mariemarie
Guests
Michael have worked with a lot of people. From his music, videos to his performances. A lot of them have been interviewed. Check out what they have said, how it is like to work with the King of Pop and etc. Someone have probably read it already, for others this is new info.
First I would like to share something from Bruce Swedien. An interview back in the 90's. Ignore the typos in the text, but it's very interesting to hear what other people who have known him and worked with think about that amazing experience.
Got anymore? Please share and post. Lets all read it!
Producer/engineer Bruce Swedien (an engineer on Michael Jackson's albums) For the entire interview go to this link http://absy.com/ABSMMI/ITV/SWEDIEN/ukitvbsw.html#q18
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Q18 : (01: 23: 08 ) Could you describe a typical session with Michael Jackson? [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Well, a lot of times on the songs I produced with michael, for instance, er...it's wonderful, we'll decide on a piece of music to do and then I kind of get to work on it on my own a little bit and then give michael a tape once I get a rhythm track down and he'll say it's great but let's do this.....then i'll go back and work on it some more. so it's kind of an in and out type of thing. Michael is so professional, so wonderful to work with and doing vocals with michael is an absolute joy. he's got ears for days and the pitch and everything. Michael is polite and kind. You know, he'll say: "can I hear a little more piano in the earphones please". And he'll say thank you. this is an industry where you don't hear those words a whole lot. (01: 24: 20 ) So for that reason I totally respect michael and the musical integrity is so...well we usually listen to a composition and a demo and we'll listen and decide whether or not we want to record it. so from then on i'll get musicians in and we'll do an arrangment and record it. Then we'll try michael's voice on it or try the structure to see how it feels and everything and then once we get passed that initial bare bones stage, once we get the overall structure right and it fits michael's voice, then we start sweetening and overdubbing and finishing it. (01: 25: 08 ) So there is a stage in there where we are still experimenting to get the right structure and the right feel so that this music with what Michael will do with it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Q19 : Can you tell us more about how Michael works and how he relates to the people working with him? [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]I've never ran into anybody that works with michael and doesn't regard it as a pleasant experience, it's just great. He's really easy to deal with in the studio because [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1](01: 26: 05 ) When we record vocals, there's seldom more than four takes or five on the lead vocal. then we'll sit there and make a couple of punches but it's nothing. And another thing i've learned with recording michael is i'll set up the vocal mike and i'll have michael perform singing on my drum platform which is an eight foot square plywood unpainted platform about eight inches off the floor, and then michael is on that. He'll sing and one reason is that he dances when he sings and I love to have that as part of the sound because first of all his time and his rhythm is impeccable and even (01: 26: 50 ) when I do backgrounds, michael does little vocal sounds and snaps his fingers and taps his foot. I keep a (?) of that as part of the recording. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]One time I even made, for one of my seminars, I made a special mix of the background vocals on "the way you make me feel", took all the band out so that my class could hear all the sounds in there, and how they work in the overall picture because when you put the rhythm section in there, you can barely hear them, but they are really there, they're an important part I think. (01: 27: 38 ) I would hate to record him and take what I call the clinical approach and try to have it antiseptically clean or something. I think it would loose a lot of its charm. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Working with quincy myself and michael has really been a wonderful experience because not only do we work together well, but we're really friends and it's a three men team and our votes count equally. That's the way it works, it's easy, it's wonderful and we've had such a good time doing "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad". Quincy has just formed a Quincy Jones entertainment corporation so he's off doing TV. and movies, and producing and directing. Doing things that he's wanted to do for years. Quincy is not working on michael's new album. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]I'm producing three songs and coproducing a couple with Michael. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Quincy is very happy. I just spoke to him yesterday and he sounds great, he's having the time of his lifz and happy as a pig in the mud. so i'm doing a little different too...I'm producing and doing things in areas that i've always wanted to be involved in. Building my beautiful studio here at home just for my projects. (01: 30: 29 ) I won't be doing everything here because my home is a sanctuary and I don't want to bring all my work here, but a certain amount I want to be able to do here, really looking forward to it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
Bruce Swedien talks about recording MJ, Seattle 1993:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK_rX4MjvA4
First I would like to share something from Bruce Swedien. An interview back in the 90's. Ignore the typos in the text, but it's very interesting to hear what other people who have known him and worked with think about that amazing experience.
