Reviews (page 3 of 15)
Classic
I think this was pretty good. very '80s, which I happen to love. Just Good Friends had a banger instrumental
The most ironic album title
One of the most well crafted albums ever made with one of the strongest tracklists ever constructed All 10 songs are so strong they could have all been singles Pop perfection This is the blueprint
Except Man In The Mirror,, I couldn't listen. Nopes.
Nope.
Same problems as Thriller - classic album, the hits rock, the duds sadly do not. Can't give this one the Thriller bump either. 3 feels fair.
🕺
not for me but fun in its own way
This album is real fucked up when you replace “girl” with “little boy”. Anyways, separating the alleged deeds from the music is tough at this point. Also beyond Bad and Smooth Criminal this record blows.
This has been the week of problematic artists, albeit, Michael Jackson is probably worse than Ryan Adams. I'm glad that I'm not a professional critic, because this would be way more complicated. But anyways, this is a very good Michael Jackson album. Bad and The Way You Make Me Feel are top-tier. But, the rest of the album fades a little bit.
This album is in fact not bad at all, it's very very good. The energy and soul throughout is utterly brilliant, with a fantastic blend of upbeat tracks like The Way You Make Me Feel and slower, gospel inspired songs like Man In The Mirror. It narrowly misses out on a 10/10 from me by potentially being a little more inconsistent than Thriller & Off The Wall. Despite that though it's still a strong 9/10 and an amazing album.
Singles, great. Rest, filler. Lore, diabolical.
It’s a step backward from Thriller, IMHO. The bad-boy edge just didn’t work. At the time, it just seemed downright silly. Still does! Jackson’s strength was always in his ability to deliver flawless, smooth R&B performances. We got less of that here. I gave Thriller 5.0 stars, but it was really closer to 4.5 for me (as that review said). I’ll give this a 4.0, but it might be closer to 3.5? “The Way You Make Me Feel” is certainly essential, though. And “Man in the Mirror” might be a guilty pleasure.
Certainly a tonal shift for him and a response to intense fame
ae5yeyey
I’ve listened to Off the Wall, and I’ve listened to Thriller, and they’re both basically perfect albums. I don’t know why I expected to like this album less. The truth is… this album is just as great! It’s a little edgier, it’s got some grittier beats, but its still MJ serving the same groovy music we’ve loved since ‘79. My personal favorite, mostly for nostalgia reasons, is The Way You Make Me Feel - apparently, it was my first favorite song, and.. I can totally see why! Toddler me had some good taste lol The other standout was Dirty Diana, that guitar man.. that whole instrumental is so dirty and raw and it just hits you hard. My jaw quite literally dropped hearing the guitar come in on the chorus the first time. But honestly, the entire album is outstanding. 10 out of 11 songs made it onto the playlist, with 6 being favorited, and that’s probably due to change sooner or later! I will admit - and it may be blasphemy - but the one song I was relatively indifferent about was Speed Demon. It’s.. okay. I just feel like, for some reason, it sounds “incomplete”? I really don’t know how to describe it, it just feels as if the song is missing something. Better mixing, more bass, something. But every other song was an amazing showcase of Michael’s talent. The harmonies on Liberian Girl just knocked me out, and the unexpected collab on Can’t Stop Loving You with Siedah was a great addition! Her voice just adds such a beautiful layer to the song. This album is like a grown-up, angstier Thriller. It’s got some political messages, deals with more mature aspects of love, has some heavier beats, and does it all while still delivering the groovy, funky sound of Michael Jackson we all know and love so much.
King of Pop bangers!
Rico album, casi todos temardos. Sape
8+ / 10
Michael Jackson was on the decline when I was born and died when I was a child. I only really knew of his status as a massive star, but this album did not convince me of how justified that status is. I understand why the hits were hits, but at least 5 of the songs are awful, like speed demon and liberian girl.
Hee hee
I wasn't delighted to see MJ pop up as I've never really been into him, and was fully prepared not to like it but I surprised myself. It's not turned me into a superfan but I liked the 80s sound and production, especially on some of the basslines, and the songs are solid. 'Man in the Mirror' in particular. It's giving megastar and I can understand some of the enduring hype
Anything less than a 5 and you haven't listened to it.
There are some juggernaut pop hits on this thing, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, and Smooth Criminal are some of the best pop songs ever made… and they’re all on one album. I do things songs like Liberian Girl and I Just Can’t Stop Loving You bring it down a notch though
The first half is kind of painfully irritating but second blew it out of the water.
So cool to listen back to this and hear all the samples that came from this album. Liberian Girl is a sexxxy track, and the intro to Dirty Diana is so damn nice.
The first album I ever owned and I loved it then. Not so sure now. Its iconically late eighties and it defined the era. It is also rammed full MJ vocal tropes (Shamone) to the point that I found some songs hard to listen due to how much piss has subsequently been extracted over the years in relation to them that it jarred every time MJ squeaked. Dirty Diana/ Smooth Criminal are still great tracks tho and there is not much filler other than Speed Demon.
I did it. I listened to the whole thing. Aptly named first and last songs - it was bad and by the end please leave me alone, Michael. It was shite pop when it came out. Its dated shite pop now. What does it want to be? Its just bad poppy attempts at other genre styles. Its got nothing positive. Smooth Criminal is the only slightly palatable tune, but its proper dated cheesy 80s and the singing on that song is excruciating. And can he not sing any song on the album without Choo-cha, wooah, ah ah oww at the end of every line? I'm pleased with myself for listening to it, but its so bad it makes me angry. How can anyone like this processed tripe?
Impactful, iconic, meticulously composed, and catchy. Michael Jackson embodies stage performance with every cell of his body, and even the studio-recorded songs sound as lively and energetic as if he performed for his life. Great music, influential and inspiring.
Michael Jackson at his most polished. "Smooth Criminal," "Man in the Mirror," "The Way You Make Me Feel" — the hits are real hits. The album around them is a bit long and loses steam toward the end. 3/5 — good, not overwhelming.
