Bad

"Jamon?!" I didn't really care for this album when it came out, and not much has changed. It has some catchy pop songs that I know are very popular with a lot of people, but it's just not for me. Would not listen again.

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

I was 14 when this album came out and I hated it then and after forcing myself to listen to it now I realized I still hate it. Songs are boring and his voice annoys me. I never liked his music and I still don't. The only songs I didn't hate were the final three. Dirty Diana is a banger so that at least gives the album one star.

All bad jokes and puns need to stop they’re boring.🤨 Badum tss

It might not be as good as Thriller, but that doesn't make it not a 5. Smooth Criminal might be my favourite MJ song. And no, the Alien Ant Farm cover isn't better.

I was always amused at Michael Jackson trying to assert that he was bad. (Really, really bad according to the high pitched background vocals.) If push ever came to shove, he would most likely get his ass kicked up, down and sideways. Jackson is undoubtedly a talent but not one that I enjoy listening to. His shouts, hiccups, shamone's, hee hee's and other vocal effects wear thin very quickly and this genre of music does nothing for me. I would never seek this music out.

Hee Hee Top Man in the Mirror

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

c'est MJ quoi Mais pas ma came de fou

Ok so 15 year old me really liked this album. Listening today has brought back emotions, memories, and the feelings of anticipation that your world is about to open up. You only grow up once and this album came out right as that was happening for me - first job, first GF, new friends and high school, paying attention to world events. This was a fun listen in this regard. But Weird Al has long since ruined Bad (I only hear fat). The shamones, checoos, and heehees just sound silly (Way Make me feel). The use of MJs own backing vocals is annoyingly noticeable - songs with guests / contrast are stronger. Speed demon and Liberian Girl are throwaway. Just Good Friends feels like Miami vice. Another Part of Me takes me back to a magical day at Disneyland - holding hands walking out of Capn EO. Man in the Mirror evokes memories of watching the video in our living room and feelings of hope I could make a difference in the world. Dirty Diana still bangs and is bright spot. Smooth Criminal also fun but the repeated 'Annie are you oks' now is noticeably tedious. In the end, the album is just a little too tight, too perfect, too polished to make me want to listen again. Off the Wall and Thriller remain better. 3/5

I only know the hits, never listened to an MJ album fully through. The hits really hit — Smooth Criminal & Man in the Mirror are highlights and so good. Also never heard Liberian Girl and really liked it.

Not bad. Good.

Perfect pop album

A flawless pop album by just about any metric. No notes. Speed Demon absolutely rips.

Fun. My parents listened to this music

Full of classics

8/10

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

I meannnnnnnnn...(part 2)

I understand MJ's personal behavior ruining some of the magic but this album still slaps. I much prefer Off the Wall and Thriller but this album is great too. The only song I didn't like was Liberian Girl. Just Good Friends also was whatever. Bad, Man in the Mirror, Dirty Diana and Smooth Criminal are just MJ at his best and I still think there hasn't been anyone that has come close to using all of these sounds without feeling like an imitation. The Weeknd has come close with his variety and visuals but they do different things.

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

King of pop? More like king of crap.

Nice

Was erring on the side of a 3, but some bangers just carried it through. But there's definitely quite a bit of filler here, like Speed Demon. Some of the Bad 25 outtakes should've been swapped in - Don't Be Messing Round is comfortably one of the best songs on the album if it makes the cut.

마이클 잭슨, good

Pop, 1987 -> 3

Must we? "Man in the Mirror" is one of his greatest tunes, a rare moment of self-critique from the most profound ego of the 80s. I'm surprised to find "The Way You Make Me Feel" here - I thought it was from an older album or maybe a Stevie Wonder song. The rest of this album sounds and had always sounded phoned-in to me, hyperactive autopilot designed to fatigue a Solid Gold dancer.

Watching the official video again for “Man in the Mirror,” it dawns on me that this is one of the clumsiest protest anthems/self-affirmation songs extant. And it illustrates my main complaint about this album — that it lacks strong songs. “Bad” is defined by airtight production and, in its first half, some interesting electronic percussion flourishes. But those technological innovations sometimes make an odd fit for the actual songs, such as “Liberian Girl,” which might work better with more organic instrumentation. The hits, like the title track and “The Way You Make Me Feel,” just don’t land with the same force as “Billie Jean” or “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough,” which feel timeless. Much of “Bad” just feels like non-essential, dated and over-produced mid-80s pop and sappy love songs. It marks a kind of demarcation from his legacy as a brilliant hitmaker to a rather creepy and tragic cautionary tale.

Smooth Criminal is probably the highlight of this album, followed by The Way You Make Me Feel. The rest? Good but not great.

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

I really hope Annie is OK.

