Greg Phillinganes
Keyboard Solo on
Bad

About

Greg Phillinganes's keyboard solo is the second of two solos on Michael Jackson's "Bad," following Jimmy Smith's organ. His synthesizer passage maintains the song's aggressive energy at 115 BPM, his playing fitting naturally within the track's driving rock-funk feel. At 29 to 30, Phillinganes was a longtime member of Jackson's touring and studio band, and his familiarity with Jackson's music is evident in how seamlessly the solo integrates into the dense, tightly produced arrangement. The juxtaposition of Smith's jazz-inflected organ with Phillinganes's contemporary synthesizer captures the range of keyboard talent that Jones and Jackson assembled for the Bad sessions.

Greg Phillinganes was 29 to 30 years old at the time.