First Michael Jackson album I've ever listened to as a whole. Phew... He employs his signature "heee heee"s, "wooo"s and "ow"s so damn often, you get the impression this is a Michael Jackson parody. Most of the songs did nothing for me, though it had its good moments like in the title track or the groovy "Smooth Criminal". Other songs were cringeworthy and hard not to skip. "King of Pop"? Apparently not earned through great songwriting. However, worst of all is the 80s sounding production. The drums and bass sound like shit, the synths are just horrible. 1.5/5 - weak
I personally loved it, MJ is the king of pop for a reason.
Alright, so the parts I like: This is about as 80's as it gets, and I don't mind that when I'm ready for it. MJ sings great and oozes charisma. Quincy Jones is one of the best musicians of all time, and MJ had one of the best backing bands ever at his service. The songs you know about are perpetually evergreen, and that won't ever change. Now that's out of the way, I have to say what's stopping this record from going higher: I'm listening to it, not watching it be performed. Michael Jackson is a good musician, but he is definitely one of the best performers of all time. So yes, while this is enjoyable on its own, experiencing these songs by just listening to them and not watching MJ perform them is only half the package and by far the least extraordinary way to do it.
Previously known. A few great songs but more medicore ones.
It's okay
very close to a 5. like a 4.8 but we’re not rounding up this time. man in the mirror solos.
I still think his best album is his first solo album, Off The Wall but this album is pretty good. I think I might even like it better than Thriller. The only musician I like in Guns n' Roses, Slash, does a pretty good job on songs that he appears on. Michael's voice is probably the best I've ever heard it.
The Way You Make me Feel and Smooth Criminal are all time pop bangers but this album has some real clunkers. It’s Michael Jackson so I get it but this is a wildly overrated album.
What can you say, hit after hit. Great album.
I don't think anyone on earth has ever, in any moment, thought Michael Jackson's was “Bad” in the way he projects in the title track here. Obviously in other ways, there have been plenty of allegations (see also “Leave Me Alone”) but never like, this guy shouldn't be crossed. Shamon. Sitting right between the worldbeating Thriller and sister Janet's iconic Rhythm Nation, Bad does not ascend to either. The title track is fine in a cheesy way. The Way You Make Me Feel is pure pop perfection. Smooth Criminal is anxious and dangerous in a way that Bad wishes it could be. Michael was the “king of pop” for a reason… he knew his way around. But this is also where we see him, post Thriller, start desperately needing some editing. Man in the Mirror isn't as bad as some of his future work in this vein, but it is definitely not cool. Leave Me Alone is fine, but is also the iceberg tip of Jackson's descent into paranoid madness. And those are just the singles. But this is also a good time to kind of discuss the different world that late 80s and early 90s pop inhabited. Let's look at “Speed Demon”, which has minimal song craft but still has some insane bass in it. It's little bits like this that make me feel like I'm not an old man yelling at a cloud, pop music really has changed for the worse. Modern stuff is less goofy than, say, Just Good Friends, largely because it is still current, but it's a shell. Unlike Thriller, I've never heard this all the way through, and about half of this is even something I might have heard independently. Unlike Thriller, this is not timeless. Dirty Diana is no Billie Jean. It's more consistent than Dangerous (I have WORDS about Dangerous if it comes up) but it also lacks some of the dynamic highs. I'm sort of surprised how middle-⭐️⭐️⭐️ this is.
Bad, Smooth Criminal, and Man in the Mirror are classics; Dirty Diana also was a surprise hit for me, but the rest of the album does drag
I LOVED IT OFC I HAD HEARD IT BEFORE BUT THIS WAS A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE NGL
a reason for each star 1/has one of my fav songs: leave me alone 2/lowkey an album without skips 3/THIS IS MY GENRE 4/80s disco which i love 5/one of the best key changes in man in the mirror 10/10 coz 5/5 isnt enough
Pretty gas, not giving it a 5 though tbh
Iconic but not thriller so only a 4/5.
Enjoyable. Prefer Thriller.
Iconic shitttttttttt.
Some major hits, but I feel like nobody was supposed to hear all the non-singles on this album. "Liberian Girl" is kinda an insane song Highlights: "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", "Smooth Criminal"
Arguably the best pop album ever released. Michael Jackson remains a problematic figure given the news that came out at the end of his career, and post-humously, but his musical talents cannot be denied. Lots of strong singles on this record.
Ham on Ham on Ham on whole wheat Alright
The Way You Make Me Feel continues to be one of the most perfect MJ songs out there. I thought I was hating Speed Demon until the song kinda built to the end, and it clicked. It's also so interesting to hear Jackson over something that is much rougher and filled with rock influences, compared to the smoothness of Thriller (especially with a song like Speed Demon). Liberian Girl immediately one of my favorite MJ songs ever, I don't know how I haven't heard that before. It's so tender and well constructed. Just Good Friends and Another Part of Me are forgettable to me. There's also the MJ career defining songs on this one, with Man in the Mirror, Bad, Dirty Diana, and Smooth Criminal. It's all quite good, but again I'm really struck by a few of the lesser known ones on "Bad".
great album
Lots of classics, but let down with a few songs that feel like filler.
BANGER
It feels a bit soulless. For an artist such as Jackson, I was expecting a bit more. Besides "Man in the Mirror" and "Smooth Criminal" the songs sounded overproduced and failed to demonstrate any sort of the spark that he is known for. I didn't like "Thriller" that much either", and I feel this is of similar standard.
goddamn I love Michael Jackson
Hey this Michael guy is pretty good at making music. In all hoensty, I have never listened to a whole album of his before, and its surprising for me how its all just good songs. He has such good energy in his performance that makes each song stick out while I'm listening to it.
it's fun. he's a child molestor. still everyone should hear this before they die.
Not as good as Thriller but let’s face it what is? Still a pretty good effort though!
When this album came out I thought MJ was a tough SOB white guy with cool hair, I had a lot to learn. This album is a catalogue of catchy 80’s pop, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal and Man in the Mirror are stand outs for me but listening to it again I was amazed how many massive tracks feature on one album. It’s not my go to type of music but you can’t deny the quality and constancy of the output of MJ during this era 4.1
There's 3 or 4 great tracks and although of it's time, it's a strong album. I always find it hard to judge Michael Jackson's musical output due to all the other noncesense that followed. Talent is talent though. I suppose.
