Dangerous
Despite the success of Bad it was hard not to view it as a bit of a letdown, since it presented a cleaner, colder, calculated version of Thriller -- something that delivered what it should on the surface, but wound up offering less in the long run. So, it was time for a change-up, something even a superstar as huge as Michael Jackson realized, so he left Quincy Jones behind, hired Guy mastermind Teddy Riley as the main producer, and worked with a variety of other producers, arrangers, and writers, most notably Bruce Swedien and Bill Bottrell The end result of this is a much sharper, harder, riskier album than Bad one that has its eyes on the street, even if its heart gets middle-class soft on "Heal the World." The shift in direction and change of collaborators has liberated Jackson and he's written a set of songs that is considerably stronger than Bad often approaching the consistency of Off the Wall and Thriller If it is hardly as effervescent or joyous as either of those records, chalk it up to his suffocating stardom, which results in a set of songs without much real emotional center, either in their substance or performance. But, there's a lot to be said for professional craftsmanship at its peak, and Dangerous has plenty of that, not just on such fine singles as "In the Closet," "Remember the Time," or the blistering "Jam," but on album tracks like "Why You Wanna Trip on Me." No, it's not perfect -- it has a terrible cover, a couple of slow spots, and suffers from CD-era ailments of the early '90s, such as its overly long running time and its deadening Q Sound production, which sounds like somebody forgot to take the Surround Sound button off. Even so, Dangerous captures Jackson at a near-peak, delivering an album that would have ruled the pop charts surely and smoothly if it had arrived just a year earlier. But it didn't -- it arrived along with grunge which changed the rules of the game nearly as much as Thriller itself. Consequently, it's the rare multi-platinum, number one album that qualifies as a nearly forgotten, underappreciated record. [In 2001, a remastered edition was released with a detailed booklet] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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Credits »
Sandra Crouch - Choir Arrangement
Michael Jackson - Arranger
Michael Jackson - Producer
Michael Jackson - Main Performer
Michael Jackson - Executive Producer
Michael Jackson - Vocal Arrangement
Michael Jackson - Rhythm Arrangements
René Moore - Arranger
Elaine Anderson - Assistant Engineer
Andraé Crouch - Choir Arrangement
John Bahler - Vocal Arrangement
John Bahler - Choir Arrangement
George DelBarrio - String Arrangements
Michael Boddicker - Keyboard Programming
Michael Boddicker - Sequencers
Dan Bosworth - Assistant Engineer
Bill Bottrell - Producer
Bill Bottrell - Engineer
Bill Bottrell - Mixing
Brad Buxer - Keyboard Programming
Bob Campbell - Production Coordination
Wayne Cobham - Programming
Wayne Cobham - Sequencing
David Coleman - Art Direction
David Coleman - Design
Richard Cottrell - Engineer
Matt Forger - Engineer
Matt Forger - Mixing
Endre Granat - Concert Master
Jean-Marie Horvat - Engineer
Jean-Marie Horvat - Mixing
Julie Last - Assistant Engineer
Johnny Mandel - Conductor
Johnny Mandel - Orchestral Arrangements
Marty Paich - Conductor
Marty Paich - Keyboard Programming
Marty Paich - Orchestral Arrangements
Greg Phillinganes - Rhythm Arrangements
Steve Porcaro - Keyboard Programming
Judy Ross - Production Coordination
Thom Russo - Engineer
Thom Russo - Production Coordination
Thom Russo - Assistant Engineer
Thom Russo - Technical Director
Barton Stevens - Assistant Engineer
Bruce Swedien - Arranger
Bruce Swedien - Producer
Bruce Swedien - Engineer
Bruce Swedien - Vocal Arrangement
Bruce Swedien - Mixing
Keston Wright - Production Coordination
Rail Jon Rogut - Assistant Engineer
Nancy Donald - Production Coordination
Nancy Donald - Art Direction
Craig Brock - Assistant
Ivy Skoff - Production Coordination
Laura Grover - Production Coordination
Orion Crawford - Production Coordination
Jai Winding - Keyboard Programming
Sam Emerson - Photography
Mark Ryden - Art Direction
Mark Ryden - Illustrations
John Chamberlin - Assistant Engineer
Evelyn Burgueno - Production Coordination
Christine Schultz - Production Coordination
Ed Winquest - Production Coordination
Janet Zeitoun - Production Coordination
Brad Sundberg - Assistant Engineer
Brad Sundberg - Technical Director
Paul Levy - Production Coordination
Dave Way - Engineer
Dave Way - Mixing
Larry Stessel - Production Coordination
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