Commemorative CD/DVD set recalls Michael Jackson’s glory days

The CD/DVD set release of “Bad 25” and “Michael Jackson: Live at Wembley” not only recalls the glory days of the so-called King of Pop, but also marks the bittersweet passing of an era. The London leg of Jackson’s “Bad Tour” in 1987-’89 was especially memorable, because it was part of the reclusive performer’s first world tour as a solo act!

With Prince Charles and Princess Diana leading a throng of 72,000 concertgoers, the record-breaking Wembley show was so big that it required a Boeing 747 to airlift 22 truckloads’ worth of equipment to bring the musical spectacle’s concept and theatricality to life.

Diversity

The concert’s DVD recording showcases the diversity of Michael’s discography: Other than seeing fully choreographed renditions of “Thriller,” “Rock With You,” “Bad,” “Billie Jean” and the exceptional “Smooth Criminal,” music lovers will also be treated to his skillfully sung ballads, “She’s Out of My Life,” “Man in the Mirror” and “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” His groovesome “adult” renditions of “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There” will take them on a Motown-inspired trip down memory lane.

“Bad 25” is the silver anniversary edition of Jackson’s 11-track follow-up to his groundbreaking recording, “Thriller”—still the biggest-selling album of all time. The 1987 disc didn’t topple its predecessor’s accomplishment, but it created “records” of its own:

It was the first album to generate five consecutive No. 1 singles—“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Bad,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Dirty Diana”—on Billboard’s Hot 100, and was later declared the top-selling album of 1987 and 1988!

Its 2012 reissue comes with a 13-track second CD that contains new remixes (note Pitbull and Afrojack’s edit of “Bad”), as well as previously unreleased tunes that didn’t make the original compilation’s final cut.

Some tracks are rough around the edges, but they’re nothing to scoff at—particularly the repertoire’s charming, down-tempo tracks (“I’m So Blue,” “Free” and the dreamy “Fly Away”) that were most likely left on the cutting-room floor because they didn’t conform to “Bad’s” edgy, pop-rock sensibility. “Song Groove” was dropped because it tackles a controversial issue: It tells the tale of an abortion-bound pregnant girl—whose father is a priest!

You want to hear how “Smooth Criminal” came about? It began as a tune called “Al Capone”—which starts out like “Wanna Be Startin’ Something.” And, if “Price of Fame” recalls the catchy riffs of “Billie Jean,” “Streetwalker” will remind you of “The Way You Make Me Feel.”

“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” Jackson’s chart-topping duet with Siedah Garrett, amps up the romance with its exceptional French and Spanish versions—“Je Ne Veux Pas La Fin De Nous” and “Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu,” respectively.