Great album! It's Michael, what can I say.
I don't patronise pedos
All vibes nothing could go wrong with Michael's music voice amazing lyrics perfect vibes he got it all instruments all bangers 10/10
Still not really a fan
Incredible album
(7/10)
Michae
you can’t say mj is bad
Ey ich finds gut
Was hoping to hold off on my first 5 star review for a bit but got Michael for day 3. Timeless 👌
Sunday, 14 June, 2026 Killer album from the first note. Just one or two songs I wasn’t as in to. Side two is really strong.
Great album
Always leaves a song stuck in my head
Every pop star thinks they're MJ till MJ walks in the room. I tried to avoid picking highlights that were singles but I didn't realize how many fucking singles are on this album! Either way I went with: Just Good Friends, Leave Me Alone
Hits and misses!
맨~인~더 미뤗
I’m always surprised when I return to this album. This Quincy Jones period of Michael’s career is really amazing. The problem is that this album is uneven af. The opening trio, for instance. The first two songs are instantly recognizable mega hits. Speed Demon? But the rhythm in that offering always grips me. Then you have three really weird slow burners that no one remembers. And then Man in the Mirror. I fully believe only Michael could pull that one off. And the way he does… gets me every time. From there the album ends strongly, even if a song like Dirty Diana is super weird. But again, the percussion, and Michael’s percussive vocal delivery makes that a banger in my book, even if I have to keep my brain from trying to think too deeply about what the lyrics are saying. There’s no way I can go 5. But it’s such a strong 4. 4 Boolean:True
he overused that kick sample 4.5
Petarda
Of course this is absolutely expert pop music. Just on a simply musical level this is going to score high. The One Two punch of Bad and The Way You Make Me Feel is an industrial strength opener and Speed Demon isn't far behind. But Liberian Girl, with its Swahili intro and "I'm in love with an African woman" theme sets a bit odd coming from someone who seems to have paid a lot of money to look like a white man. And asking the Man in in the Mirror to change his ways seems uncomfortably confessional, given what would come out later about what exactly "his ways" were. I Can't Stop Loving You is another of Michael's long line of soppy, middle of the road, oh so sensitive love songs. First "Ben" now this. Dirty Diana hasn't aged well at all. It's another one of those songs about band groupies and aren't they always a great idea? Smooth Criminal seems to be a chance to get down and Boogie to the story of a woman being murdered. Fun times. And this was kind of the beginning of the end. From here on the weirdness only increased and the stories just got stranger until he was more a punchline than a star.
A big comedown from Thriller. While there are a handful of decent singles worthy of the predecssor, there’s also too many sub-par efforts.
Back in the 80s this was one of the early CDs in my collection and consequently got a lot of play. It’s rarely an album I’d reach for now. Listening now it just all seems a bit forced. Trying too hard. 3
1987 was the year of anticipated follow ups - Joshua Tree, Tunnel of love, Hysteria and this was the biggest of them all when it came to 'what's it going to be like?' Michael's last collaboration with Quincy Jones saw more self penned songs (only Just good friends and Man in the Mirror were written by others) and a very different look in the wake of his skin grafts following his hair catching fire on the Pepsi commercial. My recollection is that only Speed Demon and Just good friends were not issued as singles which would have meant nine in total were released up to early 1989. A list guests such as Jimmy Smith, Sieddah Garrett, Steve Stevens and Stevie Wonder added to the stellar cast of session players. Couldn't top Thriller's sales but still a triumph artistically.
I don’t know. There are tunes I liked at some point, but they sound very drum machine and basic to me today. I’d never just put this album on a playlist.
Might be a tiny bit less legendary than Thriller, but an imcredible banger of an album nometheless.
Good
Separating the art from the artist this album is obviously gold. As for MJ himself.... ick.
While I think Off The Wall still holds up pretty well, and Thriller is worth the price of admission for its title track, this turned out to be a hilariously aptly-named album. I knew loads of people who seemed to worship this album when it came out, but when it came down to it, what they actually seemed to love was his videos and the spectacle of him. Personally, I always found this album weird, from the imagery and outfits meant to imply that he was some badass (the lyrics “I’m creepy…” wouldn’t have scanned well, but “I’m weird, I’m weird, I’m really, really weird” could have worked) through to the strange vocal tics - not just the shamones, eee-hees, wooohs, but also the weird pronunciations (“…another *pwart* of me…”). The saving graces for me are Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal, but the river of dross you have to cross to get there is generally not worth it.
Hee hee
4.5/5
Banger after banger keeps coming on this album! I didn't realize how many of MJ's hits were from this album alone. The hits made the other songs feel a little lackluster for me, though. I wasn't a fan of Liberian Girls, Dirty Diana or I Just Can't Stop Loving You - they weren't as timeless as some of the other tracks. Favorite travks: The Way You Make Me Feel Bad Man In The Mirror
Take A Look At Yourself, And Make That Change 1001 Albums Generator 308 (6/8/2026) Amazing hits, and a few duds in the form of sappy ballads. That key change in Man In The Mirror is life-affirming and more than makes up for the saccharine verses. 4/5. Favs: The Way You Make Me Feel Another Part of Me Smooth Criminal Least Fav: Liberian Girl
Didn’t listen but know all the songs … was never a big fan of this album to begin with and also can’t separate the man from the music. 1
Banger after banger. Shines in the more rock-adjacent tracks but maybe it's just me not getting liberian girl.
not really my type
Legendarisk album, legendarisk produksjon. Helt rått
I hate Michael Jackson as a person so i couldn’t morally give this higher then a two- i also just didn’t like that many of the songs but i liked smooth criminal the most
Besides the hits, this just didn't do it for me. Add the complications of who Michael Jackson was and what he did, and this was super missable for me. 4/10
A respectable 3. 4 hits doesn’t make this great when the other tracks are completely forgettable.
The music is energetic and some of the songs are (overly) familiar. His patented grunts and squeals between lines are VERY prevalent in this album. I’d say this is around the point that MJ and his music started turning into a caricature of himself.
