**Michael Jackson Bad Vinyl at 40: 1987 Original, Value and Which Pressing to Buy** > Bad turns 40 on 31 August 2027. How to spot a 1987 Epic original, which vinyl has Leave Me Alone, what your copy is worth and which pressing to buy. Source: https://vinylai.app/guides/michael-jackson-bad-vinyl-value-guide/ · updated: 2026-10-12 [Home](https://vinylai.app/) › [Guides](https://vinylai.app/guides/) › Michael Jackson Bad Vinyl at 40: 1987 Original, Value and Which Pressing to Buy ![Michael Jackson Bad Vinyl at 40: 1987 Original, Value and Which Pressing to Buy](https://vinylai.app/images/articles/michael-jackson-bad-vinyl-value-guide/featured.png) Buying & Selling # Michael Jackson Bad Vinyl at 40: 1987 Original, Value and Which Pressing to Buy **Michael Jackson's Bad turns 40 on 31 August 2027.** The 1987 vinyl is **Epic E 40600** in the US (OE 40600 on the spine) and **450290 1** in the UK and Europe. It is a ten-track gatefold LP, and it was pressed in huge numbers, so an ordinary original is worth listening-copy money. If your Bad LP has "Leave Me Alone" on it, it is not a 1987 original. That song was a CD bonus track and only reached vinyl on later editions: the 2009 Music On Vinyl reissue, the 2012 *Bad 25* box and the 2026 MoFi One-Step. To listen, the current Epic reissue is the easy buy. By VinylAI Editorial Updated October 12, 2026 ## Key Takeaways - The 1987 originals are Epic E 40600 / OE 40600 (US, 31 August 1987) and Epic 450290 1 (UK/Europe): gatefold, printed lyric inner sleeve, ten tracks, mastered by Bernie Grundman. - "Leave Me Alone" is not on any 1987 LP. It appears on vinyl only on later editions: Music On Vinyl MOVLP057 (2009), Bad 25 (2012, LP1) and the MoFi One-Step UD1S 2-062 (2026). - US originals were pressed at Carrollton ("G1" in the runout) and Hub-Servall ("HuB"); the label says E 40600 and the spine OE 40600. Picture discs are 9E9-44043 (US) and 450290 0 (UK/Europe). - To listen: the in-print Epic reissue (the official US store sells a Bad LP at $22.98). The MoFi One-Step is a 6,000-copy, $125 audiophile edition of the digital master. ## Bad turns 40 Epic released *Bad* on 31 August 1987, on CD, LP and cassette at the same time. It was the follow-up to *Thriller*, and it was pressed on the same scale. On Discogs, the European LP is in more than 31,000 collections and the main US pressing in more than 22,000. That scale is the starting point for any question about value. Interest in **Michael Jackson Bad vinyl** spiked in May and June 2026. The *Michael* biopic opened in cinemas on 24 April 2026, and Mobile Fidelity announced an audiophile edition of the album in the summer. We have not verified what drove the spike, so treat those as context, not a cause. As of 12 October 2026 there was no official 40th-anniversary announcement. A Steve Hoffman forum thread opened in March 2026, after a "Bad 40" website name was registered, but it records no official news. This guide covers how to identify a 1987 original, the "Leave Me Alone" question that confuses many buyers, picture discs and reissues, what a copy is worth, and which pressing to buy. For the album before it, see our [Thriller vinyl value guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/thriller-vinyl-value-guide/). For the whole catalogue, see the [Michael Jackson vinyl albums guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/michael-jackson-vinyl-albums/). ## The 1987 original: how to tell **US original**, the copy most American readers have: - **Catalogue numbers:** `E 40600` on the labels, `OE 40600` on the spine. The label matrices are `AL 40600` / `BL 40600`. - **Barcode** on the back cover: `0 7464-40600-1`. - **Package:** a gatefold sleeve with a printed lyric inner sleeve. Some copies have a gold promo stamp on the back of the sleeve. - **Mastering:** credited to Bernie Grundman. - **Runouts and plants:** Discogs documents two US pressing plants. Carrollton, Georgia, has `G1`, `G2` or `G3` etched, as in `PAL-40600-1E G1`. Hub-Servall has `HuB` etched, as in `PAL-40600-2E HuB1`. They pressed at the same time; neither