6. Background Vocals Were Recorded In A Shower Stall

Quincy Jones’ kicked off the recording of Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ album in a Santa Monica studio by announcing, “OK guys, we’re here to save the recording industry.” The crew then spent long hours undertaking this massive responsibility with great care and ingenuity.

The crew used every inch of space they could to record and mix the album. Bruce Swedien, an audio engineer who worked with Jones on the album in 1982, said the album’s distinctive sound came from some creative use of acoustics. Some of the background singers actually recorded their parts in a bathroom shower stall to take advantage of its unique acoustics. He also had Jackson record and then re-record his vocalizations over each other to give Michael’s voice “a unique character.”