Bad

7.5/10

3.5 stars

Legendary stuff that makes me want to shake it.

Just never been a big MJ fan. This album didn't really change that. Some good songs though.

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

Yh hit after hit lots of fun

A classic. It's a shame that I only learn to love his music after his death, but this album with hits like Man In The Mirror, I Just Can't Stop Loving You will forever have a special place in my heart, and serves as great reminders of what a pure soul Michael was.

The hits on here are some of the all time best pop songs, but there are just a few too many ballads on this album. I feel like the ballads were always Jacksons weakest element. I think they are better on this album then Thriller, but I still wouldn't choose to listen to them. High 4.

Pedo

Perfect pop album. Excellent production and great songs.

synthpop was never the same

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.

A classic album from the king of pop. 5/5

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.

All time classic

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

I LOVE POP MUSIC!!!!!!!!!

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

Dirty DIYAHNA!

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.

One of his best albums!

10/10 total bangers

Never cared for it. Still don't care for it. This was a step down from Thriller and it never caught on with me. Just meh.

Like on the other two MJ albums, there are a few fantastic stand-out tracks and the rest is filler. Certainly not the worst filler, but very forgettable nonetheless. Still, the few really good tracks are great enough as to carry the whole album.

Surprised there are a few mediocre songs on this one, because the rest of the album is golden.

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

Lendário

Samalla albumilla täyshittejä kuten Smooth Criminal ja huteja niin kuin Liberian Girl.

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

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Has some filler tracks, but at least the singles really slap

The hits are hits for a reason. The rest are, well, Liberian Girl Man in the Mirror is better than I remember, and Smooth Criminal and Dirty Diana are standouts for me. It’s not a no-skips record but I’m here for the drama of it all

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.

I was listening to a podcast that mentioned how different pop albums were constructed in this era. They needed to have hits upon hits upon hits, with little room for filler. I've never heard Bad in full but I knew almost the entire album because it is just so packed full of hits. In a way though, Bad perhaps don't work so strongly as an album. It seems better to dip into for the individual singles, when the need arises. Like today, it's definitely a Smooth Criminal day.

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.

So many hits in this record. Amazing follow up to Thriller

good!

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

Classic and forgot some of those tracks!

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??

I never thought this would happen either, but I’m giving MJ a 5. I think I really enjoyed this because it was not played into the ground like Thriller. Last 4 songs are poppin’ off. My least fave is “Man In The Mirror”—not really my style of song but the message is spot on. “Leave Me Alone” is my theme song. This was my first time to listen to the album as a whole. I had mostly moved beyond pop radio into alternative by the time this was released.

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.

This is a great record. Actually like it top to bottom better than Thriller.

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.

The hits were great, but I was really bored by a lot of the songs

Enjoyed it, had some really strong songs. Probably would listen again if I wanted to listen to something different than usual

3.5 stars, very 80s sound

nope

4/5, nie wypada mniej, angażujący popularnych, ok w aucie, może być do pracy, nie z dziećmi w tle

One of the best. Hard to argue. Still holds up too.

heehee

rósz xd

Welp, he was a genius. Such a polished sound. Really glad this popped up for me today.

clássico né

ummmm it preddy good more than the other ones even

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

1. bad - 3 2. Feel - 2 3. Speed - 0 4. Girl -1 5. Friends - 1 6. Me - 1 7. Mirror - 1.5 8. Loving - 1.5 9. Diana - 1.5 10. Smooth - 3 11. Alone - 3

2.5

I wanted to say something pithy like, *Bad* was Michael Jackson's last good album... Truth is I probably have *Dangerous* at a low 4, *Blood on the Dance Floor* (which is half remix half new material) at a mid 3½, and even *Invincible* at a slight 3½ or high 3... The only real falter I have during his Epic run is the CD of new stuff that it's included with HIStory part 1 (which even about a third of that I do kind of like) But as for this album I still find that most of 9 singles (including "Leave Me Alone") I still really enjoy listening to, even like the title track. Is Michael Jackson acting like a badass is a little bit too much to take? Yes, I made fun of it back then too. But I always liked the song. The only single I didn't like was "Liberian Girl", and that one was not released in the US. "Man in the Mirror", although I would not put that my upper echelon of Michael Jackson tunes, it's still a far cry better than some of the schmaltzy crappy stuff he would put out later such as "Childhood" and "Earth Song" or even "We Are The World" a few years earlier. I think one thing that does make this album suffer is that unlike *Off the Wall or *Thriller* which each had a song or two that were kind of buried which didn't live up to the rest, this one puts them all right in the row right at the end of side one. "Speed Demon", "Liberian Girl", and "Just Good Friends". The good thing about this album is that it ends with two of best songs of the album, including "Dirty Diana" which features a guitar work of Billy Idol's guitarist Steve Stevens, the best song on the album. Overall this is still a pretty great listen even though it doesn't anywhere come near the highs of the previous two (8.67) ★★★★

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

Another album from the King of (Mediocre) Pop. I think the first half of this album is quite bad, and not in the way the album thinks it means. "The Way You Make Me Feel" is okay, the title track sees Michael trying to convince us how cool his is over the cheesiest 80s music one could imagine, "Liberian Girl" is awful as are the other tracks. Things get better on the second half. "Man in the Mirror" and "Smooth Criminal" are both solid pop songs, but the real highlight here is what might be the best thing Jackson ever put to tape -- "Dirty Diana". It's the closest Michael comes to actually seeming cool. The rhythm guitar has like a proto-Mk.Gee thing going on, it has a cool cello part that comes in, and I like how Michael's voice almost seems broken at the end. You have to wade through some cheese, but you finally get some badness. Light 3.5 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.

