Your poll is mine : who's Bad ?

Damn, I've included Bad two times (and I hate it !).
anyway to remove it ?

annie are you okay...

Annie are you OK?

So, I'm hesitating between "Liberian girl", which is a gorgeous and sweet song with a great production (I have some issues with the production on many tracks of the album), "another part of me" and "Smooth criminal", two great funky tracks with also a great production.
I might be wrong but it seems to me the production/sound of this album is very strange and different to any other album of that time.

Are you OK, Annie ?

Smooth Criminal will win by a mile, deservedly.

Smooth Criminal

wow, didn't think it would be so consensual !
no love for... speed demon ?

The way you make me feel I would have voted, but the stalkerish video (also, MJ tryin wayyyyyyyy too hard to be one of da boiz) loses it all points.

So, Smooth Crim it is. What the heck is it all about anyroad?

I remember really liking "the way" at the time but listening to the album lately, something bothered me in the production. Actually, for a long time, I thought it was because of the mastering that I didn't really like the album but the remastered version is still meh...

I was too young to experience the Thriller phenomenon in real time, so Bad's singles are really the first MJ songs I remember (if I recall correctly, I destroyed my brother's cassette of it for some reason when I was 6). I still like most of the singles, will probably vote for "The Way You Make Me Feel" since "Smooth Criminal" seems to be getting enough love.

I'd forgotten how many of these songs I love.

Still, "Smooth Criminal".

I'm going to go with "Dirty Diana," just because somebody should. But it's a close call.

"The Way...," I loved the video for some reason.
But when was the last time you listened to "Remember the Time?"
I think it may be MJ's best performance.

Well, I have an even bigger issue with the production of "dangerous" (but also with the songwriting). I can't really listen to any song on it now, I think (except maybe "closet").

"Remember The Time" is a fantastic song, though.

That's understandable. The last time I heard "remember the time," a friend was attempting to remix it and he was listening to the vocal track by itself and I thought it stood up pretty well all on its own.

But the whole world has to answer right now just to tell you once again
this is a BAD thread.

Xpost Hi Dere.

I think I'll go with the title track, although 'Liberian Girl' is pretty good too.

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"
^the 7" of this is the only thing of MJ's I've actually paid for.

Hang on, wtf am I on about, 'The Way You Make Me Feel' single is what I bought. Cocking hell.

The middle stretch of this album is the worst he ever recorded.

A close call between "Man in the Mirror" and "Smooth Criminal" – went with MITM cuz no one else will and, in the light of several, um developments, it's gained some creepy pathos.

voted for "the way you make me feel" -- I don't actually remember hearing "smooth criminal" when this record was out. the singles I remember were "the way", "bad", "man in the mirror", "dirty diana"

well, "smooth criminal" was very hyped by its video with the weird dance move forward.

btw are most of these singles lost in the mists of time? He scored one #1 after another in '87-'88 but I never hear'em on the radio anymore.

I heard "Jam" the other day and the Off the Wall-Thriller all the time, so...

Guys, remember Moonwalker?

What's amazing is, before starting this thread, I've checked some info about the album and many of its singles sold like 4million each ! amazing figures... especially nowadays...

Actually I don't !
Was it a movie or a long video ?

It was a feature length film. The video for "Smooth Criminal" was taken from it. It had something to do with Michael saving children from a short, fat, pony-tailed villain. At the end of, Michael turns into a giant spaceship and flies all the kids to safety, or something. There was also an arcade game. The whole thing is pretty WTF.

oh yeah - in sales and airplay these singles dwarfed Thriller's.

ahah. the pitch is pretty WTF already !

maybe it's time for a remake of that film...

Pff, amateurs, I went to see 'Moonwalker' at the theater!

hum. I'm discovering a whole secret (dark ?) side of you !

I've got that shit on VHS! The main kid in it is Sean Lennon! The pony-tailed villain is Joe Pesci!

I'd be curious to watch this... but I'm pretty sure it's awful and over my threshold of tolerance !

Sean Lennon? Oh shit. Joe Pesci!? It's all coming back now.

Does it hurt ?

I never saw Moonwalker, but was aware of its existence.

At the end of, Michael turns into a giant spaceship and flies all the kids to safety, or something

WHAT?

by the way, is it a special fx during THAT dance move in the video/movie ?

I remember hearing the shoes were bolted to the ground. There may have been a wire involved as well.

production has dated badly in places, but some good tracks rescue it. the title track is not one of these.

moonwalker is a track also ? don't think I heard it... it might be the right time to go back to all his output during the bad era !

ah sorry, I just understood you weren't talking about the movie but the album...

http://www.michael-jackson-trader.com/movies/moonwalker/images/moonwalker1u_jpg.jpg

"Moonwalker" is pretty amazing in its wtfness.

This is pretty much the money segment:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=b5SgV7VDkxk

Haha, is Joe Pesci trying to get all the kids addicted to smack? Genius plan.

The transformation effects are quite good.

I guess whatever Joe Pesci has going on with his hair can't really be described as a "ponytail." It's like a bizarro ponytail, or something.

