Bad

3.5/5

What if The Last Starfighter were real? You know, that movie where the Rylan Star League puts a Starfighter video game on earth to recruit new gunners. Alex beats the game then is whisked out to space to fight the Ko-Dan Empire. Also, so as not to arouse too much suspicion, the Rylans leave behind an android clone of Alex who looks the same but acts weird. Yes, what if that were real? But, instead of a Starfighter simulator, it were pop music? Maybe that happened to Michael Jackson. After Thriller came out, the Rylan Space League abducted the King of Pop to battle the Ko-Dan Empire with song. Meanwhile, Michael's doppelgänger acted weird. God, I hope that's what happened to Michael Jackson.

ah.... how do you follow up thriller?? if it were me, i would've stopped while i was ahead. bad isn't /bad/ per se, but aside from the hits (bad, the way you make me feel, man in the mirror, smooth criminal) this album lacks the perfect track run of thriller - which - i can't begrudge anyone for not being able to meet such lofty standards. of the non-hits on here, i was surprised to like speed demon as much as i did, but the rest were forgettable... ... unlike smooth criminal, which i will have stuck in my head for the rest of the week. highlights - bad, the way you make me feel, speed demon, man in the mirror, smooth criminal

Tough to rate because it’s so deeply nostalgic and made me look up the next aerobics class openings, but it’s impossible to forget that he’s an awful person. And a few tracks are true duds. Man in the Mirror is painfully ironic.

A well deserved place, he is one of the legends that left a lasting imprint on the musical but also just pop culture scene. I don’t know, but just like Taylor Swift I am aware there is a special aura about this persona, but it never really resonated with me. Maybe it is because I was indoctrinated by the media and that shifted my perspective of him forever, maybe he just isn’t my cup of tea… but it is undeniable that he was a person with an interesting background and a great professional record. Torn between a 4 and a 3.. but I will go with my subjective feeling and rate it a 3.

Away from contriversy about what he did otr didnt do and looking at this as an album stand alone so to speak .Some of the singles still have a decent beat. They are i agree cheesy and dated but for nostelgia they do hit the spot. Nice basslines nice beats his voice although not the best fits well. However some of it is pure dross away from the singles Liberian girl for example is woeful.

Not my favorite MJ album, but still some good songs on there.

I think about all the teenage girls who waited for this album to drop and then listened to it for the first time with their best judies...... group listening parties are so missing from the culture rn

Pop in the best way

This has always been my least favorite mj album, and relistening to it it feels a bit rushed in a lot of places. Its a very sparce album which seems like a crazy word to use for Michael Jackson the perfectionist, but he clearly understands pop music of the era. The good songs work. Its funny to listen to dirty Diana and it feels so much like a sequel to Billie Jean and it just ended up a bit flat coming from him... I don't know. Its a good album but not a great one like thriller or the one after this. Plus the added drama of his life, just left me a bit unfulfilled.

I haven't listened to much michael jackson before, and now i'm left thinking, what's the big deal. It's just like any other 80s pop album

Lots of classics. See how JT is influenced by it.

Despite being full of classics, I dont love this album. No shade to Quincys work, the arrangements and musicianship (including the vocals) are top tier, but the production is just too polished. I also can't believe MJ really does so much hehe and shmon stuff. Certainly unique and innovative at the time, but now it sounds gimmicky and disruptive. Maybe that's because of how much it's been parodied in popular culture... but either way it's difficult to listen to a vicious pedophile abuser sing a song like Man in the Mirror. Separating the artist from the art, there are an incredible amount of timeless pop anthems on here, I just don't give a fuck about them.

Younger listeners might not realize that Thriller and Bad were ground-breaking achievements in Pop because they introduced the concept of "dropping the visuals" as we now call it being a cultural event. MTV had music videos, but they were largely ads for the song or just featured a visual representation of the band doing their thing. Michael changed the game with Billie Jean, creating an iconic visual moment (steps lighting up) that the song forevermore could evoke. Thriller was just another funky song until the Thriller short film was created with actors, costuming, lighting design, the works. It had a theatrical release overseas and was a major event for MTV, and it spawned one of, if not the, first viral dance video. This guy was creating memes (the Smooth Criminal gangster lean, moonwalk, and more) while crafting a Pop persona, his own mythology that anyone could enjoy and get into. His ability to keep an album in rotation on MTV and the radio waves alike was unprecedented, and it revolved around this use of the visual media that we now all take for granted. Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and especially Taylor Swift have all taken pages from this playbook over the years, so to say that he created the modern Pop template would not be an exaggeration. Why this is relevant: Bad is not a particularly great album on its own. It was never meant to be. It generated five #1 hits (because that's what most pop albums were, a collection of singles) and fueled a live show and series of music videos that created iconic moments in pop culture history, but the songs themselves weren't really that special. When you listen to the stuff in isolation, and especially without knowing the bigger picture of what happened before and since these achievements, you don't get the full impression of how it contributed to history and why it has a place on this list of 1001 albums. With all that said, many of these songs don't hold up so well, and I don't award points for outsized cultural impact alone. This was a remarkable moment and achievement in music production, most of which had nothing to do with the music itself.

good!

I understand the popularity, and enjoy some of the songs, but not really for me.

Der er godt nok mange store hits på denne her. tror der er 5 kæmpe store singler så man har jo nærmest allerede lyttet til det. Det var opfølgeren til thriller som var meget quincy jones, hvor det her nærmest kun er michael jackson som har skrevet osv. Det har et mere råt udtryk. Der er sgu ikke så meget at tilføje, det er jo the King of pop så selvfølgelig skal det være på listen?? men med det sagt så er jeg sgu ikke så meget på lyden af 80'erne og jeg har det på samme måde med det her, men jeg synes det var fedt at høre det fulde album. og så er dirty diana nok en af mine favorit MJ sange. Musikvideoer var også her de fik deres helt store gennembrud eller viste at de kunne være mere også. Martin scorsese har instrueret nogle af dem??

The Way You Make Me Feel is my favorite MJ song, but aside from that and a few of the classics, there isn't too much here. 6/10

never thought i would be saying this, but the singles are so good that the middle of this album is just fine.

Colder in tone than Off The Wall and Thriller, but just as polished and slick. There are some classics on here, but it’s so dated. The one I like best of his big three, but not sure it’s a must hear before you die.

3.5 stars, very 80s sound

Not Bad. Aber ebe doch Bad. Aber ned s Schlecht-Bad. Meh de Name Bad. Jetzt hetti lust uf es Bad. Nämlich es Romantischs mit viel Roseblätter und Cherzeliecht. I dem Moment wär am Michi sis überromantische Album passend. Sust Findis doch chli zwenig Michael-Action. (Ussert einzelni wie Bad (s Lied, ned s Album, ned s Bade und ned s englische Wort für schlecht) oder Dirty Diana. Für 4 hee-hee's langes leider doch ned, defür für 3 Tschemounen

De namensvetter isch eifach nöd so min vibe. Scho ikonisch, aber au vill z fest ghyped. Ich gib dem bürstli 3 sternlis und guet isch. Zu mal ich mal nüm wiiter nahforsche zu kinderskandals

sali michi grundsätzlich hesch da uf dem album scho paar bangers platziert, also bad würdis jetzt scho nöd nänne aber irgendwie fallts mer au schwer dich hützutag unironisch z'lose (ussert bi «the way you make me feel») daher schwank ich zwüsched 3 und 4 zechespitze und jawohl boys you guessed wrong: es gid 3

I knew that I will get Michael Jackson at some point. I will try to separate art from the artist here because we know that he has bad reputation for what he did. I feel conflicted to write about this but I find it would be honest to clarify that. So what I think about it? I like how it starts with song Bad which I liked. Overall album sounds more or less with a tune of the 80s pop music where there's a lot of songs about love, heartbreak and whatever you want. It has a lot of stuff that I like musically. And I understand it's part of history. Tbf I prefer George Michael. Fav tracks Bad The Way You Make Me Feel Liberian Girl Smooth Criminal 3/5

Very dated and cheesy sounding and not the best songs. 3 stars

Not Bad. Just cheesy. The album cover designer should have not scrawled the word ‘Bad’ with red spray paint but the word ‘Cheesy’ instead. Or better yet write it out with a tube of squirty cheese. The album itself is filled with good songs but it’s backed mainly by digital keyboards and dance beats with a fiercely squelchy cheese undercurrent that has all aged much worse than anything off of Thriller or Off The Wall. On top of that you have a few outright clunkers like Speed Demon and Just Good Friends with Stevie Wonder which is a true diabolical cheesy abyss. Back half of the album is fairly fine though with standouts such as Man In The Mirror and Smooth Criminal even though that was done better by Alien Ant Farm. (Philadelphia) Light 3.5 stars.

