"Michael used to call people to ask them to participate on albums. It was interesting knowing that nearly anyone on the planet would come to the phone if it were Michael calling. Anyway, I heard rumors that B.I.G. was going to come, and I was excited about that! I knew that I would be the one to record that, as I had recorded nearly all of that tune, "This Time Around".
So, Dallas and I were expecting him any minute, and pretty much on time, Notorious strolls in. He was quite an imposing figure when he walked in, as he was quite popular at the time. I had no idea what to expect from him in terms of attitude, but he seemed nice when he walked in. No problem. But almost immediately, he blurted out, "Yo, Dallas, can I meet Mike?" To which, Dallas replied that he thought so. Biggie went on to talk about how much this opportunity meant to him, as Michael was his hero. Anyway, Dallas tells him that we're going to lay down the rap first, so Biggie heads in the booth, we get some headphone levels and get ready to start recording.
So, we hit the big red button (on a Sony 3348 machine), and away we go. During his first take, Dallas and I looked at each other, because it was spot on. wow. I was impressed, and so was Dallas. We listened back, and Dallas was like, "Wow, I think we got it". As I recall, we took another take for good measure, but I'm fairly certain that we ended up using the first take. So, Notorious comes in, and asks if he can meet Michael now. We sent word to the back room where Michael was working that Biggie was finished and wanted to meet him.
Simply for security, Michael's security would enter and make sure that no one was in the room that shouldn't be, and once that was confirmed (it was just me, Biggie and Dallas), Michael came in. Biggie nearly broke out in tears...I could tell how much this meant to him. Well, Michael could have this effect on anyone, even the most hardcore rappers! Biggie was tripping up on his words, bowing down and telling Michael how much his music had meant to him in his life. Michael was, as always, very humble and kept smiling while Biggie just went on and on how much he loved Michael. I watched Biggie just become this big butterball of a man, and it was really very sweet to witness. After all, we are all just people.
Michael finally asked to hear what we had done, and we popped it up on the big speakers and let her go. Michael LOVED it and was excited to tell Biggie that! "Oh, let's hear it again", I recall Michael saying, and we listened again. Michael just loved it...and thanked Biggie for coming all the way from Philadelphia. Biggie asked rather sheepishly whether he could get a photo, and Michael agreed. A shot was taken, we listened again, and Michael thanked Biggie. Michael said goodbye and stepped out, leaving Biggie standing there looking completely stunned. "
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
On a related topic, I've just been given my first-ever interview commission. It's with Bruce Swedien. I am f*cking STOKED.
"I Want You Back" is hands down my favorite MJ song, as soon as that piano sweep comes on & the bassline gets going I freakin lose it. It's sooooo good. That bassline is one of the GOAT for me, it rules. When they used it on the Blind Video Days skate vid I was all "this song couldn't get any cooler, but it just did". That vocal line gets stuck in my head for days.
Indeed. Just to add on:
When I think about it, I don???t think I???ve ever been fully convinced by Michael Jackson, really. Not convinced by the squeaky-clean pre-teen singing about women troubles in every other song, not convinced by the timid good-timer of Off The Wall (though I always think of Michael dancing, I never ever think of him dancing with anyone???do you?), not convinced by the cuddly werewolf/virginal baby-daddy/china-fine gang-war mediator of Thriller, and on and on. He was never convincingly girl-weary as a young boy, and never convincingly romantic, aggressive, or sexual as an adult. He always seemed to be just outside of the real action. And while this made me feel very affectionate toward him???he was so clearly a kid, one of us, who had somehow fooled the right people and infiltrated the adult world???none of his music ever seemed to have any real place in any reality that I was familiar with. I managed to grow up loving his music without it actually meaning anything to me; it felt huge and important, but weightless. Like cartoons.
