How Jackson Did It

How Jackson Did It
JULY 1, 2009
By JIM FUSILLI
Wall Street Journal

At the heart of Michael Jackson's musical legacy are two albums that total less than an hour-and-a-quarter's worth of music. Both are rightfully considered among the best pop albums of their era.

"Off the Wall," released in 1979, and "Thriller," issued three years later, turned Jackson from a teenybopper into an adult pop entertainer and ushered in his international superstardom. Both were overseen by Quincy Jones, already a much-admired musician, composer, arranger, conductor and producer who'd worked with Count Basie, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton and Frank Sinatra. The two first discussed working together while Mr. Jones was supervising the music for the 1978 film "The Wiz," in which Jackson played the Scarecrow.

"I saw his sensitivity and his focus," said Mr. Jones, age 76, who called yesterday from London. "There was such an innocence, but he didn't miss a thing."

Epic, Jackson's label, thought Mr. Jones was too steeped in jazz to produce what became "Off the Wall." But Jackson and his management team insisted, and Epic relented. When the project began, Jackson had demos of two songs; Mr. Jones had a track from the funk band the Brothers Johnson that needed a melody and lyrics. Everything else came together once they became part of a team.

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," the album opener composed by Jackson, is set up by the syncopated percussion that Jackson, his sister Janet and brother Randy played on a casaba, cowbell and glass bottle and had recorded for the demo version. Suddenly, Jackson screams and the orchestra explodes: Sweeping strings; punchy horns; bass, drums and handclaps form the foundation under Jackson's vocal. Single notes plucked on electric guitar fold into the Jacksons' percussion, creating a signature sound for the singer.

It's a busy track, but not cluttered. Mr. Jones told me his big-band experience helped him organize all the sounds.

"Workin' Day and Night," the album's third song, also rises from percussion that Jackson had recorded earlier with his siblings. Plucked guitars are its core too. Mr. Jones omitted orchestral strings this time, but Jerry Hey and Greg Phillinganes did the horn and rhythm charts, respectively, as on "Don't Stop."

The two remaining tunes on side one reveal a maturing Jackson. "Rock With You," written by Rod Temperton, a composer Mr. Jones still favors, and "Get On the Floor," built on a riff by bassist Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson. On the former, the mood is airy and seductive; on the latter, bold and assertive. Mr. Johnson dominates "Get On the Floor," which is also driven by Mr. Hey's horns, John Robinson's cymbal work and Latin percussion by Paulinho Da Costa -- and a forceful vocal by Jackson.

"Rock With You" and the title track are cut from comparable cloth. In "Rock With You," a trombone and two tenor saxophones add warmth to the bottom, while lilting synthesizers and chopping guitar chords fill the midrange. Once again, Mr. Robinson's drumming shines as he shifts the cymbal pattern to deliver the song to its chorus. A synthesizer plays staccato notes, recasting the plucked guitar notes of the opening song, one of the many pull-throughs that Mr. Jones preferred and that give the album its unity.

The arrangement for "Off the Wall" foreshadows the title track of "Thriller," with its bass synth, cymbals, insistent backbeat and plucked guitar as the rhythmic platform. Mr. Temperton wrote both songs and had a hand in arranging their rhythm tracks. While "Thriller" lives in the memory as the soundtrack to a long-form music video, it's also an expert piece of pop -- and so is its predecessor.

Throughout the "Off the Wall" album, Mr. Jones challenged Jackson to expand his vocal range. "I wanted him to sing down low," he recalled. "A lot of his habits came from Motown. They wanted him to sing high, but by then we had a relationship of trust, an honesty with each other."

Of the remaining songs of Jackson's solo debut, only the Carol Bayer Sager tune "It's the Falling in Love" seems stuck in the late '70s. Johnny Mandel, who arranged for Basie, Sinatra and others, did the string charts for "She's Out of My Life," Jackson's successful attempt at a big, romantic ballad. Mr. Jones said he had intended to give the song, written by Tom Bahler, to Sinatra to record.

Jackson and Mr. Jones reunited for "Thriller," using key members of the "Off the Wall" team -- engineer Bruce Swedien (who Mr. Jones credits for what he still considers both albums' unsurpassed sound), Mr. Temperton, Mr. Hey and Mr. Phillinganes among them. "The collective is always more powerful than the individual," Mr. Jones told me. Of course, Jackson's enormous talent and unbridled ambition were the major drivers.

By now, the bass synthesizer had become part of the pop vocabulary, and it introduces the album's opener, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." A dance tune with horns arranged by Mr. Hey that was originally proposed for "Off the Wall," it serves as a bridge from the earlier album, but it has a leaner, more biting feel. It ends with a long vocal recitation of a line from Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa."