is "the" first pressing. **UK and European original:** catalogue `450290 1` (Europe: `EPC 450290 1`), barcode `5 099745 029013`, a gatefold with a lyric and credits inner sleeve. UK copies were cut at CBS Studios in London and pressed at Aston Clinton, with hand-etched runouts like `450290-1 A5`. A variant has an asterisk after the catalogue number on the label. European copies were pressed by CBS in Haarlem and came with various hype stickers. Some early copies have a red sticker naming "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "Bad". **Elsewhere:** Canada OE 40600 (Don Mills, with the date code "H 87" on the spine); Japan 28·3P-800, with a picture inner sleeve and a four-page lyric insert; Brazil 231012. The quickest check of all is the track list. A 1987 LP has **ten tracks**, ending side two with "Smooth Criminal". Our [first pressing identification guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/first-pressing-identification/) explains how to read the rest. ## Leave Me Alone: which vinyl has it "Leave Me Alone" was released in 1987 only as a **bonus track on the CD**. The LP and the cassette had ten tracks. Wikipedia lists the song as a CD, digital and 2001-cassette bonus track. MoFi's 2026 press release says it "was left off original vinyl editions". So searches for "Bad vinyl with Leave Me Alone" are really an identification question. Here is the answer as a table: | Edition | Catalogue | Has "Leave Me Alone"? | | --- | --- | --- | | 1987 original LP (US / UK / Europe) | E 40600 / 450290 1 | No (10 tracks) | | 1987 picture discs | 9E9-44043 / 450290 0 | No | | Music On Vinyl 180g (Europe, 2009) | MOVLP057 / 88697638731 | **Yes**, as bonus track B6 | | *Bad 25* 3LP (2012) | 8872540098-1 | **Yes**, on LP1 | | *Bad 25* picture disc (2012) | 88725401051 | No | | Epic reissue (2015/2016 onward) | 88875143741 | No (10 tracks) | | Picture disc (2018) | 19075866431 | No | | MoFi UltraDisc One-Step (2026) | UD1S 2-062 | **Yes**, side D | If your LP has "Leave Me Alone", it is one of the three "yes" editions above, all from 2009 or later. If you want the song on vinyl, those are your three choices. ## Picture discs and reissues Discogs lists 116 vinyl versions of *Bad*. The table below shows the originals by country, the 1987 picture discs and the reissues worth telling apart, with the side A runout. | Year | Country | Label and catalogue no. | Format | Runout (side A) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1987 | Canada | [Epic OE 40600](https://www.discogs.com/release/1529288) | LP / Album / Gatefold | `AL-40600 2B2HZ:` | | 1987 | Europe | [Epic EPC 450290 1](https://www.discogs.com/release/247822) | LP / Album / Stereo / Gatefold | `PAL-40600-HOL-1 01-450290-5A-1 A` | | 1987 | Europe | [Epic EPC 450290 0](https://www.discogs.com/release/290975) | LP / Album / Picture Disc | `01-450290-6A-1 PAL-40600-HOL-2` | | 1987 | Japan | [Epic 28·3P-800](https://www.discogs.com/release/3577541) | LP / Album / Gatefold | `28-3P-800A1 〄CS` | | 1987 | UK | [Epic 450290 1](https://www.discogs.com/release/1566867) | LP / Album / Gatefold | `450290-1 A5` | | 1987 | US | [Epic E 40600](https://www.discogs.com/release/459606) | LP / Album / Stereo / Carrollton Pressing, Gatefold | `PAL-40600-1E G1` | | 1987 | US | [Epic E 40600](https://www.discogs.com/release/9511951) | LP / Album / Hub-Servall Pressing, Gatefold | `PAL-40600-2E HuB1` | | 1987 | US | [Epic 9E9-44043](https://www.discogs.com/release/1828533) | LP / Album / Picture Disc | `PAL 44043 IA` | | 2009 | Europe | [Epic 88697638731](https://www.discogs.com/release/2853908) | LP / Album / Reissue / Remastered / 180 Gram | `85686-1A MOVLP057` | | 2012 | US | [Epic 8872540098-1](https://www.discogs.com/release/4043383) | LP / Album / Reissue / Remastered / Stereo / 180 gram | `88725-40098-1A-RE1 RJ STERLING` | | 2012 | US | [Epic 88725401051](https://www.discogs.com/release/3920116) | LP / Album / Picture Disc / Reissue | `—` | | 2016 | US | [Epic 88875143741](https://www.discogs.com/release/8495885) | LP / Album / Reissue / Gatefold | `16-0056NL-88875143741 A² K SST MPO [MPO Logo] 17 00609` | | 2018 | Europe | [MJJ Productions 190758664316](https://www.discogs.com/release/12436739) | LP / Album / Picture Disc / Reissue | `19075866431A` | | 2026 | Europe | [Epic 88875143741](https://www.discogs.com/release/37517979) | LP / Album / Reissue / Repress | `16-0056NL_88875143741 A3 Kr SST MPO 26 385635` | | 2026 | US | [Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UD1S 2-062](https://www.discogs.com/release/38494737) | 12" / 45 RPM / Album / Reissue / Remastered / Stereo / 180g | `UD1S 2-062 A2 48130.1 (1)...