I know that sounds pretty negative, but what it actually ends up meaning is that Michael Jackson???s music works on me with a purity matched by few. Because for all the levels on which it may be suspect???lyrics, persona, whatever???there is one level on which it always always convinces: the sound. Three certainties in life: You will definitely die, you will always pay taxes, and you will never ever say ???Man, that Michael Jackson song doesn???t sound as good as I remember.??? It will only ever sound better, I promise you. Whatever suspension of disbelief the songs may require, and however little connection they may have to anything outside their own miniature fantasias, their reign within the borders of their runtime is absolute. They are unalloyed pop-music-production genius galvanized by Michael???s voice, which is not always the most integral piece, but is always, finally, the most necessary one. At the same time their immense commercial success keeps them present and current within culture, their essential unreality and inhuman inner perfection allow them to operate outside of time. They often seem less like actual songs and more like ideas that we???re all having at the same time. To hear them is to think, ???Well, yeah???of course.???
And ???I Want You Back??? is the best Michael Jackson song. It???s not quite my favorite (???The Love You Save??? narrowly edges it), but it???s the best, and is one of what I usually consider to be the two archetypal Perfect Pop Songs. To paraphrase T.S. Eliot (I know, right?): The Jackson 5???s ???I Want You Back??? and The Who???s ???I Can???t Explain??? divide the world between them???there is no third.
It starts with that piano curlicue that doubles back on itself before it???s even gone and tagging the guitar at the turn, the two together sounding like they could flip the entire sun like a fucking flapjack. Then the strings come in and then the bongos and then and then and then, and it???s not harmonious, exactly???there???s crisp separation between each instrument, and everything???s in its own space, but the sheer mass of all the pieces gives it this beautiful kind of overfull clatter. There???s a quick sense that not only could there not possibly be anything better, there couldn???t possibly be anything else. Mike glides down in full whine, and from here on out the song stubbornly defies momentum???it stays stopping and starting, the drums jump in place (only on the choruses, though???no drums at all on the verses), and it???s the most glorious parade in the world, too generous, and stopping at every house. It should annoy, but the thing is that after every single stop, it somehow manages???incredibly???to sound even better when it starts back up. You don???t think it will, but it does, every single time. By the end, hearts and ears bulge at the seams from the undiminished return.
And although the song never puts across the sense of loss that you???d assume from the title, it???s okay, because it???s not really trying to. The amiable bass and the daylight guitar and that plinky piano that get sprinkled in seem to understand Michael in a way that Michael doesn???t understand the song (and probably couldn't, at his age): Despite the literal desperation of the lyrics, and even though he works overtime to sell us on it, it???s clear from Michael???s perfect, explosive vocal that he does not believe even for an instant that it won???t all work out, and the genius of the music is that it recognizes that this???the faith and the gold of youth???is the point of the song, not some girl, some???other. The point is the I, not the want. Just listen to the little vocal break before the last chorus: Mike???s trying to preach it on what would ostensibly be the climax of this love-lost song, but behind him is this springy guitar line cake-walking with some easter-bunny bassline. Like I said: There's an understanding. Understanding that when Michael sings ???Won???t you please let me / back in your heart????, it isn???t actually a question.
Was it ever, really?
I opened this thread this morning planning on making this exact same post.
Despite the literal desperation of the lyrics, and even though he works overtime to sell us on it, it???s clear from Michael???s perfect, explosive vocal that he does not believe even for an instant that it won???t all work out, and the genius of the music is that it recognizes that this???the faith and the gold of youth???is the point of the song, not some girl, some???other. The point is the I, not the want. Just listen to the little vocal break before the last chorus: Mike???s trying to preach it on what would ostensibly be the climax of this love-lost song, but behind him is this springy guitar line cake-walking with some easter-bunny bassline. Like I said: There's an understanding. Understanding that when Michael sings ???Won???t you please let me / back in your heart????, it isn???t actually a question.
Was it ever, really?
I've been listening the hell out of "We're Almost There" and I have to say, I get the exact OPPOSITE feeling from that song. That as much as Michael pleads, "just one more step/cause we're almost there," the song tells me something else: it's futile. This won't work out. Your heart, inevitably, will be broken. In fact, it's breaking as we speak. That's why this song sounds so good.