2.75

Never listened to the whole album before, hardly needed to given how many of the hits have been high rotation, forever. While I recognise the quality, I prefer Off the Wall and Thriller.

Classic

Didn’t love it…always felt that Michael Jackson calling himself “bad” was a bit ridiculous.

Frank really fucked up my MJ listening experience. Was it really a Liberian... boy? Blocking all that out - I like Off The Wall and Thriller, everything else I could do without. That said, some of these songs rip. Smooth Criminal.... i don't care how many b.... nevermind. It's a great song!

Nothing close to Thriller in my opinion, but it still finds a good amount of uniqueness. Smooth Criminal is a fantastic song that pops off this album. The other hits are fine, but sound overdone at this point.

The highs are high and the lows are low. Can't say I enjoyed anything but the hits - Man In the Mirror by far the highlight. I'm kind of ashamed to say I was a little bummed to see an MJ - itching to go back to the messy chaos of Jim and the Doors. I had to look up what Liberian Girl was about. Like, surely there's a reason he chose this very specific country none of us ever think about. He must know someone from Liberia. Nope - just a song about an "exotic woman" and he thought Liberia fit the bill. Ted - I'm a little bummed Dirty Diana wasn't your first dance.

A mix of good songs and songs that aren't good enough to overcome the 80's production. Most of them are good though! "Man in the Mirror" is my favorite Jackson song not named "Billie Jean," "Smooth Criminal" has those sinister verses and big climaxes, and "Dirty Diana" has some great guitar. There are three other #1 hits on this album, but of those I really only care for "The Way You Make Me Feel." The rest of the songs suffer more from the percussive synths that are all over this. "Speed Demon," is the worst example, it sounds so clunky. Compare that to "Man in the Mirror" and the smoother sound. The vocals are great throughout, but they can't change the fact it doesn't always sound as full and lush as dance pop should. Worth a listen for the best singles, but there's not much more to it than that.

This is a good album, another one I've never sat and listened to from front to back, yet still know most of the songs. Smooth Criminal is a standout for me, and while I prefer Thriller for having a little more of an edge, I really liked this album. I'm rating it a 3, but it really should be a 3.5.

52/1001 Michael Jackson - Bad Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ I'm lukewarm when it comes to Michael Jackson at the best of times and this album hasn't changed my opinion. The singles from it range from OK to great and the rest is just there. Never got the hype, never will.

As an album it's definitely better than I expected. Just all around good fun, except Liberian Girl. That song is terrible. I didn't realise how many hits came out of this album, Bad, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal, etc. They're definitely the best songs, who would've thought, but they're definitely hits for a reason, although The Way You Make Me Feel just feels uncomfortable with the context of MJ being a CP. That about describes the whole album, great songs that are made uncomfortable because of who made it.

Its Micheal Jackson, what do I say

Classic - i had never actually listened to the album all the way through. I'm impressed with just how many monumentally successful songs are on this album.

It's safe to say that following up a masterpiece like Thriller would be a challenge for anyone, including Michael Jackson. Put whatever thoughts you have about the person and focus on the music, this is a good album. It's a GOOD follow up to one of the best albums ever made. Is it as good? Not even close. But it's loaded with bangers and I was happy to hear the Bad 25 version with the second disc being loaded with outtakes and demos that became real songs (Al Capone becoming Smooth Criminal for example). So after listening and re-rating all the tunes (I initially rated the entire album a long time ago, and my music ear is a lot better now than then), I came up with a 3.25 / 5 stars. Not many tracks really came up as amazing 5 star tracks that I need to hear all the time, unlike Thriller which has several 5 star tracks. It's just the consequence of a follow up album. 3.25 seems about right.

First listen of the 1001 albums, first listen to this album. It's a classic, but overall it's a bit underwhelming. Does show signs of the times (some horrible synth and bass sounds there). Still, holds up better than other albums of the era. Somewhere in the middle I guess.

5 Love Michael Jackson’s music but I hate how he diddles kids so I am not sure how I feel. Neutral score.

Formulaic

MJ proves once again that he’s the King of Pop. Strong threefer to start the album and another one to finish it, does have a dip between Speed Demon and Man in the Mirror, but all good. L = (3.5*s) It’s Good , it’s good, not Bad, not Bad! J = (3.2*s) Before this listen, I don’t think I’ve ever heard this entire album. And I don’t think they ever stopped doggin’ him around. Looking forward to seeing Moonwalker, which I’m now sure I’ve never seen.

25% iconic 75% bland

At first I thought, how is the total rating so low, when it has Smooth Criminal, Bad, Dirty Diana, & The Way You Make Me Feel? But then I remembered I hate Man in the Mirror, and boy there's a lot of filler on this. Comes out to a 3 for me too.

Starts and ends strong, middle is a bit weak.

Unfortunately much overplayed, so even though the songs are good, it's hard to appreciate them as they should.

Even without the allegations l, I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan , and this hasn't changed my mind.

Not the type of pop I like but damn, I was singing along with way too many of these songs...

lowk nostalgic

classic, knew some of the hits already. not my favorite flavor of pop

Ok but kind of got bored during the weaker parts, nowhere near as good as his others on the list

I don’t think I’d ever listened to a full Michael Jackson record before. Couple of all timer songs on here too. Maybe not my favourite genre or anything but the sheer confidence of this record is so impressive

A few really great songs on here - Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal, The Way You Make Me Feel. But some of the others just feel pretty uninteresting to me. Plus the questionable at best artist. Sigh.

Nonce music

3/5

Not my thing, but great album

I feel like Michael Jackson is an interesting person in both good and bad ways and this album is a reflection of that.

man in the mirror is such a good song. hard listen knowing what a pos he was tho..

It falls off after the first two songs. but picks up near the end. Worse than Thriller, but still ok.

IDk not as good as any of his albums I've heard so far, I think its just quite outdated mostly, with the beats, which he was kind of doing better in the late 70s on Off the Wall, I think quite a lot of the synth-funk stuff doesn't groove as hard as with real instruments, just feels too rigid. I also think the adlibs get a bit stale, maybe he should have thought of a few new ones or something. Its not that bad though, I like the title song a lot more than I thought I did. I do like the ambient synth pads in the intros to Liberian Girl and smooth criminal, kinda wish they were implemented in the actual songs. Favourite songs: bad, just good friends, another part of me, smooth criminal, leave me alone. Overall around 5/10

Groovy. His voice sounds like someone is squeezing him like a squeaky toy

A few tracks I enjoyed - mostly the ones I already knew. A few I thought were okay and then some that actively annoyed me. Overall just not really my thing but I will always sing along to those songs I already knew. Fav song: Smooth Criminal - also liked Man in the Mirror (sung this on stage with a school choir when I was younger so it gets nostalgia points) Least fav: Speed Demon

Popularity has ruined it for me.