` | Source: Discogs database, checked 2026-10-12. 15 of 116 vinyl releases of this title are shown, oldest first. The editions explained: - **1987 picture discs.** US `9E9-44043`, sold in a plastic cover, and UK/Europe `450290 0`. The UK copies were pressed by Orlake; the European copies, by CBS Haarlem, have `PAL-40600-HOL` etched in the runout. Picture discs are display pieces and generally sound worse than black vinyl. - **Music On Vinyl, 2009** (MOVLP057), 180g, pressed by Record Industry in the Netherlands, with "Leave Me Alone". - ***Bad 25*, 2012.** Three 180g LPs in a triple gatefold. LP1 is the remastered album with "Leave Me Alone"; LPs 2 and 3 hold 13 rare and previously unreleased tracks. It was cut by Ray Janos at Sterling, so `RJ STERLING` appears in the runouts. - **Epic reissue 88875143741**, from 2015/2016 and repressed many times since, most recently in 2026. Bernie Grundman is credited for mastering, the lacquers were cut at SST and it was pressed by MPO. It is ten tracks in a gatefold with a card lyric sleeve. - **2018 picture disc** 19075866431, pressed by GZ and Memphis Record Pressing. - **MoFi UltraDisc One-Step** UD1S 2-062 (2026). See below. Market cards for two of the most-viewed versions: [Bad on VinylAI Market](https://vinylai.app/market/michael-jackson-bad-1207057/) and [another Bad pressing](https://vinylai.app/market/michael-jackson-bad-459606/). ## The MoFi One-Step (2026) In 2026 Mobile Fidelity issued *Bad* as an **UltraDisc One-Step**, catalogue `UD1S 2-062`. It is two 180g discs at 45 rpm, limited to **6,000 numbered copies**, mastered by Krieg Wunderlich and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing. MoFi's page lists it at **$125**. Dates differ between sources: MoFi's press release said 21 August 2026, Discogs and Wikipedia give 18 September, and one shop's pre-order page says 11 December. Treat availability as "late 2026". Two things to know before buying it: - **The source is digital, and so is the album.** *Bad* was recorded and mixed digitally on Mitsubishi machines, and MoFi lists its source as the "Mitsubishi X-80 16-bit/48kHz digital master". Every vinyl *Bad*, the 1987 original included, starts from a digital master. The One-Step's case rests on the cutting and pressing, not on an analogue tape that nobody else used. - **Five songs use the 1994 mixes.** Discogs notes that "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Dirty Diana" and "Smooth Criminal" appear in the 1994 revised mixes approved by Michael Jackson, not the 1987 mixes. If you want the album exactly as it sounded in 1987, this is not that record. It does include "Leave Me Alone". For what an audiophile pressing actually changes, see [audiophile vinyl pressings explained](https://vinylai.app/guides/audiophile-vinyl-pressings-explained/). ## What your copy is worth Most 1987 copies of *Bad* are common records. More than 31,000 Discogs users own the European pressing and more than 22,000 the US Carrollton pressing, and those are only the catalogued copies. As a rule of thumb, a played original sells for about what a new reissue costs, or less. The official US store sold a *Bad* LP for $22.98 on 12 October 2026, and an old copy competes with that. What lifts a copy: - **Condition.** Gatefolds from 1987 often have ring wear and seam splits, and a clean, complete copy is the exception. Use our [vinyl grading guide](https://vinylai.app/guides/vinyl-grading-guide/). - **A genuinely sealed first pressing.