Despite the literal desperation of the lyrics, and even though he works overtime to sell us on it, it???s clear from Michael???s perfect, explosive vocal that he does not believe even for an instant that it won???t all work out, and the genius of the music is that it recognizes that this???the faith and the gold of youth???is the point of the song, not some girl, some???other. The point is the I, not the want. Just listen to the little vocal break before the last chorus: Mike???s trying to preach it on what would ostensibly be the climax of this love-lost song, but behind him is this springy guitar line cake-walking with some easter-bunny bassline. Like I said: There's an understanding. Understanding that when Michael sings ???Won???t you please let me / back in your heart????, it isn???t actually a question.
Was it ever, really?
I've been listening the hell out of "We're Almost There" and I have to say, I get the exact OPPOSITE feeling from that song. That as much as Michael pleads, "just one more step/cause we're almost there," the song tells me something else: it's futile. This won't work out. Your heart, inevitably, will be broken. In fact, it's breaking as we speak. That's why this song sounds so good.
Really? To me, the track is really optimistic. It might hint at a little gravity underneath the choruses, but during the verses it's all build, all encouragement, with the swelling strings and those little spread-winged flutes. And don't sleep on the glockenspiel (I can't believe I just typed that). Plus, Mike's vocal register has a distinct brightness throughout that whole tune. There are a few points where the backing implies that things are maybe about to go deeper, but then he comes in and turns the lights back on and the track rises up to meet him. Even in the more subdued parts, it's really just him singing a little quieter--the "up" tone is still there. Almost every piece of that song seems to know that it's gonna make it.
I'd of course agree, though, that it sounds so good.
On a related topic, I've just been given my first-ever interview commission. It's with Bruce Swedien. I am f*cking STOKED.
Any questions, SS?
Paging Thes.
Really depends on the context of your interview's publication. I've heard lots about him in the studio, what gear they used, etc. But if this is not for a tech mag then I'd always love to hear more bits and pieces about how those tracks came together - they spent more quality time in the studio working on that record than probably any other record in history, and when you hear demos and outtakes, they sound really different.
I'd focus on specifics, since I'm sure he's already had to answer so many typical "what was it like to work with Michael" questions.
On a related topic, I've just been given my first-ever interview commission. It's with Bruce Swedien. I am f*cking STOKED.
Any questions, SS?
Ask him if he thinks there is--or can be--such thing as a timeless sound. Not timeless music, exactly, but timeless sonics--a particular kind of recording that holds up. And/or who does he think has gotten closest?
Failing that, ask him if he can hit you off with some of his viking-boat-logo gear. A hat or a jersey or some denim something.
p.s.: Speaking of "f*cking STOKED": though that original MJ RIP thread took several unfortunate turns, it was worth the slog just to find out that the one Doc McCoy has a blog. More people need to know about that. Top shit, dude.
Really? To me, the track is really optimistic. It might hint at a little gravity underneath the choruses, but during the verses it's all build, all encouragement, with the swelling strings and those little spread-winged flutes. And don't sleep on the glockenspiel (I can't believe I just typed that). Plus, Mike's vocal register has a distinct brightness throughout that whole tune. There are a few points where the backing implies that things are maybe about to go deeper, but then he comes in and turns the lights back on and the track rises up to meet him. Even in the more subdued parts, it's really just him singing a little quieter--the "up" tone is still there. Almost every piece of that song seems to know that it's gonna make it.
I'd of course agree, though, that it sounds so good.
It's just my take on it. I know the song is supposed to be optimistic but to me, there's this subtle layer of melancholy that I just can't shake. And the more times I listen to it, the more it seems ever present, and the more I feel as if the song is somehow lying to itself; not in a deliberate way but it's there.
I guess it's the idea that we're *almost* there...it injects a basic amount of doubt, regardless of the song's hopefulness, that things could still fall short.
Comments
This story is f*cking awesome:
"Michael used to call people to ask them to participate on albums. It was interesting knowing that nearly anyone on the planet would come to the phone if it were Michael calling. Anyway, I heard rumors that B.I.G. was going to come, and I was excited about that! I knew that I would be the one to record that, as I had recorded nearly all of that tune, "This Time Around".
