Show Notes
The Impossible follow-up: Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad. Five years after Thriller changed everything, Michael returned with a record that would become one of the best-selling of all time, win two Grammys, feature some of the greatest musicians in the world (hey, Stevie Wonder!) ... and somehow still gets called a letdown. We've covered two of Michael's albums produced by Quincy Jones: Off the Wall and Thriller. What about Bad? Could it actually be better than its predecessor? Jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness deliver their final verdict on this 80s pop sensation. Along the way, you'll hear behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the album. Plus - we break down the tracks (with keyboards) to highlight the music theory behind this album's most compelling moments. “Annie, are you OK?” Sometimes the best hooks come from the strangest places - find out where in the YHI newsletter: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter 00:00 - Intro: "Smooth Criminal" - Michael Jackson 01:30 - Michael Jackson's Bad (1987) 6:40 - Quincy's Smaller Role on Bad 7:50 - The Quincey Jones Brain Trust 11:00 - "Bad" - Tough Guy Michael 15:00 - Too Much Programming? 18:40 - That Organ Solo? Jimmy Smith! 22:40 - The Tragedy Behind Bad 23:45 - "The Way You Make Me Feel" - Sweet Michael 29:15 - How WE Really Feel (About Bad vs Thriller) 30:30 - "Speed Demon" - A Nostalgic Track 31:55 - Can We Be Honest? 32:50 - "Liberian Girl" - The Mid-Album Dip 35:30 - "Just Good Friends" - Stevie Can't Save It 41:00 - "Another Part of Me" - Pure Joy 45:00 - How "Man in the Mirror" Got Its Name 45:55 - "Man in the Mirror" - The Apex 53:00 - Why We Don't See Songs Like This Today 57:30 - "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" - Rejected By Babs 1:01:00 - "Dirty Diana" - Phil Collins Vibes 1:02:50 - "Smooth Criminal" - That's MJ's Heartbeat! 1:06:25 - "Leave Me Alone" - The Shuffle 1:09:15 - Apex Moments: Phillinganes and That "Woo!" 1:10:55 - Final Verdict: Bad vs Thriller 1:14:05 - Open Studio Plays "Smooth Criminal"
More from You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians
Even if you don't recognize his name, you've heard his sound. Jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove played trumpet on, and contributed arrangements to, D'Angelo's Voodoo, Common's Like Water for Chocolate, and Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun. He was equally at home with neo-soul and hip-hop, and straight-ahead acoustic jazz. At the same time he was contributing to era-defining Soulquarian projects, he was producing music with his jazz quintet. Today, jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin listen to his 2008 masterpiece Earfood and explore why it may be the perfect jazz album for the jazz-curious neo-soul fan.
Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin dig into the You'll Hear It mailbag, answering your questions and checking out the tunes you always wanted them to hear. Plus, a trivia round inspired by your comments. ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter ------------------------------- Learn to play tracks from You'll Hear It. Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/players-club ------------------------------- 📞 Send us a message: https://youllhearit.com/ ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin unpack popular albums track-by-track in this weekly listening party. They talk about what their trained ears hear in the music, offering audiences a new window into the records they love.
D'Angelo's Black Messiah is one of the greatest albums of the 21st century. You can hear his musical influences all over it: Prince's arrangements, the Bee Gees' falsettos, Jimi Hendrix's guitar, Sly's groove. But the alchemy that makes Black Messiah so powerful could only come from one mind: D'Angelo, the artist who gave us Voodoo and Brown Sugar. Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin unpack D'Angelo's Black Messiah track by track, detailing what their trained ears hear in the music, and highlighting new textures, harmonies, and song structures you may have missed on the first listen. Plus, Peter shares stories about his friendship and working relationship with legendary trumpet player Roy Hargrove. ------------------------------ Adam shows you how to play D'Angelo's "Really Love". Get the lesson: https://yhi.link/really-love ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://yhi.link/linernotes-6 ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------- Send us a message: https://youllhearit.com/ ------------------------------ 0:00 D'Angelo and the Vanguard - Black Messiah 1:44 Ain't That Easy 7:35 Questlove, Pino Palladino, and James Gadson 9:35 1000 Deaths 14:09 The Charade 17:44 Where this album sits next to Sly, Marvin, and Prince 19:33 Roy Hargrove, and the Peter Martin connection 22:28 Sugah Daddy 28:45 Really Love 39:40 Back to the Future (Part I) 44:05 Where does talent like this come from?! 51:15 Till It's Done (Tutu) 53:43 Prayer 56:35 Betray My Heart 1:02:55 The Door 1:07:13 Back to the Future (Part II) 1:09:25 Is this album backwards? 1:11:11 Another Life 1:17:00 Our favorite moments 1:17:27 How snobby is this album? 1:19:53 Is it better than Voodoo?
Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin play each other their favorite Ahmad Jamal tunes to build the ULTIMATE Ahmad Jamal playlist. Learn to play tracks from You'll Hear It. Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/players-club ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://yhi.link/linernotes-5 ------------------------------- Watch Ahmad Jamal at Studio 61: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KFMLNop0_g&t=607s ------------------------------- 📞 Send us a message: https://youllhearit.com/ ------------------------------- Listen to the Ultimate playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TvAf7P7H5JvG0hP0SJth9?si=vH8EJXmHS4mGw8eWm0BqnA ------------------------------ About You'll Hear It: Jazz pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin unpack popular albums track-by-track in this weekly listening party. They talk about what their trained ears hear in the music, offering audiences a new window into the records they love.
Waltz for Debby is the sound that all "boring coffeehouse jazz" tries to imitate, but none can replicate. Featuring Bill Evans on piano, Scott LaFaro on bass and Paul Motian on drums, this 1962 live album has become the template for every AI jazz playlist. And yet, it stands apart as one of the greatest jazz piano trio albums of all time. Pianists Adam Maness and Peter Martin listen to the full album, track-by-track, describing what they hear in the music that lends this album its undeniable humanity. ------------------------------- Learn to play tracks from You'll Hear It. Join the You'll Hear It Players Club: https://yhi.link/players-club ------------------------------- Learn to talk like a jazz musician. Download the Liner Notes FREE today: https://yhi.link/linernotes-4 ------------------------------- Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://openstudiojazz.com/ ------------------------------- 📞 Send us a message: https://youllhearit.com/