Almost a 5 but I just can't help comparing to Off the Wall

Amazing album, obviously Michael is one of the most famous musicians for a reason, but some of the songs just aren't what I am into.

My fav album from Michael, if people would actually plan their music nowadays, more people would be into pop music.

Can't just be me, but the only good thing to come out of this album is Fat by Weird Al. Pop masterpiece? Please. Pap, pablum, overproduced trash. Admittedly, part of my disdain for this disc is my overall disdain for MJ and his handlers. Like, how did anyone not know what was going on. FU, MJ.

This album is fantastic and a GREAT follow-up to "Thriller." It justtttt misses the mark as a perfect 5/5, but it is so so good! Definitely Michael's 2nd best album! Actual rating....4.5. There are hits all throughout, although "Dirty Diana" is so underappreciated. Liked Songs: The entire album, but "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is the weakest.

2.75

El gran problema de algunos discos de Michael Jackson es la cantidad de relleno que tienen (sobre todo en los 90). Aquí, aún habiendo un par de canciones que no dan la talla sigue siendo un gran álbum. Además, está Man in the Mirror, que es mi tema favorito de Michael. 4/5

It's a pop classic. It's Bad.

If thriller is a 5, this is 4-4.5 at most. There’s no denying the hits are massive! The misses on the other hand😬

Good: Bad, The way you make me feel Bad: everything else...just horrid Sometimes you just gotta admit that the masses don't know shit.... 2 stars

OEEDP EPEDO PEDO FILLI PEDO CHILD RAPER!!!!! CHILD FUCKING RAPSIT!!!! lapsi raiskaaja pro. michael jakson on ehkä top 5 pedofiileistä koskaan. jeejee aivan poppia pop it up pop pop pop!! woo-hoo ee--heee aaaa-haa AAAUH-- WOAUGH! ääni efektit heh rakastan maikkel jäxön!!! WOOAAh ahhaah uhhhu ashishisih aa shshishsi aashshsishsi ee-hee waa-ahahaaa uuuuhhh--hhhuuu!! jeej ejejejeje olisinpa lapsi että maikkel jaixöni peppu panisi minuaa vitustii :((( kakkainen pylly minulla ripulinen peppuaukosta valuisi vaan sinappista kekulia jalkaa pitkin alas koska avo aukko keskellä bepaa smooth criminal (pedofphile crimes (smooth baby butt))

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.

I didn’t realize this album has all of my MJ favourites!!!

Very very good, funky and fun. Not as good as off the wall but still nice album. There was a clear reason why MJ was as big as he was.

*1987. *5 out of 11 tracks are massive hits. Hard to argue with that. RATING - 8.5/10

A few nostalgic numbers smooth criminal etc but bag of shite otherwise.

King of pop? Or monkey-bothering king of pop nonce? Whichever, I just can't be bothered.

It's so hard to separate the art from the deluded paedophile traumatised by childhood pop fame and an echo chamber of people who agree with him to gain access to his power and money. To the extent that they let their children be close to him, build him his own fairground and have I'll advised pets. But once you do, it's quite a good album of funky pop numbers.

Hit after goddamn hit, eeee-heee!

Banger after banger after banger

Classic

Very good album - don’t like listening to him anymore though 8/10

Really slick production, particulalry juicy basslines. But quite uneven, and lyrically dodgy overall. Favorite track: Smooth Criminal

Just can't with the Shamone.

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

I can see what Michael was aiming for: portraying himself as a bad boy for the ladies. Unfortunately, the lyrics are so vaguely applicable that I can't help but think this is just a corpo's attempt to appeal to as broad of a demographic as possible. And the whole 'bad boy' act feels more like the one guy who wears leather jackets constantly claiming he's a badass.

There's too much going on and you can tell that it just isn't all that sincere. Most of the songs are about discarded and vapid love affairs which really don't click with me to begin with. And the michaelisms are recognizable but ultimately laighable. MJ makes music you dance to and don't think about. Please don't think about it.

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!

My thoughts on MJ have been made clear in other reviews. Do you think he wrote ‘man in the mirror’ after molesting someone? Like this was his ‘no more molesting’ pump up speech to himself? Obviously a known molester like MJ can’t sing a lyric like ‘ see the kids in the street with not enough to eat Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their needs?‘ without a little evil smile to himself about what those needs might be. If you want to make a the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change. Indeed. Unless that means stop molesting people, cuz I’m definitely not gonna do that lol.

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.

Wow this album had a ton of hits! Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal!? We're at 4 stars already, buddy. The rest of the album has a lot of meh filler, and tbh The Way You Make Me Feel kinda sucks. But 4 stars for the HITS. Side note I can't listen to Bad and not think of Fat by Weird Al. "Your butt is wiiiiiiiide..." Love that Weird Al made not one but two MJ songs about being fat. Now that I'm on this tangent, can we get a Weird Al album on this list please???

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.

Favourites: Bad, Speed Demon, Liberian Girl, Just Good Friends, Another Part of Me, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal

love michael jackson and this album is full of hits, but a handful of meh songs too. 4/5 for me

Heard almost every single song from it before but never listened to the album from start to finish. Usually I dislike late 80s pop because towards the end of the decade it began to sound like a parody of itself. But that's not the case here, oh no. The production on this album is insane and polished as hell. And it's MJ, come on. Of course it's a good album 4/5

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.

He’s so good so tense shame about the circus

Pure nostalgia!

KLASIKA

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.

MJ the best

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.