A noticable step down from the quality of Off The Wall and Thriller but still pretty damn fantastic. I feel this was around the time he started being a child molester so that probably explains it.
Amazing album, with a fantastic cross-section.
There are a lot of albums on this list that make you think “why tf is this on here”—this is not one of them. Fav song: the way you make me feel
I really can't bring myself to listen to this guy
It’s Michael Jackson so it’s obviously not BAD (ha ha ha) by any means. I prefer his older stuff though, and that’s not a knock on him, but rather a knock on the era. I’m not a big pop fan to begin with (hits only) but this late 80s synthy era of pop has to be one of my least favorite. The hits are good, and there’s a couple on this album. But the rest of the songs are victims of their era.
not my fave michael album but clearly still goated
De los mejores que me han tocado. El poder controlar una vez de esa forma es un don, sin dudas.
Extremely groovy, typical mj
I like it, but it’s not the kind of thing I’d typically listen to. 3.5.
no skip album it’s the goat obv helloooo
Oh of course, it sounds great, I enjoyed many songs on this album. And of course, the very first thought that crossed my mind when this was revealed was "child predator." Like, absolutely he was. Michael Jackson was a lot of things. Inhumanly great performer, and also a child predator. I can't even do the "separate the art from the artist" thing here. Those go hand in hand.\ But I can't deny The Way You Make Me Feel, nor Smooth Criminal, nor the silliness of Speed Demon...I mean it's Michael Fucking Jackson. What could I possibly say about this that hasn't already been said?
So many good songs. Some I am familiar with and others that are new to me! Not everyone song is a bop but enough to keep me interested the whole time.
Bad es un monumento de la cultura pop y una obra de arte atemporal que ha envejecido bien, manteniendo intacta su capacidad para sacudir estadios enteros. El álbum destaca de inmediato por inyectar mucha energía, configurando un viaje rítmico y bailable que no da tregua al oyente. Piezas como "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Smooth Criminal" se erigen como clásicos inconfundibles, canciones grabadas en la memoria colectiva que demuestran una genialidad melódica absoluta y ganchos que atrapan desde la primera nota. La producción del disco es una mezcla maestra de texturas contemporáneas; la ingeniería de sonido posee una claridad impecable donde conviven bajos sintéticos agresivos, guitarras potentes y una arquitectura vocal brillante. Un punto sumamente alto de la escucha son sus coros agradables y sofisticados, los cuales se entretejen muy bien con la voz principal de Jackson, quien despliega todo su arsenal de matices e interpretación enérgica. Es un álbum súper enérgico y redondo que se presta para múltiples usos —excelente para la carretera o el ejercicio—, consolidándose como un catálogo imbatible de himnos pop con una fuerza inigualable.
Good but not his best. Not a fan of the sound and tone.
It's not Thriller, but still pretty awesome. Dirty Diana goes hard.
BAD is Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson is BAD.
An enjoyable listen under the influence of some Jesus Juice and sleeping pills
Experiência maravilhosa ouvir Michael Jackson no auge. Esse álbum engloba tudo de melhor! Que energia! Celest Phoenixcall.
shawome hee hee
Buen álbum!!
At the height of his powers. So intense, groovy, and packed with incredible and emotional vocals.
SO GOOD
Beyond iconic. Every song is a classic. That 80s guitar, drum, and synth style hits so fuckin good and Michael is basically the one who invented it. Fuck him as a person but I can't deny the power of this album
A lot of albums have juice, but this one’s got the sauce
Not bad, actually. Although obviously probably fuck that guy.
HEE HEE
He might have been a shapeshifting wrongun, but you can't deny that he wrote and performed some absolute worldies
Not his best album but several of his biggest hits.
banger after banger after banger
I favourited Bad (obv), The Way You Make Me Feel, Another Part of Me, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal and Leave Me Alone. This album is another solid proof of Michael's outstanding legacy.
great singles, Music videos are half the fun though.
Not really the best mj album, off the wall is better
There was a period of time when Michael Jackson was my favorite artist. There's pictures of me at my grandma's house with a glove on my hand, singing into a turkey baster. When I say that I loved Michael Jackson...I really loved Michael Jackson. I owned this album on vinyl (and also Thriller, obviously) and I thought he was the coolest. Looking at the cover now, I'm not quite sure what I saw that I thought was cool, but I was only a year old when this came out, so that's all you really need to know. In the early 90s when the first accusations were thrown out there, I went to bat for him with my second grade class. There was no way he did those things. This is my hero, we're talking about here. NO. WAY! At 40, I don't know, man. The pictures don't look good. At best, he was a really weird dude who was doing things that I would never even consider doing. At worst, well....you get the idea. It all does kinda put a bad taste in my mouth. I try to not really think about it and separate the art from the artist. But even still, the times I actively reach for a Michael Jackson album are very few and far between these days. Regardless of what you think of the man, though, you can't deny the talent. This album is not Thriller, but it's still great and has multiple certified jam sandwiches on it. An easy 4 star album
It's fine.
Weirdly sounds cheap, I guess really just peak 80s sound
Great album from Michael even if it doesn't quite stack up to Thriller and Off The Wall. I love the guest appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder. Definitely some of the songs are a bit of a drag on the album as a whole - thinking of Speed Demon and Liberian Girl.
Woof, I got nervous getting this since the movie just came out and it’s bringing back all the controversy. But if I had to separate the art from the artist, this is a solid album. Not as epic as Thriller, but probably the last album of his chronological discography I would consider solid.
Pales next to his previous masterpiece: Thriller. Some songs have aged very well Smooth Criminal for example, a lot have not
bad
It’s bad You know it
Some justifiably big hits on this one. Michael is Michael and I was bopping along though a couple of listens. A little over produced and musically too clean at times but still great
I remember listening to this in 87 when it came out, I had the album and was in my dorm room llistening and realized that I was falling out of love w MJ. He was so white on the cover and I felt sad, he was going nuts and his music wasn't the same - nonetheless, almost every track is instantly recognizable and fabulous, musically speaking, just 3 so-so tracks. Still have mad respect for him and will always love him a little bit for blessing my first 18yrs of life with all that awesome music
Unable to separate the artist from the art.
