Jackson was a master arranger of his own voice. The multitrack reveals that the lush, soaring choruses are comprised of dozens of layered vocal tracks. He meticulously tracked his own background harmonies, shifting from a rich tenor in the lower registers to piercing falsettos on the top end. When isolated, these harmonies sound like a secular gospel choir, perfectly synchronized in phrasing, vibrato, and cutoff points. The Vocal Percussion
Master session drummer Jeff Porcaro (of Toto) played live drums directly over the Linn loop, adding a heavy, physical punch to the kick and snare.
Perhaps the most famous is the mysterious "knocking" sound heard just before Eddie Van Halen’s legendary solo. Decades of speculation, including rumors that it was Van Halen knocking his guitar or getting annoyed with an engineer, have finally been put to rest. The isolated tracks confirm the truth: the sound was intentionally made by Michael Jackson himself banging on a drum case, earning him the unique credit of "Drum Case Beater" on the Thriller album.
Between tracks, you can hear Quincy Jones talking through the talkback: “Again, but Michael, pull back on the first ‘beat it’—save the rasp.” And, eerily, Michael humming the solo’s shape to Eddie before the guitarist walked in. michael jackson beat it multitrack exclusive
Perhaps most shocking: In the final mix, the guitar solo is turned down. On the raw stem, Eddie’s playing is much louder, fiercer, and wilder.
“Beat It” is famous for the gang vocal chant: “Beat it, beat it, no one wants to be defeated.” The exclusive multitrack reveals that this wasn't just Michael double-tracking himself. It features multiple session singers, including a very young (before her pop stardom). Isolated, their voices sound raw, almost shouting in a parking lot, which gives the track its street-fight authenticity.
A steady, unyielding heartbeat programmed on a Linn LM-1 drum machine provides the pristine electronic pulse. Jackson was a master arranger of his own voice
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Producers often seek out these stems to create exclusive, official, or unofficial remixes, paying homage to the original while updating the sonic landscape.
Recording sessions brought together a who's who of session legends. Key players included Steve Lukather (Toto) on guitar and bass, Jeff Porcaro (also of Toto) on drums, Paul Jackson Jr. on additional guitar, and the incomparable Eddie Van Halen on the guitar solo. When isolated, these harmonies sound like a secular
Before diving into the specific secrets of "Beat It," it is important to understand what a multitrack is. In professional recording, songs are not captured as a single audio file. Instead, every instrument, vocal line, and sound effect is recorded onto its own separate lane or "track."
The drum track is an airtight combination of human feel and machine precision:
Perhaps the most famous stem in this exclusive collection is the solo recorded by Eddie Van Halen.