Got anymore? Please share and post. Lets all read it!
Producer/engineer Bruce Swedien (an engineer on Michael Jackson's albums) For the entire interview go to this link http://absy.com/ABSMMI/ITV/SWEDIEN/ukitvbsw.html#q18
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Q18 : (01: 23: 08 ) Could you describe a typical session with Michael Jackson? [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Well, a lot of times on the songs I produced with michael, for instance, er...it's wonderful, we'll decide on a piece of music to do and then I kind of get to work on it on my own a little bit and then give michael a tape once I get a rhythm track down and he'll say it's great but let's do this.....then i'll go back and work on it some more. so it's kind of an in and out type of thing. Michael is so professional, so wonderful to work with and doing vocals with michael is an absolute joy. he's got ears for days and the pitch and everything. Michael is polite and kind. You know, he'll say: "can I hear a little more piano in the earphones please". And he'll say thank you. this is an industry where you don't hear those words a whole lot. (01: 24: 20 ) So for that reason I totally respect michael and the musical integrity is so...well we usually listen to a composition and a demo and we'll listen and decide whether or not we want to record it. so from then on i'll get musicians in and we'll do an arrangment and record it. Then we'll try michael's voice on it or try the structure to see how it feels and everything and then once we get passed that initial bare bones stage, once we get the overall structure right and it fits michael's voice, then we start sweetening and overdubbing and finishing it. (01: 25: 08 ) So there is a stage in there where we are still experimenting to get the right structure and the right feel so that this music with what Michael will do with it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Q19 : Can you tell us more about how Michael works and how he relates to the people working with him? [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]I've never ran into anybody that works with michael and doesn't regard it as a pleasant experience, it's just great. He's really easy to deal with in the studio because [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1](01: 26: 05 ) When we record vocals, there's seldom more than four takes or five on the lead vocal. then we'll sit there and make a couple of punches but it's nothing. And another thing i've learned with recording michael is i'll set up the vocal mike and i'll have michael perform singing on my drum platform which is an eight foot square plywood unpainted platform about eight inches off the floor, and then michael is on that. He'll sing and one reason is that he dances when he sings and I love to have that as part of the sound because first of all his time and his rhythm is impeccable and even (01: 26: 50 ) when I do backgrounds, michael does little vocal sounds and snaps his fingers and taps his foot. I keep a (?) of that as part of the recording. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]One time I even made, for one of my seminars, I made a special mix of the background vocals on "the way you make me feel", took all the band out so that my class could hear all the sounds in there, and how they work in the overall picture because when you put the rhythm section in there, you can barely hear them, but they are really there, they're an important part I think. (01: 27: 38 ) I would hate to record him and take what I call the clinical approach and try to have it antiseptically clean or something. I think it would loose a lot of its charm. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Working with quincy myself and michael has really been a wonderful experience because not only do we work together well, but we're really friends and it's a three men team and our votes count equally. That's the way it works, it's easy, it's wonderful and we've had such a good time doing "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad". Quincy has just formed a Quincy Jones entertainment corporation so he's off doing TV. and movies, and producing and directing. Doing things that he's wanted to do for years. Quincy is not working on michael's new album. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]I'm producing three songs and coproducing a couple with Michael. [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Quincy is very happy. I just spoke to him yesterday and he sounds great, he's having the time of his lifz and happy as a pig in the mud. so i'm doing a little different too...I'm producing and doing things in areas that i've always wanted to be involved in. Building my beautiful studio here at home just for my projects. (01: 30: 29 ) I won't be doing everything here because my home is a sanctuary and I don't want to bring all my work here, but a certain amount I want to be able to do here, really looking forward to it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
Bruce Swedien talks about recording MJ, Seattle 1993:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK_rX4MjvA4