Bad 25 - Feedback
First i've to say that the whole Bad25 Project, from the beginnings with the teasing with the new Bad25-Logo, to pepsi designs & subsequent release of the cans & bottles (in parts) of around the world, to the release of "Don't Be Messin' 'Round", the eagerly awaited announcement and following presentation of the full track list, the opening the new designed website & finally the release of the different BAD25 editions WAS A GREAT DEAL OF FUN & WAS VERY EXCITING & KEPT ME 'BADDING' the whole year.
I thank & salute the Estate for trying to recreate some flashes of the Bad Era, which (for me) culminated in listening to the new songs/demos, watching the wembley performance & watching Spike's oscarworthy Bad25 documentation in october (on VOX, cause i'm from Germany).
As a hardcore fan i was excited & entertained the whole year, of course most of the times it was eagerly waiting...
And there's the point, as a hardcore fan it was perfect to have the things spread out over some month too have something from it a little longer.
Public & casual fans don't have the time nor the interest in waiting month from release of some teasers, tv-ad's or cans, to release of the album & again month later the docu on television.
So the docu def should have been closer to, or very shortly before, the release.
The packages were some if not THE best MJ product we ever got (i don't compare to a full MJ authorized new album release), maybe for some the collectors case could have been a little more affordable (170 Euros incl. shipping cost is maybe a little too much, even for some fans).
Let's break it down:
CD 1: The classic. Perfect. What more can they give?
CD 2: I liked 'Messin' a lot and every other demo/new song topped 'Messin'. I didn't expect six 'new' songs for this release & i am still blown away by the quality of these six songs. Capone, Blue & Fame are the BOMB.
A minus on cd2 was that they put nearly the same remix twice on there. What makes it hurt even more is, that they didn't make something out of the remixes. What was their purpose? Speed Demon Remix is such a great treat they should have made more out of this. Everyone i showed it, loved it, fan or not.
There should have been a double A side single, with Speed Demon Remix & Al Capone or Price Of Fame. With two video clips & heavy radio & club rotation. If you don't expose the remixes to the young generation, leave them off the album.
CD 3: MJ live vocals - on a perfect recording! AAA+++
DVD: What can i say? I didn't quiet understand the absolutely HUGE hype about the wembley show(s) that was surrounding it. I mean, come on: MJ is THE MAESTRO on any given night, his performances are all always on a very high level. How could this one show be on a whole another level as the other bad tour shows? To me, this would sound unfair. Maybe he gave the little extra on that night because of Lady Di, but i can't imagine the other shows were really a lower standard. So to me, the fans created a hype about this particular show which was a little too high.
As to the quality: The sound is awesome! Picture made me a little cringe too watch it with my wife on our 46" flatscreen... But i'll take a so so quality MJ concert DVD over getting none, all the time. Nonetheless i hope for a HD concert release in the future, preferable Bad or Dangerous shows, because of the more live vocals. (Though i have to mention that all MJ-tours were great. And HIStory was the greatest spectacle, musical like show, with some of his finest dancing.)
So all in all the content of the 3 editions is great (and 100% better than what we got the last couple of years, with Greatest Hits after Greatest Hits), with a slight minus for the dvd quality and the relatively high price for the collectors suit case.
What can the estate do better next time?
Just some thoughts:
-Maybe three different editions is one edition too much. Especially when the sales don't count together.
-They should aim at one group, not trying to reach all. If you make a high quality fan package, make a perfect one, leave off the remixes & try to give us HD video content the next time.
-If you want too reach the young generation, release decent remixes (Nero) and then go to work with these remixes & make something happen with them.
-If there is promotion, give it the chance to have an impact: A proper single release, the Spike Lee docu & pepsi cans in every corner AT THE SAME TIME - then the release!
-If you remaster a classic album, don't do it with the loudness in mind. Do it the AUDIOPHILE way. Give us the dynamic of MJ recordings, the full spectrum of high quality sound.
And...
Generally i think there is an over saturation in MJ-products to the GENERAL public, since 2009. Expecting millions of sales of the Bad album, which was bought millions of times in 2009 & 35 million times before 2009 is not realistic. Especially with the situation in the music business (downloads, single-artists, etc). Few are buying an album for 10 bucks anymore, so even fewer will buy an (25 year old) album for 30 bucks, EXCEPT FOR THE FANS. So make the release PERFECT for the fans.
Maybe this idea of an MJ collectors label, with higher prices, more HIGH QUALITY releases, is a good idea for concerts & rereleases.
Give the fans all the songs/demos, as Michael left them.
If there is another album of fully unreleased material around the corner, avoid any controversy regarding the authenticity of the vocals.
Do with the instrumentation what needs to be done, to make it impact the current market. But give the fans also the original demos.
The next "new" album should be PERFECT, as the 'Michael' release already had the right to be & be a worldwide hit.