The King of Pop Gone "Bad"

Bad (1987)

1. "Bad"
This late 80s declaration of being a badass is equally entertaining, catchy and cheesy all at the same time.  This title track is sung with such conviction by Michael and produced with such funky grit by Quincy Jones it's hard not to sing and dance along to it.  It almost has a "West Side Story" vibe to it; especially with it's corresponding video that sees a leather jacketed Michael leading a squad of gangsters ready to dance than actually hurt anyone.  It's all superb and Michael is one of the few artists who can deliver a song like this without feeling forced.  It make not have the classic creeps on "Thriller" but "Bad" certainly was a more than adequate way for Michael to reintroduce himself to the music world. Excellent!
(A+)

2. "The Way You Make Me Feel"
Another standout in Michael's legendary catalog of hits, "The Way You Make Me Feel" is Michael's charming and relentless chasing of a woman his dreams.  Michael gives a strong vocal performance as usual and I love the incorporating instrumentation during the song from the trumpets to the banging beats of the song.  Michael's signature "squeals" have never sounded more appropriate than on this song.  It really is a sensational song that really shows Michael hadn't lost his touch between his massive phenomenon and it long awaited follow-up!
(A)

3. "Speed Demon"
A song that is about....speeding??? O_O And yet, Michael makes it sound so fresh; or at least Quincy does an exceptional job of capturing the feel of driving quickly down the highway.  I love the rock feel incorporated into the song as well as that saxophone solo.  You can tell Michael had fun with this one right here. The production of course is funky as hell and I love the short film that went along with it with Michael running away from a bunch of obnoxious stop motion animated characters.  I can't imagine not jamming the hell out of this one!
(A-)

4. "Liberian Girl"
In this warm and wonderful slow jam track, Michael sings of the woman from Liberia who have transfixed him so much that he can't stop singing to her through haunting harmonies and breathtakingly smooth beats. It's a great song that is so simple but special just the way Michael effortlessly delivers the song. :)
(B+)

5. "Just Good Friends"
Hmmmm, can't believe I'm saying this but I feel like "Just Good Friends" feels like filler to me. Not that it is a bad song. Even the likes of Stevie Wonder coming in to aid Michael on this track can't save it from sounding like nothing out of the ordinary. I mean it's freakin' Micheal Jackson AND Stevie Wonder; two remarkably influential artists of their generations but the production fails them. I'm surprised because usually Quincy's production really stands out and pops; feeling very fresh and new but here....not so much. Not a bad song by any means and the vocal efforts from both the King of Pop and Soul man himself are great; I just wish the song was better suited for them. Oh well....
(C+)

6. "Another Part of Me"
Now, this song feels much better produced and WAAAAYYY more lively than the last. I hear Michael was given his own personally made studio with a dance floor in the recording booth so he could move while recording his songs and I have no doubt that he moved a lot here!!! That bass, funk and speed of the song feels so appropriate to not only let loose vocally but physically. The harmonies are sharp and mix with the song's fluid yet rapid pace so well. This is definitely a standout on the album as Michael "squeals" and "woooos" through another masterwork! :)
(A+)

7. "Man In The Mirror"
As a singer, dancer and overall entertainer, Michael was so loved and adored around the world.  But as a social activist, he was never taken seriously. A shame as "Man In The Mirror" is one of his most astonishingly moving ballads of his very extended list of hit singles.  Michael's pleas for world changing movements starting with self-reflection are inspiring and never come off as cheesy or forced at all.  Michael was always a man of intelligence and seeking those to strive to do better so the world could be better. As much as his talent for entertainment were astronomical, his ideals for environment around the world was timeless as we are dealing with probably even worse issues now than in the late 80s. Michael was always ahead of his time and this incredible political statement is no different.
(A+)

8. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett)
In this lovely duet that became the #1 lead single off the album, both Michael and Siedah Garrett create such heartwarming magic here as they sing their hearts out about the immense affection they feel for each other. It sounds simple enough but it's so wonderfully done; both voices complimenting each other so well. Nothing more needs to be said as there is a reason why the song was such a massive  first hit off the album! :)
(A+)

9. "Dirty Diana"
Oh Dirty Diana.....a rock epic about lust, temptation and a woman so relentless to seduce every man she targets and comes across.  The production is sensational with a great guitar riff as well as an earth shattering rock vocal performance from Michael himself. Seriously, that guitar solo is so masterful.  This is another standout from the album and another huge hit off the album because it really shows Michael's diversity as an artist. This isn't the same moon walking performer anymore, he truly has crossed over and embraced the "bad" side. ;)
(A+)

