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Rod Temperton Appreciation thread

Cross-posting this from the Stories in the Room thread. This is basically a love letter to Rod and his creative brilliance.

"In this segment Matt tells us how he had never heard anything like the songs on Thriller. He tells us about Rod Temperton’s realization to name the album Thriller and how Rod had a fully orchestrated vision (down to the note) about what the album could be. Quincy was the perfect person that could cast the right musicians to make it happen…like a film director."

 
Rod talks about writing the spoken word section of Thriller for Vincent Price. It's a familiar story but I never get tired of hearing it.

4m 3s

 
Rod Temperton - lead vocal demo for Michael Jackson - Rock With You

4m 23s

@Agonum - FYI. As you're a musician I thought you might find this interesting although you might have heard it already, of course.

 
Rod and Quincy

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zinniabooklover said:
Rod Temperton - lead vocal demo for Michael Jackson - Rock With You

4m 23s

@Agonum - FYI. As you're a musician I thought you might find this interesting although you might have heard it already, of course.

Click to expand...
Wow, this is extraordinary. He sure as heck wasn’t a singer, but he made it work! Stunning how close it is to the final song, too.

Having said that, I’m glad Michael changed the verse melody. Michael’s rendition feels so natural; hard to imagine it any other way (or at least in ways which would serve it better).

Also, I’m a bit perplexed by this demo. It appears to be multitracked, and for some reason someone thought it a good idea to randomly mute and unmute the backing track (that is, leaving only the vocals and electric piano sounding for most parts). And the drumming, from what I can tell, would appear to be J.R. Robinson’s! And maybe—just maybe—I believe that little synth solo has Greg’s touch.

How very interesting… could it be that the demo was recorded in the studio with the heavy duty crew? Knowing Rod, he was an astoundingly fast worker, and the lyrics has obviously not yet crystallized.

I have never heard this demo before, so I am grateful for you giving me this rare insight into the workings of this spectacular German specimen.

Edit: Small correction.
 
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zinniabooklover said:
Rod Temperton - lead vocal demo for Michael Jackson - Rock With You

4m 23s

@Agonum - FYI. As you're a musician I thought you might find this interesting although you might have heard it already, of course.

Click to expand...
Oh, and it’s the bass of Mr. Watson, too, isn’t it?
 
Agonum said:
Wow, this is extraordinary. He sure as heck wasn’t a singer, but he made it work!
Click to expand...
And that's kind of the point, isn't it? As a consummate songwriter you don't need to be especially good as a singer. I know you know this but I noticed in the YT comments a few people questioning Rod's singing ability as if that has anything to do with it. Clearly you need a basic level of singing. But you don't need to be a Michael Jackson. The artist has a different job to do. They'll take care of that side of things.

Agonum said:
Stunning how close it is to the final song, too.
Click to expand...
I was quite astonished and yet, sort of not, having already heard what Greg had to say about Rod's writing genius.

Agonum said:
Having said that, I’m glad Michael changed the verse melody.
Click to expand...
Yes. Agree 100%.

Agonum said:
Michael’s rendition feels so natural; hard to imagine it any other way (or at least in ways which would serve it better).
Click to expand...
And again, totally agree.

Agonum said:
Also, I’m a bit perplexed by this demo.
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Yes! So glad you said this!

Agonum said:
It appears to be multitracked, and for some reason someone thought it a good idea to randomly mute and unmute the drums. And the drumming, from what I can tell, would appear to be J.R. Robinson’s! And maybe—just maybe—I believe that little synth solo has Greg’s touch.
Click to expand...
So I wasn't imagining all that. I'm not a musician but I had a little bit of confusion here. The video is posted on Rod Temperton Music YT so I can't imagine it's something that's been altered from Rod's own work. But it does sound slightly confusing to my untrained ears.

I don't know about John Robinson or the synth being Greg, possibly. But the rest, I did have a bit of confusion.

Agonum said:
How very interesting… could it be that the demo was recorded in the studio with the heavy duty crew?
Click to expand...
THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW. We need to know. These are the details that we need. That is exactly what it sounds like to me but I'm not a studio tech so I can't be sure.

Agonum said:
Knowing Rod, he was an astoundingly fast worker, and the lyrics has obviously not yet crystallized.

I have never heard this demo before, so I am grateful for you giving me this rare insight into the workings of this spectacular German specimen.
Click to expand...
It was a lucky find. I love it. I need to listen to it repeatedly. I think it's awesome. And it's part of Michael's story! Wow!
 
This is from when Heatwave performed Boogie Nights on Musikladen (which I have posted on the board before but apparently it doesn't show up everywhere).


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Posting the Groove of Midnight clip here bc you can hear Rod talking to Michael. The Lincolnshire accent is usually not very strong but Rod's accent is *really* strong and he kept it all his life. I love hearing his Lincolnshire vowels alongside Michael's American accent.

 
robotchicken14 said:
I wonder if MJ actually thought Rod was German or if he was having a laugh lol.
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turtleneck_sweater said:
That's what I was thinking when I noticed this thread exists.

Such a good thread!
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In the 1999 MTV interview when Michael refers to Rod as a 'German fellow' it doesn't sound like a joke. His delivery and intonation seem all wrong for that. But, if it was a private joke, just between him and Rod, maybe he wouldn't need to say it in an obviously 'jokey' way. I can really imagine the two of them being really silly together. keeping a silly running joke going for ages. Michael did seem to have lovely, friendly relations with the people he worked with, once he got to know them well.
 
Mica Paris / We Were Made For Love

Written, produced and arranged by Rod Temperton

4m 55s

 
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