** Sealed copies reach the big auction houses: an AMG-certified sealed first pressing went through Heritage Auctions in October 2026 (the price is not public). Check for reseals before paying a premium. - **Signed copies and promotional items.** A dealer guide to Jackson records (June 2026) puts signed, sealed or withdrawn-promo items at "$300–$15,000+", depending on what exactly they are. A gold promo stamp on a 1987 US sleeve makes a copy interesting, not automatically valuable. - **Completeness.** The lyric inner sleeve should be there. What does not add value: the plant (Carrollton versus Hub-Servall), the picture disc for its own sake, or "1987" on its own. A record is rare when few were made. *Bad* was made by the million. ## Which pressing to buy Decide what you want the record for. | If you want… | Buy | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | The album, new, as a gift | Epic reissue 88875143741 | In print, gatefold with lyric sleeve, Bernie Grundman credited, the cheapest new copy. | | The 1987 original | A clean US E 40600 (G1 or HuB) or UK/EU 450290 1 | Plentiful, so be picky about condition and the inner sleeve. | | "Leave Me Alone" on vinyl | Music On Vinyl MOVLP057 or *Bad 25* (3LP) | *Bad 25* adds two LPs of rare and unreleased tracks. | | The premium edition | MoFi UD1S 2-062 | 6,000 numbered copies, 45 rpm. Note the 1994 mixes on five songs. | | Something to display | A 1987 or 2018 picture disc | For looks, not for sound. | Because every version comes from a digital master, the differences between pressings are mostly cutting, vinyl quality and mix choice. A quiet original is a perfectly good way to hear the record. To check a copy quickly, photograph the label with the VinylAI app. It identifies the pressing, from E 40600 to the One-Step, and adds it to your collection. You can then compare the offers on our market cards. ## Related guides - [What Makes a Vinyl Record Valuable — and Which Ones Are Worth Most](https://vinylai.app/guides/most-valuable-vinyl-records/) - [Steely Dan Aja on Vinyl at 50: Every Pressing Compared, Best Sounding and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/steely-dan-aja-vinyl-value-guide/) - [OK Computer Vinyl at 30: 1997 First Pressing vs Reissues, Value and OKNOTOK](https://vinylai.app/guides/ok-computer-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Pink Floyd Animals Vinyl at 50: 1977 First Pressing, Value and Best Edition](https://vinylai.app/guides/pink-floyd-animals-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Hotel California Vinyl at 50: First Pressing, Value and Which Edition to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/hotel-california-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Back in Black Vinyl Value Guide: How to Spot a 1980 Original and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/back-in-black-vinyl-value-guide/) Find vinyl for sale on VinylAI Market - [Browse Rock vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/rock/) - [Browse Pop vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/pop/) - [Browse Electronic vinyl for sale →](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/electronic/) Table of Contents - Bad turns 40 - The 1987 original: how to tell - Leave Me Alone: which vinyl has it - Picture discs and reissues - The MoFi One-Step (2026) - What your copy is worth - Which pressing to buy Related Articles - [What Makes a Vinyl Record Valuable — and Which Ones Are Worth Most](https://vinylai.app/guides/most-valuable-vinyl-records/) - [Steely Dan Aja on Vinyl at 50: Every Pressing Compared, Best Sounding and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/steely-dan-aja-vinyl-value-guide/) - [OK Computer Vinyl at 30: 1997 First Pressing vs Reissues, Value and OKNOTOK](https://vinylai.app/guides/ok-computer-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Pink Floyd Animals Vinyl at 50: 1977 First Pressing, Value and Best Edition](https://vinylai.app/guides/pink-floyd-animals-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Hotel California Vinyl at 50: First Pressing, Value and Which Edition