This review writes itself. Uhh it’s on the cover??? Yup. BAD. Unless it’s good, then I’m FUCKED. I can’t imagine the weird pedophile man with the razor nose will produce a good album, but I’m giving it the old college try. College. Not elementary. Remember, death cleanses all sins in the eyes of the public. Bad - I can only hear “Fat” from Weird Al. I actually don’t think I’ve ever even heard this version. When you’re having seconds, I’m having 23rds, when I go to get my shoes shined, I have to take their word. Never question the integrity of a shoe shiner. Wise words. Ugh, so MJ. The song is pretty funky, but something about it feels quiet. Almost subdued. Not sure if it’s the remaster or what. The Way You Make Me Feel - This remains a catchy song. It lasts way too long and is too happy for me, but I’m not in misery. And that? That’s the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas in this instance is of course, listening to pop albums. Speed Demon - Thurman “Sparky” Plugg theme song. Genius of the ring and the track. God, this is honestly kind of good. It’s insane. I’m not sure if he was going for that level of artistry, but I like this song. Liberian Girl - How many pop fans learned about Liberia from this song? How many American pop fans still believe this is about a librarian? My guess is most. I suppose this is a deep track. You taught me to reeeeead. This is like the pedophile version of Sadé. I’m sorry to Sadé. Queen of pop. This is a misstep. Just Good Friends - The derailing of that opening bassline for this pallid imitation of 80’s pop is the worst rail disaster of all time. Something something kiss and hug me? Get real, man. These lyrics stink. The short king gets friendzoned audio has finally been put to tape. Another Part of Me - The basslines continue to go hard as all get out, but the vocals and pop sensibilities make me want to say “get out.” No ghostwriter here folks. That’s all my own home cooking. Can’t you tell? The tortured syntax, the lame gags? It’s classic me. Man in the Mirror - Oh no. What is that intro. He just sounds like a feeble oddball. It’s literally the portrayal from “Atlanta.” He’s insane. One of the worst pop hits of all time, but the radio deserves nothing less. Humans hate creativity and abhor musical innovation even more. I’m asking the man in the mirror why I was able to summon him by saying “mirror man” three times. He doesn’t seem malevolent. He’s just standing there and miming that he can’t hear me. Nice chap. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You - (underage boys) was chopped off the title after testing negatively in most markets. The Catholic Church considered making it their theme song before the last minute alteration. This song takes the worst aspects of the human experience and distills them into the duet from a high school theatre production held in a decommissioned Quiznos in upstate New York. Dirty Diana - Dirty Dian-meh Smooth Criminal - Usher in nu-metal afterthoughts Alien Ant Farm. Credit to those goatee-laden pioneers for introducing this song to a generation of white kids filled with more monster energy than sense. The original is, well, kind of good. It’s overplayed, but the performance feels Leave Me Alone - Hey I haven’t been that rough on this. You deserve these jabs. Considering how I speak about U2, I’d say you got off pretty easy. Alright. Wrap it up. Let’s go. A lot of this album has the vibe of a shy vocal jazz enthusiast scatting kind of far from the microphone. That is appealing to an enjoyer of the bizarre. What is not appealing is the added context of this vocalist’s personal exploits. And I do mean exploits. I believe I was 15 when he died, and I was baffled that people were so celebratory of the career when for my entire life to that point, he had been denigrated as a predator. Taught me a lot about death and the way that society glorifies people and things after they’re gone. Some may argue that death is a point of reflection for the person’s entire life, but I don’t believe most people are that thoughtful. I think it’s a reflex that I can’t fully explain. We just want to remember the positives. Our brains are excellent at forgetting the negative. What was I saying? Oh right! I’m reviewing an album. Who cares about this? It’s so mediocre and has so much filler.i will say that it’s not as bad as I thought it would be. Neither bad unlistenable nor really all that filled with attitude. There are excellent basslines and couple enjoyable songs, but the eccentric freak out vocal ticks get old quick, especially over these sugary pop choruses. This ain’t for me. Add in the allegations, and you’ve got a recipe for music I never want to hear again. 1.5-2 HIGHLIGHTS: Speed Demon, Smooth Criminal

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

1. Bad - 10/10 2. The Way You Make Me Feel - 10/10 3. Speed Demon - 9.5/10 4. Liberian Girl - 8/10 5. Just Good Friends - 10/10 6. Another Part of Me - 9/10 7. Man in the Mirror - 10/10 8. I Just Can't Stop Loving You - 10/10 9. Dirty Diana - 10/10 10. Smooth Criminal - 10/10 11. Leave Me Alone - 8/10 9/10

This pedo is overrated. The singles are fine. The best song was Leave Me Alone.

Michael is on his A-game! First listen from front to back. Great pop album

Absolute belter. 🕺

Mikke osaa villitä

While not all the songs on this album stood the test of time, the ones that did I think will remain in the public consciousness for a really long time. Those otherwise I think add good context for the general sound of the generation of pop.

Can't really rate it lower with it being such a big one. Huge school disco album

Should've been called "Boring".

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

Nothing could persuade me to listen to this oddball

The good stuff is phenomenal but the remainder is merely ok. Really could’ve done without the wet duet also. He really did know what he was doing here. 4.5

Who’s bad? Not this album

The big hits are still good. The rest was shite

impossible to ever stop loving

Couple of songs I haven't heard before. Quite enjoyable overall

A pop album being this good is ridiculous.

Todos los temas de este disco son hits. Es un álbum increíble, la voz de Michael, la producción de los temas, lo integral que suena todo el álbum aunque el mismo no sea conceptual, la excelente combinación de rock, soul y pop, utilización instrumentos electrónicos. Todas las canciones son memorables, realmente un álbum icónico.

So many hits on this record, it's easy to see why people remember it as one of the greatest Pop albums of all time. I will say that while there are a number of hits, this does also have a few "misses" like "Speed Demon" and "Just Good Friends" which aren't necessarily "bad" songs but they just aren't anywhere close to the same level as the rest of the album. Everyone absolutely should listen to this album so I'm glad it's here.

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

Not as strong as Thriller. Period.

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

Good album full of hits. High 4/5

Ngl, am absolute banger of an album 10 hee hees out of 10

2-3 decent songs.

Never liked it when it came out. Hasn't aged well either. Synth sounds are jarring and lacks the killer hits of other MJ efforts.

Although not as good as Thriller, the hits from this album are still bops. Man in the Mirror is a personal favorite.

Una producción impecable, un gran regreso después del éxito de Thriller, pero no con las suficientes melodías pegajosas que su antecesor. ¡"Man In The Mirror" es un temazo sin embargo!

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

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

Bad bad really really bad

grew up with his music, there was always mj playing out loud be it at home or in the car. for sure definitive sound of the 80's. also him being able to put out another massive banger of an album after thhheeee thriller is just the cherry on top!!

