Post here if you worked on Michael Jackson's DANGEROUS album

[robmix]

Originally Posted by Umlaaat

So Rob,

Any insight into working with Rod Temperton?

Rod is great. Doesn't sleep or eat much, which is kind of a problem for everyone else. Pretty much lives on cigarettes and coffee. I never worked with him and MJ together so I don't know what the dynamic was there. But I worked with him on Quincy's "Q's Jook Joint". A great songsmith and producer. He completely understands the craft. I would assist Bruce during the day, and then stay up until 7 or 8am programming with Quincy and Rod, run home and shower, and be back ready for Bruce around 10:30am.

My first 1/2" edits were in front of Bruce, Rod and Quincy. I put it off on Bruce for awhile, and finally Bruce threw me in front of the bus, and had me cutting tape. . . .

[robmix]

Seems strange that a song that "was to be the first single" didn't even make the record. I know a lot changed when Michael started to work with Teddy. Bryan's tracks were put to the side, and the record became mostly Teddy.

[deuc647]

Its been said many times, but thank you guys for sharing these stories. I never get tired of reading them. Please keep em coming!

[Mr Funk]

I write and produce my own music. I am mainly a singer, but I program all my compositions myself. I do play chords on the keyboard and then go back and play rough melodies that i will then edit to sound like I can play. LOL.

I've always felt a bit ashamed and silly that I can't really play an instrument, like it makes me a non musician, pretending to be one. When I have worked with other musicians, I have had to sing the parts I want them to play, as I am incapable of telling them the notes, harmonies or rhythms I hear in my head or better still playing them.

Now I know this is how MJ did things, I feel a lot less silly and if anyone ever puts me down for it, I'll turn around and say 'the largest selling artist of all time did it this way buddy' hahaha.

Seriously, it has inspired me even more to keep making music the way I do. I will continue to slowly learn keyboards, as this is my life's ambition, but if I never reach that goal, I will be more proud of the music I make, regardless of how I make it.

Thanks for the insights guys and thanks to you Michael for inspiring me all my life and even now after death. You will continue to inspire me till my passing.

xx

[blaugruen7]

Originally Posted by Mr Funk

Seriously, it has inspired me even more to keep making music the way I do. I will continue to slowly learn keyboards, as this is my life's ambition, but if I never reach that goal, I will be more proud of the music I make, regardless of how I make it.

xx

you can learn the technic of playing piano. just get some lessons.

but its the melodies and music inside you which makes you a musician in the first place.

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by blaugruen7

you can learn the technic of playing piano. just get some lessons.

but its the melodies and music inside you which makes you a musician in the first place.

.

+1...good post, mr. funk!

.

[DangerousInc]

Bruce is going to be on CNN to talk about Michael soon! Check it out.

[tomtim]

This has been a fantastic read... thank you so much. I have always thought that MJ was the King of adlibs and harmonies. Can you please elaborate on how Michael recorded his adlibs?

Quincy Jones also said that Michael prefered working in the dark, alone when singing emotional material. Did you see this?

Lastly, and I am not a tabloid reporter! You mentioned the relationship between the lovely Lisa Marie Presley and Michael. Now many people knocked them down when they got together (and still do). I was hoping you might have a few stories to share about their interactions together that would help to kill those rumours and offer the fans something they do not know about MJ.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences Rob, many fans have treasured this information.

[mdjice]

Am I the only one finding weird that only a couple of weeks after MJ's Death Bruce announces a new book on recording Michael?... don't get me wrong I would love to find out what happened during that era in the studio and I would buy the book as I'm a fan of bruce's work but I find it a bit out of place... if it was announced before MJ's death then nevermind.

[Makinithappen]

Originally Posted by mdjice

Am I the only one finding weird that only a couple of weeks after MJ's Death Bruce announces a new book on recording Michael?... don't get me wrong I would love to find out what happened during that era in the studio and I would buy the book as I'm a fan of bruce's work but I find it a bit out of place... if it was announced before MJ's death then nevermind.

