Just watched Greatest Night in Pop doco..

[Jim Alfredson]

My wife and I watched it together and enjoyed it. I have to say it's odd that they completely ignored the musicians who actually played on the song, though. Why didn't they have anything about that? It's a who's who of session cats.

 • John Barnes – keyboards, programming, arrangement
 • David Paich – synthesizers
 • Michael Boddicker – synthesizers, programming
 • Ian Underwood – synthesizers, programming
 • Steve Porcaro – synthesizers, programming    
 • Paulinho da Costa – percussion
 • Louis Johnson – synth bass
 • Michael Omartian – keyboards
 • Greg Phillinganes – keyboards
 • John Robinson – drums

[D. Gauss]

7 minutes ago, Jim Alfredson said:

  it's odd that they completely ignored the musicians who actually played on the song, though. Why didn't they have anything about that? It's a who's who of session cats. 

 

perhaps because they weren't there on the "greatest night in pop?" maybe they'll make a sequel, "The sixth night before the greatest night in pop."

 

 

 

[MathOfInsects]

"The shortest session of basics for the longest vocal recording session in pop." 

[ProfD]

4 hours ago, MathOfInsects said:

QJ was kidding when he called a capella “acapulco,” right?

It's either that effected speech impediment he seems to favor or that powered donut he toked.🤣😎

[zxcvbnm098]

On 2/12/2024 at 11:57 AM, Jim Alfredson said:

My wife and I watched it together and enjoyed it. I have to say it's odd that they completely ignored the musicians who actually played on the song, though. Why didn't they have anything about that? It's a who's who of session cats.

 • John Barnes – keyboards, programming, arrangement
 • David Paich – synthesizers
 • Michael Boddicker – synthesizers, programming
 • Ian Underwood – synthesizers, programming
 • Steve Porcaro – synthesizers, programming    
 • Paulinho da Costa – percussion
 • Louis Johnson – synth bass
 • Michael Omartian – keyboards
 • Greg Phillinganes – keyboards
 • John Robinson – drums

For whatever reason, I don't think the tracking was even filmed. A shame for sure, but for the documentary they only had what was filmed then to work with. They did end up getting some new audio from a reporter from LIFE magazine for the doc, but I don't think there was any new video to be had....

[JohnH]

They could have easily had Greg, JR, Steve P and Paich giving a few words about the recording and added on to the doc 3-5 mins. It was a shame they weren't interviewed. It was a very bad omission, and I noticed that right away. Ridiculous. The guys I mentioned are great story tellers, so they would have been great to hear from them. 

[MathOfInsects]

I think the "angle" of the doc--that it's all the legends in one place at the same time, and the logistics required for it--pretty much precludes spending any film time on the studio musicians who recorded the track in advance--the guys doing their paid job. As famous as they are to us, the public doesn't know them, and what are they going to say, really, aside from, "I played this song." They may have been interviewed and had their parts cut, but I think  the inclusion of the choir director was probably about as far into the weeds as the doc wanted to go. I would bet that even Quincy Jones' role wasn't completely clear to the layperson, given the place Lionel Ritchie held in the narrative of the film. 

[Theo Verelst]

I recall the time because I' just blown 7/8th of my my first year EE, which in the half year after this, I corrected in the same year anyhow, but I recall I felt depressed. Yeah those A grades can work magic in ways nobody can in that time or this, and they know what they do and why, but it is not without nerdiness and a amount of control over personality subjects most people would find revolting, those are the factors we see there.

 

I recall a year before I was still in high school (until 18 in Holland) and would enjoy the Disco and so on, but I had pretty much not a connection with new pop any longer, and was quite aware of that. I wouldn't say my girl friends implored me to "beat it" but it wasn't exactly at a right angle with that idea either.

 

T