As the saying goes, greatness lives forever. And just as he did in life, the late Michael Jackson serves as the lead example of this – some 3 years after his passing.

Boasting material and performances that are unquestionably timeless, the King of Pop is set to continue his infinite moonwalk with the 25th anniversary edition of his ‘Bad’ album. A re-packing which, for the first time ever, will see his 1988 tour of the same name released on DVD.

Press release, pics, and trailer after the jump…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             MAY 21, 2012

25^th ANNIVERSARY OF MICHAEL JACKSON’S

LANDMARK ALBUM BAD CELEBRATED WITH SEPTEMBER 17 RELEASE OF NEW BAD 25 PACKAGES

MICHAEL’S PERSONAL VHS COPY OF HIS JULY 16, 1988 PERFORMANCE AT WEMBLEY STADIUM UNEARTHED FOR THE RELEASE

NEWLY DISCOVERED OUTTAKES AND DEMOS FROM BAD ALBUM RECORDING SESSIONS TO BE RELEASED

New York, NY – Twenty-five years after the phrase “Who’s Bad” became a generation’s cultural catchphrase, Epic/Legacy Recordings, in collaboration with the Estate of Michael Jackson, will celebrate the legendary album and record breaking BAD tour on September 17, 2012 with the release of a deluxe package, BAD 25, which includes three CDs, two collectible booklets, and features the first ever authorized DVD release of a concert from the record breaking BAD tour.

“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.  It was also the first album in history to produce five consecutive #1 singles and it took 2 ½ decades for another artist to match that success. It was also the first time Michael would tour as a solo artist – his vision, his decisions on what the show would be.  The enormous success of the BAD album and tour was a pivotal moment in Michael’s growth as a composer, performer and producer cementing his role as the King of Pop.  We are thrilled to celebrate such an historic era in Michael’s career with this release”, stated John Branca and John McClain, Co-Executors of the Estate of Michael Jackson.

The BAD 25 anniversary deluxe edition will feature three CDs and 1 DVD as follows:

• The highlight of the package is the DVD of Michael’s legendary July 16, 1988 concert at Wembley Stadium. The concert is not a compilation of performances, but rather one complete show, exactly as Michael performed it for Prince Charles, Princess Diana and the 72,000 fans who were in the audience for that night’s sold out show. This show was one of the record-breaking seven nights played at the venue attended by more than half a million people – three times that many people tried to purchase tickets. The DVD was sourced from Michael Jackson’s personal VHS copy of the performance as shown on the JumboTrons during the concert. This footage was only recently unearthed and is the only known copy of the show to exist. The visuals have been restored and the audio quality enhanced so that fans can share in the excitement of that famous night

• A CD of the re-mastered original BAD album

• A CD containing previously unreleased material recorded in Michael’s personal studio at Hayvenhurst. This material includes early demo versions of songs from the album as well as demos for songs not included on the final album. All of this material is being released as it was recorded during the BAD sessions. Nothing has been added. In addition, this CD will also include new remixes from internationally renowned DJ/producers

• A CD showcasing the audio from the sound truck recordings of the July 16^th Wembley performance. The first-ever live Michael Jackson CD to be released, this is the only concert from the BAD tour known to exist on multitracks

This magnificent 3 CD/1 DVD box set will also include two extensive booklets with yet unseen photos from the recording sessions, video sets and the concert tour, the original BAD cover art, a two-sided poster and more.  A BAD 25 two CD standard edition featuring the original album plus the CD of demos and new remixes will also be made available as will a stand alone edition of the DVD and a picture disc of the original album.

On June 4, Epic / Legacy Recordings will re-release the original first single from the album “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” as a CD Single with a previously unreleased bonus track from the BAD sessions, “Don’t Be Messin’ ‘Round (demo).”  This CD single is exclusively available from www.myplaydirect.com/michael-jackson  in the UK and will not be available digitally.

On June 25 a replica edition of the original 7″ vinyl of this single with the original B-side “Baby Be Mine” will be made available to the world.  The first single for BAD, “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” was originally released on 7″ vinyl in 1987. The 7″ single edit of the song has only been available on that original 7″ vinyl until now.

Recently, Pepsi announced an exclusive global partnership with the Estate of Michael Jackson as part of its new “Live for Now” campaign.  Starting this month, Pepsi will launch a retail campaign in the U.S. and more than 20 other countries (not including the U.K.) featuring one billion special edition Michael Jackson BAD 25 Pepsi cans with unique opportunities for fans to access special edition merchandise along with access to new music from BAD 25.

After the extreme dose of “so-so” that was 2010’s ‘Michael’ LP, it’s great to see the Estate conjure up something genuinely worthwhile for the fans. Roll on release!

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