Michael Jackson — Bad | Was This Michael's Last Good Album?

Michael Jackson — Bad | Was This Michael's Last Good Album?

Author: Nate Bridges & Brandon Niznik April 27, 2026 Duration: 2:56:30

We did it — we put Michael Jackson on Playback.

This week, Nate picked Bad (1987) — Michael Jackson's seventh album, his third and final collaboration with Quincy Jones, and the impossible follow-up to Thriller. The album where MJ wrote "100 MILLION" on his bathroom mirror, almost talked Prince into singing the first verse of the title track, and produced five #1 singles in a row — a record that stood for 25 years. If Thriller was Michael's Goodfellas, Bad is his Casino: weirder, darker, more interesting, and dated in a way that makes it endlessly fascinating.

We get into:

- Hot take from minute one: this album should be called "Good"

- Why Bad is where everyone started taking a hard look at Michael — and where the "Wacko Jacko" era really begins

- The production deep dive: the Synclavier ($200K in 1987), the Yamaha DX7, the Roland D-50, the Mitsubishi X850 digital tape machine, and how digital synths split pop musicianship into two camps forever

- The A-Team vs. the B-Team — Quincy Jones, Bruce Swedien and Greg Phillinganes at Westlake versus the home-studio crew at Hayvenhurst, and what happened when Michael showed up to the official sessions with finished-sounding demos

- Bruce Swedien stories: the drum platform, the 100 mixes of Billie Jean, the sped-up-tape clap trick

- Did he do it? — we talk about the allegations

- Brandon was working at the rehearsal studios for This Is It when Michael died — he was there, in the room

- Favorite vs. Best: Man in the Mirror, The Way You Make Me Feel, Another Part of Me, Smooth Criminal, Liberian Girl

- Was Michael Jackson the greatest entertainer who ever lived? Plus our next album pick.

We want to hear from you. What's your Favorite vs. Best Michael Jackson album, song, or sound? Email us at blackmarketreggae@gmail.com or leave a comment on YouTube and we'll read the best ones on a future episode.

CHAPTERS:

00:00:00 - Bad Overview

00:10:33 - Who Was Michael Jackson?

00:52:26 - Did He Do It? The Allegations

00:53:12 - The BAD Production

01:48:48 - Standout Songs & Favorite/Best

02:28:48 - Final Thoughts. Was MJ The GOAT?

02:38:43 - Mailbag (we read your comments) and Next Pick

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Bandcamp — blackmarketdub.bandcamp.com

Escape Hatch Records — escapehatchrecords.com

Instagram — @blackmarket_dub

YouTube — youtube.com/blackmarketdub

This episode is for fans of Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Bruce Swedien, Prince, Stevie Wonder, the King of Pop, Off the Wall, Thriller, Dangerous, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror, the Synclavier and 80s digital production, music history deep dives, and album deep dives from a musician's perspective.


There’s a particular kind of conversation that happens when two working musicians sit down to really listen-not just hear, but dissect and appreciate the layers of a record. That’s the space Playback with Black Market Dub occupies. Hosted by producers Nate Bridges and Brandon Niznik, this podcast leverages their combined experience recording artists across many genres to inform a deeper dialogue about music. The format is elegantly simple: each episode, one of them selects an album, and together they review, debate, and unpack it. They go beyond track-by-track reactions, placing each work within its broader musical lineage, cultural moment, and historical significance. Whether it’s a foundational classic or a contemporary release, Nate and Brandon’s discussions are rooted in the technical and artistic choices that give an album its character. You’ll hear the insights of practitioners who know what it’s like to be on both sides of the glass, making this more than casual criticism-it’s a masterclass in attentive listening. The result is a consistently engaging and thoughtful exploration of why albums matter, delivered with the easy rapport of two friends who have spent a lifetime thinking about sound. Tune in for a music podcast that feels like sitting in on a great, informed conversation between creatives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 31

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