Tired of the political bullshit people throw around to give him a bad rating rather than listening to his music and accepting it as what it is. Same for other artists. Whether they did wrong is irrelevant, was/is their music good? I hate Taylor Swift, but her music not the person. I'm sure she's a lovely person, I don't know her nor do I care. I still listen to R Kelly sometimes. Sure he's a monster for the things he did, but that doesn't take away the enjoyment his music gives me. Sue me. We incarcerate those found guilty, but also those found innocent these days. So it makes no difference, haters gonna hate. I never knew MJ personally, obviously, but I know his music and I love it. This is a great album, deserves to be here. He was a musical genius. Troubled, yes, but a genius all the same and he pathed the way for many other artists. "Liberian Girl" remains one of my favourites, "Dirty Diana" also, but "Man in the Mirror" not so much, perhaps it's the fact that it's the one song that Michael didn't write. I remember the amazing video to "Leave Me Alone" on MTV. Genius. "Smooth Criminal" will hold a special place in my heart as it reminds me of sitting with my best friend from primary school watching "Moonwalker" over and over again and begging our parents to rent it from the video club again. It also reminds me of the Sega Mega Drive game "Michael Jackson's Moonwalker" and that amazing spin he does as the first level starts, the coin flip into the air that falls into the jukebox and starts playing "Smooth Criminal". The same with "Another Part of Me" which plays at the title screen that you can't help singing along to instead of pressing "start"... played that game to death.

Weird Al did it better

Its Micheal Jackson, what do I say

I would’ve given it 4 stars but well it’s Michael Jackson

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.

Not as consistent as Thriller but still filled with massive hits

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.

I mean…

Bad? Yes. Bad? No. I wonder if Jackson was secretly upset that "Shamone" never caught on in a serious way in the Lexicon. All the "Hees" and "Haas" grate on me almost as much as the dated sounds.

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.

Coming off the monster hit album, Thriller, MJ shows why he is the King of pop with this record. Bad is certainly not bad, it's great. Loaded with smash hits and some decent, slower support tracks...not really a bad song. Time to break out "Moonwalker" for a viewing. 4.23 stars for not doggin' me around.

Where do you start? MJ was coming off the success of Thriller and managed to follow it up with one of the greatest albums of all time. It's crazy to think that any album could produce 9 singles, but Quincy Jones put together another insane lineup that is well deserving of the 6 Grammy awards and other accolades. The album is killer from top to bottom, even the 2 non-singles aren't bad songs. Overall it is an incredible example of MJ's ability to carry a tune and put on a performance and really solidified him as the King of Pop. I love nearly everything about this album, and so much of it is immortalized in the tie-in Moonwalker film. The music videos, the production work, the ensemble dance segments, everything about it hits in the best way. Despite Thriller's lasting impact and I find Bad to be MJ at his best. 4.44

25% iconic 75% bland

Michael is Michael

Solid pop album. 4 stars.

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.

BEST SONGS: - Liberian Girl - I Just Can´t Stop Loving You - Dirty Diana

Still a banger.

First album I'll skip because I've heard most of these songs so much more than I would want

I knew I had to come across Michael Jackson on this list eventually, and I dreaded it. As far as I can remember, I’ve always hated both the man and the artist. It’s difficult to explain why – it was like hate at first sight. As a child in the 80s, I found him vaguely repulsive and weird, as if he was an alien parading in a badly imitated human-skin disguise. As a teenager in the 90s, his music was the embodiment of everything I hated in pop music – shrill, artificial, full of fake enthusiasm and synthetic noises. As an adult, I simply had zero interest in his antics (and better music to discover). Anyway. It’s hard for me to listen, let alone review, an entire album of this nonsense. I did it though, for the sake of this challenge. I tried to keep an open mind, but in the end it didn’t change my stance – I still think it’s pretentious, style-over-substance, fame-obsessed garbage. Almost every single track grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkoard. His constant high-piched yodeling and his stupid yoo-hoos and yee-hees simply drive me insane. I’ll admit that Smooth Criminal is not a bad song – it’s groovy and very listenable, once in a while. But that’s about it. Usually, I would rate this kind of album a 2* despite my dislike, because I objectively recognize its influence. But for once I’ll make an exception and judge entirely from the heart. Yee-hee !

1,3/5

This was the first MJ album I got. Automatic 5/5. Even if he was a deeply troubled person, his music was once in a lifetime. This isn't my favorite album of his, but definitely captures a huge chunk of the prime of his popularity. Even the B-sides would be greatest hits for any other artist.

En del genkendelighed, men jeg kan egentligt kun lide Smooth Criminal. Og de ikke kendte numre er ikke kendte af en grund.

It seems an impossible thing to consider, but how does one follow up the most successful album ever? Bad actually came pretty close to matching the previous success! Of the 11 songs on the record, 9 were ultimately released as singles. With “Bad”, “The Man in the Mirror”, “Smooth Criminal” and “The Way You Make Me Feel” be true stand outs.

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.

Fantastic. For pop music to have this much longevity is amazing.

Not good

Classic

Worse

It's so hard to separate the music from the artist, especially on an album where he's proclaiming he's bad. I tried, but I can't separate Jackson's pedophilia and mental illness from this, when, not to mention "Bad", songs like "Man in the Mirror" draws attention to him changing himself, "Smooth Criminal" describes a predatory criminal, and all the sentimental, innocent-sounding lyrics are just plain insincere and unbelievable. This is Jackson trying to adopt a heavier, more-dangerous attitude, perhaps a reflection of his own real inner demons. Yet it doesn't even feel sincere. Most of the album is over-polished with over-produced synth, which maybe was cutting edge then but now sounds a bit goofy. The worst culprit is "Just Good Friends" with Stevie Wonder, a shame. I found "Dirty Diana" misogynistic and "Liberian Girl" interesting but ultimately annoying. This album is undoubtedly important and influential. I admit I'm not a fan of most 80's pop music and this sound which carried into the 90's. I bet it also influenced other pop artists who came to reject their initial clean image and adopt a bad facade later in their career when they started to become irrelevant and needed attention again. Overall, I'd say the songwriting is really good here-- many of the hits are super catchy and timeless melodies-- but the production is too busy and dated. And of course, Jackson's child molestation and mental illness hangs over it all.

