You'll Hear It

3d ago

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"

Feb 2

Carole King’s Tapestry is so cozy, you'll want to hug it; sit with it. It sounds simple, warm, and totally unassuming. But it’s way more impressive than it seems at first. Adam and Peter break down what’s actually going on beneath the surface of Tapestry ... and what most people miss. Carole King was already an elite songwriter long before this album. You know Aretha Franklin's “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”? Carole wrote that. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles? She wrote that, too. When she was just 17! Listen closely and you hear it everywhere: in the chord choices, in the way the she actually PLAYS the piano instead of just accompanying her vocals, and in the way her melodies and lyrics lock together so naturally you barely notice how intentional it all is. Add in that soulful, sweet voice, and you start to understand how this unassuming record became a chart-topping, Grammy-dominating classic when it came out in 1971. Tapestry sounds easy, but it's not. Check out this episode, and you'll never hear this album the same way again. Get our newsletter for bonus stories that didn’t make the pod: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter 00:00 - Opening Tune: It's Too Late 01:25 - Introducing Carole King's Tapestry 05:00 - That Time Young Paul Simon and Carole Played Together 07:10 - Carole's Early Doo-wop Sound 10:20 - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin 13:30 - When Songwriter Became Performer 16:30 - B.B. and Carole 18:00 - "I Feel the Earth Move" 22:00 - "So Far Away" 30:45 - "It's Too Late" 40:50 - "Home Again" 44:00 - "Beautiful" 45:35 - "Way Over Yonder" 50:00 - "You've Got a Friend" 58:20 - "Where You Lead" 1:02:30 - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" 1:04:40 - "Tapestry" 1:08:45 - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" 1:13:10 - Apex Moments of Tapestry 1:21:20 - Coming Up On on You'll Hear It 1:22:00 - Outro: "It's Too Late"

Jan 31

We're looking at the best jazz releases of January 2026! Listen with pianist Adam Maness as he breaks down and reacts to these great tracks. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - Why Don't You - Sam Fribush, Corey Fonville, Charlie Hunter 03:09 - Talking Drum - Julian Lage 04:58 - Flim - Winderman, Colman, Kimock 06:53 - Nacho Supreme - Motion II 08:51 - Wisdom Is Eternal (For Barry Harris) 10:49 - Unpersuadable Extern - N∆BOU 12:11 - Free Walk - Vladko 14:17 - Fireball - John Ellis & Double Wide 15:52 - Giant Steps - Billy Hart 18:50 - Parks Lope - Aaron Parks

Jan 26

New episode drops February 2, 2026! Keep your eyes on the feed for episodes on artists like Carole King, Michael Jackson, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Radiohead, Tears for Fears, D'Angelo and so much more!

Dec 29, 2025

We're looking back at the best jazz releases of 2025. Listen with pianist Adam Maness as he breaks down and reacts to these great tracks. This is a new segment from the team behind You'll Hear It, and we're looking to continue this music discovery pod as a weekly series in 2026. Help us shape this series and leave us a comment with your feedback. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - The Best New Jazz of 2025 00:55 - "Spiral Dance" - Branford Marsalis Quartet 02:30 - "Minor Blues Redux" - Kenny Barron 4:54 - "Icarus" - Joshua Redman 6:55 - "Thou Swell" - Gillian Margot, Geoffrey Keezer 9:30 - "Southern Nights" - Sullivan Fortner 12:30 - "Anything but now" - Cécile McLorin Salvant 16:30 - "Everything Means Nothing to Me" - Brad Mehldau 22:00 - "Over (feat. Yebba)" - Robert Glasper 24:40 - "Carved From" - Mary Halvorson 26:45 - "Old Folks" - Christian McBride 29:00 - "Windows" - Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Brian Blade 33:00 - "Mood Indigo" - Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bill Charlap