After the pop gem "Baby Be Mine," written by Mr. Temperton, and the Jackson-Paul McCartney duet, "The Girl is Mine," comes a four-song stretch as strong as any in pop history: "Thriller," which ends side one with its ghoulish narration by Vincent Price, "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Human Nature."

A drum machine's steady rhythm introduces "Beat It," which was written by Jackson and is immediately cast as a rock song by Steve Lukather's guitar and a brief hint of the coming guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen, who Mr. Jones brought to the project. Jeff Porcaro, who, like Mr. Lukather, was a member of the band Toto, plays drums. Mr. Jones said that he and Jackson, determined to expand the performer's base, had their eyes on a rock audience.

"Billie Jean" also was a Jackson composition. Sung with icy fire, its melody rests on what may be the deepest groove in pop history, formed by a battery of synths, N'dugu Chancler on drums and Mr. Johnson on bass. At the chorus, Mr. Jones opens the track, allowing in a chiming guitar to leaven the relentless, bottom-heavy rhythm. Lush synthesizers add movement to the backdrop.

"When you come out of 'Billie Jean,' which is just three chords, you need a kaleidoscopic harmonic structure," Mr. Jones said. "You know, the ear wants that."

Steve Porcaro composed the music for the next tune, a lovely ballad. "Toto sent over a demo and Rod Temperton and I listened to it, but the first two songs didn't do much for us," he told me. "Then the third song came out and I said, 'Yeah!" The next day, Mr. Jones asked John Bettis to write the lyrics to what became "Human Nature."

The performance floats on guitar and bass notes; at first, the brass is barely noticeable. Mr. Jones allows the chorus to arrive without additional fanfare, thus drawing in the listener. Jackson sings it beautifully, allowing his voice to meld with the whole.

"Thriller" concludes with the snappy "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," which brought Jackson together with his sisters Janet and LaToya, and "The Lady in My Life," a gorgeous ballad written by Mr. Temperton featuring Paul Jackson on guitar.

Five years after the release of "Thriller," Jackson and Mr. Jones went on to make "Bad," with many of the same musicians who played and arranged parts for their breakthrough recordings. By then, though, the template for presenting the music of Michael Jackson was set. He had become the King of Pop.

"We put this all together behind Michael's energy and sensitivity," Mr. Jones said. "It was a team effort. I swear to you, it was like divinity put us all together."

Mr. Fusilli is the Journal's rock and pop music critic. Email him at jfusilli@wsj.com or follow him on Twitter@wsjrock.

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page D7

Michael Jackson, a man apart

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/25/michael.jackson.legacy/

Michael Jackson, a man apart
Story Highlights
Michael Jackson was a towering figure in entertainment
Singer led the way in establishing music video, revitalizing pop music
Songs, including "I Want You Back" and "Billie Jean," are part of enduring legacy
By Todd Leopold
CNN
6-25-9

(CNN) -- He was lauded and ridiculed. He broke down barriers and built them around himself. He soared to heights unimaginable with his music, and he made the ignominious front page of gutter tabloids worldwide.

Michael Jackson broke down musical and cultural barriers his entire life.

For Michael Jackson, the spotlight was always present, and the rest of the world followed.

With "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" -- the latter with Eddie Van Halen's scorching guitar solo -- he was almost single-handedly responsible for getting videos by African-American artists on MTV and helped revitalize the moribund Top 40 format in the early 1980s.

"Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color way before Tiger Woods, way before Oprah Winfrey, way before Barack Obama," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, a friend. "Michael did with music what they later did in sports, and in politics and in television. No controversy will erase the historic impact."

"Thriller," a 14-minute video extravaganza directed by John Landis, paved the way for the elaborate music videos to follow -- including Jackson's "Scream," recorded with sister Janet in 1995, which cost a reported $7 million and may be the most expensive video ever. Audio slide show: Michael Jackson and his music »

His incredible dance talent, a modern twist on the Motown moves he witnessed as a child, led to a heightened focus on choreography in pop music videos and stage shows.

His 1982 album "Thriller" smashed records. It was No. 1 for 37 weeks and, at its peak, sold a million copies a week. To date, it has sold nearly 50 million copies worldwide. The achievement set a high bar for Jackson; when his 1995 greatest-hits CD, "HIStory," sold 7 million copies, it was considered a relative failure.

Jackson was also a fashion icon, his heavily zippered leather jackets a de rigueur 1980s fashion accessory, his single, spangled glove beyond compare.

On the down side, Jackson also led in making pop stars the subject of the paparazzi and tabloids in a way, perhaps, equaled only by such icons as Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the pre-"Sgt. Pepper" Beatles. Rumors abounded, from his pets to his sleeping habits to his cosmetic surgery, all fodder for the press. After stories arose of possible child molestation, he never got back in the media's good graces; he was treated as a traveling circus. Watch reaction to his death

From the time he was a child, it was obvious Michael Jackson was something special. In 1966, when he was 8, he joined his brothers in the band his father put together and started singing lead with brother Jermaine.