Classic

Why do the bass lines on this album rip so hard? 😭

Album has some great highs, and some so so lows. Not quite the masterpiece that is Thriller, but solid overall. 4/5

3.5 for me - the hits are great, the rest is just eh

3 Stars (8/15)

Great music

Det här är ju en skiva som ligger varmt om hjärtat. Även om den idag inte riktigt träffar lika rätt som när jag var yngre är det ändå en skiva fylld av pophits. Bra skit helt enkelt.

Förmodligen topp tre bästa skivorna genom alla tider och Michaels absoluta höjdpunkt. ALLA låtar pendlar mellan jättebra och helt enastående bra. Sjukt välproducerad också. Är säkert lite färgad av nostalgi och att det här är en av de skivor jag lyssnar mest på i mitt liv, men ändå. Stark femma.

Slight step down from Thriller, but a damn good album

Some real dated ‘80s production on this but Michael’s performance is so stellar that it can’t help but lift the entire project. There is some filler on this album. Standouts are “Bad,” “Dirty Diana” (in my MJ top 5,) and “Smooth Criminal.”

Dad- 7 Mom- 7.5 Mike- NA Lori- 6 Michael- 9 Miles- NA Cole- NA Avg- 7.38

FAT

I have to admit that I am not too up on MJ’s personal history. I basically turned off when the tabloids got a hold of him sometime around the making of this record. I have not watched the documentaries. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, it was impossible not to be inundated with Michael Jackson, especially if you had MTV on all the time like I did, whenever we had cable. Come to think of it, we did not have cable during Bad’s rollout, so I didn’t see the full Scorsese short film until years later, likewise the physics-defying Smooth Criminal video, etc. But, I remember the promotional materials for Bad being everywhere the summer we lived in NYC, a temporary stopover that lasted longer than expected because our new quarters weren’t ready yet. We were moving from smalltown upstate NY to Washington, DC, a concept I had some indifference to and in the background on the subway, at bus stops, on tv, the radio, etc, it was BAD. As a kid, a white kid at that, I had no idea about “bad” meaning “cool” or whatever, so it was like loveable Michael is this angry guy now? He’s in the NY subway - hey, that’s what we use now - and dealing with gangs? There are gangs here? Anyhow, what a crapshoot of a record. Is this where things started going off the rails for him? Thriller was one of the few boastful album titles to earn it - nothing but world-beating hits - after the charming, winsome dance party joy of Off The Wall, whereas this thing, sure, there are a few clear singles, but as much as I like Smooth Criminal, it’s still a sub-Thriller attempt at recapturing some of Billie Jean and Beat It’s spirit. It’s such an ugly-sounding record: the gated drum machines combined with the default urgency in his voice throughout, the minor key melodies, it’s just not a lot of fun, and ends with a groove that...tells you to leave him alone. A tough sell for his talents! Where Thriller had album cuts you’d want to go back to, these are a chore. Speed Demon (wtf?) through Another Part of Me is just...nope. Man in the Mirror is an interesting idea for a song and is the other good enough single here, but after the plodding, exhausting first side, this is more a reprieve than a standout, but it’s over 5 minutes! Followed by a forgetful duet and more bludgeoning. The only relief you get is when the record stops.

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

* Off the Wall * Bad * Thriller

Buoyant, fun. Crisp and sharp production. Lots of MJ songs I remember but couldn’t place – was listening to Bowie Just Dance before and I could see how they are from the same decade. Speed Demon is fun and kitschy. Obviously lots of iconic tracks – Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal – but some (especially tracks 4-6) more or less start to blur together to me - sonically and content-wise. I like Dirty Diana. I can’t see myself coming back to this album too frequently but glad to give it a go.

3.5 tbh

This thing has a ton of hits my god

In my opinion this was Jackson’s best album. It was a time when music was so big and he was so famous and the videos were mini oovies. Man in the mirror is the standout for me, but pretty much every song was a single. I don’t think ithe production has aged that well , and obviously neither has Jackson.

Michael Jackson proves once again that he was still the reigning King of Pop. With Quincy Jones producing once again, it's just incredible how fun and nostalgic this album still is after almost 40 years. It can sometimes be difficult to separate the art from the artist, but dammit this album just jams so hard its really difficult to deny how fantastic it was in 1987. The worst tracks here that are a bit rough to get through are "Bad" (dated) and "Liberian Girl" (just fucking weird). Standout songs are: "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Just Good Friends," "Another Part of Me," "Man In the Mirror," "Dirty Diana," and "Smooth Criminal."

This gets a 4 for me. You can't deny the MJ effect on popular music and this album just is riddled with big hits. Even the non-hits maintain the same feel and production for me. Overall a good album.

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

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

It's one of his best albums so I need to rate it 5 stars. I'm not going to comment on the artist himself.

5 estrelas , pop clássico do Rei do Pop.

Michael Jackson is one of the hardest artists to judge solely based on his discography - not only because his albums are very distinct in sound and style, but because it's impossible to not compare them to one another. "Bad" has the unfortunate fate to be released after the best-selling album of all time, so it automatically raises the question: would Michael Jackson be able to surpass Michael Jackson? By my personal analysis, it's a tough call. Thriller is legendary, but I'm inclined to believe that Bad might be the better album as a whole. No, its hits are not stronger, nor are the numbers more expressive, but it all fits together super well and gives the feeling of wholeness better than Thriller did. On the other hand, though, I feel like the low points here are maybe worse than Thriller's? Man, how do I even compare "Speed Demon" to "The Girl is Mine"? Also, Jackson seems bolder here, more experimental both artistically and musically. To me, this is the album that defines Michael Jackson as a more-than-human artist - a mysterious being, with exotic clothing, dancing and behavior and with an increasing ambiguity regarding the concepts of race and gender. So, is "Bad" a five-star album? Not really. "Speed Demon" and "Just Good Friends" stand out as definitely weak that don't measure up to the rest of the record. I would give it 4,5 stars, but since I can't, it's fair to give it a 4. Good work, Mike. 9/10

Could not believe how much I enjoyed some MJ. Solid Album

What an excitement ! Michael, yeah....but memories can trick...re-listening to this classic album was a disappointment. Flat songs saved by lush production but with embarrassing videos.