Great pop album. Some all time classics. A few songs I didn’t love which leads to the 4. But the highs are so high on this album

First impression pre listen: I've always been a bit lukewarm on MJ. I doubt that will ever change. As talented he is as a performer his songs have never personally done much for me. I'll give it a fair shot, but I'm honetly not expecting much. Maybe it will be somewhat refreshing to approach MJ from an album perspective rather than through overplayed singles. Bad I mean it's pretty catchy and the funk elements are implemented implemented in an approachable way. The keyboard solo is good. The backing vocals are kinda obnoxious. Goes on for too long. Fine. 3/5 The Way You Make Me Feel Ugh not this bloated mess. Just kinda boring. The repetitive chorus gets on my nerves. Goes on for way too long. Annoying drums. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Speed Demon Hate the panning vocal breathing effect. I kinda like the synths. Has a good bassline. Decent guitar part. I don't like the car revving. Does sort of lose me by the end. Average. 2.5/5 Liberian Girl Insanely cheesy production. Cheesy lyrics. MJ is creepy, it's hard to ignore when he's moaning and whimpering in your ear. Weirds me out. I guess the vocal layering creates some cool harmonies. Awful. 1/5 Just Good Friends Awful intro. The synths sound beyond horrible and the drums haven't aged well. Weird mixing. I guess there's a decent groove to be found in the bassline. Busy and messy. There are some vocal moments here that are pretty impressive. Strongly dislike. 1.5/5 Another Part of Me Good groove. Decent chorus. Love the bass on this song. The horns are also a decent addition providing some largeness to the track. Decent. 3.5/5 Man in the Mirror Preachy celebrity bullshit from an alleged paedophile, exactly what I want to hear. I love being told to change by Michael fucking Jackson of all people... Annoying chorus and cheesy production. Aged horribly. The gospel elements are pretty cool though. To all who find this empowering, more power to you. I still hate it. Awful. 1/5 I Just Can't Stop Loving You Nah brother please stop. Cheesy 80's ballad with dated production and over the top performances. Awful. 1/5 Dirty Diana Great opening verse. Establishes the atmosphere well and build up to the explosive chorus in a satisfying way. Yeah the instrumental behind the chorus is kinda overblown (mainly the guitar) but it sort of works to create drama. Mysogonistic lyrics even if it tells a story. At least the song is listenable. Fine. 3/5 Smooth Criminal Honestly as much as I've been disliking this album so far I'm not able to hate Smooth Criminal. This song is a banger. Iconic opening. Fantastic bassline. One of the catchiest, most memorable chorus of all time, resolves perfectly. Love the vocal layering. Great, funky guitar solo. No critisisms. Fantastic. 5/5 Leave Me Alone It's okay. Kind of forgetable but perfectly listenable. Don't love the synths and the riff gets a bit obnoxious after a while, but the chorus brings it back. Average. 2.5/5 Final review: As much of an entertainer MJ was, his stage presence, slick dance moves and iconic style all overshadow the content of his songs. Throw in some classic music videos and you'll get one of the most memorable artists of our time. His adlibs and "Michaelisms" definitely do create a unique character. So what the hell went wrong here? "Bad" is just... bad. The production on this has aged horribly. The songwriting is cringy. And MJ himself veers closer to obnoxious than he does cool. Throw in some outside factors (allegations of pedophilia) and it's very difficult to find him likeable, especially when he's spouting messages about "making the world a better place". It's cheesy, it's repetitive and it sounds so insanely dated that it veers on ridiculous. Besides "Smooth Criminal" there's very little here that's worth returning to. There is the occasional cool groove or funky bassline, but they're mostly attached to less than stellar songs in the first place. Basically a chore to get through. Even with low expectations going into it, I still ended up disappointed. 1.5/5 rounded down to a 1/5.

Shoulda called this album Good because it’s not bad at all. How many people have made that joke since 1987?! Let me be the billionth. But for real, banger city. (4.5 stars)

I cannot in all good conscience give this album any less than a 5 when there are so many Certified Bangers on it. It must have been a wild good time when this first came out. The songs in between were pretty fun as well.

Childhood hero

An excellent soundtrack to this morning’s kitchen dancing! Different class to a lot of the albums that appear on here. Crazy for one album to have that many number one singles.