My main take aways: - the vocal harmonies are really what separated MJ from also rans. - the Quincy jones production doesn't hurt either with one serious exception - that damn Linn 9000 snare sound that feels like a lightning bolt. It's like 1987 exploding in my head over and over and over again.
We are reviewing the album not the artist. Steven Tyler was a pedo, David Bowie, half the 80s rock stars bragged about sleeping with 16 year old girls. 4 stars for Bad
Bad - 4/5 The Way You Make Me Feel - 3.5/5 Speed Demon - 3/5 Liberian Girl - 2.5/5 Just Good Friends -3/5 Another Part of Me - 3/5 Man in the Mirror - 4.5/5 I Just Can't Stop Loving You (feat. Siedah Garrett) - 3.5/5 Dirty Diana - 4/5 Smooth Criminal - 4/5 Leave Me Alone - 4.5/5
It was bold of Michael Jackson to name the album after an honest assessment of the majority of these tracks. I kid, but I do not understand the overall appeal of MJ. It's true that he has some major hits that are undeniably great. But the rest is just... bleh. It's a low 3/5 again, joining Thriller down there.
Big shocker a classic
kind of weird i've never heard the album in full. also pretty ironic that the michael movie has been launched just a couple of weeks ago. the drums are so !!! toit i think i've heard more covers of michael jackson songs than the originals. i like speed demon (the falsetto part got me rolling though) i just do not like this type of music / pop?
I think Michael Jackson is pretty overrated.
Have heard plenty of Michael Jackson over the years, but this will be the first time I put on this album front to back. I mean, it is what it is. Catchy funky 80s pop. Bad is a great opener followed by The Way You Make Me Feel. Just fun catchy dancy pop. As a whole there’s a lot of a funkier-synth sound to a lot of it, best on Speed Demon and Just Good Friends. Some of the 80s sound and production gets a little tiring after a while. Some of it has a cheesy dated quality to it. But when it’s fun, it’s fun. I don't care for the slower love ballads like Liberian Girl and I just Can’t Stop Loving You. Actually really like Dirty Diana though, it’s a jam. Overall, this is a tough one to rate. Great funky synthy dance pop at its best. There are a few pop classics here. Yet there are some downsides. I was thinking 4 early, but think I’m on 3 now. When it’s great, it’s as good as pop gets. But sometimes it’s just a little too dated sounding to me, even if that’s also part of its charm.
Another great album! MJ's run of these three albums is top tier. This one has Man in the Mirror and Smooth Criminal as personal faves.
Es el matherfacer maikel
Not the usual vibe i go for but still pleasant
Lacks the sublime simplicity of earlier hit records like Off the Wall, but still hits its marks more or less. I just don’t care for the songs here. Smooth Criminal is the exception, melodically one of his very best songs.
Following up Thriller was always going to be an impossible task for Michael Jackson, so when it was announced Bad would be his next full length album 5 years after it was such a relief to see a new direction rather than a rehashing and desperate attempt to try and recapture the same spirit of his previous masterpiece. This project moves away from the Disco and Funk of his past and moves towards a more energetic 80s Dance-Pop sound that does feel the most "of its' time" of Jackson's big 3 albums but still feels quite great thanks to some stellar songwriting. It is without any sort of denial that Bad and Smooth criminal are classic songs here but Dirty Diana, Man in the Mirror, and The Way You Make Me Feel are all also so damn good. There are some other tracks here I found were nice but not nearly as iconic or special as I would have hoped like with Speed Demon, Liberian Girl, and I Just Can't Stop Loving You. Even with the high highs of this album, there are quite a few stunted songs that feel less timeless and more "of its' time." I don't think Bad is an bad album by any means, but it certainly hasn't aged as nicely as many others may have hoped.
Great album, shame he’s a big paedo
Good album.
They don’t call him the King of Pop for nothing. Thats what this record is… purely unadulterated pop. Overly produced, saccharine electronic sounds, and Michael Jackson making his patented squeals and stuff. Many of the songs are super catchy though. Hard to deny. But other than creating ear worms that wont go away, I can’t say I like it. But like the Beatles, I acknowledge what people like about it and I see (kinda) why he was an icon. I’m gonna give this a 3, because I don’t love or hate it. I also don’t think this is Jackson’s best work. So I’ll save a higher mark for Thriller.
Even decades after Whacko Jacko's untimely death his name (rightly) continues to be dragged through the mud. As mentally deranged as he was as a person, you can't deny his superstardom. It was a good album, although this kind of pop is a bit too polished for my liking. Altogether a decent listen. Probably my favourite of his releases.
6/10 first sing was great but rest of album was kinda bad
While not one of the classics still hits hits hits. This was around the same time that people were having the conversation around who was better Prince or Michael Jackson. I think that Dirty Diana is his attempt at doing a Jackson version of Darling Nicky.
I remember a poetry professor dissecting the lyrics to "Man in the Mirror" as bad poetry. That professor died of brain cancer, which is irrelevant. What the professor missed is that songs rely on the music and that the poetry of the lyrics is secondary. Anyway, Michael Jackson was an insanely gifted entertainer and consummate weirdo who very likely molested children. I go with the "smoke/fire" theory here, considering this is not a one-off accusation. Why are so many people hung up on disproving that he molested children? Because fans of the artist, you can't consume the art in good conscience. (See also, MAGA People who turn a blind eye to Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and the "privileges" that likely entailed.) The best course of acrion is to separate the art from the artist in this case. Bad is not as compelling as Thriller, but it's still a decent record.
He is a terrible person but this album is irresistible to music lovers
Lov it
7.5/8
clasicazo
Fun album. I enjoyed listening to the deep cuts. 4/5 I’ve heard MJ my whole life and never actually listened to any albums front to back so this was a fun listen. I honestly enjoyed hearing the deep cuts more than the hits. And this might be a controversial take but I think Bad is an annoying song, but overall really fun album!
3,5
4,3/5
I was really not in the mood for this. I will be generous and give it a 3 but it did really grate on me at times.