An uneven album, that ranges from excellent to bland. 3 stars. Would I listen again? No Would I buy this album? No Side One 1 "Bad" - Lyrically the chorus is a bit naff "really, really bad". "Shamone," is a nice nod to Marvis Staples". Musically, it's very good and catchy. "Who's Bad?" - 4 Stars 2 "The Way You Make Me Feel" - More in the vein of 'Off The Wall', and even 'Thriller'. A very good pop song. The best song on the album. - 5 Stars 3 "Speed Demon" - 3 Stars 4 "Liberian Girl" - 3 Stars 5 "Just Good Friends" - 3 Stars Side Two 6 "Another Part of Me" - 3 Stars 7 "Man in the Mirror" - This is all about the chorus, which is very good, and the chorus carries the song. The drums sound awful. - 3 Stars 8 "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" - 2 Stars 9 "Dirty Diana" - A very good song spoilt by a clunky title and chorus. Steve Stevens guitar is immediately recognisable. - 3 Stars 10 "Smooth Criminal" - Now, this is more like it. - 4 Stars 11 "Leave Me Alone" - 4 Stars Total - 37/55 Average - 3.36

Listened to the Thriller cassette tape a bunch when I was young, but first time listening to Bad. The radio hit are still bangers (even if AAF's version of Smooth Criminal is better) but the rest is pretty meh.

Hard to rate this one. I was assuming it would be an automatic 5. But man are there some terrible songs on here.

So bad it is good?

as Album Bad wurde in den Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles aufgenommen. Michael Jackson, ein US-amerikanischer Sänger und Tänzer, arbeitete dafür erneut mit dem Produzenten Quincy Jones zusammen, wie bereits bei den beiden Vorgängeralben. Das Werk erschien 1987 und ist musikalisch dem Pop-Genre zuzuordnen, enthält aber auch Einflüsse aus Rock, Funk und R&B. Zu den stilprägenden Stücken gehören unter anderem „Bad“, „Man in the Mirror“ und „Smooth Criminal“. Diese Songs trugen wesentlich dazu bei, Jacksons musikalisches Profil zu schärfen und sein öffentliches Image weiterzuentwickeln. Besonders auffällig ist dabei der stärker ausgeprägte persönliche und gesellschaftskritische Ton einiger Titel. Bad wirkt in seiner Produktion durchdacht und zielgerichtet. Es zeigt einen Künstler, der nach kommerziellem Erfolg weiterhin musikalisch aktiv gestalten will. Die klare Struktur der Songs und die professionelle Umsetzung geben dem Album eine gewisse Stringenz. Insgesamt hinterlässt Bad den Eindruck einer kontrollierten, aber ambitionierten Veröffentlichung, die Jacksons künstlerische Entwicklung dokumentiert.

I honestly was kinda disappointed by this one, I've always heard this is like one of THE pop rock albums to listen to. Aside from the hits and Dirty Diane, I didn't really remember much of the album afterwards, it felt like it was lacking a certain spark. However the musicianship was brilliant. I think a 3 is fair, I didn't think it was bad, just didn't live up to my expectations, which isn't necessarily it's fault.

Cmon Girl! Weeheee

I graduated from highschool in the 80s. And even at the time, I didn't care too much for the pop superstars, like MJ and Madonna. This album has some fantastic tracks, like Smooth Criminal, but overall, it leaves me with a meh feeling. 3.5/5

Fav: Smooth Criminal Least Fav: Speed Demon Smooth Criminal is up there in the ranks of songs that save an album from being completely average, it’s back must be aching

Bad is good, but not great. The hits are there but they don't hit as hard as the ones on Thriller and neither do the B-sides. "Bad" (the song) is just a poor man's "Beat It". "Smooth Criminal" is fantastic and so is "Dirty Diana". "Man in the Mirror" I have mixed feelings about but overall its a good addition. This is still probably the last solid MJ album but it will never compare to his previous two records. Favorite track: Smooth Criminal 3.5/5

Strangle listening to this in 25, so familiar but really synthetic.

The King of Pop, pretty good

Would have been much better if recorded with real instruments instead of 80s Casio keyboard style sounds.

Not my favourite Jackson era, but it can’t be denied that there’s some bangers on this album. Something sounded a bit off with the production to be on this one in that very cheap hollow way that people really leant into during the 80s. Still, the greatness of songs like Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal can’t be denied.

Old fun! 3/5 #albumsky #musicsky #albumchallenge

classic

It’s fine. I think MJ made two must-listen albums, Off the Wall and Thriller. On this record I love “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and I know “Man in the Mirror” is corny as fuck but I still like that one. “Dirty Diana” and “Smooth Criminal” and “Bad” are solid B-songs. But a good half of this album is disposable.

3/5. Difficult to rate a Michael Jackson record in general, but this one had more songs on it that I enjoyed than not. Yes, he's a "bad" (get it?) person but I'm just listening to the music here. Some tracks on here are absolute classics, while the other ones are on the other end and very forgettable. Seeing the track list, I was hoping to like this better than I was expecting but I was a little disappointed. I would say this gets to be an okay album, even though I know many of these songs defined a generation. Even without the baggage of Michael as a person, the album was overall just good, not bad, but also is bad, because that's the album. I'll see myself out. Best Song: Smooth Criminal, Man In The Mirror, Dirty Diana, Bad

I know he's good but his albums just make me sad for his short life

A: Bad, Smooth Criminal B+: Dirty Diana B: Man in the Mirror, The Way You Make Me Feel C: Another Part of Me, Leave Me Alone D: Speed Demon, Just Good Friends F: Liberian Girl, I Just Can't Stop Loving You

Very slick, catchy, and polished, and lots of hits to show for it. It's very produced, and while busy, everything seems very intentional. The instrumentation does suffer at times from feeling incredibly dated, and is sometimes a bit much. The sound of the album is distinct, which can sometimes lead to blurring between the more forgettable filler tracks; still, with a few slower songs, like the seductive 'Liberian Girl' and the soulful 'Man in the Mirror', or even the darker, rockier 'Dirty Diana', there’s some nice variation. Great pop album, with some funk and soul influences. 'Smooth Criminal' is the album at its best: Catchy, sharp, and perfectly produced, with great vocals.

c'est MJ quoi Mais pas ma came de fou

Okay album. Was interesting to learn this was the follow up to thriller. The hits were good, the rest of the album kinda fades into the background. So many HEE HEEs!

I could've given a 4 but there were too many not good tracks. Thriller was way better

Pop, 1987 -> 3

If you told me in 1995 that "Thriller" had two #1 singles and "Bad" had five #1 singles, I would have challenged you to cite your sources, because I would not have believed you. Maybe its just because Thriller was fucking everywhere for years after its release that I assumed it had more #1s, but its interesting to me that something that sold so many albums only had 2 of 7 singles hit #1. Before now, I had never listened to a Michael Jackson LP in its in entirety; because I'd heard the singles so many times, there was simply no need to hear them in an album (and I was sick of them, even if I'd loved them, which I didn't). While this LP had more #1 hits, I don't think they "stuck" as well as the ones on Thriller, and they certainly didn't get MTV play for as many months on end. 9 of the 10 tracks on Bad became singles (to be fair, at least two weren't singles in the US , including the terrible "Liberian Girl": Compare that to thriller's 7 singles from 9 tracks (which also has some clunkers- "The Girl is Mine" has not aged well, either) and the high expectations for this LP (how do you follow up a smash that is literally the best selling record of all time?) and it's hard to view this record without comparing it to Thriller. That said, it gets a three because Speed Demon and Liberian girl are awful, and Dirty Diana is not great, either. But Smooth Criminal has one of the best riffs of all time, even if you aren't a fan of this kind of pop.

I really hope Annie is OK.

Favorites: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal A classic album for sure, but I'd be hard-pressed to say that this is my favorite pop record (and far from as great as Thriller is). Still, there's lots to love and admire here. As a follow-up to one of the most instantly beloved pop records of all time, Bad is... Not bad!

Mikke osaa villitä

Was a fun listen with some really iconic tracks, but besides the hits nothing really kind of grabbed me while listening. The hits are straight bangers though, and it’d be hard to listen to an mj album and not be captured by the production, musicality, and the insane vocals. Fav Track: Smooth Criminal

Of its genre (bombastic 1980's pop) it's undoubtedly one of the best. Popular in the extreme, so many tracks that sound familiar and a unique performer. But as an album I looks forward to listening to again....not so much. And that's without discussing MJ the person...

Not as strong as Thriller. Period.