to Buy](https://vinylai.app/guides/hotel-california-vinyl-value-guide/) - [Back in Black Vinyl Value Guide: How to Spot a 1980 Original and What It's Worth](https://vinylai.app/guides/back-in-black-vinyl-value-guide/) Vinyl Marketplace - [Rock vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/rock/) - [Pop vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/pop/) - [Electronic vinyl for sale](https://vinylai.app/market/genre/electronic/) Download VinylAI Scan barcodes, find stores, track your collection. [Get the App](https://vinylai.app/download/) Free on iOS and Android ## FAQ: michael jackson bad vinyl How much is Michael Jackson's Bad vinyl worth? A typical 1987 copy is worth about what a new reissue costs, or less, because it was pressed by the million. Over 31,000 Discogs users own the European LP alone. Clean, complete copies with the lyric inner sleeve sell above the crowd. Genuinely sealed first pressings, signed copies and promotional items are a separate market. The official US store sold a new *Bad* LP for $22.98 on 12 October 2026. What is the rarest Michael Jackson record? A June 2026 dealer guide names the Jackson 5's first single, "Big Boy" on Steeltown Records (1968), as the scarcest. It puts signed, sealed or withdrawn-promo Jackson items at $300 to $15,000 and more. Among the solo albums, *Thriller* and *Bad* are very common on vinyl. The rare pieces are promos, test pressings and signed copies, not the standard LPs. Is Michael Jackson's "Bad" album available on vinyl? Yes. Epic keeps a reissue in print, catalogue 88875143741, a ten-track gatefold. The official US Michael Jackson store listed a *Bad* LP at $22.98 on 12 October 2026. For the bonus track "Leave Me Alone", look for the 2012 *Bad 25* 3LP or the Music On Vinyl edition. For an audiophile version, there is the 2026 MoFi UltraDisc One-Step, limited to 6,000 numbered copies at $125. Does the Bad vinyl have Leave Me Alone? Not the 1987 original. "Leave Me Alone" was a CD-only bonus track in 1987, and the LP has ten tracks ending with "Smooth Criminal". It appears on vinyl only on later editions: the Music On Vinyl 180g reissue (MOVLP057, 2009), LP1 of *Bad 25* (2012) and the MoFi UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S 2-062, 2026). The standard Epic reissue and the picture discs do not include it. How do I know if my Bad vinyl is a first pressing? A 1987 US copy reads E 40600 on the labels and OE 40600 on the spine. It has the barcode 0 7464-40600-1, a gatefold and a printed lyric inner sleeve. The runout carries G1, G2 or G3 (Carrollton) or HuB (Hub-Servall). A UK copy is 450290 1, with runouts like 450290-1 A5. Any copy with "Leave Me Alone" or a catalogue number like 88875143741 is a later reissue. Is the MoFi One-Step Bad worth it? If you want the most carefully pressed *Bad* and have a system to hear it, perhaps. It is 45 rpm on two discs, 6,000 numbered copies, $125. Know two things first. Its source is the album's 16-bit/48kHz digital master, as for every *Bad* pressing. And five songs use the 1994 revised mixes, not the 1987 ones. For the original sound, a clean 1987 copy is cheaper. ## Get the VinylAI App Scan barcodes, find stores, track your collection, and connect with vinyl lovers worldwide. [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6755653864?pt=127157325&ct=vinylaiseo_cta&mt=8&utm_source=vinylai_website&utm_medium=cta_section&utm_campaign=organic) [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vastflow.vinylai&utm_source=vinylai_website&utm_medium=cta_section&utm_campaign=organic) Free on iOS & Android. No account required. Table of Contents - Bad turns 40 - The 1987 original: how to tell - Leave Me Alone: which vinyl has it - Picture discs and reissues - The MoFi One-Step (2026) - What your copy is worth - Which pressing to buy --- HTML version: https://vinylai.app/guides/michael-jackson-bad-vinyl-value-guide/ Structured data for this site: https://vinylai.app/api/v1/openapi.json · https://vinylai.app/llms.txt Free to quote and reuse with a link back to the source URL above (CC BY 4.0).