#194 Michael Jackson, 'Bad' (1987)
Previously #203
How does one follow up the biggest album of all time? It would be a mammoth task, not just practically, but mentally. Following the unprecedented success with ‘Thriller,’ Michael Jackson became prime fodder for tabloids. He quietly slipped out of the public eye while rumours about him grew. In reality, Jackson was feeling the pressure of the follow up record, while his life played out in the public eye. Once again, he teamed up with Quincy Jones. He tried new things vocally, experimented with new technology and different genres; from Hard Rock to Gospel and beyond.
The first single from the record was the passionate ballad, ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,’ a duet with Siedah Garrett. An interesting choice of first single, and was never my favourite single. The next song, however, ‘Bad,’ was a statement. With this song he had announced a sound completely different to that of ‘Thriller.’ Jackson, the pop world’s sweetheart, had embraced a “bad boy” image helped along with the short film directed by Martin Scorsese, featuring a very young Wesley Snipes. Following was an onslaught of hits; ‘The Way You Make Me Feel,’ the gospel stylings of ‘Man In The Mirror,’ the Hard Rock of ‘Dirty Diana,’ the synth-heavy ‘Another Part Of Me,’ ‘Smooth Criminal’ and Jackson’s desperate plea to the media, ‘Leave Me Alone.’ In the UK, ‘Liberian Girl’ was also a single, totalling 9 tracks from the album to be promoted at radio. The album became the first to have 5 consecutive singles peak at #1, a feat that took 24 years to be tied by Katy Perry’s ‘Teenage Dream.’ Also on the record is ‘Bad’s’ version of ‘The Girl Is Mine,’ a duet with Stevie Wonder entitled ‘Just Good Friends.’ The videos, as had come to be expected from MJ, were groundbreaking and dominated TV for the rest of the ‘80s into the ‘90s. The album will always live in the shadow of ‘Thriller.’ There will always be comparisons. The two albums are so different that it’s unfair to compare. This album stands up on its own as an incredible album. Each song exhilarating and better than the next. 34 years later and it still sounds as fresh as ever. It’s funky, its beats infectious and the songs are memorable. Jackson composed 9 out of the 11 tracks, the most tracks he’d ever contributed to a record, boasting his songwriting prowess. He also co-produced with Jones. By 1991, it was the second best-selling album of all time, behind ‘Thriller’ (it currently sits in 12th place). I truly love this record and am reminded so every time I listen to it. This was the first album I remember purchasing, my sisters and I put our money together to buy the cassette. The cassette still proudly sits amongst my collection.
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