Product Description

No one was closer to Michael Jackson at the height of his creative powers than Bruce Swedien, the five-time Grammy winner who, with Jackson and producer Quincy Jones, formed the trio responsible for the sound of Jackson's records - records that topped the charts and shook the world. Friend, co-creator, and colleague, Bruce Swedien was a seasoned recording engineer - plucked from a job at legendary Universal Audio in Chicago - when he began working with Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones on the soundtrack to "The Wiz", and he was the master technician who gave the records their sound as the trio progressed to Jackson's greatest triumphs, "Off the Wall" and the iconic, history-making "Thriller", which revolutionised music and video and fixed Jackson in culture as the King of Pop. "In the Studio with Michael Jackson" is the chronicle of those times, when everything was about the music, the magic, and the amazing talent of a man who changed the face of pop music - and culture - forever. In his laidback style, Bruce Swedien offers anecdotes about being part of Quincy Jones' extended 'family' and reveals the technical details of creating Michael Jackson's biggest-selling albums, as well as "Bad", "Dangerous", and "History". Including over 100 photos, "In the Studio with Michael Jackson" provides an insider's look that will thrill anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of hit making and the history of some of America's most influential music.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #171071 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-30
• Released on: 2009-06-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review
"...The producer, who worked alongside Jackson and Quincy Jones on such successful solo albums as Bad, Thriller, Off the Wall and Dangerous, is publishing a book based on his experiences with the singer ... the first on the shelves since his death..."
--The Daily Telegraph, 4 July, 2009

"BRUCE SWEDIEN, engineer of Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad, remembers the times with MICHAEL JACKSON ... an engaging raconteur."
--Record Collector, August 2009

About the Author
Bruce Swedien is the world-renowned producer and recording engineer best known for his extensive work with Quincy Jones, including the legendary 1980s recordings of Michael Jackson. Swedien is a five-time Grammy winner and has received a total of 13 Grammy nominations.

Customer Reviews

or All About Bruce Swedien And A Little About MJ
I purchased this in the hope that there would be some wonderful insights and anecdotes about Michael Jackson from the man who was behind the desk for most of his solo output. Unfortunately this book is more of a vanity project than anything else. I started to worry when I saw that it had about five introductions from other people in the music business buttering Bruce's ego.

There is very little in the way of interest here for the average Michael Jackson fan. I am a musician myself, so was quite interested in the chapters about the recording/mixing process. But really how many people are going to care whether ribbon microphones were used to record Michael's vocals? This book really is a missed opportunity. How great would it be to read first hand what it was like to hear Michael perform Billie Jean for the first time? How did Bruce feel when MJ decided to no longer use Quincy Jones as producer after the Bad album? What was it like working with both Michael and Janet on the song Scream? Unfortunately none of these questions get answered. I bought this book because it was called In The Studio With Michael Jackson, and as that takes up about a third of the book in which the author has nothing particularly interesting to say on the subject I am majorly disappointed. I don't care to hear what his wife, his best friend and his daughter think about Bruce Swedien the person- I want to know what it was like entering the studio with MJ and having the enormous task of having to record the follow-up to the biggest selling album of all time.

If you are a casual MJ fan and have even a passing interest in the recording process then you will find this book fairly interesting- at least in parts. If however you are looking for something deeper on the subject of MJ you will have to look elsewhere I'm afraid. The most interesting anecdote in the whole book was actually submitted by Bruce Swedien's wife on the less than ecstatic reception of MJ's HIStory album by the studio bigwigs. This story takes up half a page, and was more interesting and insightful than anything her husband could contribute over a whole book. Written before but published after MJ's death, I'm going to give Bruce Swedien the benefit of the doubt and suggest that maybe he was just scared of stepping on Jacko's toes, but I simply cannot recommend this lightweight book.

In the studio, an interesting read
An interesting insight into how the tracks were made, very technical in parts, but then if you are a musician you would probably be more into that type of thing. What I enjoyed were the stories involving Michael Jackson, for example how Bruce would keep Michaels's foot tapping and finger clicking on the tracks and how someone so shy could be so sexual and extrovert on stage. Michael is shown to be a true professional, a considerate and thoughful human being with a good sense of humour, able to put people at ease who are nervous on meeting him using a food fight! No one seems to have a bad word to say about him.

Misleading title
A more apt title for this book would be: In the studio with Mic, Hell Jackson! Extremely disappointing for true Michael Jackson fans as the author, Bruce Swedien mostly talks about himself, what he does in the studio and the equipment he likes to work with. His passion for mics is evident and he spends more time and ink going over this than he does explaining what a typical recording session with Michael Jackson was like. We learn one or two interesting facts about Michael's quirks and foibles, but not enough to warrant a book on the subject. Do not bother with this book unless you're really keen on sound engineering and sound engineers. I have no doubt that the manner in which Mr Swedien recorded and mixed MJ's albums was vital to their success, but he already wrote a book about all that some years ago - Make Mine Music - so there was really no need to bring out another book that does not devote more time to the person it purports to be about. It just looks like one more money-grubber trying to cash in on Michael's death. Don't fall into the trap!