I’m not sure an album titled ‘okay’ would have sold as much, though it would better sum up the content of this one. There’s a lot of the instrument choices on her that date it quite a lot, primarily the drum machines and synthesised basslines. In some songs this works (‘smooth criminal’ still sounds good) but in others it sounds pretty ropey (‘just good friends’, ‘speed demon’). For an album that is supposed to show Jackson’s ‘bad boy’ image, this has a few ballads that stand out like a sore thumb and would do better not being on here.
It’s MJ, so none of it is truly truly heinous, but for the most part it lives up to its name. There’s the inane songs, the affected high pitched noises, the “sha-mo”s, the awful Stevie Wonder duet, and then mixed in a couple of pop classics. But it’s actually really quite a poor album and doesn’t have the disco energy to carry it through.
"Speed Demon" is a weak song it's a bit repetitive and silly so loses a bit of classic MJ to me. It sticks out to me as not sure of its place in the overall album effect. I guess the positive in this album of all this flip-flopping styles is exactly that he can transition to almost anything vocally, and the range is insane. "Liberian Girl" is another gear change as it's a significant down change of pace but has not much more quality than Speed Demon. I probably only "woke up" when Man in the mirror came on. That is a classic song but had to wade through some filler before that (Including a dire duet between Stevie Wonder and MJ. How did those 2 manage such a crap song!). I do like "Dirty Diana" & "Smooth Criminal" in that I think they have got a bit of extra passion and not just another pop jingle and start to blend some styles in this case with a strong rock influence. MJ has one of the best vocals of the century and probably why he can lift almost anything to a pop hit. I do actually like MJ but for me this album lacks consistency to be considered great and when 2 thirds of the album is weak not much more to be said.
MJ is completely unconvincing as a "Bad" boy and this album is like the musical equivalent of Mario Kart. I found myself instantly irritated by the odd noises, sqeals, and stoccato beats. Every now and then MJ whooping like man-child. He completely fails to sell any song about love or sexuality, but maybe that's because I know with hindsight that he has the mental age of a twelve year old. I have to admit that he is pitch perfect throughout the album and it has a couple of classics. Just too much camp pop for me in this one.
7/10 It is a pop classic - I remember it being everywhere in the late 80s. The singles carry it, although the title track is pretty rubbish still
An absolute classic from the King of Pop. I'd heard over half of this album before, so had high expectations, and they were definitely met. From the songs I didn't know (the tracks 3-7), I really enjoyed Speed Demon, Liberian Girl and Another Part of Me. Just Good Friends is the only potentially forgettable song on the album for me. The rest is banger after banger. Just a superstar at the peak of his powers. Bloody fantastic album.
He ain't get king of pop for nothing. Some of my favourite tracks of MJ's on this album (Dirty Diana is such a killer track and so are Man in the Mirror and The Way You Make Me Feel) so I knew it was going to be peak right from the start but I got surprised by some of the deeper cuts off this record. Speed Demon and Leave Me Alone are ones I had never heard before but still made an impression on me. Couple of misses imo with Liberian Girl, Just Good Friends, and I Can't Stop Loving You but overall a very good album. Plus, so iconic. Favourite tracks: Speed Demon, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal 4.5/5
A couple of classic tracks here, some filler, and a few really whiny tracks that, uh, have not aged well at all due to the unpleasantness. Can't deny the hook in "Smooth Criminal," though.
Love the music
pedo
Fuck I love dirty Diana
Pretty fun, incredibly cheesy but refined. the goat
This was always going to be a troublesome listen for me. Can appreciate tracks like Smooth Criminal as 'Classics' but won't be listening to it again
So good. This is MJ doing whatever he wants. Some cheese here but such a great sounding album with plenty of bangers.
Man in the Mirror and Smooth Criminal are classics for a reason. But overall pretty meh. And Liberian Girl wasn’t great.
3.5 The hits from this that have lived on (Bad, Smooth Criminal, etc) remain all timers but this feels considerably more dated than both Off the Wall and Thriller in both production and songwriting
i get it
I think I preferred this album to Thriller. Beat It and Billie Jean are excellent but I didn't feel like the whole album was at the same level. Bad seems to be to have a higher average quality song overall, including some bangers (although none quite as Beat It or Billie Jean levels for me).
The first half of this album is literally bad The second half of figuratively bad. If it wasn't a single, it's yeah (also Bad).
3.5
omg, why did it take me so long to hear an entire MJ album? this is good, the music already on another level, truly a legend. my fa song is The Way yo Make me feel! :)
Classic! Songs from my childhood
Probably one of the most famous albums on this list and in the world. Jackson's disco/soul/funk vibe hits peak 80s instrumentation and production. Drum pads, sequenced basslines and synth strings abound. Also some rock, as in Beat It beforehand. First new track to me, Speed Demon perfectly exemplifies this. That sequenced slap bass is interesting, even sounds a bit like something from a retro video game! Sound does get a bit repetetive, bit of a lull from Speed Demon until Man in the Mirror. Longer outro to Man in the Mirror is interesting to hear - I'd only heard radio version before. Just Can't Stop Lovin You is too overwrought and sentimental Overall verdict, trying to be objective about such a famous album: some tracks are clearly masterpieces of pop, and deserve their fame. But there is filler here, making it unable to get 5 stars. But is it 3 or 4 from me? Best (new to me) track - Speed Demon 4 stars for the cultural touchstone. There is a reason it is so huge.
It’s bad (although it’s actually good and I got given it for Christmas one year when santa swapped my sleeping beauty video with my sisters CD. My sister said we shouldn’t swap because it’s what Santa wanted. Pah. I guess I was the younger one
Bad
Sounds dated and childish. Probably his worst album and an awful rebrand for him. Gets a 2 for Man in the Mirror
Nope, dated, horrible and very bad. Regardless of what he's done in his private life, this is not a good album.
Not my favorite genre but several songs I know and like and a few I had never heard.
nunca tinha escutado todo. mt bom! gostei de vdd
Nobody like Michael Jackson. Catchy and his vocal style is unmatched.
yea he was the goat im sorry
I actually enjoy this album more than Thriller. Already been said -just a lot of bangers. His talent was insane. Not quite a five for me though. I think off the wall is his best.
