Big World

Did You Know?

• The front cover displays 'Big World' in 16 languages, including Persian, Mandarin Chinese, and Armenian.
• One track, 'Man in the Street,' was recorded during rehearsals on 22 January, not during the three main concert nights.

Production

Jackson aimed to capture the intensity of a live performance without crowd noise, so he asked the audience to remain silent while the band played. Unlike most pop recordings, no post-recording mixing or overdubbing was done; the music was mixed live from microphones on each instrument and sent directly to a two-track stereo digital tape recorder. Jackson later addressed two myths about the album: first, that the audience was forbidden to applaud—he stated there was plenty of applause, but they were asked to hold it until a song was clearly finished. Second, that the double album had a side missing—he explained that the CD release had no time constraints, and for the LP he suggested a three-sided album sold at the price of a regular one, which the record company accepted, meaning listeners got an extra side rather than a missing one.

Release

The LP was a double album with only three sides of music; the fourth side's label read "there is no music on this side" and contained a groove of about 30 seconds of silence leading to the inner groove to prevent stylus damage. The CD release included all 15 tracks on one disc. The front cover, by Serge Clerc, displays "Big World" in multiple languages, and the back cover shows the phrase in additional languages. An eight-page booklet with lyrics and recording information in six languages was included, though the original South African LP omitted the booklet and placed all 15 songs on one disc.