This album starts so nice but the middle of it is so-so what justify not 5 stars and also from my point of view Michael did better album than this one !

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

Not as good as Thriller, but that's like saying Rubber Soul or The White Album wasn't as good as Sgt. Pepper... You've already released the quintessential 1980s all time best selling monster record, how do you follow that up? Just casually make the 12th biggest selling album of all time I guess, make it have 11 songs and release 7 as singles and have 5 go to number 1 in the charts, make the "Bad" video be an 18 minute long short directed by Martin Scorsese? Sounds like a plan, be sure to throw in a world tour that seemingly never ended, play to 500k paying people over 7 nights at Wembley Stadium? Oh go on then...

I grew up after the Michael Jackson era and had never listened to a whole album before. Yep makes sense why he was so popular

Quite simply the greatest pop album of all time.

So many classics but not something I would listen to. 1/5

Absolute classic. Only hits

Meh

> the Beatles

The King of Pop at the height of his abilities. Not quite as groundbreaking as Thriller, but more consistently good.* * Every Michael Jackson album gets an asterisk hung on the review in acknowledgment that it is difficult if not impossible to separate the man’s genius from his probable crimes.

10/10

I remember when MJ was a little boy in the Jackson 5. He was very cute then. My older sisters loved him. We danced to his music from tweens on. My kids got hooked on his music as tweens when his untimely demise was announced. My grandkids will probably be fans. He was as good as they get.

Always good

The King of Pop for a reason. It's actually wild how consistently he was dropping bangers. Just massive hit after massive hit and they still sound great. Favorites: Bad, Liberian Girl, Another Part of Me, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal

Another "separate the art from the artist" challenge. This album is a 5. If Michael Jackson wasn't Michael Jackson, it might be a 6/5. Dirty Diana into Smooth Criminal, is itself a criminal back to back banger.

Good album, very 80s

OMG! I have an excuse to listen to this album again! I also have most of the songs liked already, but I'll listen to them again. I don't like speed demon, but I never did when I heard it the first time. It's so aggressively 80's, but that doesn't diminish the quality at all. I wanted to listen to this album critically and not call it an immediate 5, but it is a 5. My favorite song would have to be Dirty Diana.

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

Sugary, saccharin pop too much yelps vocals. Won’t get a second listen.

One of the best.

Michael Jackson is not my thing.

Gol he’s good. This is one solid album.

how can you hate MJ.

It's fucking good.

It's very difficult to separate this album from the fact that it was tasked with following the best-selling album of all time, a feat it didn't quite live up to. You can hear them trying on every song and this makes up for a very bombastic, very entertaining record, and of course this was still Jackson and Quincy Jones operating at the peak of their collaborative powers. The move towards New Jack Swing made sense at the time, as it was the new emergent sound, but in hindsight that aspect is what makes this sound more dated than Thriller and Off the Wall. Not that those albums didn't sound "of their time" (they did) but because genres like Disco and Synth Funk have had resurgences in the years since. This is still very good, though. Key tracks: Bad The Way You Make Me Feel Man in the Mirror Dirty Diana Smooth Criminal

Pop. Great album.

MASTERPIECE

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

So many singles it’s effectively like listening to a greatest hits album.

So good it got a second listen.

Is this aggressively 80s? Yes. Is MJ morally questionable? Also yes. But it's such a bop! The fact it includes Leave Me Alone meant it was always getting a minimum of a 4 (because that song is fantastic) but as a whole it's just a really entertaining record. 5/5

What a monster 5 x 5 star album. Gigantic hits from start to finish. It was only in this decade that I learned Michael Jackson stole his leather and zippers look during this era from Warrant who were still a still unsigned LA local band at the time. More people should know that.

Phenomenal album, Michael Jackson’s 3rd best besides Thriller and Off The Wall

This album has a number of songs that were hits at the time but even so I do not find them enjoyable except maybe for smooth criminal.

Pretty great album. I took off one star cause reasons…

4/5 Kovaa kamaa. Muutamia hutiraitoja lukuunottamatta (mm Speed Demon) loistava lätty enkä ihmettele lainkaan, että miksi tätä on myyty niin paljon aikanaan.

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

Njäh

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

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

Jumaleissön mitä settiä on Jacksoni aikanaan tehnyt. Niin paljon vaikutteita eri genreistä ja uuden teknologian hyödyntämistä. Törkeän tiukkaa soittamista ja hienoa sovittamista. Jessus. Vitonen.

i got off the wall, thriller and this in order and it feels like a perfect bell curve

Not the peak of Michael's prowess as the King of Pop, but this album definitely has some bangers. I think the top songs for me were Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man In The Mirror, Dirty Diana, and Smooth Criminal. Other than Liberian Girl, which was a dreadful song to listen to, I thought everything else was alright. I think this solidly lands as a 4.

Most of my exposure to Michael Jackson was through my freshman year roommate, Herman, who in the immediate wake of the King of Pop's untimely death went on an all-hits tribute journey. I distinctly remember him blasting Can't Stop Til' I Get Enough and Man in the Mirror those first weeks ad nauseam. Otherwise, my only full length tours have come at the direction of this list. Bad, the second on this list is 8 years later in his career from Off the Wall after Jackson had established himself as the King of Pop via mega-hit Thriller. The production here is full of all the trappings of 80s cheese, with the tinny synth horns, pulsing basslines, and an overall feeling of plasticity that I cannot quite quantify. Speed Demon is the first new one for me. NGL I love the goofy ass synth'd bass. Also gotta say, I really like Liberian Girl. Just works for me. Man in the Mirror is a great song. Just has an infectious quality about it that is hard to deny. Unsure if that comes from the structure of the song, the performance, or if it is something built over time and exposure. Solid enough album. Not a lot of bad to say. Ultimately this is somewhere around a high 3 and low 4 for me. Going the latter, because why not.