Though Motown Records was the top label of the 1960s, inventing what it called "the Sound of Young America," by 1969 -- when Jackson and his brothers in the Jackson 5 first hit the charts -- the label was finding itself out of step with the psychedelic and hard-soul sounds of the times. Watch reaction from Motown »

Enter the quintet from Gary, Indiana.

Motown signed the group in 1968 and poured its all into the Jackson 5's first single, "I Want You Back" -- the writing and production team were credited as "The Corporation" -- and Jackson's imploring, dramatic vocal rocked America. The song hit No. 1 in January 1970, and was followed by three more No. 1s in quick succession.

Thanks to their squeaky-clean image, the Jackson 5 became teen idols, unusual for a group of African-American youngsters. Michael Jackson's face appeared on the covers of teen magazines; the band even became the subject of an animated Saturday-morning TV show, another first for an African-American group.

But it was in the 1980s, when Jackson became a worldwide phenomenon, that his impact really began to be felt.

He was much imitated, from his hair to his clothes to his dance moves. The music was superbly crafted pop, produced by Quincy Jones and often written by Jackson himself. Even rock critics approved; the album "Thriller" earned an A from the picky Robert Christgau, among others.

There came a moment, around that time, when pop music went into a Jackson era. "Thriller" had nine songs; seven of them became singles. Jackson teamed with Lionel Richie to write the fundraising song "We Are the World"; it was his presence, as much as that of Richie, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder, that propelled the song to No. 1.

Jackson reteamed with his brothers for an album, "Destiny," and accompanying tour. It was the hottest tour of the year, despite complaints about sales practices. (Partly because of the controversy, Jackson announced publicly he was donating all his money from the tour to charity.)

He was a role model. At the peak of his fame, there were reports of a humbly dressed Jackson ringing doorbells as part of his Jehovah's Witness faith.

Though Jackson's image eventually became sullied by the molestation allegations and stories of eccentricity, there was never any doubt about his entertainment legacy. "Thriller" and "Bad" are still among the top sellers of all time. His fluid dance moves and stage presence set standards that rising stars -- often compared to Jackson -- struggle to equal.

"Of all the thousands of entertainers I have worked with, Michael was the most outstanding. Many have tried and will try to copy him, but his talent will never be matched. He was truly one-of-a-kind," said Dick Clark, who would know.

And then there's the music, from the early, explosive joy of the Jackson 5 hits to the elegant ballads, down-and-dirty grooves and ecstatic dance hits of his solo years. "The Love You Save," "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Bad" -- they are pop music boiled down to its best essence, with a good beat, an engrossing melody and even, sometimes, a message of love and fellowship.

It's enough to take a listener to the moon.

Michael Jackson dies at age 50

http://news-briefs.ew.com/2009/06/michael-jackson-dies.html

Michael Jackson dies at age 50
Jun 25, 2009
Clark Collis

One of music’s most successful and influential artists, Michael Jackson died earlier today in Los Angeles at the age of 50, the L.A. County coroner's office confirms. No cause of death is available yet. During his nearly half-century career, Jackson recorded a series of pop classics as part of the Jackson 5 and then became a massive solo star. His 1982 album Thriller has been certified platinum 28 times in the U.S. and is the best-selling original collection ever released.

Jackson was born in Gary, Ind., on Aug. 29, 1958, and by the age of 6 the prodigiously talented singer and dancer was performing alongside his brothers. The Jackson 5 signed to Motown in 1968 and released a string of huge hits including “ABC” and “I Want You Back.” Jackson entered the charts as a solo artist in 1972 with the song “Ben,” and in 1978 he appeared in the big screen musical The Wiz alongside Diana Ross. The following year, his album Off The Wall established Jackson as a solo superstar. Yet, even the success of that release would be dwarfed by Thriller, which included a raft of global smashes, including “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”

Jackson followed up Thriller with 1987’s Bad, which itself eventually sold in the region of 30 million copies worldwide. But the star’s public profile was badly damaged in the '90s when he was accused of child sex abuse, and in recent years he had become an extremely reclusive figure. Despite his reputation as one of pop’s greatest dancers and all-round in-concert showman, he also effectively abandoned touring. However, Jackson had planned to play a series of dates in London, starting next month.

While his personal life often attracted criticism and controversy, the oft-dubbed King of Pop’s influence on the musical realm is unarguable. That influence was demonstrated in 2008 when Kanye West, will.i.am, Fergie, and Akon all contributed to the remixes featured on the 25th anniversary reissue of Thriller. In his long career Jackson also worked with some of pop’s most talented artists, including both Paul McCartney and Thriller producer Quincy Jones.

