Bill Wolfer-The Man Behind MJ’s “Billie Jean” CS-80
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- Опубликовано: 19 янв 2024
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ABOUT THIS VIDEO
Bill Wolfer has referred to himself as "the least famous musician that everyone has heard play". He was a rising star in 80's Soul Music working with Stevie Wonder, Shalamar, Vanity, Dynasty and was responsible for programming and performing the iconic CS-80 synthesizer chord riff on Michael Jackson's biggest song "Billie Jean". Michael remembered a CS-80 sound he heard Bill play while they were on tour together and the rest is history.
This video provides a rare behind the scenes look at Michael Jackson's creative process while composing "Billy Jean" all the way through a detailed account of the final recording session at Westlake Studios. We discuss what it was like to work closely with producer Quincy Jones, engineer Bruce Swedien and of course Michael.
Bill was a trusted friend of Michael, someone that he could rely upon to develop his 3 original songs for the Thriller album - "Billy Jean". "Beat" It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin’”. Bill helped Michael feel comfortable working out musical ideas and played an important role getting Michael's original songs ready for the album.
He also put together a truly great unlikely hit solo album in the vein of Quincy Jones' The Dude. The lineup of musicians include mega-stars Stevie Wonder (harmonica solo), Michael Jackson (backing vocals on two cuts), Finis Henderson (vocals) and Gospel star Jon Gibson.
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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.
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Nicely done, Anthony! Thanks for inviting me. It was big fun!
Thank you both so much for another amazing story, revealing the mystery of this rather “contemporary” but yet genius sound. I have wondered what synth was used and the exact knob/slider settings on that synth, now is a bit closer🤔😀 Is it possible to show a picture of Bill’s settings on the CS-80 or perhaps a recreation on Arturia CS-80 V posted🙏😎
I still rock the Wolf album on vinyl on the regular! It’s a true masterpiece!💯🤌🏾🔥🪩
Still listen to and tell people, other musicians, folks who come to our shows, about your album and am learning a couple to perform live...
The Great Bill Wolfer! We are blessed to still have you Sir. Hope you are well :)
thanks for explaining the concept of "flying" haha i was lost on that one
Dear Anthony, with this RUclips channel you are leaving a great legacy. Thanks.
This is what Thriller40 should have been. As usual the estate had no idea. Brilliant. Thank you
Bill has a rare good: Modesty- Something that nearly got lost nowadays. Thanks for this great interview.
Nothing better than a CS80 story! I would have happily spent the extra 20 minutes watching Bill programme this sound. Thanks for making this 🙏
Another fantastic interview! We are so lucky to have these!
Generations to come will study the genius & work ethic of all of you …
Thank you again Anthony, Bill everyone else … Thriller is HiStory…
the best there is on RUclips. Anthony you are golden. Cheers
Those who bought the "Wolfer" album knows this great musician.😉
Some great songs on that!
That bass and synth really gave Micheal that spark which made him move to the beat and created an lfo like sound with his voice which just makes you want to move with it.
A favorite piece of music history becomes more and more complete and exciting each time you release an episode. Thanks to you and your talented guests
Thanks for letting us see all those who contributed in making the thriller album great.
"if they didn't want it, nothing but kindness, and they moved on." -- words to live by.
God I love this channel. Genuine, super talented, lovely folk, who just happen to be music legends. Sharing their historic processes for us with humility, grace and good humor.
These choons will put child-like smiles on grown-up faces as long as the universe has ears. Infinite thanks.
Bill Wolf is actually very cool. I like his approach and search for "that" sound as well.
He is a researcher, probably all his life.
He respects other people.
A great man.
Thank you Anthony and Bill ! What a deep and interesting episode. Anthony it's great to have you as the host. Your questions and elaborations lend so much clarity to these discussions. I can see clearly that you are delighted to explore these topics and interact with the musicians that made these epic tracks. With Gratitude - John
I listen to the Wolf album since 1982…this guy is terrific, respect.
Haha, he's right. I've seen him play now aswell, that's great. Such a good yet easy chord hook
I thought it was strange that bill wolfer wasn’t mentioned in your billie jean intro video
Great to see him
🫡
I am a big fan of vintage recording gear and was lucky enough to find some classic items before prices went through the roof. I am fairly knowledgeable on the subject of vintage synthesizers and drum machines. I know the fine details even though it’s rather meaningless. I know a LinnDrum is NOT an LM-2. I know that my Prophet 5 is a rev 3.2 etc… Most musicians that used these things when they were hot and new saw them simply as tools. The names were forgettable and they might track with whatever was rented out for the session that day.