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

Some absolute groove by Michael. This was chock full of his hits. From some slow pop songs to high energy guitar solos this album kind of had it all. Dirty Diana was a song I have never heard but was an absolute jam.

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

Unpopular opinion maybe, but this album just isn’t that good. This album marked a change in Michael Jackson’s sound away from funk/groove and to more of a straight synth/pop sound. I’m just not a fan. It’s ok I guess but I think it’s disappointing overall. Give me the boogie any day over this.

A freakin classic

Kaxigt

Amazing album, this is why he’s the r king of pop. 5 out of 5

Very fun album. Plenty of instantly recognizable hits that layer in plenty of complexity for a pop album. A lot of the less well-known tracks do start to feel samey, but a good all-around listen. Top tracks: Bad, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal

Speed Demon Dirty Diana Smooth Criminal

'And the whole world has to answer right now.' Truth b/c it's impossible not to answer to this guy, as much as you'd like to throw cold water on his career output. He's not only a once-in-a-lifetime talent. W/ the help of the highest level of production (Quincy), he's also the creator of tracks that are reminders of his context while simultaneously giving us groove-attacks as if he's the newest hit on the scene. It's just incredibly difficult to date him. The specifics of this record: more than half of the songs are utterly fantastic ('Bad,' 'The Way You Make Me Feel,' 'Just Good Friends,' 'Another Part of Me,' 'Man in the Mirror,' 'Smooth Criminal'), three are good but not great, and two are duds: 'Speed Demon' and 'Liberian Girl.'

I used to like his music. But I just don't really want to listen to him anymore.

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

So many great singles came from this album.

Perfect album! Jackson is the Great Master forever!

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

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

Måste med viss motvillighet erkänna att det faktiskt är riktiga bangers ngl

Jag vet inte om jag någonsin lyssnat på ett Michael Jackson album front to back innan? Intressant, ingenting jag skulle göra om.

There are some all time classic songs, but overall the production is hopelessly dated on most of it. Michael's vocal performance is stellar throughout which props up the production a bit, but honestly there is no need to listen to 2/3rds of this album.

one of my favorite mj eras i think

Not Mike Jackson at his best but a good effort nonetheless

A talented young man then the sideshow became the show after this record. Good record

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

This album is great!! I would listen to it again!!

9/10 I really loved most of the songs maybe 2 didn’t really fit the rest it felt left out maybe it should have been in a different bundle

Wow. Such a good album. So damn good. I’ve come to the realization that I enjoy this album more than Thriller. And I LOVE Thriller. I never really sat and thought about it, but as I’m listening to one absolute banger after another throughout “Bad”, I realized this is my favorite Michael Jackson album. Fight me, I don’t care.

Some very famous songs on here. Man in the Mirror is my favorite. Dropping a star because of what he did to them kids.

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

One of the greatest albums of all time. Straight bangers.

Made me want to dance 8/10

Speed Demon is goated and the best song on this album, don't care what anyone says

It's my least listened to album of his from that era, but it's a classic nonetheless. The synths are on point. Standout: Liberian Girl

Bad, Smooth Criminal, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror. Album is loaded with hits.

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

Great album. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson.

I have left my body and returned to high school. Then "Liberian Girl" left me alone in a parking lot in a part of town I've never visited. (I do not recognise this and it's not a fave) Still, enough incredible music to make this a good listen.

94/100. Bad by Michael Jackson is packed with some of his biggest hits and, personally, I prefer it over Thriller—likely because I grew up listening to it more. The album features top-tier production and some of the best-sounding MJ tracks, making it an electrifying and timeless listen. From start to finish, Bad showcases Jackson at his peak, delivering unforgettable melodies and unmatched energy.

Cheesy pop. Another album that I don't really like although I also don't mind it, and another of those albums which is so popular and ubiquitous that listening to it in one sitting is almost a formality, my opinion was already mostly formed before I pressed play.

Speed Demon has some sick bass lines. Some classic bangers on here like Bad, TWYMMF, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal. Drummer is also great. Not particularly my style of music but enjoyed this album.

Insatiably horny. Some stellar singles, but the rest really feels like filler. 3 seems harsh, 4 seems generous.

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

Michael has always been an ear worm for me. But I also might be biased as we share a surname :p 4 stars

Yeah, to oldschool

Ca reste bien, le son a vieilli pas forcément bien, le coté éléctro 80

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

Iconic record, though the second half doesn't have the same force as the first.

Хорошо

Bangers! Still not really my thing, but undoubtably good.

Meh.

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

This is the last of MJs imperial phase where he could not do wrong musically and he was at the top of his game. Arguments can be made about splitting the criminal and their crimes until the cows come home. This is the last album where the disparate sides of the artist are still somewhat balanced- he's still the popstar du jour and a bonafide hit maker, but even within the album we can see him becoming increasingly lonely, suspicious and (one positive) a bit more world-minded. Unfortunately his darker sides and odder musical instincts start to win as time goes on. Or perhaps the world moves on? Hard to say. This is a foundational album of my childhood so it admittedly has a warm glow of nostalgia, but removing that, I think it's difficult for ANY album to have an unskippable tracklist; this album has that for me. I don't blame MJ for trying different sounds and producers later in his career, but I think he was at his best collaborating with Quincy Jones.

