Bad [25th Anniversary Edition]

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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The downside to a success like Thriller is that it's nearly impossible to follow, but Michael Jackson approached Bad much the same way he approached Thriller -- take the basic formula of the predecessor, expand it slightly, and move it outward. This meant that he moved deeper into hard rock, deeper into schmaltzy adult contemporary, deeper into hard dance -- essentially taking each portion of Thriller to an extreme, while increasing the quotient of immaculate studio craft. He wound up with a sleeker, slicker Thriller, which isn't a bad thing, but it's not a rousing success, either. For one thing, the material just isn't as good. Look at the singles: only three ...
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Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
The downside to a success like Thriller is that it's nearly impossible to follow, but Michael Jackson approached Bad much the same way he approached Thriller -- take the basic formula of the predecessor, expand it slightly, and move it outward. This meant that he moved deeper into hard rock, deeper into schmaltzy adult contemporary, deeper into hard dance -- essentially taking each portion of Thriller to an extreme, while increasing the quotient of immaculate studio craft. He wound up with a sleeker, slicker Thriller, which isn't a bad thing, but it's not a rousing success, either. For one thing, the material just isn't as good. Look at the singles: only three can stand alongside album tracks from its predecessor ("Bad," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"), another is simply OK ("Smooth Criminal"), with the other two showcasing Jackson at his worst (the saccharine "Man in the Mirror," the misogynistic "Dirty Diana"). Then, there are the album tracks themselves, something that virtually didn't exist on Thriller but bog down Bad not just because they're bad, but because they reveal that Jackson's state of the art is not hip. And they constitute a near-fatal dead spot on the record -- songs three through six, from "Speed Demon" to "Another Part of Me" (a sequence that's utterly faceless, lacking memorable hooks and melodies, even when Stevie Wonder steps in for "Just Good Friends") relies on nothing but studio craft. Part of the joy of Off the Wall and Thriller was that craft was enhanced with tremendous songs, performances, and fresh, vivacious beats. For this dreadful stretch, everything is mechanical, and while the album rebounds with songs that prove mechanical can be tolerable if delivered with hooks and panache, it still makes Bad feel like an artifact of its time instead of a piece of music that transcends it. And if that wasn't evident proof that Jackson was losing touch, consider this -- the best song on the album is "Leave Me Alone" (why are all of his best songs paranoid anthems?), a tune tacked on to the end of the CD and never released as a single, apart from a weirdly claustrophobic video that, not coincidentally, was the best video from the album. [This is not the first expanded edition of Bad but the 2001 reissue didn't have much in way of substantive bonus material. Two outtakes called "Streetwalker" and "Fly Away," plus a Spanish version of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" was about it. That's not the case with this 25th Anniversary Edition, which is a full-fledged deluxe edition, containing a full disc of outtakes and demos in either its simple two-disc iteration or its lavish 3-CD/1-DVD incarnation (there are also some new EDM-flavored remixes from Afrojack and Nero that are perfectly fine for what they are), which adds a third CD of live performances from Jackson's July 16, 1988 performance at Wembley Stadium, along with the entire concert on the accompanying DVD. The bonus material captures two different sides of Jackson: the live material is a dazzling showcase for his skills as a showman while the rough studio outtakes demonstrate his craftsmanship. Although the Wembley show is certainly entertaining -- he makes spectacle seem effortless -- everything revealing on this 25th Anniversary Edition arrives on the unreleased demos, where Jackson is working out song structure, choruses, and words. Some of the darker undercurrents of Bad surface yet again -- he frets over the "Price of Fame," he sings about "Abortion Papers" on a puzzling, compelling "Song Groove" -- and elsewhere it's clear that Jackson is liberated by the process of creating; the rougher, spare sound of these demos comparing quite favorably to the sometimes suffocating polish of Bad. This is particularly true of "Al Capone," an early version of "Smooth Criminal" that's fleet on its feet and considerably less cartoonish, but such lightness can also be heard on "Don't Be Messin'Around" -- a sweetened, concentrated version of "Wanna Be Startin' Something" -- and the smooth, crystalline pop of "I'm So Blue" and "Free," quiet storm numbers that function as bridges between Bad and Thriller. These are the moments that make this expansion worthwhile, illustrating that beneath the glitz and glamour, there was a sharp, canny musician who took considerable pleasure in his work.]
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 9/18/2012
  • Label: Sony Legacy
  • UPC: 886919997026
  • Catalog Number: 199970
  • Sales rank: 2,607

