This August will mark an extraordinary 25 years since Michael Jackson’s iconic album ‘Bad’ was first released. Containing the classic singles ‘Man In The Mirror’, ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Dirty Diana’, ‘Bad’ was a ten track masterpiece and a fitting follow-up to MJ’s monster ‘Thriller’.
It’s gone on to sell more than 30 million copies around the world, but that figure is expected to rise dramatically with the release of a special 25th Anniversary Edition slated for a September release.
And it’s sure to get fans’ juices flowing, with three discs and a DVD all forming part of the new version.
Disc one is a fully remastered copy of the original ‘Bad’ album. Disc two is set to feature previously unreleased material recorded in Michael’s own studio at Hayvenhurst, including early demo versions of the songs you know and demos of tracks not included as part of the final tracklist. There will also be brand new remixes from some of the world’s hottest dance music talent.
Disc three is a live recording of a performance Michael gave at Wembley Stadium in 1988 in front of royalty and 72,000 fans. This will mark the release of the first ever Michael Jackson live CD.
There’s also a DVD of the performance, which has been sourced from Michael’s personal VHS copy of the show. The vision has been restored and the audio enhanced to give fans a rare treat.
It’s due for release on Friday September 21.
But there’s more for local MJ fans to get their chops around, with a limited Friday June 08 release of a CD single of ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’. The physical release, to be made available via JB Hifi and Sanity’s online sites, features the title track as well as a previously unreleased demo of a track called ‘Don’t Be Messin’ Round’ from the ‘Bad’ recording sessions.
Three weeks later, a replica of the original 7″ vinyl single of ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ will drop, accompanied by the original b-side ‘Baby Be Mind’. It’s the first time since 1987 that the 7″ edit of the song has been made available.
We’ve been told there’s more to come, but in the meantime, mark the dates in your diary…;
Friday June 08 : ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ CD single
Friday June 29 : ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ 7″ vinyl
Friday September 21 : ‘Bad’ 25th Anniversary 3CD/DVD set