Brilliant pop album. Not at all my thing

The appeal of this baffles me. Didn't like his music 40 years ago. Not much has changed.

It's difficult to convey how much I hate Michael Jackson's music. This has nothing to do with alleegations of bad behavior. First, I was in high school in the 80s. MJ was everywhere and I didn't understand it then. But his music was forced down my throat over and over; there was no escaping it. So the fact that I didn't like it much to begin with just got amplified by the constant airplay. I suspect if I hadn't been bombarded with MJ for so many years, my dislike might not be so intense But let's go over what I can't stand: (1) repetitive 80s synth beats. (2) Dance music will never be my thing. (3) His breathy interjections and high-pitched "ehs" have always seemed totally ridiculous. (4) His effeminate manner and voice is totally wrong for his love songs. It's bizarre and laughable; how did women love these songs so much? How did women swoon for him? [Every freakin' MJ lyric that references love or sex is and has always been ridiculous to me. He is not believable.] In fairness, I do recognize his talent as a live performer, both singing and dancing. But that doesn't change the fact that I don't like his music, and I would be happy to never hear any of his music again.

Not a fan

I never had listened to this album passed the tile song. MJ really knew about beat to make you feel like dancing. He was known as the king of pop. I'd also call him the king of videos.

Great album! “Man in the Mirror’ is, I think, my favorite Michael song; “Smooth Criminal” is genius (and maybe confessional?); “Bad” is…well, bad. This was huge when it landed and is still pretty great.

I remember how massive this album was when it was released. It was everywhere. I didn’t appreciate at the time that it was the follow up to thriller so the anticipation must have been massive. In classic Jackson style he co-opted the emerging style (new Jack) and made a pretty great album. The singles are powerhouses. I remember singing dirty Diana over and over as a 9 year old. The last great Michael album.

Good

A lot of really amazing hits, the deeper cuts dont always reach the same level but the hits are amazing enough to the point where it doesn't matter much

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

Again choosing to ignore what I know about the artist and just focusing on the music this album feels like a collection of the greatest pop songs ever made. 4.5/5

I’m not really much of a fan. The music doesn’t really do it for me and after watching the documentary it is difficult to ignore his past. 2.5

It’s not bad .. but he was.

I knew it would be a good album, no bad songs, I already knew a few so it was a good easy listen

Michael recorded this the day after Len Houmous stole one of his women! It led to Len’s comeback ‘(not as) Bad (as us, now, are you?). 4.2

I know Thriller is his most succesful era, but I think this is his most iconic era. Shout out to Another Part of Me! I forgot how much of a banger that is.

amazing singles, the rest is pretty good i guess lol

Amazing

listened to again it's great

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

Listen to the words of the pedophile: change your ways 👍

Paar goede liedjes maar de rest was matig

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

Great album tbh. Hits, non singles are decent enough.

Bad - 9.5/10 - cult classic tbf what else do you expect - absolute belter! The Way You Make Me Feel - 8 - lyrics freak me out as does the music video poor woman - good song however. Speed Demon - 7.5/10 - beat was delicious - lyrical delivery not so much Liberian Girl - 9/10 - very sweet and calming - good tune Just Good Friends - 8/10 - intense in a great way. Another Part of Me - 9/10 - surreal Man In The Mirror - 7.5/10 - decent I Just Can’t Stop Loving You - 9/10 - rather calming and soulful tone Dirty Diana - 9.5/10 - synths and hard rock tone are ruthless - top top vocals Smooth criminal 8/10 - utterly iconic but bad >>>>> Leave Me Alone - 8.5/10 - funky - nice pre chorus and vocals especially on the chorus - nice closer Overall - 9/10 - absolutely iconic album bringing together a wide variety of styles to create a masterpiece - thoroughly enjoyed!

No idea how many times I've listened to this album over the years, given Michael Jackson was my first favorite artist, and yet I tend to forget there's a song on here he did with Stevie Wonder. It's a good song, but it says something for the quality of the rest of the songs that it's the least memorable of the bunch. I mean, you'd think having Stevie freaking Wonder on your album would be pretty memorable, right? Anyway, all bangers on here. Legendary album from a legendary artist.

top 5:: the way you make me feel, dirty diana, leave me alone, another part of me, man in the mirror hm to liberian girl because I always forget about it skips?:: never I was going to wait till I got home so I could listen to this on my record player instead of the Spotify remastered version but I don't even actually need to listen to it to form an opinion ! this is really where I feel MJ started to branch off more creatively even though he was plenty creative for his first 2 albums :p this is where we got his first TOUR tour and first real era with press tours and more public appearances. I love Bad so much, another one of the greatest albums of all time, another clear indication of how spectacular of a music artist Michael was. i don't have particular opinions or things to say unfortunately but I really do love all of the MVs from this era they're my favs! you guys talk about how certain artists yearn but I fear you haven't listened to enough MJ... The people putting 1s are just in denial this is one of the best albums of all time and I can say that 100% without bias. You can believe what you want but you can not deny the pure talent both throughout this album and through Jackson's entire discography. this is my 3rd fav of his personally and his 2nd best overall.

i like some of the songs buuuuut

Michael is the king and always will be.

like a 3.8/5

Ganz nett

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

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

This album is just hit after hit. It was Michael's golden era for sure. Amazing.

The hits are great of course. The other songs are fine but sound a lot like other 80s pop and don't stand out on their own. Thriller is a tough act to follow but this album does a commendable job. 7.5/10 (3.75/5)

Can’t deny that he earned his name as the King of Pop. Great album.

Smooth Criminal and Bad are great songs, but the rest is mediocre.

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

BANGER

Does a few cool songs make for a cool album. No. Having grown up hearing MJ constantly on the radio, I wonder if I'm now indifferent to his music.