Klockrent med massa bangers och chill låtar emellan

Sometimes you just have to not overthink these reviews. Bad is crammed with certified bangers. 5*

Iconic, impossible to follow up on Thriller but still a respectable attempt. I only care for about half the songs on here (mainly the big singles) but when a song works it really works. There are 5 all time great songs on here, if the other tracks were a little stronger than it would’ve been an easy 5 star. Rating: 4.5

The third and final collaboration between Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. In retrospect, this was really the winning combination, wasn't it? Not that Jackson wasn't already famous, but that trilogy of albums are really the past where he turned into an international superstar and it's hard to not notice that Jones was there for this period. We can also see in retrospect that this was the period when Jackson seems to have started really suffering in his mental health. Undoubtedly, that all began in his childhood, but like many others, adjusting to explosion fame seemed to have been pretty damaging to him. Ok, clearly mental health is not an excuse for his alleged crimes. But let's remember that there was a time before that, when he was still an inspiration to many and (arguably) the most famous person in the world. But "Bad" is the point when he started to seclude himself from the limelight, when he got a pet monkey, when he changed the color of his skin. It's also the time when the fear of following up "Thriller" was simply paralyzing. Say what you will about the guy, he definitely succeeded with "Bad". He clearly wasn't fooling anyone with the tough guy persona, but he still made some extremely catchy pop music. It set a record for producing five number one songs and a sixth one in the top 10. It's one of the best selling albums of all time and it's gloriously 80s (some of the backing tracks sound like they could have been music from Sonic the Hedgehog games and I mean that as a compliment). "Thriller" might be the better album, but "Bad" firmly established the world's biggest pop star. Temporarily at least before the disturbing downfall. If you can separate the art from the artist, this album will remain a classic.

nice

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

Not exactly my thing and found quite difficult to separate the art from the artist. A few really good songs though

The heheing can get to much sometimes but the basslines are phat the grooves are undeniable

DIRT DIANA 🤤, and everything else was solid

if only he didn’t touch kids

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

lowk nostalgic

The heheing can get to much sometimes but the basslines are phat the grooves are undeniable

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

All these upvoted 1-star reviews, and most of them cite Mr MJ being a child molester. Either that or a perceived "dead zone" in the album from tracks 3 through 6. Re the first point: sure, Mikey wasn't the cream of the crop when it came to proper human etiquette, but he wrote some seriously infectious material and (I would argue) changed popular culture for the better much more significantly than he marred it. And even if that weren't the case, you don't have to virtue-signal-hate all of his music to give the middle finger to terrible people like him. The art is not the same as the artist. Half the music on this list (debatably the better half) would be unlistenable if that were the case. Re the second point – that the album has at least one streak of unmemorable tracks – are you sure? Compare this to artists like Throbbing Gristle, or Pere Ubu, or Public Image Ltd – and you'll realise just how much MJ's other material (mainly Off The Wall and Thriller) have raised the standards. Because Speed Demon and Just Good Friends are solid. Great, even. The feel-good melodies and backing vocals, the insanely catchy basslines, MJ's energetic vocal delivery... you can't ask for much more from 80s music. But because they're not Billie Jean or The Way You Make Me Feel, the whole album is brought down? I don't think so. I'm willing to bet some people didn't pay attention during an initial listen, glanced at the Spotify numbers for tracks 3-6, saw they were a bit lower than the rest, and decided they must've been terrible. If that's how you're approaching the project, then you're entirely missing the point. Regardless... this is a great record. If not as good as Thriller, then it's darn close – and 80s audiences seem to agree with me. 5/5 Key tracks: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal

Great album

The good stuff is very good, the rest does sound dated though so not 5/5 material.

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

😘

Day 15 POP MASTERPIECE!! I have listened to this album many times before. Its an incredible album, I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE SECOND listening to it. Love you MJ (5/5)

There is no doubt Michael Jackson was an immensely talented artist. Bad and Thriller are the number 5 and number 1 best selling albums of all time. Bad by itself is practically a greatest hits album. People called him the King of Pop for good reason. Unfortunately, he was also immensely weird. Whether that was entirely his fault or if it was due to his father and the other parasites that clung to him throughout his life, who knows. Looking back the 38 years since this album came out it is very difficult to separate the talent from the weird. Bad did inspire Weird Al's Fat. Yo, Ding Dong, Man, Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Yo! So it isn't all bad.

I normally don't like MJ, but after a start-to-finish listen man this is awesome. Best Song: Man in the Mirror Rating: 8.5/10 (Great) Stars: 4/5

I love pop music and there is a reason that Michael Jackson has been the blueprint for several decades now. This album isn't quite as good as Thriller but it's better than a very large swath of other 80s pop.

has some bops on it

Great music for the masses. Would have been great if he had done a version without all the weird noises, sort of unplugged version.

Not near as good as Thriller. It's just too sleek and saccharine, which I didn't I would write since Irave about 80s synthpop. There's a lot of similar sound palettes so the songs sound samey. The bass playing is pretty good but it think that actually contributes to that issue The album is also peppered with those vocal affectation that are beyond parody at this point. Not the fault of the album necessarily but those are incredibly distracting I was going to give this a 3, but Smooth Criminal is the only song I liked so I'm going 2 Highlights: Smooth Criminal

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

This is a very produced album, but it has some incredible songs. The most incredible thing about this album is how it has stood the test of time.

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.

This album was Bad!

Michael peaked on this album. And the King of pop peaking, is a 5.

Альбом понравился далеко не весь еще переслушаю некоторые песни, но это никак не отменяет его крутость приятность и культовость

I hate michael jackson bro This just has everything i hate about him in one big package

I’m no MJ fan, and this is not his best work, but there’s a reason everyone has been trying to be the next Michael Jackson. The man is a true showman and knows his way around a tune.

This album - hee hee! - has become - dah! - a parody of itself - whoo! - and about three quarters of it - dah! - is rubbish - hee hee! - filler, like Speed Demon. Whoo!

Goddamn, Quincy Jones could make some hits, man. Half of this album is bangers. I actually thought the title track was the weakest offering. The King of Pop isn't someone I listen to with any regularity, but this is very good. Big time problematic legal troubles aside, MJ's musical talent is undeniable. 4/5

Nonce music

The slow songs are pretty annoying but many songs are quite good

These are classic songs that have stood the test of time. This community seems to be more about indie rock, but there was a reason Michael Jackson was the King of Pop. People also may rate based on personal allegations, but the music stands apart. You can’t deny the impact he had on the music industry. Truly an icon.