I used to love Michael Jackson, he was one of my favourite artists growing up and I was devastated when he died as I was only about 8. I didn’t know anything about his allegations but I did as I got older and as a result, his music played less in my rotations. Having said that, I still love his music so I was expecting to thoroughly enjoy this album. I liked it but as the album went on, there’s a reason the hits are popular and the rest isn’t. Most of it is kinda mid but it also has some of my favourite MJ songs on it being The Way You Make Me Feel and I Just Can’t Stop Loving You. So a mixed bag really.

2-3 decent songs.

-These are types of albums that make me feel like I should of rated over ones higher b/c it feels criminal (no pun intended) to give it anything below 3 stars but it’s not the same for me as other 3 stars -just feels like an album full of 4ish hits and then background music -dirty Diana might be my favorite, I think it most musicality appealing to me

Solid 80s pop, he's the king, but I didn't vote for him

3 Stars (8/15)

-Bad: synths go hard. I know this song really well. The drums are hypnotizing. I didn't know the meaning behind the song was regarding fighting back against oppressors, specifically Black youth/adults in the sphere of police + societal oppression. The drums make it real good and serve as a strong backbone to this song's overall feel. -The Way You Make Me Feel: very familiar with this song again, MJ was a pretty big deal in my family. The strings, synth, and horns are awesome on this track. Obviously, drums too. It is the feeling of certainty and excitement when you met the one. "my lonely days are gone" is such a sweet line. -Speed Demon: FUCKING BASSSSSSS HOLY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The buildup towards the end of the song is incredible, love them horns. -Liberian Girl: transition from the last song flows good. I do enjoy the intention to uplift the women of Liberia. Appreciate that he used vocals from South-African singer Letta Mbulu. The instrumental FUCKS. This wasn't originally released in the U.S. which is interesting. I've never heard this song. Not sure if I'm the biggest fan of this one. -Just Good Friends: Stevie Wonder and MJ team up for this track. Again, bass on this album is hitting - on this song, it slaps. I'm not quite sure what's going on lyric-wise... Are they both seeing the same girl without knowing? LOL kinda odd. The guitar's effects sound synthy and fun. Their voices sound good together. -Another Part of Me: the lyrics are very empowering on a humanity unification level. Reminds me of Black or White's message. Positivity in the face of oppression. The instrumental again is impeccable. Big horns and drums before the chorus hit each time. This again resonates in the highly charged political climate that we exist in, we all are experiencing it as one... "You're just another part of me." -Man in the Mirror: To make a difference in the world, you gotta start within. I have heard this one million times, probably one of his best. It is a beautiful message of self-growth and learning to fully accept and love yourself. The drums carry this song. Sweet layered synths add to the reflective lyrics. I will say this song drags on a bit, I don't love how repetitive it is. But that break before the choir & MJ during the chorus is crazy. The emotion of how hard the self-healing journey is. The choir behind his vocals adds fullness. -I Just Can't Stop Loving You: "I'm so proud to say I love you" - this ballad is so sweet. Siedah Garrett's vocals layer like honey on MJ's. The choir in the back sounds angelic, perfectly matching the dreamy lyrics. I enjoy the inclusion of snaps too. Love the piano in this. I love following the Man in the Mirror; once you can love yourself, you can fully love someone else as he talks about in this one. -Dirty Diana: guitar has a nice lead on this, it really adds a rock-star intense feel. The fact that this song is about his disgust for groupies, "Diana," the crowd cheering post-chorus fits well. The drums and strings post-interlude are intense. This has strong storytelling, I can envision this perfectly. Not my favorite and I don't enjoy calling women "dirty" for being sexual, but hey, it was the late 80s and quite frankly, she tries to destroy his love life for her own personal gain, so... -Smooth Criminal: I KNOW THIS SONG LIKE THE BACK OF MY HAND. I wanted to do a cappella tap solo to this. I have seen the music video millions of times. One of my personal favorites. I didn't put together that Annie, are you ok is an allusion to CPR Annie for teaching resuscitation. The bass fucking hits and the drums remind me of gun shots. Horns too. I think there's layered basses which fucks. This was originally made to be a Western musical with MJ as the gunslinger, but then it turned into a gangster scene. -Leave Me Alone: bass carries this song, the drums are intense, sounding like claps. The lyrics are pretty sad as he is being used by someone he loved, and he's at his last straw. The real meaning is targeting the media publishing lies about him, which makes a lot more sense, even though it still would in the context of a deceitful lover. The instrumental interlude is sick. The outro is him pleading whoever to stop begging him, I like his yelling vocals.

Obviously a classic pop album. Some amazing tracks. But it's not Thriller. I enjoyed listening to this again

Extremely uneven - 3 all time greats, pure fun bangers (Bad, Smooth Criminal, The Way You Make me Feel) and then a heaping pile of schmaltzy saccharine bullshit. Noone cares about the ballads, MJ, we're here for the dance hits so cut out the crooning, it's truly awful. The 80s guitar shredding is kind of good and really funny.

In the flood of ’80s pop, this album stands out for being more polished and eclectic, even with its slick, synthetic sound. Like it or not, I ended up absorbing half the tracks and I’ve got to admit, some still hit hard these days (Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal…).

The hits good, some are great! But the rest is forgettable.

Can’t lie felt a bit icky listening to this in 2025 but I tried to put all that too one side when I listened. This album is not as good as I remember it and some of it is bad… Librarian Girl. Some of it is still great… Smooth Criminal.

Mulla on ollut aukko sivistyksessä, kun en Michael Jacksonin musiikista tiennyt pahemmin mitään. Kyllähän tämän kuunteli ja ajoittain oli ihan menevää jumputusta.

Miikkaelia ajalta jolloin vielä justjust näytti ihmiseltä. Muutos oli jo kyl käynnissä. Rillerin jälkeen paha pistää paremmaks ja ei onnistunu. Tekis mieli antaa 3,5

Hyvä levy vaikka ei nyt thrillerin veroinen. Muutama biisi sai oikein jalan tamppaamaan.

This one falls into a very similar realm to most pop albums where the hits are great and everything else just falls flat. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have heard some of these songs hundreds of times.

Bad to me is just ok. Has its moments but something about it grinds my gears a bit. The Way You Make Me Feel has always been a great song for me. Top tier song from MJ. Don't care at all for Liberian Girl. I have a love hate relationship with Man In The Mirror. Has its moments. Smooth Criminal is awesome but everyone knows Alien Ant Farms version is >>>>> This was solid enough but really didn't care for some songs. Going high 3 here.

Some obvious bangers, but I prefer Off the Wall and Thriller. I feel like this is the transition where he started... you know...

This is a great pop record and I can't deny how groundbreaking and influential it was but I can't find myself gravitating towards it. I don't think I will seek it out frequently.

There are undeniable hits throughout, but with enough maudlin syrup to drag it down to three stars.

This album is surprisingly aggressive. The mixing on the synth and drums really make it hit. But still Michael's voice shines through in contrast. Man in the mirror was a real stand out for me. I do feel like the value in this album comes from the production. Having said that I'm not sure I fully understand it's inclusion on this list. Solid album, but I think he has other more grand works. This one feels so dated and a product of its time. Still enjoy it. Still not sure how I feel listening to him in the context of his actions.

Going to listen for the first time to this album, I thought I would like it more than I really did, because Michael Jackson's voice and style is one of a kind and incredible, but this album felt a bit dated for me, both for the instrumentation and some of the songs structures, and I'm not talking about 'Bad' or 'Smooth Criminal', which are undeniable bangers, I'm refering to tracks like 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You' or 'Liberian Girl'. The expectations really did me dirty on this one.

Some great songs but some crap on here as well. Doesn’t hold up all that well 30+ years later.

Can appreciate MJ for his impact on the music scene, but it's not one of my favorite genres and styles.

A few good songs, not a big Michael Jackson fan. I decided The Way You Make Me Feel is a banger

Album alone is 4 1/2 stars, but the other stuff we know makes this a 3.

Very interesting to have an album where i've heard half the songs a million times and half maybe never. In the big year 2025, some of this doesn't quite hit for me but there is some amazing Quincy Jones work and synth sounds are crazy sick. I will say that some of the big ones: Smooth Criminal, Bad, TWYMMF, etc. could be taken for granted by me at this stage in the game.