That’s why it is nice to hear a guy like Bill talk about specific machines like the Linn LM-1 or CS-80 and could even remember that he got the inspiration from a Stevie Wonder song.
I really can’t get enough of this channel and I believe every musician could really take something from these videos. I hope to support Anthony’s channel as much as I possibly can.
Way to get the Legendary Bill. I love his album back in the ‘80 with Jon Gibson “Wake up”. Still Love it to this day. MJ did backgrounds in the last track if that album. Love this channel!!
2 legends in 1 room, thank you both forever inspirational.❤
I was 14 years old when this came out. I was al about the music, didn't have time to watch TV and seen the clip years after the release. The sounds of the track where so new and rich and full. Love to see who created this sounds. It always gives me a smile and good feeling when I play my 12"versions of that album. Keep those video's coming!
Absolutely loved this interview. Bill is such a sweet guy. It's funny how things get together. Keep it simple often works best.
Thanks so much for this video. Bill is a great guy and I actually met him while fixing his CS80 a couple of times! Also, about a year ago, he had me restore his 50-year-old Minimoog. It's great working on these classic, old keyboards that were built like tanks so they can last for many decades!
I know who Bill is! I bought his Wolf album in 1982 that contained his take on Papa Was A Rolling Stone.
Anthony, I can't get enough of these videos! This is such an amazing experience as a viewer to see and hear how these classic songs were put together.
Bill's own album from 82 or 3 has some GREAT tracks on, he was not just a great collaborator. I play them out now!
Your channel has been such an addition to great music channels, especially for us synth geeks. There's still so much to learn and discover, even after many years. I love it!
RIP David Williams. Passed away 3 months before Michael.
wow, youtube needs a 100x like button for videos like this! what a pleasure to listen to you both.
Thank you Bill and Anthony for this great content
And Anthony's team!
Best storytelling videos I can think of. Any genre. Not just music. 👌🎵👏
Hearing you talk about those wonderful days, I wish we could all just go back in time and be there once again. I remember loving the early eighties so much, and now they're getting more beautiful in today's era of lazy app users and a general lack of creativity. Thank you for this wonderful video. You two were and are the real deal.
Perfectly timed upload! I was running out of Billie Jean deep analysis content to listen to. I'm not even joking! This arrived right on time, and it was great! Thanks!
Priceless interview never heard of this guy what a legend
Documenting music history... thanks Anthony!!!! 🎹
Great interview 👏 it would have been fascinating to interview the late Rod Temperton too about his rise from heatwave to writing Thriller. He was from my neck of the woods in Lincoln England.
Bill and Anthony, thank you gentlemen! Watching these videos is like watching a mosaic of the masterpiece being brought to life before my eyes, piece by piece.
Incredible story! I visited Westlake many years later when my buddy Roly Garbalosa worked there and we would meet for lunch. I remember seeing the Thriller album on the wall. Amazing stuff!!
This is amazing thank you for creating this channel.👏🏾👍
Two maestros in one video!
thanks for showing us
to the musicians behind these great songs Anthony
You are amazing Bill. I knew who you were. You appear in the credits. Thanks for clarifying about Michael. He was a great musician and composer. I like to hear who is behind each instrument and how MJ wrote and came up with his songs.
Just love these stories. They truly make my day.
The only thing taking more space than those enormous synths in that room is... humility
Detective Marinelli nails it at 19:04. A glorious moment when after all the discussion and pondering, you hone in on this fantastic essence of just how Michael Jackson constructs his music. You shine a light on incredible organic process of an artist and his creative journey, ably assisted by the most talented in the business, it’s so beautifully revealed in these videos Anthony. The fact that Michael very did likely take essential elements from the demo and use them as pencil sketches would be used by a painter, lightly but definitely creating the space upon which more solid ideas can be layered. There really is “always more to uncover”. I really can’t thank you enough for sharing such beautifully joyful series of videos that celebrate the depth and intriguing insight into this creative process of such a wonderful piece of music from a wonderful artist and his team. Wonderful to hear Bills insights and gems from right there, at the heart of the magic.
Fantastic to see this. Cheers from London
Une très belle vidéo, j'ai apprécié 👍.🎹 Theret Jean-Luc.
love hearing about unsung heroes of synth session work. great job sir!
Again a memorable, heartwarming, partly amusing (candy koma) & relaxing interview. "C" is usually YAMAHA's abbreviation for Combo. My user manual tells so. I've never heard or seen any source for "compact". If there is one fellas, please let me know.