So, Dallas and I were expecting him any minute, and pretty much on time, Notorious strolls in. He was quite an imposing figure when he walked in, as he was quite popular at the time. I had no idea what to expect from him in terms of attitude, but he seemed nice when he walked in. No problem. But almost immediately, he blurted out, "Yo, Dallas, can I meet Mike?" To which, Dallas replied that he thought so. Biggie went on to talk about how much this opportunity meant to him, as Michael was his hero. Anyway, Dallas tells him that we're going to lay down the rap first, so Biggie heads in the booth, we get some headphone levels and get ready to start recording.
So, we hit the big red button (on a Sony 3348 machine), and away we go. During his first take, Dallas and I looked at each other, because it was spot on. wow. I was impressed, and so was Dallas. We listened back, and Dallas was like, "Wow, I think we got it". As I recall, we took another take for good measure, but I'm fairly certain that we ended up using the first take. So, Notorious comes in, and asks if he can meet Michael now. We sent word to the back room where Michael was working that Biggie was finished and wanted to meet him.
Simply for security, Michael's security would enter and make sure that no one was in the room that shouldn't be, and once that was confirmed (it was just me, Biggie and Dallas), Michael came in. Biggie nearly broke out in tears...I could tell how much this meant to him. Well, Michael could have this effect on anyone, even the most hardcore rappers! Biggie was tripping up on his words, bowing down and telling Michael how much his music had meant to him in his life. Michael was, as always, very humble and kept smiling while Biggie just went on and on how much he loved Michael. I watched Biggie just become this big butterball of a man, and it was really very sweet to witness. After all, we are all just people.
Michael finally asked to hear what we had done, and we popped it up on the big speakers and let her go. Michael LOVED it and was excited to tell Biggie that! "Oh, let's hear it again", I recall Michael saying, and we listened again. Michael just loved it...and thanked Biggie for coming all the way from Philadelphia. Biggie asked rather sheepishly whether he could get a photo, and Michael agreed. A shot was taken, we listened again, and Michael thanked Biggie. Michael said goodbye and stepped out, leaving Biggie standing there looking completely stunned. "
Any questions, SS?
I opened this thread this morning planning on making this exact same post.
I've been listening the hell out of "We're Almost There" and I have to say, I get the exact OPPOSITE feeling from that song. That as much as Michael pleads, "just one more step/cause we're almost there," the song tells me something else: it's futile. This won't work out. Your heart, inevitably, will be broken. In fact, it's breaking as we speak. That's why this song sounds so good.
I'd of course agree, though, that it sounds so good.
Paging Thes.
Really depends on the context of your interview's publication. I've heard lots about him in the studio, what gear they used, etc. But if this is not for a tech mag then I'd always love to hear more bits and pieces about how those tracks came together - they spent more quality time in the studio working on that record than probably any other record in history, and when you hear demos and outtakes, they sound really different.
I'd focus on specifics, since I'm sure he's already had to answer so many typical "what was it like to work with Michael" questions.
Failing that, ask him if he can hit you off with some of his viking-boat-logo gear. A hat or a jersey or some denim something.
p.s.: Speaking of "f*cking STOKED": though that original MJ RIP thread took several unfortunate turns, it was worth the slog just to find out that the one Doc McCoy has a blog. More people need to know about that. Top shit, dude.
It's just my take on it. I know the song is supposed to be optimistic but to me, there's this subtle layer of melancholy that I just can't shake. And the more times I listen to it, the more it seems ever present, and the more I feel as if the song is somehow lying to itself; not in a deliberate way but it's there.
I guess it's the idea that we're *almost* there...it injects a basic amount of doubt, regardless of the song's hopefulness, that things could still fall short.
Yes, and it's called Auto-tune.
Tension between resolve and dissonance.
Tension between strings and brass.
Tension between major and minor.
Tension between SUNSHINE and MELANCHOLY.