It’s not bad .. but he was.

First 2 tracks were my favorite. Sounds a bit korny hearing all the synth and 80’s like jams.

Paar goede liedjes maar de rest was matig

Better than expected, can’t separate the art from the artist lolz

i like some of the songs buuuuut

Lots of nostalgia for this album. It's a lot poppier than I remember. Thriller felt like pop-rock, but this feels like super light bubblegum pop. The couple of big hits from album are good, but I could have not listened to the rest of the album and been happy. My rating: 3/5.

bad- 6. the chorus is good the way you make me feel- 5 speed demon- 5 Liberian girl- 4 just good friends- 5 another part of me- hee hee. 5 man in the mirror- 4 I just can't stop loving you- 5 dirty diana- 5 smooth criminal- he said the line. this song is not that good. I've heard better Michael Jackson songs that shoulda been more popular. 6 leave me alone- me to Michael Jackson. 5 maybe we should just admit Michael Jackson is a child molesting hack

The reviews seem to be either very good or very bad. Bad, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal are all good tracks, but the rest of the album genuinely feels like the B track of Thriller. Plus, he's a nonce.

Мало что могу сказать. Бодрый танцевальный поп. Песня "Саня ты в порядке?" лучшая на альбоме.

Classic.

Minus 2 stars for kid diddling

Great art, terrible person.

3 - 5 songs were very strong and the others didn’t do much for me. The deeper cuts may be a victim to the success of the big singles.

awwww shit

Feel like this album is feeling it's age a bit with some of its sounds, but its still basically one of the best examples of that sound. I do prefer Jackson's harder edge on some songs here, but Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal are the only songs that I'd really come back to. Very much don't really care for the lighter R&B songs here.

The finale of Smooth Criminal and Dirty Diana is untouchable, but were some weak tracks to get there.

There are two or three decent songs on this (I liked Another Part Of Me), but quite a few one-star efforts too. Jackson's delivery on Man in the Mirror doesn't suit the song at all. Overall, a massive drop off from earlier Jackson material.

Feels really aged in the modern day but it’s still enjoyable through the record.

It's time for the popular question: should we separate the art from the artist? The artist of discussion here was quite bad, and a smooth criminal. However, the artist is also dead, so perhaps it's not worth discussing anymore. With that out of the way, other than his Hit songs, this album was just a typical 1980s Pop Album. Favorite Track: "Smooth Criminal"(but Alien Ant Farm's version is so much better).

Bad and Smooth Criminal are true bangers. The rest, I kind of sleeped on

There are some good songs on here but they're all like 30 seconds too long.

Meh. I mean you really can't deny, he was very good at what he did. I mean so many hits spawn just from this one album. And while I don't mind them. I just don't really care for them either.

I mean, he's the King of Pop. Compare how much fuller this sounds to, say, George Michael - he's got a great voice, he's got great tunes, and he's got energy. Coming off two other pop-ish albums that are much more layered, it still has an 80s flatness. Listen to the hits, which I think are still good (although the title track is flat) and move on with your life, though I can't stop lovin' you took me by surprise. I'd even go so far to say that the back half is stronger. That said, I think it's just Fine, but that might be the fact that this kind of music doesn't resonate with me.

This one is not my favorite of Michael's, I even like Dangerous more than this one I think. But it's still got a few great tracks, especially Another Part Of Me. Less likely to revisit this album compared to his others, but still enjoyable. 3/5

An album that is dragged down by its duds as much as it is uplifted by its hits. Smooth Criminal is an elite pop song, undone by Liberian Girl, Speed Demon, etc...

Синглы еще как-то в порядке, а вот все остальное... Хз , по мне после триллера 5 лет делать это - было не лучшее решение

Classic movie

so many bangers, way too long. esp the late 80s slow anthems

Huh. This is no thriller. In my head it was part of his glory years, in terms of being good, and it clearly was sales and popularity wise, but listening with some distance - this is where he fell off. Apparently he produced a lot along with Quincy Jones, and it just sounds like polished boring funky pop of its time. His vocal affectations become more dumb and annoying than dumb and fun. The lyrics are corny and sappy and annoying rather than corny and fun. Your butt is mine. Hm. Smooth criminal is a great song. "Dirty Diana" and "The way you make me feel" are good. The rest of it not so much.

Dated.

This isn’t my favorite type of music in the world, but there’s a lot to like about Bad. Great energy, great beats, great bass lines, and lots of attitude. It’s not one I’d put on regularly, but if someone else played it, I’d listen happily.

A couple really great songs - specifically Man in the Mirror and Smooth Criminal, and a lot that just isn't that memorable.

I just can't separate art from the artist

No 3 best albums of MJ! 3,5 stars

Lots of hits on this album. Polarizing now but talented no matter where you stand. 3.5-4

Not even his best albun

3.5

Made for the CLUB. every song is 90s too long. Seinfeld bass and a percussion track that sounds like an 8ft 2x4 falling on a concrete floor. 3.41

Great album. No stinkers. Not a huge fan of 80s pop production so that’s the only real draw back for me

Buen disco, con algunas facetas que no se conocen de Michael... no, esas no. En fin, me gustó. Nota: 3.6

The more well known songs are good, like the title track and Smooth Criminal, but the rest don't really live up to the same heights. His vocals don't do the backing track justice. Some of these basslines are amazing. If his voice was better it could be a 5 star album

Several big hits but also some misses. Great production

The hits are massive but the middle third of this record is forgettable. Also, it's pop. So there is a limit to how high I can rate this thing.

Mid

It's MJ's 2nd biggest album...this was designed to be a blockbuster. It's surprisingly "back-loaded" with hits. Highlights: "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Dirty Diana", "Smooth Criminal"

I don't enjoy most of this album. I hate MJ's voice. Most of the production is the purest and stinkiest '80s cheese. Its influence is responsible for an onslaught of falsetto'd bad boys (e.g. Timberlake, Chris Brown, The Weeknd) who've never bested Michael's appeal. But "Smooth Criminal" is an all-time heater and, for better or worse, Bad is his magnum opus. It's the first record of Michael's to feel like it's coming from the perspective of a living person with problems as opposed to several micromanagers in a trenchcoat, which adds a layer of interest on top of the raw talent and earworms that've always been there.

Some excellent singles and a few hidden gems, but ultimately fairly straightforward. Great singing, but the musicianship was over produced

Very 80s. I struggle with that. The dated production. Lots of great songs to sweeten the deal. It's not as good as Thriller (not a lot is). But then Jackson's charisma is off the scale throughout. It's giving me mixed emotions.

Over produced, and many of the songs are pretty basic.

not one of my fav michael jackson albums. it's the first time i listen to this entire thing in order & i rly can't say any of the tracks on this stick with me... which i am a bit disappointed by. definitely not one i'll return to voluntarily i think

I've never heard the album before. Lots of big hits, this album was hugely successful. For me this album doesn't touch Thriller's greatness, and just seems like a guy copying past success.

The singles are familiar and of a fairly high quality but the album tracks don't really do much for me.

you've been hit by you've been struck by truck

Its not bad its good, kinda weird how songs sound on the album compared to their single versions. Anyway smooth criminal is the best song ever

Heard this so many times when it came out, I even know what the sound the next song will start with. Dirty Diana has always been my favourite MJ tune.

Bad 3.8 The Way You Make Me Feel 3.4 Speed Demon 2.8 Liberian Girl 3 Just Good Friends 2.9 Another Part of Me 3 Man in the Mirror 3 I Just Can't Stop Loving You 3.1 Dirty Diana 3.2 Smooth Criminal 4 Leave Me Alone 2.8 Score: 3.181818182

Smooth Criminal is such a good song

Classic. I like the popular hits but the other songs sound a bit repetive but thats just me. No wonder he was so popular.

jam packed pop album. Of the two albums I've listened to by Michael Jackson for this project (Bad and Off The Wall), this one had more schmoopy, wholly unbelievable ballads.

Well, it's not Thriller. I like the Stevie Wonder song. It's a good counterpoise to the tough guy songs that follow the overall theme of the record.

