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| Bad 25 celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Michael Jackson album |
By A.D. AMOROSI
Though his death is still shocking and sad to the world that loved him, the enterprise of Michael Jackson thankfully lives on. Three years after his passing, the platinum-plated singer and dancer is being celebrated with
Bad 25, a 25th anniversary deluxe box set of his landmark album
Bad, a documentary also called
Bad 25 from Academy Award nominated director Spike Lee, and a book from Jackson’s designer and friend, Michael Bush, called
King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson.
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| Bad 25 Deluxe Box Set |
Bad 25 (Epic/Legacy) the album is the easiest point of entry, a glossy, sassy recording that came five years after the powerhouse that was
Thriller. Jackson, notoriously in charge of every aspect of his career (from choice of musicians to having his hand on nearly every song’s credit to merchandising), made a classic album that was the first in history to have five consecutive #1 singles. Along with a newer, somewhat tougher image on
Bad (lots of leather, buckles and studs) came Jackson’s string of nine short-film promotional videos, including the now-infamous title track flick directed by Martin Scorsese. While the single disc re-master of
Bad 25 is great, interested parties may want to invest in the deluxe box set as it features one CD of previously unreleased material recorded during the
Bad sessions, and another CD and DVD from Jackson’s own vault, a pristine multi-track sound and video recording of his July 16, 1988 Wembley Stadium performance in London. Vinyl junkies can rejoice as a picture disc will also be available, sold separately.
Spike Lee’s documentary on Jackson and
Bad doesn’t just utilize video clips from the King of Pop’s vault and stories pertinent to its initial release, it also captures the present day opinions of those musicians inspired by that legacy. Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Justin Bieber and Questlove are all interviewed, as is Stevie Wonder who adds, as his two cents, a version of MJ's “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Lee’s
Bad 25 documentary was recently screened as part of the Venice Film Festival, and is scheduled to air on ABC on November 22 as part of the network’s Thanksgiving festivities.
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| Michael Bush's Jackson book |
Fashion designer Michael Bush’s book
King of Style: Dressing Michael Jackson (Insight Editions) is just that, a friendly volume of reminiscences and dynamic images from his nearly-twenty five years as Jackson’s costumer, on and off stage. Along with his creative partner Dennis Tompkins, Bush estimates that they designed tens of thousands of original pieces after having met on the set of Jackson’s
Captain EO film. Though this team also made clothing and costumes for Britney Spears and Elizabeth Taylor, they consider their work for Michael Jackson to be their greatest accomplishment.
Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 9:50 AM