I thought that was weird, as well....

[Mile-High]

Originally Posted by mdjice

Am I the only one finding weird that only a couple of weeks after MJ's Death Bruce announces a new book on recording Michael?... don't get me wrong I would love to find out what happened during that era in the studio and I would buy the book as I'm a fan of bruce's work but I find it a bit out of place... if it was announced before MJ's death then nevermind.

It was available for pre-order on Amazon before MJ died.

[DangerousInc]

Originally Posted by Makinithappen

I thought that was weird, as well....

Originally Posted by mdjice

Am I the only one finding weird that only a couple of weeks after MJ's Death Bruce announces a new book on recording Michael?... don't get me wrong I would love to find out what happened during that era in the studio and I would buy the book as I'm a fan of bruce's work but I find it a bit out of place... if it was announced before MJ's death then nevermind.

The book In The Studio With Michael Jackson was slated for release long before Michael passed away.

[Djembe]

CLASSIC TRACKS: Michael Jackson 'Black Or White'

[mobius.media]

Originally Posted by kevin143

For those asking about Michael beatboxing, here is him on Oprah. YouTube - Michael jackson sings to Oprah

For those intrigued by the Nine Inch Nails connection, I strongly recommend the relatively obscure MJ song Morphine from Blood on the Dance Floor, which is decidedly influenced by Reznor. Morphine is one of those eerie songs where Michael practically predicts his own downfall. It's incredibly sad.

When I read NIN the first one to come to mind for me was Ghosts, which was one of my favorites of his.

AWESOME beatboxing with Oprah!!! And great thread.

Might be a tad offensive for such a respectful thread, but if anyone wants to see an amusing 'tribute':
YouTube - Michael Jackson is Dead

[kadeemusic]

Originally Posted by DJP777

During 1990, Michael continued working on the "Black or White" single. Well known to most avid MJ collectors, an early demo of "Black or White" was to be featured on an internal studio CD entitled "Promo Flight Only" featuring heavy metal guitars and no rap by Bottrell. More interesting is the fact that alongside this track was a demo of "Men In Black", and another titled "Too Much Monkey Business" (which was later released as simply "Monkey Business").

So was that Bottrell's voice rapping on "Black Or White", or did he just write the lyrics to that section? The liner notes credit "LTB", but I've never heard of that rapper...lol. Always wondered who it was.

EDIT: Never mind. Read the article. Though I still wonder what "LTB" stood for.

[mdjice]

Originally Posted by Mile-High

It was available for pre-order on Amazon before MJ died.

Originally Posted by DangerousInc

The book In The Studio With Michael Jackson was slated for release long before Michael passed away.

ok thanks for the info! I'll get my copy when its out

[Sqye]

.

yes, if anything, Bruce's publisher may have been waiting to release the book during MJ's tour - which totally makes sense - on a PR/ Sales level.

.

[DJP777]

More info:

Adrian Grant, the producer of the Thriller Live shows in London, was able to listen to the track in Michael's personal studio when he visited Neverland back in 1990.

Check this out:





This is why I really want to find out more about this special recording.

[kcmoonshine]

Amazing thread guys. Thank you!

[DangerousInc]

Bruce Swedien Remembers Michael Jackson

http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/04/h...n-my-childhood/

“Have You Seen My Childhood?”
Posted: 11:30 PM ET

Michael Jackson described the song “Have You Seen My Childhood” as the most intimately personal and autobiographical of his career. Music producer Bruce Swedien worked with Jackson to record that song. He spoke with CNN’s Don Lemon about the experience.

VIDEO

Source: CNN

[DangerousInc]

Would Bruce or any of you guys do the mixes for Michaels live performances which were always different to the album version and can you tell me more about extended mixes and which ones get chosen for extended version etc please?