Good but prefer Thriller

I get it. This is M effing J. Retrospectively, eminently talented and prolific in the realm of joy affirming mainstream music. His whole life he was awash in intrinsic talent and fortuitous songwriting and production partnerships. However, this record seems like it took a detour down a slightly less brilliant alleyway. Yet another record I never actually listened to, although already familiar with most of it from MTV and such. Oh, and thanks to Weird Al. The songs aren't cohesive and lack some of the electrical charge. Just speculating that the ascent to King of Pop went to his head.

There are truly some bangers on this album - Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal. But for me as an album, I think it’s alright.

Please see Facebook review

This album wasn't bad, but besides the hits I couldn't keep myself very interested.

I can totally see how MJ took the world by storm when these albums first came out. They're still good today but back then they must have been absolutely incredible to hear the first time.

Качает

I know he’s MJ and I know he’s good but this album wasn’t my favorite. The lead songs are good and Mj is such a fantastic singer that it almost doesn’t matter.

I like his older records better. This one sounds like cheap keyboards. Too robotic. The best songs are towards the end. I thought maybe it took some time to get into it, so I started over. Same. I remember it was huge when it was new. I didn't like it then. I'm still not a fan. Favorite song: man in the mirror.

Even more of a singles compilation than Thriller is. I prefer it over Thriller, even though it doesn't have anything to top the fantastic trio of songs on there. Bad is good, The way you make me feel is bad. Speed Demon has one of the coolest baselines known to man. Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal and Leave Me Alone are all classic tracks, the rest in between could be stolen. Overall somewhere in the middle.

Very good album, knocked off a star because he's a diddler.

Another classic.

It has the tunes, the voice, the synth but like before I refuse to give any musical nonces more than 3* with the exception of Townshend... And possibly glitter

Still not a huge Michael Jackson fan, though this wasn't "bad".

Good

Lots of hits, but not really my favourite artist

Fine album. Some hits that have stood the test of time but overall I thought the album was decent.

So. Goddamn. Cheesy. If were to distil the essence of the 80s, you'd get this album and a jar of hair gel. There are only (hehe) a couple of standout songs that (da) you'd remember. The others aren't (ow) terrible, mostly, but I'm (ah) so sick of drum machines (shamwow) 2.5/5

Aged worse than I thought it did. Still a fair amount of bangers though. 3.5/5

Decent album. Some really good songs but not totally my vibe.

Had a lot of the singles, and they were good. The rest kind of seemed like dated, low quality sample, pop music.

Michael Jackson, Like Madonna, is a consummate performer. But his works are also chronically overproduced and stylized in ways that to me make them seriously flawed. The music of this album covers a range of pop, rock, funk, and R&B. Michael is definitely presenting himself more aggressively and trying to make his voice more textured, but the end result is still just a kind of tin foil. It glistens but lacks depth and authenticity. Note that this is the same problem Mr. Rogers had when he recorded an album of covers of the Ramones.

Great beats and production, pure pop songs and a silk voice. There's not quite the stardust magic of Thriller, but it comes close. Less mechanics, and a little more soul would have helped. It's hard to listen to this now though, knowing what we know.

Not as good overall as Thriller but there are still some classic songs on here. Main issue is the overuse of his vocal ticks Shamone-heHeeeee etc Worth a 3.5

It’s obviously impossible to triumph over Thriller. But I also think Off The Wall is a better record than Bad. Bad has too much of that late 80’s tech pop sugar coated sound on the tracks.

every hero becomes infallible eventually.

its ok

Back in the day we just couldn't wait for the next video by this guy and there are a few very good ones off this album. It's kinda funny seeing this guy to and be "bad", but everything he put on MTV was gold. There was a rumor that Bad was suppose to be a duet with Prince. Prince declined because Michael would not remove the opening line, "Your butt is mine." Atta boy, Prince. This is a solid album with some very good tunes. Can't say this is Thriller, but what album is? Good tunes include Bad, The Way You Make Feel and I Can't Stop Loving You. My personal favorites are Man in the Mirror and Dirty Diana. Man in the Mirror is right up there with all time favorites. Great song. Something about Smooth Criminal annoys the shit out of me and pretty much the rest of the album was just OK. I can't wait to see the reviews as I'm guessing there's not going to be much of a middle ground for this guy. Musically, always been a fan and enjoy a lot of his music. Outside of music.....well, that's why I'm really curious to read some of the the reviews. This album doesn't quite get there like a few others, but this guy can sing. 3.5

3 Probably Michael Jackson’s most overrated album.  After two very strong dance pop albums, this is the point where I feel MJ’s music starts to get a bit cheesy.  With the success of Beat It, it seems the guy wanted to continue in that general direction and rebrand himself as a bit of a bad boy, and I find the whole attempt at it incredibly corny.  Are we really supposed to believe the little kid responsible for ABC is some kind of edgy tough guy now? (Well, I guess he was doing some pretty unspeakable, illegal things, but not really what I’m referring to).   Whether it was his goal or not, nothing here really seems to match the energy of Beat It or has any sort of real edge to it, with the title track in particular having some of the most run-of-the-mill pop production and on the nose lyrics I’ve heard. Who’s bad? Show us, don’t just tell us, Michael. While not quite as egregious, songs like Speed Demon and Dirty Diana just feel like further attempts at proving his batitude that also fall mostly flat.  And betwixt all of that, the album’s most wholesome song, Man in the Mirror, manages to come off equally as corny in the sense that it feels like too hard of an attempt to be a “change the world” type anthem.  Especially knowing what we know about the guy now, the song seems incredibly ham-fisted. However, I realize that, at its core, MJ was just after another successful pop album, and he mostly succeeds in that regard.  While it certainly pales in comparison to Thriller and Off the Wall, I have to admit that the production here is about as clean and catchy as this era of pop gets.  And contained within all the layers of nacho cheese are actually two of the best songs MJ’s career - The Way You Make Me Feel and Smooth Criminal.  The Way You Make Me Feel has a really enjoyable, groovy beat to it, one that reminds me of lot of Michael’s earlier work and serves as a reminder of what the guy does best. As for Smooth Criminal - look, for as much shit as I gave the whole “bad boy” schtick, he actually kind of pulls it off here. Despite having no guitar on the track, it’s about as close as we get to matching the badass energy of Beat It, and the “Annie, are you okay?” chorus is nothing short of iconic. However, at the risk of damaging the entire credibility of this review and possibly my musical opinions as a whole, I have to say I prefer the Alien Ant Farm cover - the song just works so well with a heavier, faster energy. This album certainly has its moments - enough for me to still rate decently - but in the grand cope of MJ’s catalog, this is an album I’m more likely to skip over than not.

Idk Michael Jackson kinda makes me cringe is that rude..

I actually like this album well like one song still not a big fan of MJ he tried to diss my boy em but it just backfired on himself so... 4/10

Packed with well known classics though the few songs I hadn't heard were nothing to write home about. Overall a good album, middle 3.

It's a decent album, if you can ignore everything else

Sure.

I'm torn on this one. It really isn't music I'd be interested in listening to, but much of this album has a certain life to it that lifts it beyond the generic. So even though it's not my style, and I'd never choose to listen to it, I somehow admire it enough to give it 3 stars.

Interesting album! Definitely a time period piece not necessarily with the times on some of these songs. Questionable lyricism but still a bop of an album!

80s coke party dance tunes.... good in the sense of influential. I don't care for the dated production sound. Not the worst album to listen to and I see why people like it. Favorites - the way you make me feel, Liberian girl, dirty Diana

3 out of 5. Just as fun as Thriller but with maybe a slightly weaker first half.

Notable tracks: Smooth Criminal, Bad, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, The Way You Make Me Feel, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Leave Me Alone

Okay. While there are few fun hits on here. The lyrical storytelling and musical experimentation didn't feel super astounding to me. Pretty average, some good pop, but not one that I will likely find myself returning to regularly.