Wasn't really digging the tracks that followed 'Bad' but it picked up tremendously after Liberian Girl.
I genuinely thought I would like this album more than I actually did. I mean, it's Michael Jackson! The King of Pop! There are some songs that I absolutely love like The Way You Make Me Feel, Speed Demon, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana and the creme de la creme, Smooth Criminal! But sadly, I was a little bit disappointed because I knew the reputation of this album going in and had high expectations. Oh well. It still gets 4 stars though!
Неочікувано))) І всеодно це попс.
9/10 Only reason I wouldn't say 10/10 is because I think Michael has done better.
Enough bangers to justify the more questionable choices made in this album
Hee-hee!
MJ will forever be the king of pop. Every single song on this album is a bop. Yes MJ had his controversies but what he did for music is legendary.
You know who is bad, me listening to this album. It has some great songs on it, but also some very mediocre songs. I have become more of a Michael Jackson fan the older I have become. 7/10 Top song The way you make me feel
Smooth Criminal is another Billion play song, but you also get Bad, Man in the Mirror, and the Way You Make Me Feel. It might not be Triller, but it still a generation defining album.
SAVE ME MICHAEL JACKSON. Oh thank god. I've been drowning in slop and mediocrity. I can actually fucking enjoy what's playing in my ears now. Its MJ. Allegations aside he's musically insane. No one did it like him. Or does. Just banger after banger. Insane run truly. I am a speed demon Michael youre so right. I mean great songs nothing much to say. Favourite: Leave Me Alone Least favourite: Liberian Girl
I've never been a big Michael Jackson fan. However, this album was still enjoyable enough as I cleaned. Sometimes music is just catchy even if it's not your preffered sound.
First time listening I liked listening to this album. I dont think I liked it as much as Off The Wall, but it was still good. 7/10 enjoyment ranking
8.5- 5 of 11 songs are timeless hits, middle songs had a bit of a lull with a strong ending. Overall great album
very solid mj album, good stuff
The hits are hits. I found it difficult to be objective about each song given how well known they are. I remember feeling underwhelmed by the album overall because aside from the hits (Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal) I didn't enjoy many of the songs (Liberian Girl, I Just Can't Stop Loving You were low on my list). 3.5/5
Some great songs. Some not. Sounds thin and plastic, like many compressed recordings from this era. I prefer the funkier, earlier MJ work.
Not my favorite MJ album, but still some heavy hitters to enjoy!
Oh man this is really something that I fw... Bad and The way you make me feel, remind me of childhood movies, but now they hit different, as like a new light shows upon them. The album is very positive energy filled record, with emotion and life in itself, with it's ups and down, a very enjoyable experience. Dirty Diana is my favorite from this one hands down, the slow build-up, emotion and general atmosphere is gud.
oscillates between just fine and hee hee
Of his big three albums (Off the Wall, Thriller) this is probably his weakest. He also went weird during this period. Too much plastic surgery and of course the elephant in the room, the allegations. So while it's not really that bad with many good songs, hard to give it above 2 stars
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I don't care if his music is good or if he's an "icon" I'm sick of listening to men who've fucked kids on this stupid gameeeeeeeeeeee
Kinda surprised by how many users disliked this album. Don't misunderstand me, I know it's dated. But it was also a groundbreaking pop album. Nearly every song is iconic with Jackson's distinct vocal style.
Suficiente un tema o dos
I don't feel like listening to Michael Jackson and it doesn't help that this album is surprisingly meh.
One of my all-time favorite albums and my favorite Michael Jackson album period. The production is so crisp, every instrumental element adds to the exciting atmosphere established in every song. The 80s would not be complete without this album.
Barely a 4. Girls convinced me based on number of bangers.
Album de 1987 que suena atemporal! Lo estoy escuchando en mayo de 2026 y suena incredible. Canciones imposible de olvidar. Sonido claro que muestran la esencia de este artista inmortal.
Geweldig
Not bad, not bad at all. And perfect for “Weird Al” Yankovic to parody…
Слишком уж даже отточенный и мощный.
Obviously the hits on here hit hard. Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal back to back is insane work. The lyrics to Bad are cringe and the non-hits are only pretty good. Pretty sure Liberian girl is actively bad.
doggo/10
Absolute classic. I had this on CD as a kid. Constantly listened to the classic man in the mirror. An album I can listen to start to finish and never get bored. It has it all. Forgot how good Just Good Friends is also. Such a funky track. Always will be a 5/5 for me. King of Pop. 👑
Não é o melhor álbum do Michael, mas é bom.
Mid
The man could write and perform pop music like no one else. Every song is a hit!
It's a fun album; it's Michael Jackson you're expectin quality. I do find it a bit repetitive at times, without the absolute bangers present in other works of his.
Ive just been kn the movie, obsessed
Well, even then, you didn't really believe any of his love songs. They're all performative. Always were, really, even before this album. It's easy to poo all over this. Lots of sterotypes in the keyboards (those bloody keytar-like sounds), the bass lines, the artificiality of this "Bad" persona and any of the lyrics (except maybe Man in the Mirror, which Jackson didn't write). The child molesting accusations don't help. But. A major reason a lot of his eeks and shamone-ah!, and the bass lines and so on are such stereotypes and so dated-sounding is that this was so big and almost every song is a bloody groovy earworm that renders you a bit defenseless against its effects. All of this on the heels of Thriller is quite an achievement. But. My God, a lot of this is incredibly cheesy. And besides the über hits, there's a bunch of duds here as well.
Nonce or not, I don't envy the task of any person who has to release the follow-up to Thriller! Commercially speaking, this album was a massive success with 9 of the 11 tracks being released as singles. There's some absolute gems on here, some guilty pleasures and some tracks that have not aged well at all. Any record that has both 'Smooth Criminal' and 'Bad' on it can't be too bad. 'Dirty Diana' is MJ doing his best Prince impression and he pulls it off well enough, even if it is nowhere as dirty as Prince's most scandalous moments. Jackson trying his hardest to showcase his badboy image is certainly laughable, as are some of his juvenile save-the-world lyrics. 'Man In The Mirror' is a song I loved as a child, but is beyond corny when listened as an adult. This hasn't aged as a complete package as much as I'd hope.
i get it, but cmon, some of this sounds like stuff you'd hear at a 90s school disco
Meh. Cant separate the art from the artist
used to go to sleep to this as a child. excellent music just not my fav MJ era
albumazo toca bancar
👑
The king returns for a second album.