Would listen again

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

I'm realizing that when I listened to this album as a kid, it was mostly the back half which is VERY strong. The first half is not super good and the song Bad is pretty dumb--catchy, but dumb. I guess it's more a mission statement song like Born in the USA, but it's pretty cringy. I love every song in the second half and Smooth Criminal is buried? I was prepared to say 3.5 and 3, but seeing as this is the most songwriting MJ had done to this point I'm bumping up to:

There’s absolutely nothing musically important here. This is the point where his cultural impact began to outshine and outweigh his musical talent. I liked Man In the Mirror when I was a four year old, but it sucks now and goes on way too long.

Never really liked Michael Jackson, apart from the song Give In To Me. I do think the quality is palpable. It's just not for me.

It's a real struggle for me to be objective about this album, but I'll try. Probably my earliest music memory is lying on the floor with the Bad LP sleeve open reading the lyrics as I sang along. My parents couldn't afford a leather jacket for me, but they bought me a denim jacket and my dad painted "Bad" on the back in the typeface from the album sleeve. Yeah, you could say I was a fan. Revisiting it, and it really is astonishingly good pop music. Obviously the big tracks - Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal - are classics. Seriously?! Any three of those on an album is probably enough to make it a 5/5 as long as the other tracks aren't complete garbage. However I also love lesser known tracks like Speed Demon (anyone remember the video?!), Liberian Girl, Another Part of Me and Leave Me Alone. I reckon this is MJ's best album.

As a whole, it's bad, but the hit singles are fantastic. The peak pop formula is to write a couple of hits, slap whatever's on to the media in the studio, release, play the same show of hits night after night, and profit. That's Bad, like touching kids, mmmkay.

Classic.

goat

A begrudging 4. The hits are pretty good, everything else was meh. Also, he loves "Liberian Girl" so much but can't even give her a name? Was a bit cringe :/ 4/5

Michael Jackson fans will enjoy this album. I forget how many good songs were on it. Overall a solid pop album. Smooth Criminal is by far the best track.

Minus 2 stars for kid diddling

Great art, terrible person.

Delicia, el rey del pop

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

I feel compelled to watch A Goofy Movie now and I don't know why!

Not a massive MJ fan, but this album is solid. A lot of great hits.

awwww shit

Smooth criminal is a goat, but everything else feels a bit underwhelming when you compare it to his earlier in the 80s output.

"Bad"? more like... "Good"! i'll be here all week, people. in all seriousness, coming into "Bad", i thought i'd be let down by the spaces between "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Smooth Criminal", but all the tracks have this wonderful 80's sheen to it that only Quincy Jones could bring. Mikey does it for me here too, always putting out an insane new noise or hook for you to get your brain fixated on for a few hours after the track ends. "Bad"'s biggest crime is those tracks just not meeting the standards of the mega-hits, which basically exist as perfect songs next to good ones. some songs are "Smooth Criminal", and some songs are "Just Good Friends" ft. Stevie Wonder. not much you can do about it.

Quincy Jones and MJ working together = WOW

I can respect that by this point MJ was one of the biggest artists ever but it's just a bit load of meh to me

This is the reason he was called the king of pop I don't think there is one Bad track on this album with several all time classics. If I was to slightly nit pick there are some sounds used that have not dated the best but is forgivable for the quality of the rest of the album.

I listened to this album while out on a run and it has not stopped being a bop all throughout my life. I did have the realization that I’m an idiot with what I thought about Liberian Girl 🤦‍♀️ Anyways the album was as good as ever and I was happy to listen to it

So many iconic songs from just one album. Even the clunker (Dirty Diana) has some good stuff to it

Майкл Джексон - это самое главное что есть в поп музыки и не только.

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

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

not only is he a bad person this album is also bad . go figure

This is another great album from the King of Pop, his legal troubles aside and if you believe that he was monster or not, just focusing on the music, this is a fantastic follow up to Thriller, while not nearly as good this still has some major hits of MJ's, Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, The Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal?? These are solid mega hits that would be on any best of compilation, and how many artists have that many songs that hold up after so long? This is a great album!

The White Era begins. Favourite Songs: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man In the Mirror, Dirty Diana, Smooth Criminal. Least Favourite Songs: Just Good Friends.

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

Det är ju inte Thriller! Sämre låtar förutom Man in the Mirror och Smooth Criminal. Det är klara femmor, men resten är inte minnesvärt alls. Produktionen som är spännande och oväntat rå lyfter det till en stark fyra.

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

ma come si fa a dare meno di cinque stelle a un album che contiene Bad, Man in the mirror, Smooth criminal e Dirty Diana? non sì può.

Never listened to this album before but knew most of the exciellent tracks.

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

Surprised how tinny and 80's some of this sounds on the remastered version, like they ramped it up rather than down. Anyway obviously full of bangers, pity about the necessary pop label ballad nonsense

Actually it’s good

4/5. Solid classic

perfect

A great pick-me-up

realized theres a sorta primordial mix of Order and Chaos in mj's music that possibly sits near the center of his pop music throne,,,obviously everything is very lavish and labored over and produced and u get those ridiculously tight grooves etc etc but theres still room for space found in it, for exclamations or vocal vamps or instrumentally stretched legs. nice observation to get out of this but i dont have as much to say about this record in specific lol its good! by necessity a lil less Timeless than the likes of off the wall or thriller , in particular because of ofc how important the contemporary Wider Perception of mj was to the whole conception, but its got as many classics as it needs and its nice to hear them with some deliberacy on headphones in an album context instead of as cultural white noise. didnt even realize how good man in the mirror was my whole life. there better be some janet records on this list too tho...

4.5. close to being perfect!