10/10 This album is quite hard to listen to critically. I’ve heard it so many times, particularly as a child, that it’s almost impossible to separate the music from my personal connection with it. But I’ll do my best. This album (as with Thriller before it) is a triumphant combination of songwriting, production and vocal talent. Even listening to this today in a more ‘critical listening’ mode, there were little bits and pieces that sit deep in the mix and just throw continued variation, emphasis and interest that I’d not consciously noticed before. I think this is where Quincy Jones takes very good songwriting and elevates it with his production. And then Michael steps up to the mic and his vocal delivery (uhs, oohs, shamones and all) just smashes it out of the park. He conveys so much emotion, attitude and soul in his vocals, and even his little noises just expand on the production styling of Quincy Jones to keep momentum flowing and make sure things always stay interesting. I think if you were to give this exact same list of songs to another musician / producer combo, you’d probably end up with something far, far more mundane, but they just manage to weave pure gold out of each other and it’s a joy to listen to. Honestly, the only thing that slightly misses the mark on this album is the concept of Michael Jackson being some kind of badass. Songs like Bad and Dirty Diana have big echoes of a nerdy theatre kid thinking he’s a badass because he’s got a lead in West Side Story and gets to hold a knife. But putting that aside, I actually think this is a more consistently high-quality album that the more critically revered Thriller. But it also never quite reaches the heights of that album either. I listened to this through three times trying to find a reason to not give it full marks, but I just couldn’t. Bad - The least threatening man in the world (at least he is if you’re an adult) makes a song about being a tough guy. But it works; this is a great pop song. It probably doesn’t quite hold up as well thematically as an adult as it did when I was younger, but it really is well crafted. The way the different lines just guide you through the different sections is masterful. The Way You Make Me Feel - I have always loved the rhythm of the lead vocal in the verses on this track and how it pulls against the swing on the bass and drums. There’s just a whole load of groove to this and it’s great. Speed Demon - I always used to love this track with its completely mad bass line. I expect it’s a programmed DX-7, but it’s a pretty unhinged thing to just toss under a pop song. It’s still a good effort, but I can see why some people might see this one as a bit of a filler track. Mega 80s vibes. Liberian Girl - Quite a drop in pace for this one and a chance for Michael to show some of his vocal chops in a more exposed way. The guy had so much control. It’s another great pop song. The vocal harmonisations are really pretty, and while the rhythm is pretty stripped back, it still keeps things moving in a very satisfying way. Just Good Friend’s - To my mind, this is one of MJ’s best collaborations, even though it’s one that rarely gets mentioned. It’s so funky. Stevie Wonder (Michael’s 3rd cousin) doesn’t really appear until half way through, but when he does, he comes flying in with this really gritty delivery. Love it. This track really bounces, the synth lines are great and the overlapping vocals just keep kicking. Underrated magic. Another Part Of Me - Another one with a kicking groove. Michael and Quincy just don’t ever let things go stale. Even during a repeating section, there’s always little bits of ear candy, little riffs or lines that just keep up the momentum. I’d hate to manage a pro tools session with this many tracks, but on an analogue desk? Fuck off Quincy. Funky Bass line, quality transitions between verse and chorus, cool horns. Lovely stuff. Man in the Mirror - Home to the greatest key change in history? Quite possibly. It starts slow, but it has SO MUCH momentum and drive. Again, there are so many little bits and pieces in there underneath the main instrumentation. The lead vocal is ridiculously strong and the gospel choir is just gold. An exquisite pop song. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You - This is a more low-key effort. It’s probably the least interesting track on the album. Michael can generally elevate mediocre songs with his vocal delivery, and he does a good job here, but the lyrical content does seem a bit… dubious. Particularly given the, uh, ‘allegations’. Dirty Diana - This is almost like an audio play in places with the use of sound effects and the atmospheric production. Again, the lead vocal is super powerful. I think it’s a great song and something just a bit different from other Michael Jackson tracks up to this point, which makes it a great addition to the album. Quality guitars on this one too. Smooth Criminal - Absolute banger. Love the overlapping vocal lines all over the place, but particularly on the ‘Annie are you ok?’ bit. The instrumental break is so funky. The whole thing just moves. Bass line, that snare slap, the little staccato guitar lines. Fantastic. Leave Me Alone - This is another one that has got such drive and exquisite overlapping vocal lines. Structurally, it’s not necessarily the most interesting of tracks, but the Quincy / Michael combo just dust it with their magic yet again and turn in a very very good track.

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.

A classic. Many iconic tracks.

Classics.

It is bad

A big ol' Quincy Jones record from the very first beat. Not at all my bag - tries to ape the sound and edge that Madonna et al had brought to pop, but keeps falling flat. Without a single scintilla of irony, I can easily say that I prefer the Alien Ant Farm cover of Smooth Criminal... It's so fucking lightweight, and the biggest/best/ songs give me PTSD from a high school musical I played in. Gets annoying the more I listen to it.

Ooft. The soundtrack of being 9 years old; and it's mostly as insipid as the title and cover design suggest. There's no accounting for public taste eh? Couple of decent pop hits if I'm feeling charitable - and it seemed exciting at the time - but far from my bag nowadays.

