All the press oversaturation and rumours of bizarre behaviour really hurt Michael Jackson's public image, thus obscuring the fact that Bad, hokey cover and all, is a very strong album and another jewel in Jackson's crown.

Jackson contributes more songs to this album than ever before, penning four out of the album's five record-breaking #1 singles: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", a duet with the wonderful Siedah Garrett that is probably Jackson's last great ballad performance; "Bad", funky and weird, very catchy, with its signature "How Now Brown Cow" rhythm; the gyrating "The Way You Make Me Feel"; and "Dirty Diana", a metal song with great production and a cacophonous guitar performance by Steve Stevens. The fifth chart-topper, "Man in the Mirror", is an undeniable classic. Taking Jackson's save-the-world sentiment and translating it into poetry, strong melodies and evocative imagery, songwriters Garrett and Glen Ballard created Jackson's best "We Are the World"-type song, complete with an appropriately booming gospel choir and dynamics to spare.

The less popular songs are equally good: The Stevie Wonder duet "Just Good Friends" is heavenly, "Liberian Girl" is breathy and sensual, and "Smooth Criminal" is Jackson at his most hard-hitting, a killer groove with crisp beats, synth work, perfectly placed sound effects, and Jackson's vocals going into manic mode. The lyrics verge on the nonsensical, but the energy is devastating and intoxicating. Even the CD bonus track "Leave Me Alone" is worthy, a funky keyboard riff opening the song which is Jackson's protest for privacy, yet with enough of a sense of humour not to make it too self-pitying. And the music videos (available on the Moonwalker home video as well as ) were groundbreaking -- "Smooth Criminal" a cinematic dance masterpiece with killer choreography and "Leave Me Alone" an animation breakthrough.

Bad was the first English-language album I ever bought (in 1988, at the height of its popularity). Needless to say, I have an unusual affection for it. To be fair, Michael Jackson's music is distinctly a product of the '70s and an emblem of the '80s, accounting for its dated sound in the context of the '90s and in the first decade of the 21st Century. On Bad, though, Jackson was still at the top of his game in songcraft and charisma, making Bad an essential listen.

Michael Jackson had the insurmountable task of following up what was not only the biggest selling album of time, but a real cultural phenomenon. Thriller was released in late 1982 and due to its success it took Mr. Jackson five years to release its follow-up. While Bad obviously was not half as big as Thriller in terms of sales, it is still a great record. The title track finds Mr. Jackson taking a defiant stance and instead of running away from trouble as he did in "Beat It", he stakes it head-on. "The Way You Make Me Feel" is a bright and sunny song that has an incredibly infectious groove. "Just Good Friends" is a real treat as he duets with Stevie Wonder and you get to hear two masters at work. "Man In the Mirror" is a spiritual song that begs one to look at themselves and see that we can all make a difference. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a good ballad that is a duet with Siediah Garrett, the songs writer. It was original written to be sung with Whitney Houston, but when she was unavailable, Ms. Garrett stepped in and does a nice good. "Dirty Diana" is a blazing rocker and "Leave Me Alone" is angry tirade against the circus atmosphere that his life had become due to the media. "Smooth Criminal" is a pumping track that has vicious beat and tremendous vocal. Bad does hold one record over Thriller, it became the first album to produce five number one singles ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "Dirty Diana", "Man In the Mirror" & "The Way You Make Me Feel").

Although I was only 6 when this CD came out, I still know every song from it. The only album in history to have had 5 No.1 singles. At the time (back in the '80's) the No.2 album of all time. Who didn't know who Michael Jackson was? Who didn't know these killer songs? Like 'Bad', who doesn't know that song? The infamous video in the N.Y subway, the organ solo in the middle of the song? Great song, classic. Now 'The Way You Make Me Feel' is a great Michael Jackson song that deserves a lot of credit not only for its barely visable new-jack swing (yes its there, don't even say it isn't) and great beat. This song rocks from beginning to end. Now 'Speed Demon' isn't too bad, it is a bit repetitive, but good. I like the video for it that is in the mini-movie 'Moonwalker'. Check it out. 'Liberian Girl' was never released in the US but was released in England to huge response and it is deserving because this is a beautiful song. I really, really like the duet with Stevie Wonder 'Just Good Friends' the song is kickin' from beginning to end. Their vocals sound great together. It is a rare classic of a song that shows what can happen when two great artists such as these get together. 'Another Part Of Me' is also kickin', it was also featured in the Disneyland theme ride 'Captain EO' in which Michael starred but is no longer in service. Now 'Man In The Mirror' is the greatest song of the '80's. It is the whole message behind it that makes it great. The song is just beautiful. Pure genius. Quincy and Michael created a magic in the studio that can never be duplicated. Never. 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You' is also another great duet, this time with Siedah Garrett, who in fact co-wrote 'Man In The Mirror' with Glen Ballard. The song is great, though the intro leaves something to be desired. 'Dirty Diana' is a great power rock-song, it was actually one of Princess Diana's favorite songs. Now 'Smooth Criminal' is my favorite track on this CD, the best song on Bad! By far! The video is slammin' but the song is great! I love it! Now if you can, buy the version of Bad with the extra bonus track 'Leave Me Alone' on it which I think is a great song (though others don't) I love this song. Great beat, great hook, one of the best! So with 'Thriller', this album is one of the best of the '80's. Five out of Five.

BAD is a masterpiece of music-making! Its 10 original tracks, from BAD to Smooth Criminal, all have awsome rythmic qualities and all-round great sound! Its bonus track, "Leave Me Alone", is also good for a listen, though it isn't nearly as powerful as the rest of the album's contents. In my opinion, BAD surpasses Thriller in all dimensions including: melodies, rythms, and all-round musical sound. By saying this, of course, Thriller is the second best album of Jackson's. The best song, musically and meaningfully, on BAD is "Man in the Mirror". This track lets us hear Michael's powerful vocal abilities and lets us know that to make the world a better place, people should look to change themselves first. If there is one album that you purchase in the near future, it should be this one. Congrats to Michael Jackson on providing his fans with a great piece of art!

While not as compulsively listenable as Thriller or Off The Wall, this album ranks a solid third on the list of MJ's greatest studio albums. Features the hits "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Another Part Of Me", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and the title track.