How We Made Michael Jackson's Thriller w/Greg Phillinganes

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*ABOUT THIS VIDEO*

Step into music history with this one-of-a-kind educational deep dive into the making of Michael Jackson's iconic hit, "Thriller". Join me with legendary keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, guitarist Tariqh Akoni and a special horn section as we meticulously re-create the instrumental track and relive the experience of being in the room at the inception of this groundbreaking song.

The creation of "Thriller" was a masterclass in collaboration, uniting Michael Jackson's unparalleled vocal artistry, Rod Temperton's masterful songwriting and arranging, Quincy Jones' visionary production and casting of world class musicians and Bruce Swedien's groundbreaking engineering. Each played a vital role in pushing the boundaries of pop music as they transformed many big ideas into a cohesive work of art.

Designed for musicians, producers, and music history enthusiasts, this video immerses you in the experience of being in the room, watching the parts come to life, as the iconic record was created. It's a track-by-track exploration of the music, highlighting the incredible attention to detail required to honor the original session that brought together the unparalleled talents of Michael, Quincy, Rod and Bruce.

Using many of the same instruments and equipment that appeared on the original recording, we reconstruct the song’s intricate layers, recording and mix to our best precision and authenticity. We hope this journey allows you to feel the love, joy, and creative spirit that filled the room during the making of this timeless masterpiece.

"Thriller" Relived Production
Produced by Anthony Marinelli
Produced, Directed & Edited by Dante Marinelli
Recorded & Mixed by Ben Rachlis
David Alfonso - Music Preparation

"Thriller" Relived Performers
Rhodes Piano and Synthesizers: Greg Phillinganes
Synth Programming & Additional Synthesizers: Anthony Marinelli
Guitar: Tariqh Akoni
Trombone: Ryan Porter
Tenor Saxophone: Sean Sanderegger
Trumpet: Josef Leimberg

"Thriller" Original Team
Lead and Background Vocals: Michael Jackson
Songwriter: Rod Temperton
Producer: Quincy Jones
Synthesizers: Rod Temperton and Brian Banks
Rhodes Piano and Synthesizers: Greg Phillinganes
Synthesizer Programming: Anthony Marinelli
Guitar: David Williams
Trumpets and Flugelhorns: Jerry Hey and Gary Grant
Saxophone and Flute: Larry Williams
Trombone: Bill Reichenbach
Horn Arrangement: Jerry Hey
Vocal, Rhythm, and Synthesizer Arrangements: Rod Temperton
Effects: Bruce Cannon and Bruce Swedien
Voice-Over: Vincent Price
Additional Recording: Matt Forger

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*ABOUT ANTHONY*

Anthony's musical touch as both composer and performer is connected with some of the most influential creative minds over the last 40 years. He’s composed and conducted original orchestral scores for over 80 feature films including _*Young Guns*_ , _*Internal Affairs*_ , _*The Man From Elysian Fields*_ , _*15 Minutes*_ and _*Planes, Trains & Automobiles*_ , been commissioned by the *Los Angeles Philharmonic* for his symphonic work "In the Family Way", written over one thousand TV commercials in a myriad of musical styles, co-founded Levels Audio Post (LA's premiere post production facility) and performed and arranged on big-box-office films and influential hit records such as *Michael Jackson's* _*Thriller*_ .

His extensive work as a young arranger, orchestrator and performer for *Quincy Jones* , *Jack Nitzsche* , *Lamont Dozier* , *Arthur Rubenstein* and *Giorgio Moroder* was vital in launching his own career. His early years pioneering modular analog synthesizers along with his wide-ranging music scholarship positioned Anthony at the center of the music technology revolution. He attended the University of Southern California School of Music as a piano and composition major.

[poppopw]

If you weren't alive when this album dropped, you have no idea how massive - and I mean MASSIVE - it became, not just in terms of worldwide sales, but its cultural effects on kids around the globe. It was not unusual for people to dress like MJ and mimic his moves all year long. Huge shout out to Rod Temperton, Quincy Jones, and everyone responsible for this masterpiece. We'll never hear anything of this magnitude again.

[The_Vile_Vortices]

The worst thing about this video, is that it will only let me like it once!!

This was fantastic!!

[gregorypope]

The fact that this record sounds this fresh 40 years after being released goes to show how far ahead it was. Those were some very special days for me....

[PulseAM]

That bass line so simple so infectious!

[TheLambLive]

Greg Phillinganes seems to have avoided the trappings of fame, , which is surprisingly lucky, because he's undoubtedly one of the most entertaining and talanted players on this planet !

[musicmanic]

Key findings > Greg Phillinganes ”muscle memory” “there’s none of this cutting and pasting, this was the 80s, we had to play the part accurately all a way through” EPIC Anthony and Greg! Thank you 😍

[klas]

Compared to everyone else on YouTube "recreating" Thriller, this thing has groove. There are musicians, and then there are musicians.

[jhump]

I don’t care what it is, if it involves Phillingaines, I’m

[UpBebop]

This is why Michael should be remembered as a top in the electronic/synth genre as well as just pop. The amount of tech the guy used was legendary. Was on the bleeding edge of everything. He was your typical meme of the guy with just wall of synths, but he actually used every one of them and each had a real reason and a true purpose in his music. Greg at the end saying "Ya know, the Rhodes, theremin, the pipe organ...." Like that's ONE song with that, and that's not even half of the tones! There's a mountain of difference between like Anthony said the 'kitchen sink' style where people just throw so much into a song without any rhyme or reason, vs. how Michael/Q/Rod did things.

[ShaddyRaddyNY]

I got goosebumps watching the production of this masterpiece in action 😊😊

[buntumedia]

Thriller isn't just a song. It's an experience. Goosebumps every time!!!

Well done Anthony and Greg.

[monsieursolitaire]

I’ve been waiting for this MY WHOLE LIFE. And I was born in 1984. Can diggit???!!? 😈😆😆😆

[misruler]

"The FUNK of 40 years!" So well done and extremely fun! Thank you!

[fender]

This is the magic. I was 18 in 1983. And will never forget the impact Thriller had on the music world and popular culture. People today have no idea what a megastar is. MJ was a megastar. And these guys helped make it happen...

[williamtell]

Shoutout to those awesome horns and that funky guitar player!

[vincentremazeilles]

The froggy sound mixed with the synth bass.
This is pure genius !!
❤❤❤❤❤

[DavidBerglund]

I just showed Thriller to my 8 yr old son for the first time. He was kind of hypnotized and well slightly scared by it. He enjoyed it no doubt. I remember being completely godsmacked by this video when we found it in my friends dad's VHS collection back when I was about the same age as my son. That was the start of many years of listening to and dancing to MJ, on stage on various school events too.

Thanks for doing this!

[djmatt]

This should have been at a million views already!!!!

[ptronicmusic]

This grooves SO HARD! Amazing what happens when you get the right people in the room with the right instruments

[StereoAnthony]

We need to take a minute and recognize how ABSOLUTELY AMAZING it is to live in a time to get to bare witness to this kind of content.
I went through 6 cd players in the 90s from scanning back and forth trying to learn guitar parts of songs I wanted to play. I consider that pretty easy compared to deciphering synthesizer sounds. What a gift to have this information and demonstration so easily available now.
So very cool.