Michael Jackson's "Beat It" Demo

Establishing a groove on a song is usually the job of the rhythm section, but not always. Sometimes a rhythm guitar part or a percussion track makes the groove and everything is built around it. Quincy Jones once told me that Michael Jackson's sense of time was so good that he could establish the groove with his vocal.

Here's a great example of that from the demo of Michael's huge hit "Beat It," where there are only vocals and no instruments. Since Michael didn't really play an instrument, many of his demos were done just by vocals alone. Here's a perfect case.

Take notice of the great sounding long delayed reverb, and how intricate the harmonies are in this embryonic version of the song.