'Bad' Era Featured New and Improved Michael Jackson

CLEVELAND - It was 25 years ago today that the great Michael Jackson revealed a brand new album, style, music video...and most of all, ambition.

It was the start of a new era.

Jackson's 7th solo album, Bad was the catalyst in his remarkable transformation. As the highly anticipated (and long awaited) follow-up to the Thriller album, the LP, and Jackson himself had an enormous standard to live up to.

First, the 29-year old icon debuted a brand new physical appearance. The last time the world saw him, he was fighting off evil forces in outer space in the made-for-Disney short film "Captain EO." That had been a year in the past when MJ still (mostly) resembled his Thriller-era self, with the exception of slightly lighter skin. Now with the release of Bad, his skin had taken on an even lighter hue, his curled hair was now shoulder length and of course, he now sported a much talked about cleft in his chin. Personally, I was very enthusiastic about Michael's new appearance when I first saw it back then and I now see it as another inventive aspect of his singular style.

The best part of MJ's new look was his hip, street-styled attire. Gone were the sparkly glove and jackets that was his signature style during "Era Thriller," and "in" was multiple belts, buckles and boots. Fitting in with the theme of the new album's title track, Jackson certainly took on a pseudo-"bad" persona.

The lead single from the LP, a syrupy duet with Siedah Garrett called, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," had been released nearly two months prior to the full release and built on the public's thirst for a new MJ offering. Since it had been almost five full years since his last album, interest was sky high.

Naturally, Michael delivered.

The music videos for this album built on the innovation that Jackson used to groundbreaking success during the Thriller years. He entered into a creative phase in his career that saw him take far more control in the conceptualization and production of his work. Tracks such as "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Dirty Diana" were dynamic in their style and brilliantly infused pop music with R&B and hard-rock to form a masterpiece of sonic diversity. "Man in the Mirror" ended up becoming Jackson's signature anthem as a significant humanitarian and "Smooth Criminal" re-enforced his cinematic storytelling skills and old Hollywood sensibilities.

Massive support for Bad was achieved with the outrageously successful "Bad World Tour" which began in September '87 and continued all the way until January '89. This is when Michael truly became a global figure of reverence as it was his first tour as a solo artist. Crowds all around the planet were mesmerized by his dancing, singing and overall showmanship and the gigantic press it garnered expanded his popularity to even more unthinkable heights. Pepsi Co., who sponsored the tour and had enjoyed a very successful partnership with Jackson since 1983, even produced a series of television ads complete with special effects, story-line and cliffhangers. This was yet another example of the legendary creativity that was a hallmark of Michael Jackson's special qualities as an entertainer.

Jackson, in addition to the 10-track album (11 tracks on the CD), released 7 highly memorable short films for their respective songs as well as an autobiography in spring 1988 called, "Moonwalk." He later released a VHS anthology film entitled, "Moonwalker" which featured an extended version of the short film for "Smooth Criminal." He was certainly the most ambitious, imaginative entertainer in the world at this time and I gained a new level of admiration for his work.

Of course, the seismic achievements of Bad's predecessor Thriller could never be topped, not even by Jackson himself, at least in terms of sheer numbers. But in terms of scope and substance, nearly everything about the Bad era at least challenged (and in some cases surpassed) the Thriller era. No, the album didn't sell 100 million copies worldwide like Michael had hoped. No, it didn't dominate the awards shows the way Thriller did (and with the enormous surge in public interest in hip-hop at that time, how could it?). What it did do, however, was take the evolution of a classic entertainer to even greater heights of artistic craftsmanship. It also raised the bar in the industry and proved once again that Michael Jackson was a peerless visionary of the highest order.

What a legacy.

Michael Jackson's 54th Birthday Anniversary: A Celebration of Greatness

CLEVELAND - For a man who made such an enormous impact on our planet during his lifetime, Michael Jackson will forever deserve to be honored for the amazing individual that he was.

Especially on the anniversary of his birth.

