Tag Archives: Thriller

Quincy Jones

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On November 3, 2024, Quincy Delight Jones Jr. died aged 91. He was musician (trumpet), music producer, songwriter, composer, arranger, and producer, with career spanned over 70 years. He was named one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century by magazine “Time”.

For his work he received the following awards and honors:

  • Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music (1983)
  • Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Ray Charles in 1984.
  • Grammy Legend Award in 1992
  • Garfield High School in Seattle named a performing arts center after him.
  • Quincy Jones Elementary School, located in South Central Los Angeles, is named after him.
  • Humanitarian Award at the BET Awards in 2008.
  • John F. Kennedy Center Honors in 2001.
  • National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama on March 2, 2011.
  • Los Angeles Press Club Visionary Award in 2014.
  • Honorary doctorate from the Royal Academy of Music, London, in 2015.
  • Ahmet Ertegun Award in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
  • In 2021, Jones was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame as a “foundational inductee”.
  • He won 28 Grammy Awards (third in the list of all-time Grammy award wins).

Quincy Jones was producer of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson (1982), the best sold album in music history (more than 51.3 million copies sold).

As leader, Quincy Jones released 40 albums.  

Enrico Rava: Rava On The Dance Floor

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On August 24, 2012, “ECM” label released “Rava on the Dance Floor”, the 42nd Enrico Rava album. It was recorded in 2011, at “Auditorium Parco della Musica” in Rome, Italy, and was produced by Manfred Eicher.

Personnel:

  • Enrico Rava – trumpet
  • Daniele Tittarelli – alto saxophone, flute
  • Dan Kinzelman – tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
  • Andrea Tofanelli, Claudio Corvini – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Mauro Ottolini – trombone, tuba
  • Marcello Giannini – electric guitar
  • Franz Bazzani – keyboard
  • Giovanni Guidi – piano, Fender Rhodes, toy piano
  • Dario Deidda – bass
  • Zeno de Rossi – drums
  • Ernesto Lopez Maturell – percussion

Track listing:

All tracks by Michael Jackson, except where noted.

  1. Speechless
  2. They Don’t Care About Us
  3. Thriller – Rod Temperton
  4. Privacy – Bernard Belle, LaShawn Daniels, Michael Jackson, Fred Jerkins III, Rodney Jerkins
  5. Smile – Charlie Chaplin
  6. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You/Smooth Criminal
  7. Little Susie
  8. Blood on the Dance Floor – Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley
  9. History – James Harris III, Michael Jackson, Terry Lewis

Eddie and the Hot Rods: Thriller

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On March 9, 1979, “Island” label released “Thriller”, the third Eddie and the Hot Rods studio album. It was recorded in 1979, at “Abbey Road Studios” in London, and was produced by Peter Ker.

Personnel:

  • Barrie Masters – vocals
  • Graeme Douglas – guitar, backing vocals
  • Dave Higgs – guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul Gray – bass guitar, backing vocals
  • Steve Nicol – drums, backing vocals
  • Jools Holland – piano
  • Lee Brilleaux – harmonica
  • Linda McCartney – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. The Power and the Glory – Graeme Douglas
  2. Echoes – Paul Gray, Steve Nicol
  3. Media Messiahs – Graeme Douglas
  4. Circles – Dave Higgs
  5. He Does It with Mirrors – Dave Higgs, Graeme Douglas
  6. Strangers – Graeme Douglas
  7. Out to Lunch – Dave Higgs
  8. Breathless – Graeme Douglas, Paul Gray
  9. Take It or Leave It – Barrie Masters, Graeme Douglas
  10. Living Dangerously – Dave Higgs
  11. Horror Through Straightness – Dave Higgs, Steve Nicol, Paul Gray
  12. Highlands 1 Hopefuls 2 – Dave Higgs, Barrie Masters

Pere Ubu: Dub Housing

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On November 17, 1978, “Chrysalis” label released “Dub Housing”, the second Pere Ubu studio album. It was recorded August – September 1978, and was produced by Ken Hamann, David Thomas, Tom Herman, Tony Maimone, Allen Ravenstein and Scott Krauss. “Trouser Press” described the album as one of the most important post-punk recordings.

Personnel:

  • David Thomas– vocals, organ, EQ mastering
  • Tom Herman – guitar, bass, organ
  • Allen Ravenstine– EML synthesizers, saxophone
  • Tony Maimone – bass, guitar, piano
  • Scott Krauss– drums
  • Ken Hamann – recording, engineer, EQ mastering
  • George Peckham – mastering
  • John Thompson – design

Track listing:

All tracks by David Thomas, Tom Herman, Tony Maimone, Allen Ravenstine and  Scott Krauss.