Ah Bad by Micheal Jackson, the well anticipated follow up to the biggest selling album of all time Yeah i think its better 5/5

And just like that I’m already 67% done with the king of pop. Of course I like the opening title track, it’s an excellent piece of 80s pop. My favorite Michael Jackson song is “The Way You Make Me Feel”, I’m a like “Liberian Girl”, “Just Good Friends”, “Another Part Of Me” I love “Man In The Mirror”, and I’m a big fan of the remaining tracks. The only one I don’t care for is “Speed Demon”. Ultimately Michael Jackson is the epitome of 80s pop only challenged by one or two other acts of the era, and this is, in my opinion, his finest LP, while not held in as high regard as “Thriller” I think pound for pound it edges “Thriller” out.

obvi a great one, but kinda freaky lyrics if you're paying attention

Damn, what a talented performer! (Weird to not hear the lyrics to "Fat" though, LOL)

Woo

So good! Never listened all the way through this album before, but it's so iconic. Loved it!

jichael mackson

I really liked it. Very unfortunate that MJ was Just Good Friends with kids

I liked it, pretty good, but got boring sometimes, best I can do is 4.

A quick note on the controversy. The man is dead. I assume his children are the beneficiaries of his estate, and they have done nothing wrong. Bad - Machine gun vocals snap and crackle. Drums are whip-cracks. Acknowledging that his very non-threateningness made the psuedomacho palatable. Maybe even delicious. Silly but scrumptious. The Way You Make Me Feel - Elasticity. Rubber band stretch and SnapBack. Perfect dosage of sax. His voice… Curtis, Wilson, Chubby, Berry, Sam, of course JB. A heavenly, mythic concoction of Soul in his blood. And not just. Speed Demon - A rare new to me track. Sounds like a s/t number. To a racing movie. Musically this could be the Hong Kong Cavaliers lol. Liberian Girl - This dark 80s drum sequencer electro groove synth shit puts me on wobbly roller skates in a dark rink with the funk of teenage sexuality in the air and an unnamed tension in my chest. Just Good Friends- Realizing I don’t know this record nearly as well as Thriller. The school dance music from a John Hughes film. Bouncy clavinet solo is great. Harmonies, too. Big movie vibe. I like this one. “My baby loves me but she never shows she cares.” Anthem. Another Part of Me - Positivity gangsta. Somehow all the silliness slides right off. I’m not saying it’s functional as a rallying cry, but his earnestness (from trauma) saves it from parody. Man in the Mirror- How much introspection is a beaten-raw kid thrust into a lifelong surreality carnival really capable of? Could have MJ really seen the mirror clearly? Chorus is perfect. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You - Casiotone Nation. Dirty Diana - Big Mean Girl uses and abuses me, soft and vulnerable beta artist man. (“Take your weight off me” is…telling.) Oh and she’s a gold digger, too. But fuckin A this song ROCKS. Is that Slash? I bet Beyonce could turn this around lyrically and ride this rock to another Grammy. Genuinely dope track. Smooth Criminal- Something about the way he whispers. The chorus is sort of minor key and weird-cool. The overlapping “are you ok”s. It’s short of sinister, but noir as fuck. Guitar and synth spikes interplay is awesome. Possibly my favorite MJ single. Leave Me Alone - Go ‘way, girl, I’m SENSITIVE. Fun beat. Keytar? Not quite Thriller, but chock full o’ hits.

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

Is a great album

Nah. Never a fan of Jacko, this is just weak sounding 80's synth pop

The title track isn't my fave... but the rest of the album is bangin'

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

Of course trying to separate art from artist here but it’s hard. Banger of an album to be fair. Stood the test of time for sure. Specific rating- 4.6 Fav song- man in the mirror Least fav- Liberian girl

Popularity has ruined it for me.

Massive, over-bloated pop music that's not for me at my time in life - can't be arsed to listen Heard before ✅️ Listened this time ❌️ Revisit ❌️ 3/10

He’s the king of pop for a reason. Who knew a child raised to be a music star since adolescence would become the biggest music star on the planet. As such this album, like most of his discography, is nothing but banger after banger. The greatest praise I can give this album is the production and synth programming. In contrast with the more polished production on Off The Wall and Thriller, this album relishes in darker sounds throughout. And MJ isn’t holding back vocally either, songs like Dirty Diana and Leave Me Alone feature scathing performances from the singer. Being the last album to feature the production of Quincy Jones, I feel it’s the pinnacle of the two’s collaboration; and while I like Off The Wall the best, I think this might be the better album.

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

Exceptional album, all songs are incredibly enjoyable. From high sounding anthems and legendary songs to the soulful and calm sounds. What a legacy and amazing record this is.

1 star for the artist

Lot of bops but feel kinda gross. 4 star music 1 star vibes

⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5. An excellent MJ album with some high highs - but the lows are pretty low. The King of Pop for sure.

Pretty good

Classic

One of the best pop albums ever

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.

Classic

Ну это Майкл Джексон, здесь без сомнения положительный отзыв. На альбоме два самых громких хита и легендарных хита. Smooth criminal и Bad, поэтому безоговорочно высокая оценка

I could never understand why that guy is so loved beyond doing big stages, this album changed nothing. Corny, gllib, squeaky, overproduced - truly Bad (excl. Smooth Criminal).

Despite his legacy in music and the fact that many still enjoy his music, I just can't support a pedophile.

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

5/5

So bad it is good?

Classic blast from the past

due pezzi famosi, ma il resto molto dimenticabile e non il mio stile

Some absolute bangers on this album. Bad, The Way you Make me feel, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal etc. I wonder how this was received back in the day, especially 5 years after Thriller. Thriller is obviously the better album, but this is still the King of Pop at the height of his powers, so it must have been a treat for people who waited for its release.

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.