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Bad (4:07)
  2. 2 The Way You Make Me Feel (4:59)
  3. 3 Speed Demon (4:04)
  4. 4 Liberian Girl (3:49)
  5. 5 Just Good Friends (4:07)
  6. 6 Another Part of Me (3:55)
  7. 7 Man In the Mirror - Andraé Crouch Choir (5:18)
  8. 8 I Just Can't Stop Loving You (4:10)
  9. 9 Dirty Diana (4:42)
  10. 10 Smooth Criminal (4:18)
  11. 11 Leave Me Alone (4:40)
Disc 2
  1. 1 Don't Be Messin' Round (4:20)
  2. 2 I'm So Blue (4:09)
  3. 3 Song Groove (4:28)
  4. 4 Free (4:27)
  5. 5 Price of Fame (4:35)
  6. 6 Al Capone (3:36)
  7. 7 Streetwalker (5:55)
  8. 8 Fly Away (3:28)
  9. 9 Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu [V (4:11)
  10. 10 Je Ne Veux Pas La Fin De Nous [I Just Can't Stop Loving You, French Ver (4:07)
  11. 11 Bad - Pitbull (4:30)
  12. 12 Speed Demon (4:13)
  13. 13 Bad (7:35)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Michael Jackson Primary Artist, Percussion, Vocals, Background Vocals, Hand Clapping, Finger Snapping
Sandra Crouch Background Vocals
The Winans Background Vocals
Siedah Garrett Vocals, Background Vocals
Steve Stevens Guitar, Soloist
Rose Banks Background Vocals
Letta Mbulu Chant
Maxi Anderson Background Vocals
Andraé Crouch Background Vocals
Glen Ballard Synthesizer
Michael Boddicker Synthesizer
Bill Bottrell Guitar, Drums
Ollie E. Brown Percussion, Drums, Hand Clapping
Paulinho Da Costa Percussion
Christopher Currell Synclavier, Finger Snapping
Nathan East Bass
Geary Faggett Background Vocals
Eric Gale Guitar
Humberto Gatica Drums
Andrew Gouche Background Vocals
Gary Grant Trumpet
Jerry Hey Trumpet
Francine Howard Background Vocals
Kim Hutchcroft Saxophone
Paul Jackson Jr. Guitar
Jean Johnson Background Vocals
Randy Kerber Synthesizer
Michael Landau Guitar
Rhett Lawrence Synthesizer
Perry Morgan Background Vocals
David Paich Synthesizer
Greg Phillinganes Synthesizer, Keyboards, Soloist
Alfie Silas Background Vocals
Jimmy Smith Organ, Soloist, Hammond B3
Bruce Swedien Drums, Announcer
Randy Waldman Synthesizer
David Williams Guitar, Saxophone
Carvin Winans Background Vocals
Marvin Winans Background Vocals
Michael Winans Background Vocals
Stevie Wonder Synthesizer, Vocals, Soloist
Casey Young Synclavier
Larry Williams Synthesizer, Saxophone, Soloist
Andraé Crouch Choir Background Vocals
Dan Huff Guitar
Ronald Winans Background Vocals
John Barnes Synthesizer, Piano
Vonciele Faggette Background Vocals
Linda Green Background Vocals
John Robinson Drums
Ndugu Chancler Drums
Mike Brando Drums
Technical Credits
Rubén Blades Composer
Siedah Garrett Composer
Michael Jackson Composer, Producer, Vocal Arrangements, rhythm arrangement, Synthesizer Arrangements, Sound Design
Quincy Jones Producer, Vocal Arrangements, rhythm arrangement, Synthesizer Arrangements
Andraé Crouch Vocal Arrangements
Glen Ballard Composer, rhythm arrangement, Synthesizer Arrangements
Michael Boddicker Contributor
Bill Bottrell Engineer
Terry Britten Composer, Vocal Arrangements, rhythm arrangement, Synthesizer Arrangements
Ken Caillat Engineer
Christopher Currell rhythm arrangement
Matt Forger Engineer
Humberto Gatica Engineer
Douglas Getschall drum programming
Jerry Hey Horn Arrangements, rhythm arrangement, Synthesizer Arrangements
Craig Johnson Engineer, Tape Research
Matthew Kelly Tape Research
Graham Lyle Composer, Vocal Arrangements, rhythm arrangement, Synthesizer Arrangements
Brian Malouf Engineer
Cornelius Mims drum programming
Gary Olazabal Engineer
David Paich Contributor, Synthesizer Arrangements
Caiphus Semenya Arranger
Jimmy Smith MIDI
Bruce Swedien Engineer
John McClain Liner Notes, Executive Producer, Management
Al Quaglieri Direction
Tony Lane Art Direction
Nancy Donald Art Direction
Greg Gorman Cover Photo
Claudio Ordenes Engineer
Frank Harkins Art Direction, Packaging
Madeline Randolph Staff
Raoul Roach Staff
Tom Jones Engineer
Larry Williams drum programming, MIDI
Larry Stessel Production Director
Bill Bray Staff
Adam Farber Direction
Fusako Chubachi Art Direction, Packaging
Sheri Lee Art Direction, Packaging
Afrojack Remixing
John Barnes Contributor, Vocal Arrangements, String Arrangements, rhythm arrangement, Synthesizer Arrangements, Sound Design
John Branca Liner Notes, Executive Producer, Management
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner Mastering
Antonio "L.A." Reid Executive Producer
Kano Logo
Jeffrey Spear Logo
Dr. Eric Chevlen Engineer
Donna Bernardo Staff
Denitria Harris Staff
Christine "Coco" Decroix Composer
Catherine Ballard Contributor
Portland Benson Staff
Nasim Nourian Staff
Mike Brando Staff
Martha Browning Staff
Louise Velasquez Staff
Laura Raynor Contributor
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Customer Reviews

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    Posted September 23, 2012

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