MICHAEL Jackson had access to some of the top session musicians during the making of Off The Wall and Thriller. Half the band Toto (who were first LA-based sessionists) played on these albums, with Jeff Porcaro providing some killer beats, Steve Porcaro lending his synth knowledge to the cause, and Steve Lukather raising the roof with some other-worldly guitar licks.
Throw in guitar-slingers Eddie Van Halen, Steve Stevens and Jennifer Batten, and you have an explosive combination of musicians. But bringing all this together in the studio took some doing, and the guidance of producer Quincy Jones and engineer Bruce Swedien proved immeasurable.