25 'Thriller' facts

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-web-thrillertrivia12feb12,1,4770613.story

25 'Thriller' facts
Sony BMG
By Patrick Day and Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
February 12, 2008

"Thriller," the biggest-selling album ever, wasn't the only Michael Jackson work released in November 1982. A few weeks before it was set to hit stores, MCA Records released an album of Jackson reading the story of "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" and performing the original song "Someone in the Dark." The album promotion, which featured posters of Jackson and E.T. looking very friendly, angered CBS Records, which felt it was stealing the thunder from "Thriller." Lawsuits ensued. Both albums ended up winning Grammys the following year.

"Thriller's" phenomenal success led to a breaking down of traditional racial barriers on FM radio at the time. New York's WPLJ, a "white" station, played Jackson's "Beat It" because of Eddie Van Halen's appearance on it. The song caused a wave of protests from some listeners who didn't want "black" music on their station. MTV also had a reputation for favoring white performers at the time, and its heavy rotation of Jackson videos helped alleviate the criticism.

The music video of "Thriller" played in a Westwood theater for one week in 1983 to qualify for an Oscar nomination. It opened for Disney's "Fantasia," much to the dismay of unsuspecting parents.

After the success of the "Thriller" video, a Hollywood production company began serious work on turning "Billie Jean" into a feature film. (In 1985, Helen Slater starred in the teenage drama "The Legend of Billie Jean," although there is no connection.)

In 1984, the National Coalition on Television Violence classified more than half of 200 MTV videos surveyed as too violent, including the videos for Jackson's "Thriller" and "Say, Say, Say." Dr. Thomas Radecki, chairman of the coalition, was quoted as saying, "It's not hard to imagine young viewers after seeing 'Thriller' saying, 'Gee, if Michael Jackson can terrorize his girlfriend, why can't I do it too?' "

Brooke Shields was Jackson's date to the 1984 Grammys, when he won eight awards.

"Thriller" video makeup artist Rick Baker already had an Oscar on his resume. He won the award for best makeup in 1981 -- the first time the award was handed out -- for his work on "An American Werewolf in London."

Baker actually appears in the video: He's the zombie seen stumbling out of the mausoleum.

Dance choreographer Michael Peters also had a role as a zombie in "Thriller," and shared a Tony Award with Michael Bennett for his choreography work on Broadway's "Dreamgirls." Before his death in 1994, he was an advocate of adding a choreography category to the Academy Awards.

Jackson's girlfriend in the video, Ola Ray, was Playboy magazine's Miss June in 1980, telling the publication that her favorite entertainers were "Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Ben Vereen, Emry Thomas." She also listed her turn-ons as "music, men, dancing and romancing, health and nature" and turnoffs as "waiting for something that never comes."

Just as Van Halen's guitar solo begins in "Beat It," there's a noise that sounds like someone knocking on a door. According to rock 'n' roll myth, the knock is someone walking into Van Halen's studio. Another story claims it's simply the sound of Van Halen knocking on his own guitar.

"Thriller's" opening cut, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," is also the longest track on the album, clocking in at over six minutes. The radio version, however, is about two minutes shorter.

The movie theater seen in the beginning of the video was also seen in director John Landis' "The Kentucky Fried Movie." The posters seen in the theater are for the movie "Schlock," also directed by Landis.

Jackson's disclaimer at the beginning of the video, in which he discounts any belief in the occult, was prompted by his status as a Jehovah's Witness at the time.

The 1988 movie "Return of the Living Dead Part II" features a zombie dressed as Michael Jackson.

Forrest J. Ackerman, creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, can be seen sitting behind Jackson in the theater at the beginning of the video.

The video that popularized Jackson's "Moonwalk," 1983's "Billie Jean," was directed by Steve Barron, but it may not be the clip he's best known for. That would be the live-action comic book treatment he gave to A-ha's "Take on Me."

The song "Thriller" was originally titled "Starlight."

Producer Quincy Jones wanted "Billie Jean" to be titled "Not My Lover," so people wouldn't think the song was about Billie Jean King.

During the "Thriller" era, Jackson's plastic surgery became noticeable. His face changed from the time the photo was taken for the album cover to the filming of the "Thriller" video.

Real gang members were brought it to be extras in the "Beat It" video.

Although "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' " was one of the biggest singles off "Thriller," no video was ever made for the song.

The man who wrote the song "Thriller," Rod Temperton, also wrote songs for Boyz II Men, Herbie Hancock, Karen Carpenter and Michael McDonald.

The "Thriller" album has sold more than 104 million copies.

At the height of the song's popularity, MTV would run the 14-minute "Thriller" video twice an hour.