Great discussion and interview! Just the idea of flying in that guitar part from analog tape to tape is insane! Fascinating story.
I would definitely love to hear about Bill’s other work with the artists mentioned in the description. They have some truly iconic productions from the 80’s.
Beat It ✨👑✨
Please do some episodes with Michael Boddicker ! Love this channel
you won the Internet today
Great interview!! Amazing Stories. Thank you!
Bill, you rock 🤘🏼 thanks Anthony for introducing us👏🏼
Thanks Anthony to bring up one of my best keyboard mr bill wolfer
I am beyond words on how lucky we are to be able to watch content like this for free.. if it were 20-30+ years ago we'd have to pay 50 bucks to see these interviews
on VHS lol. Thanks for posting all of this Anthony!
I just don't understand why MJ's estate doesn't release a documentary about all the amazing aspects of Jackson's genius. Stories like this and unseen footage of Michael would show his true character, counteracting the negative narratives, and allowing people to make informed decisions about what to believe.
Great interview man
Loved this video, thanks! Amazing to watch.
Thank you for this!
another great interview!
Excellent content! 🔥🔥
A great installment Anthony! Thank you
I love how you reminisced about David Williams. Sometimes we forget these musicians are humans.
I’m hoping a longer interview is on the way or maybe I’ve just missed it in my queue. All these are gems. Always happy to see a new Anthony video whether it’s MJ related or otherwise.
The team is doing great work with all this. The quality keeps getting better, and Anthony has become a fully developed journalist and interviewer.
That was fantastic, Love it.
I love this quest you're on, Anthony. Thank you!
Incredible.. thank you
Great stuff! Very generous of You!
Anthony!!! Thank you again… I love these interviews
Thank you so much I wanted this for years
Your videos are always a source of knowledge! All the love! ❤❤
Sounds like a bustling environment to have been a part of. I don't think music guys in my generation are as likely to have that. We're all in our rooms and basements making music to be uploaded to some server somewhere to be heard by a couple of people. I'm glad that we have the cheap technology to facilitate that, but the big studio life in the '80s certainly sounds romantic.
Excellent insights🔥
Man i love your videos 🔥 respect and thanks for your work.
Archiving these important musicians and their process is as important as being able to listen to the songs. As a musician & synth lover your videos are priceless. I appreciate what you’re doing. ❤
yes, please more of your talks! thanks for this Anthony!
Anthony your channel is gold. Love it!
Say say say, another one of my favourites!!
Wow thank you Bill so much and thank you for the interview Anthony!❤️🙌
Thank you very much, I love these videos with so much information, especially when it comes to MJ.
Got that Moog modular behind him👊🏾
Such great stories. I enjoy all these behind-the-scenes- stories of songs I grew up with. Thanks for making them.
Awesome!!!
Fantastic history. Thank you!
Anthony ... you are an icon. I cannot possibly thank you enough for these videos, i'm serious. Lots of love from Cairo, Egypt.
So inspiring to hear and se you guys and for what you have made for the music history in synthesis love from TAO from Sweden
Absolute gold this. Incredible. Bill you legend.
Dr Mix sent me. New subscriber! Can't wait, currently going through the back catalogue of vids.
incredible valuable video! thanx a lot for making this and asking the right questions. I love how Bill lives exactly what Russ demanded: If you are not sure about something, don’t try to hide. Two great and honest souls in one room here!
This is insane, You guys made the music I grew up with!
Loved every second of this vid, so interesting. Great to hear that snippet of Village Ghetto Land from Songs in the Key of Life. Would love to know more of Bill’s involvement with that album and even more so his work with Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants.
Thank you Anthony for these great insights : )
I can't thank you enough for bringing this to us, I love music so much music is magic , And I always like to know and understand who was behind that . 🙌
Would love to hear you breakdown the instrumentation on “Human Nature” at some point.
I absolutely love this!! Like all of us, I bought Thriller the minute it hit the streets. Being an aspiring musician at that time, I would always dig into the album liner notes, to see who played on what and how they did it. When I saw the name Bill Wolfer, I thought to myself, “who’s that guy?” Now we all know!! Whenever the song Billie Jean pops into my head or it gets mentioned by someone, the first that come to mind is that iconic synth part of too~too, too~too. Funny how that sort of things sticks with you. Thank you Mr. Wolfer!! ❤ 🎶 🎹
Alright. So this is the orginal Bille Jean guy. Nice to meet you. I have listened your playing thousands of times.❤
What a video…. This is what it’s all about… musicians of different era ❤
Bill Wolfer - Wake Up is absolutely frikkin bananas