  1. Navvy
  2. On the Surface
  3. Dub Housing
  4. Caligari’s Mirror
  5. Thriller!
  6. I, Will Wait
  7. Drinking Wine Spodyody
  8. Pa) Ubu Dance Party
  9. Blow Daddy-O
  10. Codex

 

Michael Jackson: Thriller

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Michael_Jackson_-_Thriller

On November 30, 1982, “Epic” label released “Thriller”, the sixth Michael Jackson studio album.  It was recorded April – November 1982, at the “Westlake Recording Studios” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson. With more than 65 million copies sold worldwide“Thriller” is the best selling album of all time. In 1984, the album won a record eight “Grammy Awards”, including “Album of the Year” award. In 2003 magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked “Thriller” on number 20 on its list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. “The National Association of Recording Merchandisers” ranked “Thriller” at number three in its “Definitive 200” albums of all time. The album was included in the “Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry” of culturally significant recordings. In 2012, magazine “Slant” ranked “Thriller” at number one on its list of “Best Albums of the 1980”.

Personnel:

  • Michael Jackson – lead and backing vocals, drum case beater, bathroom stomp board, handclaps, vocal arrangements, rhythm arrangements , horn arrangements , synthesizer arrangements
  • Paul McCartney– vocals
  • Quincy Jones– rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements, musical arrangements
  • Steve Lukather– guitar, bass guitar, additional guitars  musical arrangements
  • Eddie Van Halen– guitar
  • Paul Jackson, Jr.– guitar
  • Dean Parks – guitar
  • David Williams – guitar
  • Rod Temperton – keyboards, synthesizers, rhythm arrangements, vocal arrangements , synthesizer arrangements
  • Steve Porcaro – keyboards, synthesizers, synthesizer programming , musical arrangements
  • Bill Wolfer – keyboards , synthesizers, synthesizer programming
  • Brian Banks – keyboards, synthesizer, synthesizer programming
  • Michael Boddicker– keyboards, synthesizers, Emulator, Vocoder
  • N’dugu Chancler– drums
  • Paulinho da Costa– percussion
  • David Foster– synthesizers, synthesizer arrangements
  • Anthony Marinelli– synthesizer programming
  • David Paich – keyboards, synthesizers, piano, rhythm arrangements, musical arrangements
  • Greg Phillinganes – keyboards , synthesizers, electric piano, synthesizer programming
  • Greg Smith – synthesizers
  • Louis Johnson– bass guitar
  • Jeff Porcaro – drums
  • Larry Williams – saxophone, flute
  • Jerry Hey– trumpet, flugelhorn, horn arrangements, string arrangements, strings conductor
  • Gary Grant – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Bill Reichenbach – trombone
  • Chris Shepard  – vibraslap
  • Vincent Price – voice-over
  • La Toya Jackson, Janet Jackson – backing vocals

Track listing:

  1. Wanna Be Startin’ Something – Michael Jackson
  2. Baby Be Mine – Rod Temperton
  3. The Girl Is Mine – Michael Jackson
  4. Thriller – Rod Temperton
  5. Beat It – Michael Jackson
  6. Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
  7. Human Nature – Steve Porcaro, John Bettis
  8. Pretty Young Thing – James Ingram, Quincy Jones
  9. The Lady In My Life – Rod Temperton

Michael Jackson

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On June 25, 2009, Michael Joseph Jackson died aged 50.  He was singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor,  named the “King of Pop” and regarded as one of the most important artists in the history of the popular music and culture. His 1982 album “Thriller” is the best-selling album of all time and the video clips for his songs “Beat It”, “Billie Jean” and “Thriller” turned down the racial barriers and transformed the music videos into an art form. Jackson is the most awarded artists in the history of the modern music – he was inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, he was inducted into the “Songwriters Hall of Fame” and in to the “Dance Hall of Fame” as the first and only dancer from pop and rock music. He is multiple winner of “Guinness World Records”, he won thirteen “Grammy Awards”, the “Grammy Legend Award”, the “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award”, twenty six “American Music Awards”, he was voted the “Artist of the Century” and “Artist of the 1980s”. In his solo career, Jackson had thirteen number-one singles in the US, he is the only artist to have top ten singles in the “Billboard Hot 100” and sold more than four hundred millions records worldwide. For his humanitarian job and activities, in 2000, Jackson was recognized by the “Guinness World Records” as the most humanitarian entertainer in the history, supporting 39 various charities.

Louis Johnson

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On May 21, 2015, Louis Johnson died aged 60. He was musician (bass), founding member of funk band the “Brothers Johnson” and one of the most demanded bass players. Johnson performed on Quncy Jones albums “Body Heat” and “Mellow Madness”, Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall”,  “Thriller” and “Dangerous” and hit songs “Billie Jean” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”. Johnson also performed on George Benson’s album “Give Me the Night”.