[Fox the Sly]

Originally Posted by robmix

**stuff about MJ**

I had to register here just so I could thank you for posting that. Awesome read! I never get tired of gaining some insight into the kind of person he was. Too bad I never got to meet in and thank him for all the fantastic music.

Take it easy.

[Pasta4lnch]

This thread is inspiring! When I learned what happened to MJ last week all I thought was "oh great, they're gonna have a field day w/ this". I'm glad to see a thread like this here. Maybe he was a nut bag . . . who knows what adversity he dealt with that made his character. Who knows what, if any, of what the media has said about him is true. What we DO know is he did, definitely, change the face of popular music. I'm glad that genius is being discussed here!

Not to mention I LOVE recording stories!!

[Darjis]

i am very interested in hearing more of the "they don't care about us" stories. in particular, the brazillian video.

my girlfriend/spouse is from brazil and apparently that video mean't the world to them. specifically because 1) it was shot in the favela's where the very poor of brazil live and 2) because there is a very distinct uncaring attitude towards the poor from the gov't. plus, having the live drumming from Olodum was a huge thing for their culture down there...

anyone have any stories on the reasons why that direction was chosen? was it by micheal, did he realize the effect it had on the people? etc?

it brings me to tears everytime i watch it. it's aweful the way people are treated there...

anyways, thanks in advance...

mj was an inspiration. i don't care who you are, there is no way his talent can be ignored.

[Sqye]

Originally Posted by Darjis

i am very interested in hearing more of the "they don't care about us" stories. in particular, the brazillian video.

my girlfriend/spouse is from brazil and apparently that video mean't the world to them. specifically because 1) it was shot in the favela's where the very poor of brazil live and 2) because there is a very distinct uncaring attitude towards the poor from the gov't. plus, having the live drumming from Olodum was a huge thing for their culture down there...

anyone have any stories on the reasons why that direction was chosen? was it by micheal, did he realize the effect it had on the people? etc?

it brings me to tears everytime i watch it. it's aweful the way people are treated there...

anyways, thanks in advance...

mj was an inspiration. i don't care who you are, there is no way his talent can be ignored.

.

great post...cheers...

.

[F D B]

Originally Posted by robmix

D.S. ?? I'll leave that one alone . . . .

Rob, why didn't you go ahead on the D.S. thing? Is it too private or what?
I would love to know a little bit more about that song...
I'm listening to it right now.

Again, Thank you!

[robmix]

Originally Posted by DangerousInc

Would Bruce or any of you guys do the mixes for Michaels live performances which were always different to the album version and can you tell me more about extended mixes and which ones get chosen for extended version etc please?

We would recall Bruce's mixes exactly. Then start dumping the processed tracks into Pro Tools, usually in stems. From there we would create extended mixes for the live show based on input from MJ, Brad (the musical director), and sometimes the choreographers. From my experience the songs that were extended were chosen by MJ and the choreographers.

[robmix]

Originally Posted by tomtim

This has been a fantastic read... thank you so much. I have always thought that MJ was the King of adlibs and harmonies. Can you please elaborate on how Michael recorded his adlibs?

Quincy Jones also said that Michael prefered working in the dark, alone when singing emotional material. Did you see this?

Lastly, and I am not a tabloid reporter! You mentioned the relationship between the lovely Lisa Marie Presley and Michael. Now many people knocked them down when they got together (and still do). I was hoping you might have a few stories to share about their interactions together that would help to kill those rumours and offer the fans something they do not know about MJ.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences Rob, many fans have treasured this information.

The studio was always really dark, when Michael was around. Very little light, we could barely see the gear sometimes

[emkay]

Originally Posted by robmix

Bruce told me there were something like 81 mixes of Billy Jean, and after all that they used one of the first versions

Firstly, thanks for the great stories.
Secondly, it doesn't surprise me that they released one of the first mixes. Same concept as returning to one of the first takes during tracking


peace.....

[DangerousInc]

Michael Recording We Are Here To Change The World And Working On Another Part Of Me