I feel like Michael Jackson and Prince are both in the same category for me as artists where every song is either a complete banger or basically a total dud. Like everyone has some variation in song quality on their albums, but how do you go from "The Way You Make Me Feel" (banger) to "Speed Demon" (bad) back-to-back? I think the median song for both of these people is meh, but then there's just these absolutely iconic singles. It really makes it hard to rate. Anyway, the point is that I would basically never actively choose to put this on, but I still have to admit there's some good stuff on here. It's not quite Thriller quality, but it's a good output among a genre of music that's kind of bad. A few too many "woo-hoos" for my liking though. Favorite song: Smooth Criminal Other: Bad, The Way You Make Me Feel, Man in the Mirror, I Just Can't Stop Loving You, Dirty Diana, Leave Me Alone 2/20/25

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

King of pop. Production hasn’t aged the best. Dirty Diana was a sleeper banger

Crazy energy. Great harmonies. That snare needs to be retired

Classic and excellent pop album! Def some gems within. But nowhere near the sublime quality of the all time perfection of Thriller or even Off the Wall.

I feel like I can't objectively review this album because it's just so nostalgic. But yeah, it's pretty much a hit. Solid music, what more can I say

Have never listened to a Jackson album in full and this has not aged well, in more ways than one.

I decided that as Jackson is dead and can no long do anything creepy/illegal, I would listen to this one. I've never been a massive fan of his but it's kinda a fun album, if a bit naff. Some of the songs are actively bad, 'Speed Demon' is awful and made worse by the car sound effects. 'Bad' and 'Smooth Criminal' are okay, wouldn't object to these coming on at 80s night. It's just not very cool is it?

I remember grooving to this in my socks, moonwalking across the kitchen floor when I was maybe 8? So for a second I was glowing with childhood nostalgia. Then I remembered who I was listening to... stopped me in my socks. A lot of shamoning, gyrating and "sensual" whispering that has not only lost its charm because it's performed by a child molester, but also it's no aged gracefully. Now... I will admit, I had my toe tapping at times. Dirty Diana is probably the best on there for me. But it's not getting a revisit of my own volition. The King of Pop is a creep, oh how the mighty have fallen.

Pretty dull… the odd hit.

At some level there’s always a real challenge in trying to separate any musical enjoyment you get with the obviously immensely talented Michael Jackson from the fact he’s America’s answer to Jimmy Saville. Fortunately, there is no such issue of guilty enjoyment to be had with ‘Bad’, as it’s fucking rubbish. This album has aged TERRIBLY. It’s a collection of dated and random noises parping and clattering against each other, whilst an obviously insane maniac wails shamone over the top. It’s a horrible, humourless, tasteless mess. I don’t dislike everything here: I don’t mind the broken male posturing of the title track, and ‘Smooth Criminal’ is legitimately great. The barely concealed paranoia that runs through this album is fully unleashed here, presenting as a sort of Howard Hughes-esque breakdown set to furiously propulsive inhuman funk. Then there’s the rest of it. What is there even to say about the brass rubbing of a cliched C-tier MJ song that is ‘Another Part of the Me’, the lumbering ‘Dirty Diana’ that reveals Jackson to be more terrified of women than anyone who has ever lived, and the ballads… good lord the ballads. There’s the horrible and dreary ‘Liberian Girl’, the tacky pan pipe-tactic ‘Man in the Mirror’ which displays an early outing of the always welcome messianic Michael ‘maybe if I cry enough about elephants then people will forgot that I have constructed an elaborate bell system to alert me ahead of time if someone is approaching my bedroom’ Jackson and the supernovaly creepy ‘I Just Can't Stop Loving You’ who’s jump scare of a ‘sensual’ spoken word intro appears to be missing from Spotify, but was very much there on the version I listened to. I personally would have quite happily gone without hearing the great man breathlessly whimper ‘I just want to touch you’ at me. I physically shuddered. It’s all just really gross this. it sounds gross. It’s lyrically gross. It’s morally gross. It is GROSS; and it’s a grossness that the estate of Michael Jackson and all of his weird, creepy fans are welcome to keep. Hee hee.

Ganske bra og nostalgisk. Bassen minne tidvis om gambling-minispillene i Mario 64 på DS

its michael jackson, its good obviously. ngl i didn't remember this album sounding so dated. not thats a bad thing its charming actually. but use of drum machines is so obvious and the weird cheap synth instruments sound so bad and fake. what up with the weird industrial clap sound on the way you make me feel, it feels so out of place but i love it. some of these instrumentals give me like 16-bit era vgm vibe. makes sense considering he worked on the music in sonic the hedgehog 3 (fun fact i guess)

Oh, those 80s synth and drum sounds. MJ was a masterful entertainer, though, no denying it, and these are classic pop songs.

Look it has some well known but it really isn't that great. Its weakened by some pretty poor 80s production sounds too. Outside of the main 4 or 5 songs the songwriting is pretty weak.

Classic album. MJ 🐐

Very good album. Different styles throughout. Catchy. Stand out song - The way you make me feel

"Smooth Criminal" is possibly MJ's best song.

These are some of his classics, so it's hard to say it's not great.

1️⃣ Man in the Mirror 2️⃣ Bad

It must have been quite Dangerous to release Bad with such a style change after having your previous record change pop HIStory. But I guess MJ here felt Invincible at the time. I prefer the former album, but you know, this is still a damn great pop record. The vocal harmonies are stellar and completely Off the Wall. Heh.

And the winner of: “Album being the exact opposite of what the title leads you to believe” goes to…

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

Great album

This era of pop can be very hit or miss for me, but this is overall another good album from MJ, not much worse than Thriller imo.

This only gets a four because he made thriller and that is a five, this is slightly worse then thriller so four is right.

While MJ was a good musician, the scandals around him and the people he hurt forever damage his musical legacy, making it hard to enjoy his album.

So many bangers. It's reverence is completely deserved. Truly the King of pop.

The hits are great and the rest of the album felt like filler.