The hits are so well known from this album, and I really don't remember not knowing these songs. There are only a couple of tracks that I didn't like as much as the others. This album is iconic.
Fond memories of this one and music is still pretty good if a little over produced. Really hard to listen to nowadays, a lot of the lyrics feel like confessions
Absolut banger
Bleh
I thought I would be giving this one a 4 but the non-hits are kind of awful.
é engraçado ver essa seção de comentários falando coisas do michael, ai quando vou ver o perfil da pessoa, ela tá lá aclamando david bowie e tantas outras figuras tão polemicas quanto o michael kk risível a hipocrisia né sobre o album, perfeição disco/pós disco como sempre, selo de qualidade de produção lá em cima. é um pouco inferior ao thriller, mas certamente merece um 4 muito bem dado. esse foi artista.
3.5. i mean it's michael jackson it's pretty solid stuff all around. maybe a bit dated but i don't really care all that much it's still nowhere near being bad in my opinion
This album is when the car drives off the road and then Dangerous I'm assuming is when it goes off the cliff and whichever one after is when the car hits the ground and explodes .
(79/100)
cool, got introduced to michael jackson
Great album. So many hits. Great producing. Whatever you think about Michael Jackson, there's no denying that he was a talented performer.
I didn't listen to this album as part of this, but I've listened to it already a few times. This is a classic album, & you can't necessarily go wrong with the King of Pop. I will take some time to really listen as part of this process though, because it's been some time. I've been listening to thriller and off the wall more.
Michael Jackson was an incredible performer and singer. Many of the songs on this album show his expanded repertoire. It’s truly enjoyable with the different stylings and messaging. Though, this album is so firmly set in the 80s due to the bass alone. I will never get over hearing that industrial reverb. Still, this album is incredible and highlights why his musical legacy will live on, even if his personal legacy is forever marred.
All the songs you already know are amazing, the ones you haven’t heard before are not
Full of great tracks, however as a whole, just one too many tracks that isn't at the level required for 5 stars
Det første MJ-albumet jeg har lyttet gjennom i voksen album. Dette består som forventet av ekstremt fengende pop-melodier og ikonisk stønnin. Top 3: Dirty Diana, Man in the Mirror, Another Part of Me
A pretty lackluster album from Michael. Enough good tracks and classics to keep it afloat, but there are some overly edgy songs and some very cheesy ballads. I find "dirty Diana" to be funny because Diana is an old lady name these days. 2.5/5 -> 3/5
He's not tuff bad here, he's down bad. But I can't fault him because 80s pop is my guilty pleasure. The funky drum tracks and the melodies are pretty catchy, but they're not as strong as Thriller. If we're really talking "bad", the ballads are not my kind of thing here. (3.5-4)
Some really great ones, and some that I really do not ever need to hear again lol. But can't go wrong with Michael Jackson.
mostly slaps. not too intense listening. liked it
Every harmony on every song was Michael, wild ability.
While it has some of the greatest 80s songs, I can’t listen to it as a whole, it feels clunky, that might be a consequence of the cultural impact perhaps
I listened to it but I just don't understand the fuss, and he was a pedo - no thanks.
Stylish even in 2026!
Michael frickin Jackson where do I start. How do ppl hate this album??? Yeah personally it’s not for me where I would listen to it everyday BUT that does not negate the fact how talented he is. Yeah he was very good on the children’s skin flute but do we rly count that????? Whatever it was a good album prince still better tho 8.1/10
There are some great songs here, but they're evened out by too many that are, ironically, bad.
One of the best albums there is, absolute hit after absolute hit including Bad, Man in The Mirror, Smooth Criminal and The Way You Make Me Feel. Great album to dance in the kitchen to.
Every song an absolute banger.
strooong 8/10
Classic 🙌Loved it
Like eating a Twinkie that’s been sitting in the pantry for 30 years. Still tastes the same. Not even that stale. But who wants to eat that? It’s Bad.
it's 3.5
one of his best albums oat
I had heard lots of the songs before. Didn’t know they all came from one album
No todas las canciones me gustaron
classic, love it
Kinda liked liberian girl. Smoooth
L: 6 M: 8 F: 7 O: 8
There are so many great songs on this album that get overlooked because of the other really great songs
Honestly pretty good, given I didn't really know what I should expect beyond knowing this album had "Smooth Criminal". The FM synth heavy arrangements are nice and nostalgic, but can be a little dated at times. I guess at the time he dropped this he still earned the right to hold on to the "King of Pop" title, but this one doesn't impress me nearly as much as Thriller did. 7.5/10
Doesn't really reach the heights of Thriller but the good stuff on here is undeniably good. Smooth Criminal is the hit by a mile of course, but Liberian Girl was an unexpected hit for me.
8/10 While I can see that it has that unmistakable 80s sound that almost everyone else did, this one has smooth criminal.
Maybe controversial but that is a great album.
I didn't really get Michael Jackson at the time and that hasn't changed
With the exception of Speed Demon (what were you thinking MJ) this is full of great pop songs. I’m also told that it is pre cancellation. On that basis 4*
Mmmm. Not my thing. Never was, even before all the broohaha. Some great singles. But the self-consciously orgasmic whoop puts me on edge for all sorts of reasons. 2*
There are some classics on here, but the filler is absolute crap. I didn't realize how much worse this album was than Thriller. Objectively, it deserves a 2, but it gets a nostalgia bump for me.
16-year-old me was entirely correct in rejecting this album as synth-pop garbage.
I was in 8th grade when this came out and even then I could tell this was ridiculously inauthentic. Bad, Smooth Criminal, Dirty Diana are beyond my ability to suspend disbelief. This would get a 1 if it weren't for The Way You Make Me Feel. I like that one.