SoCav
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One thing that remained consistent throughout Michael's adult solo career is the extensive use of his voice as a percussive instrument. What are some of your favourite beatboxing/vocal percussion moments in his songs and why?
One that comes to mind for me is the intro to Working Day and Night. On one track MJ's voice is mimicking Paulinho da Costa's percussion, on the other he adds a very cool breathing pattern (try doing this yourself, it's hard as hell!). The former slowly fades out as the music kicks in, while he changes the breathing pattern up before it fades out and he does this cool falsetto ad lib ("naah-daah-daaah"). Just an awesome start to the song.
Perhaps my all-time favourite is the beatboxing on Bad (credited to 'How Now Brown Cow', the name Bruce Swedien gave it, on the record). I never really noticed this one, as it is pretty buried in the overall mix, until someone uploaded a rip of one of the channels of the 5.1 mix of the Bad short film here years ago. I came across this old file the other day and was reminded of how awesome this is. I've uploaded it for those interested (thanks to whoever it was that ripped and uploaded it all those years ago!):
He starts beatboxing as the first verse gets going (0.15), adding this really cool rythmic pattern, punctuated with throat-clearing sounds and the odd 'ooh' here and there. There's no beatboxing during the pre-chorus and chorus, but it comes back in after that. You can actually hear it most clearly right after the chorus ends (1.25 and 2.42).
One that comes to mind for me is the intro to Working Day and Night. On one track MJ's voice is mimicking Paulinho da Costa's percussion, on the other he adds a very cool breathing pattern (try doing this yourself, it's hard as hell!). The former slowly fades out as the music kicks in, while he changes the breathing pattern up before it fades out and he does this cool falsetto ad lib ("naah-daah-daaah"). Just an awesome start to the song.
Perhaps my all-time favourite is the beatboxing on Bad (credited to 'How Now Brown Cow', the name Bruce Swedien gave it, on the record). I never really noticed this one, as it is pretty buried in the overall mix, until someone uploaded a rip of one of the channels of the 5.1 mix of the Bad short film here years ago. I came across this old file the other day and was reminded of how awesome this is. I've uploaded it for those interested (thanks to whoever it was that ripped and uploaded it all those years ago!):
He starts beatboxing as the first verse gets going (0.15), adding this really cool rythmic pattern, punctuated with throat-clearing sounds and the odd 'ooh' here and there. There's no beatboxing during the pre-chorus and chorus, but it comes back in after that. You can actually hear it most clearly right after the chorus ends (1.25 and 2.42).