Today marks what would have been MJ's 54th birthday and his still-rabid global fan-base is celebrating the incredible and highly publicized life of the greatest entertainer in history.

In spite of Michael's very tragic, far too premature death three years ago, his indelible artistry retains a very prominent place in pop culture. This year alone has seen his career and style celebrated in many different forms from an acclaimed Cirque du Soleil stage show to a worldwide Pepsi campaign commemorating the 25th anniversary of Jackson's smash hit album, Bad.

November 30th marks the 30th anniversary of his historic Thriller album, and there are sure to be massive tributes for that landmark LP as well.

What should be remembered and celebrated most about the career of Michael Jackson is the remarkable level of originality that it possessed. His imitable style choices went hand-in-hand with his magical aura of musical proficiency and mesmerizing dance moves. Furthermore, he took elements from old Hollywood and merged them with contemporary street culture, then added his own inventive flourishes. This is what the singers and dancers of today are missing; Michael possessed the total package and was the seminal leader of a music generation that followed him religiously and industry peers who focused on trying to outdo him.

He never surrendered the throne. Though his sparkling reputation took major hits due to his sensationalized personal life, Michael Jackson was always the man who set the standard.

Myself and the multi-millions of his fans around the world will never forget that. Happy birthday, Michael.

Michael's 'Bad' Album: More Ambitious Than 'Thriller'

CLEVELAND - With the stunning and historic success of Michael Jackson's Thriller album, his follow-up would have very huge shoes to fill. As it were, the album that followed didn't come close to its predecessor's success.

But it was far from a failure.

Bad, released two days after Michael's 29th birthday was extraordinary. It spawned more number one singles than Thriller and was arguably more ambitious. The title track was a less spectacular version of "Beat It" but was still a catchy tune with a thoughtful message. It's accompanying short film, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese continued Michael's trademark of foregoing the standard music video format in favor of something deeper and more creative. "The Way You Make Me Feel" was and remains one of my all-time favorite tracks. Michael sounds far more "romantically" confident than usual on the song, and the video showed him as something of a "charming stalker," but undeniably smooth with the ladies.

The anthemetic "Man In The Mirror" is arguably his most important song ever. It really spoke to Michael's thoughtfulness about changing the world by changing one's own self. This was an extraordinary expansion of the concern-with-global-issues he displayed in 1985's "We Are The World." Even though Michael's duet with music legend Stevie Wonder on "Just Good Friends" was disappointing, it was still great to hear two child prodigies-turned adult icons together on the same record. Even still, it had its moments, though Michael's 1982 collaboration with Paul McCartney on the similar "The Girl Is Mine" was superior.

"Another Part of Me" was used in Michael's 1986 space-themed short film Captain EO, and was a decent song, but even better when he performed it live in concert. The album's lead single, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" was a syrupy ballad that conveyed Michael's powerful ability to articulate love and unflinching emotion. Both "Dirty Diana" and "Smooth Criminal" are rambunctious in their tone, but are sheer classics because of their production and Michael's masterful vocal presence. The music videos for the two tracks enhance the experience of listening to the music.

The bonus track "Leave Me Alone" is a sobering view into Michael's post-Thriller world. The relentless presence of the media and paparazzi invading his life is palpable, especially in the ultra-creative music video. Add it all up, and Bad really reveals Michael to be a heavily talented, incredibly complex individual.

With the release of his autobiography "Moonwalk" in 1988, a feature-length VHS movie entitled "Moonwalker" in 1989 and the Bad world tour which spanned about a year and a half, Michael's visibility was at an all-time high and only expanded his overflowing legacy. I know it sounds crazy, but could it be that Bad was better than Thriller?

I'd say no. Bad was incredibly successful and sold a staggering 30 million worldwide. But compared to Thriller, which has sold 104 million copies globally, it was seen by some as a disappointment. I believe that Bad only did what it did because Thriller forced Michael to come bigger and badder than ever. It was more ambitious because Michael raised the bar for everyone.

But his only competition was himself.