MSL
Proud Member
Smooth Criminal for sure. Still remember seeing the tracklist for HIStory the first time and being absolutely shocked that Smooth Criminal wasn't on there.
Tony R;4099282 said:Another Part Of Me
Smooth Criminal
Dirty Diana
Man In The Mirror
TWYMMF
Liberian Girl
Bad
Speed Demon
IJCSTLY
Leave Me Alone
Just Good Friends
APOM may seem like a strange choice, but it just has THE FUNK. Even now after nearly thirty years since I first heard it, i get excited, my heart beats faster, I smile and can't keep still...
SPEED DEMON ARE YOU KIDDING ME ppl what is wrong with y'all. CLEAR winner!
It's ok, I'm here to fix it and make it all better.
But ok, I have to say - there is something about Bad as a whole that REALLY divides fans. Why? It's always interested me. Some say Thriller/OTW was the best. Then there are the sane fans (like us ) that know the truth, that it was all about Bad.
It is SO hard to select a perfect track. I still get giddy over TYWMMF. Like, to this day it will instantly make me stop what I'm doing. I'll go "WOOOO!!!! MAH JAMMMM" and you will see me sashay over to a dancefloor or anything I can improvise as one. The only time ever anyone can get away with calling me "hey pretty baby with the high heels on" is for TWYMMF. That's it. Only exception.
And that's only one song! There isn't a jam on that record that doesn't make me have a stupid smile on my face (well, except MITM, but that is because I can't listen to it anymore. 2009 ruined it for me).
SC still wows me after all this time. The stacked vocals in Leave me Alone! The uplifting feeling in Bad. THE ENTIRETY of Speed Demon. The slow jammmz. The amazing pick-me-ups in the middle - it is the perfect album. Perfect.
I've never been able to explain it, but the "80s Michael" that people talk about always makes me think of Bad before Thriller. He really outdid himself IMO. I don't know what it is. That album as a whole, the image, the tour, the everything - it just has that extra spark.
But, Speed Demon, for real. I know the crazy insane bass line is probably a synthesizer, but I don't care - one day I'll learn to play it on a real bass.
Rather than claim what I believe his his 'best' album (I hate when fans and casual listeners do this.), I try to appreciate his whole body of work without favouring any one era of his career at the expense of another. I look at his albums as a kind of layer each bringing out a different style and together creating a huge vibrant synthesis of soundscapes.
Hmmm. I did not realize until I read the last couple posts, that as an old 1958 fan I was supposed to despise BAD.The simple fact is that your right. Older fans (1958-1984) love Off The Wall and Thriller and view those albums as MJ's peak years. post 80's fans see Dangerous and HiStory as his peak. Bad is this kind of inbetween album in which older fans despise and younger post 80s fans can't relate to seen as they were too young to remember thus have not fond/nostalgic memories of
Hmmm. I did not realize until I read the last couple posts, that as an old 1958 fan I was supposed to despise BAD.
I remember the summer of 87 and running to buy an album for a guy I liked and seeing the album for the first time. And almost fainted in the store.
My sister started having kids in the mid 80s and they had sleepovers with me and I'd take them to the video store and let them pick what we were going to watch. And I always rented Moonwalker. I waited til they were asleep to watch it tho. Probably bc they didn't appreciate Fantasia when I played it for them the year before.
I waited til the big 'Black or White' premiere to introduce them to Michael but I waited too long, I think.
Anyway, I personally love BAD. Still play it all the time. The only song I didn't immediately love passionately was Speed Demon, but I loved the dance with Spike-so it was all good.
I understand what you're saying. For me, that album was "Dangerous." Speed Demon, with all the funk and noise, was a pre-cursor (to me) of what was to come. And although I loved "Black or White", the next song I remember hearing was "Jam"-hated it, and always will-but don't talk about it very much on this forum because 99% of the people on the forum LOVE IT.It's not hard to comprehend when you further consider the changing musical landscape at the time (Hip hop/Grunge/Heavy Metal) and the media bias added more weight against the success of MJ's Thriller career. Unlike say Prince though, he successfully reinvented his sound to a more gritty, urban and experimental style to align with the mood of the times.
Interesting to hear your story. But the simple fact his stats don't lie. If you survey were Generation Jones (1957-64) and Generation X (1965-1980) which MJ albums they liked/bought/worshipped the most, the majority would probably go for Off The Wall and Thriller.
The simple fact is that your right. Older fans (1958-1984) love Off The Wall and Thriller and view those albums as MJ's peak years. post 80's fans see Dangerous and HiStory as his peak. Bad is this kind of inbetween album in which older fans despise and younger post 80s fans can't relate to
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And where do you take your stats from? You act like Bad is an unpopular album which could not be further from the truth. Fact is that Bad is a more popular album than OTW. Fact is that it's MJ's second most popular album after Thriller. In both sales and on streaming services.
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And where do you take your stats from? You act like Bad is an unpopular album which could not be further from the truth. Fact is that Bad is a more popular album than OTW. Fact is that it's MJ's second most popular album after Thriller. In both sales and on streaming services.
You right, I have no stats at hand, but I guess like the Dianne said, it's about what was most nostalgic for the person at the time. Most of his fans from the 50's til' the 70s probably had fonder memories of Off The Wall and Thriller. Those albums were closer to 'that time' for them.
Most of us were born in a year, at least some musical output from the Jacksons was released. My year, they released their self titled debut album for Epic featuring the hits Enjoy Yourself, Show you the way to go and Dreamer, all of those songs I love.
However I want to rank the songs on Bad from best to least best (There is not a worst song on this album). You may find the ranking a bit boring, but oh well, if nothing else, you will see how much I love Bad. Even the 4 year wait from it to Dangerous was worth it.
1. The Way you make me feel 10/10(Highest 10/10)
2. Smooth Criminal 10/10
3. Man in the Mirror 9.9/10
4. Just Good Friends 9.7/10
5. Dirty Diana 9.6/10
6. Bad 9.5/10
7. I just can't stop loving you 9.3/10
8. Leave me alone 9.2/10
9. Speed Demon 9.1/10
10. Liberian Girl 7.7/10 - Just not that crazy about it, still a good track, don't get the "naku took a pea" line.
Unreleased jams on my special edition
Streetwalker 8.5/10
Fly away 9.6/10 (I just love it)
Other Track I associate with bad - Al Capone 9/10