First meeting in the late-'70s while collaborating on the music for the classic film, The Wiz, the two also crafted hits for the likes of George Benson, including his own GRAMMY-winning song, "Give Me The Night," as well as the gargantuan charity single, " We Are The World."īut it was the dream team of Swedien, Jones, Michael Jackson and songwriter Rod Temperton that helped change the face of pop and turn the former Jackson 5 member into a bonafide superstar. In addition to a zigzagging career, which saw the prolific engineer collaborating with everyone from jazz greats like Ellington and Sarah Vaughn, rock gods like Mick Jagger, divas like Barbara Streisand and contemporary stars like Jennifer Lopez, it was his creative partnership, and close friendship, with Quincy Jones that would define Swedien's career. He later fondly remembered the appearance of "four scruffy-looking guys from New Jersey who headed straight to the vocal booth.
At the time, Swedien, then 28, was working in-house at Universal Music in Chicago. 1 and earned the group its first GRAMMY nomination. With its high falsetto and kinetic drumming, it rocketed to No. After honing his craft with jazz icons like Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton, he released his first musical firework from his generation-spanning discography in 1962 with "Big Girls Don't Cry," the seminal Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons hit. By 21, Swedien was an engineer for RCA Victor. Hailing from Minnesota, Swedien was born to classically trained musician parents he became enamored with music after his father gave him a rudimentary disc recorder. We have lost a remarkable talent, but I'm thankful for the music Bruce gave us." "His imaginative approach helped shape the sound of pop music, and he was one of the most revered engineers in our industry. "Bruce Swedien's masterful work behind the board helped create iconic music with renowned artists," Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, said of the celerated engineer in a statement. He also earned two additional engineering GRAMMYs for his work on Jones' albums, Q's Jook Joint and Back On The Block. This combination of respect and pedigree earned Swedien 12 career GRAMMY nominations, including five GRAMMY wins for engineering for his work on Thriller, Bad and Dangerous, all for Jackson. "For more than 70 years I wouldn't even think about going into a recording session unless I knew Bruce was behind the board." "He was without question the best engineer in the business," Jones wrote in an Instagram post upon learning of Swedien's death last month (Nov. It's a story that not only exemplifies Swedien's attention to detail, but also his innate natural talent that earned him legendary status among the titans of the music industry. I mean that was the most badass mix and that's what. "He'd say, 'Bruce, that was perfect but let's try one more.' This was mix 80, I said no problem."īy the time Swedien and Jackson were on the 91st mix of the track, the song's producer and frequent Swedien collaborator, Quincy Jones, walked in the studio and implored the two to go back and listen to their initial cuts. "I adored Michael, he was the greatest," Swedien once recalled. All you have to do is listen to Bruce Swedien’s records, and you have something to aim for.When Bruce Swedien was mixing the Michael Jackson tour de force "Billie Jean," he and the pop star were agonizing over the most granular details of the recording.
I think that alone is a great learning process. “You’ll get an idea of balance, how an instrument should sound. “Get a bunch of Bruce’s albums and start listening,” he urges. To Schmitt, Swedien’s discography contains invaluable lessons for young engineers today. That’s the right kind of marriage, when you have someone you admire and can make great records with. He didn’t tell him what to make things sound like-that was left up by Quincy to Bruce. “He knew where everything was, and what he was doing. “He was the engineer that had total control,” states Schmitt. Everything was right there, in-your-face, and perfect.”Īccording to Schmitt, Swedien’s sonic mastery started with his studio demeanor. “When I first heard it, I said, ‘I have to call Bruce!’ It blew me away. “It’s amazing,” Schmitt said of Thriller.
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