Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ to get 25th anniversary reissue
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In the three years following Michael Jackson’s death, his estate has been conservative with posthumous releases from the King of Pop’s archives while focusing on other endeavors such as a hit video game and a Cirque du Soleil production.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of his seminal 1987 disc, “Bad,” his estate, in collaboration with Epic/Legacy Recordings, will reissue the disc with new music and a never-before-released concert video, the label and his estate announced on Monday.
The anniversary edition of “Bad,” the first re-release of an album from Jackson’s catalog since his 2009 death, will hit stores Sept. 18.
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To roll out the reissue, the label will re-release the album’s first single, ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ -- the first of five of the album’s singles to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- as a CD single with the previously unreleased bonus track ‘Don’t Be Messin’ ‘Round (demo)’ on June 5. The single is a Wal-Mart exclusive and won’t be available through digital retailers.
‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’ will also be made available June 26 as a replica of the 7” vinyl released back in the day and includes the original B-side, ‘Baby Be Mine,’ not the unreleased bonus track.
Dubbed ‘Bad 25’ (like his “Thriller” reissue), the deluxe package will feature three CDs, two collectible booklets, and the first-ever authorized DVD release of a concert from his record-breaking Bad tour.
The DVD features Jackson’s full performance for Britain’s Prince Charles, Princess Diana and 72,000 fans at London’s Wembley Stadium in 1988. The video was discovered in the singer’s private collection on VHS, and is said to have been the sole copy. Of the three CDs, one is a remastered version of “Bad,” another features demos and songs recorded in Jackson’s studio that didn’t make the cut, as well as remixes, and the third will feature audio from the soundtrack recordings of the accompanying DVD, making it Jackson’s first live album.
“The era of ‘Bad’ represented Michael’s creative ‘coming of age’ as a solo artist in charge of every aspect of his career -- from recording to touring to endorsements to merchandising. This was the first album on which nearly all of the songs were written by Michael,” John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of his estate, wrote in a statement.
“Bad 25” follows the posthumous album “Immortal,” a ‘musical tapestry’ that accompanied the Cirque du Soleil production of the same name. The disc featured reworked versions of some of Jackson’s classic hits, mash-ups and never-before-released outtakes.
Jackson’s estate also issued a greatest hits soundtrack to accompany “This Is It” and a disc of unreleased material, “Michael,” which was met with tepid sales and controversy.
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-- Gerrick D. Kennedy
Twitter.com/GerrickKennedy
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