Lots of fun stuff on here, but honestly it's the beginning of Michael Jackson jumping the shark, so it's just hard to feel good about it. He already is starting to look like a white woman on the cover 😒

When I was in 5th grade, I had this album on cassette and listened to it non-stop. Obviously tastes change in 30+ years so it should not have surprised me that I didn't love it nearly as much this time around but I didn't really feel it now. Bad is a good song fundamentally but the production sounds pretty dated now. The Way You Make Me Feel still brings it but the rest of what was the A side are duds. Man in the Mirror is a classic but I could and did stop I Just Can't Stop Loving You. So, like, half bangers, half duds, I still get why it's heralded as an all-timer but just didn't do it for me.

Better produced than his earlier solo albums. There are some great songs on here, but maybe I just don't love MJ all that much.

Favourites: Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal

This wasn't great, but it wasn't Bad...

Some MJ super hits here. But I was actually surpised that there a handful of tracks I'd never heard before. There's more nostalgia in these songs than any real love of the music. But still fun to listen to.

It's got a couple jams you've heard about twenty million times before. The rest is whatever.

MJ doesn’t really make albums, just collections of singles that range from greatest pop song of all time to completely irrelevant unlistenable. For me this album has a couple of the former (the way you make me feel, bad) and at least one of the latter (Liberian girl) and a lot in between. When he hits, there’s no one in pop history that hits like Mike but there were more skips than I expected. 3.4

3.0 Couple of MJ bangers, and a few more shitty fillers. As time passes the weirder the stuff gets

Feels like giving this 4 stars would be just for name recognition. The way you make me feel is a great dance song...smooth criminal makes you move as well. But Dirty Diana? Never need to hear this again. Just a strange album for the most part of you remove the few great songs. Lacked the passion and grooves of the songs I already mentioned. The album as a whole was just ok.

#332. There's three quite good songs on here, but the rest of it is pretty meh, honestly. Just generic 'we have to make enough to fill a whole album' kind of stuff. 3/5: acceptable

Michael's got a great voice. And the hits are great. But I otherwise thought it was pretty forgettable. Maybe my expectations were too high

It has moments of greatness, but isn't great. Certainly it's no "Thriller" and not even an "Off The Wall".

Don’t know if I’ll revisit but really well produced album. The instruments were way too loud though and Michael’s voice was a lil low. Content wise: great album. Favorite song: Dirty Diana

One of the first records I bought as a kid. Haven't heard it in years. Not as cheesy as I thought it would be even though title track is cringe. So be good songs sounds very 80s. 6/10

Such a mix... greats like Smooth Criminal, Way You Make Me Feel, & Leave Me Alone... and then some awful awful tunes... Speed Demon?? Ugh...

When I see the album cover for Bad, I always think of the album cover for Weird Al's "Even Worse." Gives me a chuckle. For years I thought "Liberian Girl" was "Librarian Girl," which probably makes very little sense to me now. There were quite a few hits on this album, which is to be expected since Michael Jackson did nothing but write/sing hit songs. I have always been a Michael Jackson casual more than anything else, so the less ubiquitous tracks like Liberian Girl and Just Good Friends aren't necessarily my cup of tea. In fact, (hot take here) the album is very backloaded with tracks 7-11 all being really good songs...or at least tolerable songs. Take Michael Jackson's name off the album and tracks 3-6 are all fairly mediocre pop songs. Speed Demon is a stupid song. There is no way around that. Just Good Friends is notable because Stevie Wonder is on the track. Even on the good songs on the album suffer from Jackson's need to make the vocal grunts that make it sound like he is choking. It's pretty overused. I have always appreciated Jackson's work but never totally enjoyed it because it always felt hollow in some ways to me. Thriller was an album by Michael Jackson and this just seems like a Michael Jackson album where he is playing the role. This album deserves a place on the list because The Way You Make Me Feel, Dirty Diana, Leave Me Alone and Smooth Criminal are really great songs.

Some Iconic tunes but honestly most of the album felt like filler.

There are a handful of great, classic songs on here. It’s hard to follow up Thriller, though. But that’s not this album’s fault.

This has some classics on it, but they aren't what I was remembering them to be. Sounds really dated and some are just /// Bad.

So the hits are A+ killer pop tunes. It’s no wonder that Bad and Smooth Criminal are *still* jams to this day. The rest of the album though. It sounds like they recorded a the world's most incredible EP and then stuffed it with enough filler to charge full LP price. Some outstanding bass synths but also a lot of very 1987 synths. Crazy that it’s only two years out from Pretty Hate Machine and three years from Violator completely upending what everyone thought synth/sampler based music could sound like.

I was very excited for another BANGER from little Michael but I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed with this one after hearing thriller first. The highs of this one like Bad, Way you make me feel, and smooth criminal still stick out as absolute slappers, but some of the tracks that fill out this album range from forgettable to bad, with the highlight of what the fuck is this being “Liberian Girl”, or as I like to call it, “How to contract new and interesting diseases”. It would be interesting to plot how insane Michael was, and how fucked up he looked against the quality of his albums. Should have stopped with the surgeries after thriller.

I'm bad, I'm bad. Oh fuck I'm bad, so fucking bad. I'm bad bad. I'm a baddy little bad bad, bad boy. Ooh I'm a fucking bad boy who's so naughty bad. Bad bad bad. Mmm little baddy bad naughty bad boy. Fucking bad as fucking shit bad boy. Stinking fucking bad boy ughh, so fucking bad. Bad bad bad. I'm bad.

Didn't click for me nearly as much as Thriller, still a good album with some bangers Didn't really like some of the mixing felt that his voice was way too quiet on some tracks but that might be the version I listened too. Took a few listens for some tracks like Dirty Diana and the way you make me feel, to click and even after having it click, still weren't great imo. Not really a single bad track per se, just lots of alright to good tracks and only a couple which stuck out as great. 7/10

Some bangers obviously but some very 80s production value. Not ahead of its time but very good. 3.5

I'll always like Smooth Criminal, but the rest of Jackson's stuff has never really hooked me. It's a fine listen, but it never really drew me in.

Hmm. I like Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, and Smooth Criminal, but most of the other songs on this album are quite weak (and I've always hated Man in the Mirror). Michael can do better (well, not anymore).

I feel like this has not aged as well as Off the Wall and Thriller. Some good songs but a lot of it lacks the feeling of earlier albums.

i was 9 years old when this came out and we used to watch mtv pretty regularly so the hits on this one i've heard a million times i don't remember ever connecting much to the songs on this one except for man in the mirror that one reminds me of the optimism that i felt as a kid and the desire to help the less fortunate in the world.

Here’s the deal. I decided NOT to listen to this. Sure when some of the hits come on in a bar or background they feel good. But I remember this album is also full of nonsense filler. So subtracting one star for the fact I didn’t feel like actually listening to the album.

I was pretty excited when I saw this was today’s album and then I listened and was disappointed. Added a couple of the big hits to my faves list and the rest of the tracks really didn’t do it for me.

Some songs I did not know!?

Has some big hits as high points but not going to praise this or anything, it's fine.

Has some well known songs, but overall found the album a little stale. Not as fun as other MJ albums. 3/5 Probably won’t listen again

Not a bad listen but definitely some questionable tracks that have aged badly. Thriller is just better tbh. Although PYT from that one also aged badly.. (cough cough Leaving Neverland) Maybe MJ has just aged badly in general 😬 That aside I did really enjoy some tracks so he’s managed to snatch a 3. Favourites: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man In The Mirror, Smooth Criminal

Shamone! Some bangers in here and some filler. Thought the drums and guitar work was solid, particularly on the faster tracks. I don’t have very strong feelings about this album, it’s just ‘good’.

It's a classic album that I'm really surprised to realize that I hadn't listened all the way through before today....

Better than expected, but I prefer the other two Quincy produced albums.

Pretty sick beats. Probably worth 4 or 5 stars. But I couldn't stop wondering whether the dude was a kiddy diddler.

Two outstanding tracks, two pretty good ones and the rest felt like filler or at least really underwhelming to me. By this point Jackson was more of a cultural phenomenon than a musical one, maybe.

Is it just me or MJ just isn't as good as people say? I mean, I like a couple of songs, but this album, except a few hits, is quite bad (pun intended).

