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We did it — we put Michael Jackson on Playback.
This week, Nate picked Bad (1987) — Michael Jackson's seventh album, his third and final collaboration with Quincy Jones, and the impossible follow-up to Thriller. The album where MJ wrote "100 MILLION" on his bathroom mirror, almost talked Prince into singing the first verse of the title track, and produced five #1 singles in a row — a record that stood for 25 years. If Thriller was Michael's Goodfellas, Bad is his Casino: weirder, darker, more interesting, and dated in a way that makes it endlessly fascinating.
We get into:
- Hot take from minute one: this album should be called "Good"
- Why Bad is where everyone started taking a hard look at Michael — and where the "Wacko Jacko" era really begins
- The production deep dive: the Synclavier ($200K in 1987), the Yamaha DX7, the Roland D-50, the Mitsubishi X850 digital tape machine, and how digital synths split pop musicianship into two camps forever
- The A-Team vs. the B-Team — Quincy Jones, Bruce Swedien and Greg Phillinganes at Westlake versus the home-studio crew at Hayvenhurst, and what happened when Michael showed up to the official sessions with finished-sounding demos
- Bruce Swedien stories: the drum platform, the 100 mixes of Billie Jean, the sped-up-tape clap trick
- Did he do it? — we talk about the allegations
- Brandon was working at the rehearsal studios for This Is It when Michael died — he was there, in the room
- Favorite vs. Best: Man in the Mirror, The Way You Make Me Feel, Another Part of Me, Smooth Criminal, Liberian Girl
- Was Michael Jackson the greatest entertainer who ever lived? Plus our next album pick.
We want to hear from you. What's your Favorite vs. Best Michael Jackson album, song, or sound? Email us at blackmarketreggae@gmail.com or leave a comment on YouTube and we'll read the best ones on a future episode.
CHAPTERS:
00:00:00 - Bad Overview
00:10:33 - Who Was Michael Jackson?
00:52:26 - Did He Do It? The Allegations
00:53:12 - The BAD Production
01:48:48 - Standout Songs & Favorite/Best
02:28:48 - Final Thoughts. Was MJ The GOAT?
02:38:43 - Mailbag (we read your comments) and Next Pick
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This episode is for fans of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Bruce Swedien, Prince, Stevie Wonder, the King of Pop, Off the Wall, Thriller, Dangerous, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror, the Synclavier and 80s digital production, music history deep dives, and album deep dives from a musician's perspective.