The king of pop with an album full of hits.

cool, feel good album. amazing vocal composition, very good production, overall peak pop-music. great album and Michael's second best.

So many hits on this record. It will be hard to go back to given what MJ did. Also, not quite as classic / time-tested as Thriller.

Weaker than thriller and off the wall but still some bangers

Will Moore if you have this a 3 your fucking weird

What was this guy thinking when he named his album AND title “bad”? Who the fucks gonna buy that? Apparently everybody. Understandably as well, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to MJ in album form but I’m not fucking complaining, Jesus Christ.

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.

I think this is the first time I've actively listened to MJ. Pretty good bops overall. Felt like I had heard half of the songs via osmosis. Got the impression that the album is carried by the classic hits everybody knows. Nevertheless, the overall experience averaged out to something I could see myself adding to a suitably bop-y playlist.

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

Fuck persia

Snare/drum noise in this album is just so iconic. Solid album and a fun listen from front to back.

I feel like it's wrong to like this, but I just love it (said MJ about molesting children)

this is perfect. so much fun. every single song is a pop banger with so much groove and talent and outstanding vocals. legitimately enthralled the entire way

this is another one of these pretty brilliant pop albums, again, regrettable about the artist. really enjoyed this, the production is so distinctive and songs like 'the way you make me feel' just feel like pure joy and remind me of my childhood in a big way weirdly (i was born in 2001)

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.

This album is nearly perfect, meaning the name is a lie. Since lying is evil, that makes this album no longer a good album, causing it to live up to its name. Favorite Track: Smooth Criminal

The King of Pop, pretty good

Undeniable star power here, and a good follow-up to Thriller. The big hits still go hard, and my (cover) band plays "The Way You Make Me Feel". But.. once you step off the hit train, things flatten out. Some filler vibes, some odd choices; both keeping this from a 5. Spins: 3 Playlist Additions: - Bad - The Way You Make Me Feel - Man In The Mirror - I Just Can't Stop Loving You - Smooth Criminal

Perfect album... in fact, I didn't remember that it had so many perfect songs: Bad, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal, The way you make me feel, Man in the mirror... Come on, how many artists/bands have such a line up album?!? Only rating possible by this criteria has to be 5/5

Smooth (criminal) and deliciously groovy.

It’s a classic, but Thriller needs to be on the list first.

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

I've always found Quincy Jones' production to have a really great eerie quality that lends itself well to Michael Jackson's banshee voice.

Very hard to objectively review an MJ album. I think bad and smooth criminal are good songs, though I think the actual music on both is a bit flat and thin, both should sound bigger. Still on both of these the whole chamon stick does sort of work. The rest varies between pretty bland to hilariously bad. Liberian girl was particularly funny, loads of it sounded like a parody to be honest. And most of the Michael Jackson tics sound ridiculous. So even without considering MJ as a wrongun, thought this album was fairly bad

So, another Michael Jackson album - feels like it has been a while. Taking a step back from his transgressions, I'm going to try and review purely the music. I think the production really stands up to the test of time and remains fresh. Listening to some of these tracks sat outside in the summer sun was quite the pleasure. Leave Me Alone, Dirty Diana, and Smooth Criminal stood out the most, all right at the end. Potentially an end album run stronger than any I can recall since Heaven 17's Penthouse and Pavement. Albums like this are pretty generation-defining. Even a suspicious man can produce some magic every now and then. Dang - I mentioned his behaviour. On reflection, it does go on a bit - suffers the same problem as Prince and a lot of 80's pop/dance and too many songs fade out.

Obligatory not a Michael Jackson fan. So many ooooowws, eeeheeees and shamones here. Ignoring who he was as a person, I just don't like the music, it's just not for me..... There are however a lot of big hitters on this album that I am pretty familiar with; bad, the way you make me feel, man in the mirror, dirty Diana, smooth criminal. I guess I would say smooth criminal is the best of them, would rather listen to the AAF version though. I'm going to say 1.5, not as good as thriller but more hits than off the wall, but I could easily give it a 1

pedo

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.

Grossly overrated nonce, even without his private life. 0 if I could.

Classic

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

An album by MJ that i’d yet to listen to to despite already knowing 75% of the album. Fantastic record, although not his best, its up there in great territory

classic

The king don’t miss.

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.

monumental. some modern day artists still struggle and fail to emulate even the weakest moments of this album.

Holy smokes, I don't think I appreciated the range and power of Michael Jackson. So good that modern popstars build their careers by emulating him.

So many bobs. Michael Forever

Michael Jackson hits that I did not previously know were hits, including hits that I did know were hits.

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

Debated between 4 and 5 but there are too many bangers to not give it a 5.

Good Micheal album. Was familiar with a lot of the songs on this album, good listen to anyone who enjoys his music.

HEE HEEEE!

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

Classic

hee hee

banger album probably deserves a 5 objectively but not massively my kinda thing

9.5 / 10 - Despite being a diddler there is a reason he was the king of pop. This album is what a pop album should be, catchy, groovy and stays in your head. The mixing is incredible, as well as the instrumentation. Bad is everything that thriller (often touted as the best MJ album) was lacking. I personally don't think there will ever be a better pop album

Fire album Sad that he touches kids

'Man in the Mirror' is genius. The rest of it is overrated.

They call him the king of pop for a reason A lot of bangers Interesting instrumentation and arrangements coupled with immaculate production and Michael Jacksons one of a kind voice However there are some tracks that didn't quiet hit the mark, and because of that it isn't a 5. Also he touched kiddies and there are one too many hee hees

C’mon now. Favorite Track: Smooth Criminal

MJ is on another plane of greatness

Always gopd