I feel like this album progressed the opposite way Thriller did. On Thriller, a great majority of the tracks were so great, so iconic, so timeless, the one or two skippable tracks were completely overshadowed. A majority of great with a minority of "meh". But with Bad, I feel like it's the opposite. There definitely are a small amount of songs that are Michael Jackson's best work on here (Smooth Criminal, Bad, and I've always loved Dirty Diana). But the majority of the songs here are the skips, rather than the icons. Still some good times on here and in no way a bad album. But when you're following up one of the most impactful albums in popular music history, and you'd rather just skip a majority of the tracks, it's hard to want to come back to most of them.

mj

3.27

Mixed bag. 4 winners, 2 more strong, 5 mediocre songs filled in. That it was a big album for its day makes me want to give it a 4, and I would have if there were 2-3 fewer of the fillers which just dilute its overall strength too much.

this is good but kinda boring to me

Mixed feelings about this album. You have some great tracks like "Bad", "Man in the Mirror", "Dirty Diana", and the massive "Smooth Criminal", but the rest of the album I can live without.

There are some incredible highs on this album, with the opening two tracks and Smooth Criminal being the obvious standouts, although do I think that about the latter because of the video? Maybe that is baked into the MJ experience, though. However, the ballads don’t do much for me and I think this is not on the level of Thriller.

Overproduced decent pop album. By this time I find his vocal tics/clichés a bit annoying. Som filled bit plenty of hits. Not got me.

It's getting 3 stars bc I know it's realistically good, I like what I'm hearing. I am also, however, on the second day of a hangover and Spotify will only supply me with the hour and seven minute version of this album. I just want the original, why is Spotify so shit? Deeply, deeply shit. Anyway, I only listened to the first half. Sorry, Michael, maybe I'll come back and reassess. Also, the whole pedophilia thing, yk.

I think he made some iconic tracks

I like Thriller better.

This was really cheesy and not in a good way. I'm only familiar with the singles on this one, and even of those, Smooth Criminal is the only one I'd say is any good.

Bad is worse than Thriller. There's like two songs I like. Smooth Criminal is a bop.

I remember back when this came out, it was so big as to be inescapable. I also remember most of us thinking of it as a joke - this effeminate man trying to act hard. With that said it's time to put old preconceived notions, and the knowledge of what Michael would later become behind, and listen to the album on its own merits. So, although horribly dated, this is a good pop album. The whole "Bad" character still comes off as disingenuous and silly though.

Say what you will about the man himself, but Michael Jackson could write some songs! The album as whole doesn't really feel like a cohesive piece though, more like a collection of singles, even if they are awesome singles. Bad, Man in the Mirror and Smooth Criminal are amazing but there is too much filler and not really a theme or feeling like the songs weren't just put on an album in the order in which they were written.

30% great; 30% meh; 40% uncomfortable

There are some standout tracks but it's even more banal, overproduced and disappointing than when it first came out.

It's Michael Jackson. What else needs to be said. I don't think that it has aged particularly well. 80's pop, with all the electronics and Jacksonisms that you would expect. The singles from the albums are still really good (Bad, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal), but the rest just don't seem to do much for me.

Fun

Fine

Tras el exitazo de Thriller Jackson decidió seguir por el mismo camino, dotando ahora a sus canciones de algo más de rock duro y AOR de calidad. Es el caso de tres de los grandes temas incluidos en el disco y extraídos como sencillos: "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel"(mi tema favorito de este disco) y "I Just Can't Stop Loving You". También me gusta "Smooth Criminal" (seguramente influido por el videoclip que acompañó a su lanzamiento). Para mi gusto, el resto del disco no llega a la altura de sus predecesores.

Cancelled king

Sadly, I've never been much of a Michael Jackson fan, so I fear this album is largely wasted on me. But it's hard to deny the reign of the undisputed King of Pop, and it's also hard to imagine that there are many of his albums other than Thriller as classic and complete as this one. I just wish he hadn't spent so much of his amazing career trying to sound and act like a manly man (on stage and in front of the camera, at least). But what an amazing performer and dancer!

I wanted to like this so much more than I did--I'm not a big Michael Jackson fan though I love a few of songs, just not the ones on this album (though Man in the Mirror is great)

Nah, I know it was massive but it’s far from his best. Speed Demon and Liberian Girl are kind of embarrassing tbh

2,5

Oh SHIT. I’ve never listened to this start to finish so let’s fuckin goooo! They call this guy the King Of Pop and I can see why. The album has tons of hits but it’s not an “all killer no filler” record. The real stars of this album were the music videos since MTV was at its peak in the lateish 80’s. The first two tracks were gigantic hits (Bad and The Way You Make Me Feel) but I am less familiar with the next couple tracks, Speed Demon and Liberian Girl. If they didn’t have videos, I definitely never heard them. My initial reaction is ok kinda funky, kinda silly, danceable but kinda meh. Liberian Girl is a corny love song that I didn’t love but it’s cute. Just Good Friends is another dance song which is kind of forgettable. Same with Another Part of Me. Like… it was 1987, so the pop sound makes sense but it’s really nothing particularly great. There’s a reason some of these were singles but most weren’t. If I was older when this came out I’d probably have more nostalgia about it but so far it’s not that impressive. The B side of this is actually WAY more impressive with gigantic hits like Man In The Mirror and Smooth Criminal- its a huge upswing. These songs are just better than the other ones lol. They are less pop nonsense and have a bit more meat? I dunno they just sound like they put more effort in. The last few tracks (minus the slog Can’t Stop Loving You) are MJ at his best IMO. The guy was under pressure to top Thriller and while as a whole the record is meh, the hits were what carries it into the Best Albums of All Time category. And Leave Me Alone is one of the best FUCK YOU songs ever haha. I think this record was definitely meant to appease the fans who waited 5 years after Thriller but it’s a bit boring. The videos were far more memorable than the songs.

More '80s pop I remember hating... great. Going to try to ignore that and give this an honest listen. One thing I did to stay interested was seek out an original mix version of this, learning that many of the songs on it were later remixed and/or replaced by their singles version. Glad I did. They sound like they are more stripped down, with flashier production elements either not yet inserted or left further back in the mix. Vocals also feel more balanced that own their singles where they are much too forward. It has much more of an electro vibe than I remember and I do have a better appreciation for that now vs. when this first came out. Musically I'm digging a lot of what sounds like nods to the original Motown sound. Not sure if that's all Michael or if it's Quincy's influence. Did I just hear Stevie Wonder? OK, I like that too. All in all I can say I have certainly more respect for this album than I previously did, but it's still not something that will ever be in regular rotation for my listening.

I love how you can tell which songs were singles by looking at the spotify play counts. Tracks 3-6 all have "only" double digit million plays vs the triple digit million for everything else. Once you listen to them you know why...they're not very radio friendly or, you know, good. There isn't much to say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's a pop music classic, if you were growing up or an adult in the 80's or 90's you've heard it whether you wanted to or not. I honestly don't know if this sound was invented or perfected by this album or rather, Jackson's army of producers. It does sound pretty dated though, either way. Like a really good midi file, intentionally or not. The computerized sounding basslines which were ultimately played by real bassists are impressive though. The triple slap runs in "Speed Demon" are sick. This didn't pull in the nostalgia like other radio music albums did for me. It's not bad it's just that I've heard most of this before and I don't really need to revisit it.

There are some songs on this album that warrant 5 stars but the rest is just meh.

Bad indeed Mr. Jackson, very bad indeed. Is this an overall better album than Thriller? Yeah, probably. Is Michael Jackson a disgusting and horrifying child predator who never faced true justice while he was still alive? Also yeah probably. He can fuck off. His music is good. I don't have a problem separating the art from the artist, but I've always been lukewarm when it comes to Jackson's music.

I will not be intimidated by the likes of this creep and his legacy; Bad is not Good, it’s Fine.

It's pop

Its not bad (although it is Bad), but a bit of a disappointment overall. Slickly produced and some big singles, but comes across as calculated and artistically lacking. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: The Way You Make Me Feel Date listened: 08/04/24

Good album, could see he had fun making this album.