Dec 26, 2025

What does it really mean to live a musical life? As we look ahead to 2026, Adam and Peter talk about music as a way of being. Not a checklist, or a finish line, or something reserved for “professionals.” They share why they believe everyone is a musician, and why taste and curiosity matter more than optimization. Whether you're a musician, or a lover of music, anyone can lead a musical life. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - How to Live a Musical Life in 2026 07:00 - There is No Finish Line 08:45 - All Humans Are Musicians 19:10 - Find Your Own Taste 28:00 - How We Choose Topics for You'll Hear It

Dec 22, 2025

Prince's Sign O' the Times is one of our most requested albums at You'll Hear It. But, there is a certain window of millennial that doesn't really "get" Prince. If that’s you, this episode is your on ramp into his music. We start with Prince's earliest albums, tracing his incredible run from 1978 through to 1986. By the time we hit 1987 (around the time our dear mid-millennials were born), you can hear exactly why Sign O’ the Times has become so beloved by critics and music-lovers alike. If you’re already a Prince fan (like us!), get comfy. Put on your purple rain coat. We talk through the influences we hear all over this music: James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Parliament, Earth, Wind & Fire. We share our apex moments from Sign O’ the Times. And yes… we’ve got a few quibble bits too. We'll be taking a short break in January, and returning with more great episodes in February 2026. We'll be dropping a few special episodes in the meantime, so keep an eye on the feed. 00:00 - Intro Jam: "U Got the Look" 02:10 - Welcome + New at Open Studio 03:50 - Coming Up Next Season 05:10 - How We Make Decisions for the Show 08:35 - Why "Sign O' the Times"? 11:35 - "Soft and Wet" from For You (1978) 14:50 - "I Wanna Be Your Lover" from Prince (1979) 17:50 - "Head" from Dirty Mind (1980) 19:15 - "Controversy" from Controversy (1981) 22:35 - "1999" from 1999 (1982) 25:15 - "Purple Rain" from Purple Rain (1984) 28:40 - "Raspberry Beret" from Around the World in a Day (1985) 29:45 - "Kiss" from Parade (1986) 40:20 - "Sign O' the Times" 45:40 - "Housequake" 47:20 - "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" 51:50 - "Starfish and Coffee" 53:05 - "Slow Love" 55:20 - "Hot Thing" 57:10 - "U Got the Look" 59:25 - Miles on Prince 1:02:25 - "If I Was Your Girlfriend" 1:04:00 - "Strange Relationship" 1:05:20 - "The Cross" 1:08:00 - "Adore" 1:09:50 - Apex Moments 1:14:55 - Categories 1:19:35 - Snobometer 1:23:55 - Coming Up on YHI 1:24:20 - Outro Jam: "U Got the Look"

Dec 15, 2025

Could this be peak Frank? Sinatra at the Sands captures the energy, the cool, and the incredible voice that made this crooner so iconic. Backed by the Count Basie Orchestra with arrangements by a young Quincy Jones, this live album still swings 60 years later! Sinatra at the Sands was recorded at a moment when Sinatra was emerging from a slump. Rock and roll dominated the airwaves, the Beatles were redefining popular music and crooning just wasn't cool anymore. But this album, recorded live in Vegas, shows a 50-year-old Frank sounding loose, confident, and completely at home in front of a band that swings like nothing else. Listen with us as we break down and react to the best of this swingin' album. Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: https://osjazz.link/yhi 00:00 - Intro Jam: Fly Me To the Moon 01:35 - The Sinatra-Basie Episode! 03:45 - Is This Peak Frank? 05:45 - The Mid-60s Culture Shift 07:45 - "Come Fly With Me" 12:00 - The Quincy Influence 14:45 - "I've Got You Under My Skin" 17:30 - What To Listen For 22:30 - "The Shadow of Your Smile" 26:20 - Freddie Green's "Chunking" Technique 28:15 - Sinatra's Vocal Gift 33:30 - "Street of Dreams" 35:50 - "One For My Baby (And One More for the Road)" 38:40 - "Fly Me To the Moon" 45:00 - "One O'Clock Jump" 49:50 - Desert Island Tracks 54:05 - Apex Moments 59:05 - Categories 1:03:20 - Coming Up Next Week