Great Bad 25th Anniversary Edition Deluxe
The Bad 25 set is the best MJ release in a very very long time. He is already known as a performer who's show was amazing, but during the Wembley show he was just on it! This is THE definitive Michael Jackson live performance, he seems so into every song it's crazy. I've seen Bad Tour concerts before but there is just something different about the show. The audio is crystal clear, perfect, it is from multitracks that were used to mix the show as it was going. About the video, people complained at first when they heard it would be sourced from a video tape. However, what we do know is that the Estate let everyone know how they did a numerous amount of extensive searches of the film storage warehouses and could not find the film masters. The fact that Michael had someone mix down the video feed onto a VHS tape for his own performance means that that was and is the only currently available source for the show. Another cool thing is that the Estate paid a company that they said is used by NASA to restore videotapes to better represent the source that was put on them. The result is a pretty decent quality film that definitely produces alot more detail than one would imagine. The image is sharp and colors are good for the most part too. This is the exact video feed the jumbotrons got so we have a show with no editing or crowd shots, it is excellent. There are also 2 additional performances from other dates and locations of the Bad Tour in the bonus features. For those that just want the DVD it is sold stand alone.
Disc 1 (Original Bad Album + Leave Me ALone) is similar to the 2001 Special Edition in terms of sound, however the mixing and mastering definitely do sound alot better than before. It is less compressed and it seems more dynamic too. Certain instruments now sound alot better. The mastering could be a bit better but it sounds better than 90% of the CDs out there and Bad is a sonicly high end album.
Disc 2 is where the real fun begins. We have 6 new songs:
Dont Be Messin Around- Previously released on the 2012 I Just Cant Stop Loving You single, groovy relaxed track that has a great tempo
Im So Blue- Ballad that in terms of music , theme, and voice sounds very similar to the Jacksons (self titled album and Goin Places) era style but with a country sound as well. Sounds weird but it works.
Song Groove (Abortion Papers)- This song is awesome, it is an upbeat dance track that is serious at the same time and has really nice background music that is similar to Sega Genesis games (such as Sonic). Only Michael would make a song about Abortion dance able. This is excellent, one of the best.
Free - Very relaxed ballad about being Free and soaring high, a nice track but not one of my favorites.
Price of Fame - This is fantastic, it is my favorite on the set. This is another one that has upbeat synth/drum beats but is paranoid and haunting as well. This is about the hardships that have happened to him and it is very sad to hear how much he was stalked by fans and paparazzi. Michael mentions how people think if he can just sign checks all day long than everything in his life must be fine. Whilst Leave Me Alone portrayed Jackson as angry/fed up with the media this one is scarier and more about him being in fear. I think of this song as Leave Me Alone meets Billie Jean. This is my personal favorite of the new material.
Al Capone - Fans had known about this track and how it had developed into Smooth Criminal for a very long time, however now that it is finally here it is apparent that this track has very little similarities with Smooth Criminal. It seems darker in tone than SC and more synthesized, another one that sounds like Sega Genesis music . Jackson sings really fast in this one, seems to be about Al Capone being on the loose and frightening a town "How could you let him get away" "Cause a mad man's out tonight!". Great track overall, a bit shorter than the other ones. It's short but sweet and very interesting, I prefer it to Smooth Criminal personally.
The rest of Disc 2's tracklist is the bonus songs from the 2001 Special Edition of Bad (Streetwalker, Fly Away, Spanish I Just Cant Stop Loving You) and then as a bonus for the first time on CD the French I Just Cant Stop Loving You, and 3 remixes, 2 of Bad, 1 of Speed Demon. The remixes can be decent at times but sound like generic club beats layed out over songs that do not need it. One of the raps on the "Bad" remix is atrocious. Keep in mind Michael did release the 25th Anniversary of Thriller album in his lifetime which was 4 awful remixes and only 1 unreleased track. The remixes are unnecessary but that is OK because they are right at the end so you don't have to skip over them to hear the good stuff. Also, by the time you are done with the non-remixes on disc 2 you are already 40 minutes into the disc anyways.
Disc 3 is the audio of the Wembley show featured on the DVD, this is actually the first Michael Jackson solo live album release. I haven't given this a listen, but it comes from the same multitracks as the DVD release so Im sure it's excellent quality.
You would think that that would be everything in this 35$ package but it's not. The set is housed in this nice looking black case that seems like a faux leather or vinyl material. Inside you have 2 extensive books that are around 30 or so pages each and have lots of never before seen photos. One is for the Bad Tour, one for the making of the Bad album and music videos. It's awesome to see pictures of people like Mart in Scorsese, Robert Deniro, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, and more all talking/working with Michael. The Bad Album and Disc 2 are housed in a gatefold full color front and back case, and the Wembley DVD and CD are housed in their own separate full color gatefold case too. Some part s of the cases have a shiny holographic sheen to them. Also there is a huge dual sided fold out poster underneath all this stuff too. The box looks so little but it is incredible how much stuff they fit in here and how well stylized they did, the packaging and presentation are excellent.
Overall this is an amazing release for Michael Jackson fans, the Estate did a fantastic job with this one. I would've easily been fine paying double what they are charging for a set as nice as this. There is endless entertainment value in here including new songs, the ultimate live video performance, a live CD, books, and of course the original masterpiece Bad album.
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