10. "Smooth Criminal"
Violence, murder, danger, mystery....not to mention another timeless and chill inducing production.  "Smooth Criminal" is another essential of the Michael Jackson classics.  The beat is just so fantastic and full of so much energetic funk and merciless lyricism that how could you not instantly fall in love with it.  Mirrored by an equally exceptional video that has literally 4 versions of it, "Smooth Criminal" is criminally insane for being so good!!! :)  This shoudl always be on repeat for any MJ fan.  This cold blooded #1 single feels just as fresh over 30 years later, my God!!! O_O
(A+)

11. "Leave Me Alone"
Ending this superb showcase of some of the King of Pop's best work is this media bashing tune that has Michael almost angrily telling the press to stay out of his business and leave him be.  A simple premise but with a funky bass and a raw vocal performance incorporated with sharp harmonies, it's definitely much better than simple!!! I love this song as it is a precursor to "Scream" with sister Janet, years later!!! A appropriate end to such an amazing work of art here!!!
(A+)

So....how does one King of Pop follow up the best selling pop album of all time??? Well, that's what Michael was set out to do with "Bad", an album that took nearly 5 years after the release of the international smash, "Thriller" to complete.  In the intervening time, Michael was racking up numerous awards for said album, toured with his brothers with the Victory Tour in 1984, partnered up with various artists at the time for 1985's "We Are World" (the highest selling single at the time!!) and made a million dollar deal with Disney for the 4D film "Captain Neo" before finally heading into the studio in early 1987 to get the album's conception finally underway.  To say the anticipation for "Thriller"s successor was high would be a serious understatement.  Both "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" sold over 20 millions copies and over 65 million copies, respectively. Michael, being the ambitious perfectionist he was, was very eager to sell even more records (apparently, he wanted "Bad" to sell 100 million albums!!! JESUS!!!) Michael reportedly wrote about 60 songs, recorded 30 of them and ultimately had to shorten the album to 10 tracks with an extra track ("Leave Me Alone") making the cut right before the album release in August of 1987.  So how does the album far against his two previous Quincy Jones produced masterpieces??? While it's not near the musically organic heights of "Thriller" or has those daring disco grooves of "Off The Wall", "Bad" is still, without a doubt, a stunning conclusion in this trilogy of remarkable records.  The themes of "Bad" include, romanticism, world peace, racial profiling, media slander, even sex. It's definitely the most mature album out of the three as Michael heads toward more serious, darker material.  I suppose "Bad" meant more than just a new moniker for the Pop Legend as he could have also mean how "bad" the world was getting ("Man In The Mirror") or simply how "bad" law enforcement can be ("Speed Demon")  Either way, the album went on to make history by scoring 5 #1 singles off of one album: "Bad", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Man In The Mirror", "Smooth Criminal" and "Dirty Diana".  It was such an impressive achievement among many for the King of Pop.  It garnered him a special Grammy at the 1989 Grammys for such an accomplishment. The album, sales wise, surprisingly though didn't meet the expectations following such a massive selling album like "Thriller".  I mean the album still sold impressively regardless, with a total off between 30-35 million albums sold.  Critics were also not as kind to the album's final results as they were to his previous albums which I can not understand. "Bad" is great gritty pop, "The Way You Make Me Feel" is also smoothly rendered pop and "Leave Me Alone" targeting of the press is superb.  I think people just expected too much at the time instead of just appreciating the album for it's own thing and not as a sequel to "Thriller".  Regardless, the album garnered it's own number of awards like Best Music Video-Short Film for "Leave Me Alone" in 1990.  I also ADORED the TV special "Moonwalker" that Michael released with the album.  It's presentation in terms of story, acting and special effects (at the time) were great.  But I feel like because of "Bad" under performing, at least according to Michael's expectations, is what led to his partnership with Quincy Jones ending.  It's a shame as their work was definitely the height of Michael's colossal career and what made him into the King of Pop in the first place.  Where Michael's music would go next just wouldn't be as good as the terrific trifecta that was "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad".

"After waiting 5 years for a sequel to the highly successful and musical phenomenon, "Thriller", the world finally got "Bad", the last of his many classic collaborations with producing legend Quincy Jones. The results, regardless of sales, is some of Michael's beat work from the tough persona of the title track to the fatal storytelling of "Smooth Criminal". This is one you don't want to miss even over 3 decades later!"
(A+)