only things missing from the concert video are a “Bad Groove” jam section (that Jackson was not involved in) and a few extended endings (including a spine-tingling coda to “I’ll Be There”). In other words, it’s a sensational live album with 16 tracks of primo Jackson greatness in pristine sound quality.
Then there are the studio outtakes, alternate versions, and new remixes on the other disc. While the remixes may be interesting for some listeners, I didn’t find them to be an essential (or even desired) part of the package. But two Afrojack remixes of “Bad” (one featuring Pitbull) and Nero’s remix of “Speed Demon” are included. Carrying over from the 2001 Bad reissue are “Streetwalker,” “Fly Away,” and the Spanish version of “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” This edition adds a French language version of the latter song for good measure.
The real prize is a group of six unvarnished, previously unreleased demos, all written by Jackson and recorded during the Bad sessions. The most immediately attention-getting is “Song Groove (a.k.a. Abortion Papers),” a track that many fans have already begun debating the meaning of. Regardless of whether it carries a pro-life or pro-choice message, it presents a scintillating dance groove with a fiery vocal. While I can’t quite decipher all the lyrics, the liner notes include some quotes from Jackson’s own notes about the song that suggest it’s something more ambiguous than a straightforward “message” song.
“Al Capone” bears strong rhythmic and structural similarities to the track it evolved into, “Smooth Criminal,” but it stands as its own funky workout. I love the piano-driven “Don’t Be Messin’ ‘Round” and the smooth sounds of “I’m So Blue” and “Free.” Those three are fascinating glimpses at Jackson’s songwriting process as they each have clearly unfinished lyrics. Much more complete is “Price of Fame,” a song about obsessive fans that sounds more or less album-ready and would’ve made a great addition to the final product.
Two booklets are included, each with pictures and liner notes. There’s also a double-sided mini-poster folded up inside the matte-finish black box. We fans can only hope for similar treatment for Dangerous and beyond, but for now Bad 25 offers plenty.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
WeAreTheWorld.- Posts : 1967
Join date : 2012-07-22
Age : 27
Location : United States
Re: Various Bad 25 reviews!
by ijustcan'tstoplovinguMJ Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:30 pm
the Bad album is the most underrated album michael ever did, and its finally getting the recognition it deserves! but 25 years later!
ijustcan'tstoplovinguMJ- Posts : 2354
Join date : 2013-02-11
Age : 25
Similar topics» The Bad 25 Documentary Reviews Thread.
» Daily Beast Spinning Again: Not Even the King of Pop Can Survive the Amazon Trolls
» Weak praise for 'Motown: The Musical' ~ The Reviews
» Daily Beast Spinning Again: Not Even the King of Pop Can Survive the Amazon Trolls
» Weak praise for 'Motown: The Musical' ~ The Reviews
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum|
|
|