Have you actually heard "Wanna Be Startin' Something" or "Human Nature"?

of course i have

i like "billie jean" and "human nature" and "pyt" thats it

I mean "beat it"? "girl is mine"? can you really defend that garbage in retrospect?

I'm looking forward to the Dangerous poll.

Post-Off The Wall songs I will defend:

Wanna Be Startin' Something
Human Nature
Billie Jean
Smooth Criminal
Man In The Mirror
The Way You Make Me Feel
Dirty Diana
Jam
Remember The Time
In The Closet
Who Is It?
They Don't Really Care About Us

what about YOU GIVE ME MORPHINE!

"Who Is It?" is my favorite post-Thriller Jackson song.

I like "remember the time" "in the closet" and "smooth criminal" of the ones you listed, and then "butterflies" and "break of dawn" from invincible

Most of the songs on "Bad" were really good. I consider "Bad" a considerably better album than "Off The Wall", but not as good as "Thriller".

mj suxorz post- off the wall

-- The Brainwasher, Thursday, 7 February 2008 21:21 (Yesterday) Link

: O

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contrarianism

lol I swear I'm not being contrarian. I just can't stand adult MJ's voice

okay maybe i'm being a little bit contrarian, but I do prefer pre-Thriller MJ/Jackson 5 to post-Thriller by a very very large margin

Wow, a lot bigger of a drop off in quality on this album than I remember. "Smooth criminal" definitely tops it for me.

Anyone remember the tripped out CAN U FEEEEEL IT that starts Moonwalker. Noise Board probably needs 7 threads on it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaADnQzdyP8

The Boredoms can play for another 20 years and never touch 1:40 of that video

That's because they'll be old and tired.

That 'Can you feel it' video is insane.

Ok, I've listened to the album carefully since yesterday. A few thoughts :
"Bad" still sucks.
"Just good friends" might be the only song here that has some joy and fun in it. of course it's not a great track but I have a soft spot for it for that reason.
"Man in the mirror" is terribly cheezy but still pretty catchy.
"loving you" is meh
"dirty diana" is not as awful as I remembered. It's pretty intense and dark and MJ's vocals are quite amazing.
Overall, "smooth" is the most obvious hit but I think my I prefer "Liberian".

"Bad" for its acknowledged borrowing of the rhythm track from Propaganda's "Dr Mabuse."

fact this was the first album i ever bought. 'bad' or 'smooth criminal'.

why are people hating on the song 'bad'?

Yeah, I'm not that big a fan of the song 'bad' but I still think it's probably the best thing on it. The rhythm track is pretty bad-ass. The chorus kinda ruins it tho.

the chorus is pretty suck yuh, but the middle-eight (? technical term -- 'they say the skies the limit') is good, and the intro is awesome.

mind you i relistened to a snip of it and the production is kind of light. it sounded better on a radio or on a tape played through a really shitty tape recorder. in the late 80s.

the production of "bad" is awful. sounds very cheap and flat (not enough bass), the drum box sounds cheap, the organ too. the chorus is terrible, the lyrics too. I don't think there's anything I like in that song !

the 60s-ish organ solo is kind of funny, amid the 80sness.

xpost!

the lyrics are terrible across the board on this album. but yeah it needs moar heaviness.

funny thing : yesterday, there was "moonwalker" available on joox (but I didn't watch it, I was too drunk !). coincidence ?

I hope it will still be available this w-e...

The video for 'Smooth Criminal' comes from the movie.

yeah, that's what I understood... a good w-e to look forward to !
Listening to the extra unreleased tracks on the remastered version of the album ("streetwalker" and "fly away"), I've just realized that they are much better than most of the tracks on the album which would have been really improved if they had replaced like "speed demon" and "loving you".

"Your Butt Is Mine
Gonna Take You Right"

"If You Don't Like What I'm Sayin'
Then Won't You Slap My Face . . ."

Really, was this a joke? Least threatening lyrics ever.

because i'm BAD, i'm BAD (REALLY, REALLY bad)
you know i'm BAD, i'm BAD, you know it (REALLY, REALLY bad)

overcompensating for lack of bad-ness.

well, the video was also pretty... bad !

IS THAT WHAT THEY TEACH YOU IN THAT SISSY SCHOOL OF YOURS?

the production of "bad" is awful

Virtually any album from 1987/88 to feature synths as a prominent part of the sound sounds awful today.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Mild correction..

because i'm BAD, i'm BAD (weally, weally bad)
you know i'm BAD, i'm BAD, you know it (weally, weally bad)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I keep reading "Liberian Girl" as "Libertarian Girl"

I can't believe "Leave Me Alone" didn't get any votes, but I'm inclined to think that it would've won if "Smooth Criminal" weren't an option.

I'm surprised Liberian Girl only got 2 votes (including mine !), 1 less than Dirty D... also surprised that someone voted for just good friends.

Nobody voted for "Bad" ?

That's not good. (for MJ, I mean)

EMPHATIC.

Bad got 3 votes (but I put it twice by mistake so, one of the bads got 0...)

poll otm

I keep reading "Liberian Girl" as "Libertarian Girl"

One volume of Miller's antiques & collectibles price guide lists the price for a jacket worn by MJ for the video of "Librarian Girl".