The "Michael" album has caused significant conversation, frustration and anger since it's release in 2010. I had no direct connection to it, although I did know and like a couple of the songs. The MJ fan community knew something was "off" with at least three of the songs, leading to a deep investigation by my friend Damien Shields. He and his is stop-at-nothing team created a long-form very detailed account of the "Michael" album missteps, presented in his "Faking Michael" podcast. In this episode I share my thoughts on Damien's findings and talk about how and why recording Michael's vocals (ironically sung by Michael) was such a rare and unique process to be a part of. Huge shout-out to Damien and his team for an amazingly detailed piece of journalism! Check out his series here: https://www.youtube.com/c/FakingMichael
Recently I spent a weekend in Hamilton, Ontario to work on my "Mixing and Stories" event with one of Halo Studio's engineers, Danny Smart. We had some great conversations together so I asked Danny if he would be interested in coming on the podcast to further our discussions on travel, the music industry, and what Michael Jackson song he enjoyed mixing the most. I hope you enjoy our conversation!
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of the HIStory album, I gathered my buddies Matt Forger, Rob Hoffman, and Tony Black for a round table discussion swapping stories and memories about working with Michael back in the studio in 1994. We answer questions you submitted, share stories, and reflect on just how fortunate we were to be a part of such an iconic album. Happy 30th HIStory!
I had a great conversation with Hayden Rose who worked very closely with the animals at Neverland Valley Ranch. We had a great time talking about the elephants, staying overnight at Neverland, and even a funny prank Michael pulled on him. I hope you enjoy this conversation!
November 21, 1989 a remarkable album was released by Quincy Jones called Back on the Block. I had the absolute honor of working with Quincy on several projects, including Back on the Block where I was credited as a Technical Director. Quincy Jones was one of a kind and I will do the best I can to share a few memories and insights from this amazing record.
Part 2 to our 36th birthday celebration of the Bad album! What it was like being there during the making of this iconic album.
Happy 36th Birthday to the Bad album! Curious about what it was like in the room where it happened? Pour yourself a favorite beverage and let's dive into it.
Occasionally someone asks what my favorite studio is. Unlike most questions like that I don't have to think twice or hesitate when giving the answer. Let me take you there and tell you a little bit about its history.
My fact-finding team (me) is proud to present my very incomplete list of 10 facts, memories, and tidbits from my 16 months of working on Michael Jackson's HIStory project. I hope you'll enjoy!
Hear MichaelJackson's Dangerous like you never have before with my reflections on what it was like working on this landmark album.
Part 2 of my interview with Matt Forger, and we really get into what it was like for him working on Captain EO, and his experiences all the way down to opening day of the film. Enjoy!
Matt Forger was there for Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory - but today we are going to talk about the iconic collaboration between Disney, George Lucas, and Michael Jackson. Part 1 of 2.
This week we Go Just Around the Riverbend and dig into the amazing Pocahontas film score with my buddy Brian Vibberts, one of the project engineers!
Recording studios almost have a language all their own, and there is a learning curve to understanding why an engineer would want a U-47 feeding a 1073 followed by an 1176.
In this week's podcast I can't wait to introduce you to an old friend and great engineer - Michael Braunstein! We discuss what Record Plant Studios was really like in the 70's (including the infamous jacuzzi), then dive into an amazing Barry Manilow album. "2 am Paradise Cafe". Come join us In The Studio...
School is in session!! Many recording studios have a certain expected etiquette for dealing with musicians and singers. Would you know how to act on a Michael Jackson session?
In this week's podcast I want to take you inside the making of Stevie Nicks' third solo album "Rock A Little". It was the heyday of grand studios and 80's excess. Pour a cognac... come hang out in the studio for a little while!
The MJ Christmas song that never was. Hear the story of how we recorded a Christmas song during the 1994 production of the HIStory album, and hear from two of the "kids" - Donna Vivino and Jeffrey Landman - who were there in the kids choir, and who remember meeting Santa Brad!
The place formerly known as Neverland Valley Ranch sold last week, so I thought you might want to hear about how it all began, at least from my perspective. I was barely 25 years old when Michael asked me to start building music systems at his then-new ranch. And so it began...
Today's episode features my good friend Brian Vibberts! We discuss his work on the iconic Mariah Carey Christmas album and how Brian got to work on the recording. You also might find out what Mariah Carey's favorite studio snack food was at the time. Thank you for listening, and Merry Christmas!