Wanna be startin' somethin' - question

[Pompous Git]

Its intentional, you can clearly hear its in time with the music, its a percussion thats been recorded properly and Michael also used the same "part" after he says "breakdown" on the live shows.

Yes, that's because it's Michael using a bathroom stomp board as a percussive element. Used again during the breakdown.

Here another piece of info, Michael thought he never finished WBSS, i read this in an interview with someone (can't for the love of god remember who) several years back, but Michael was never happy and this is one of the main reasons it made so many transformations during his live shows, where most other songs stayed similar to the album cuts.

That came from the 1999 TV Guide interview. This and TGIM were songs Michael was disappointed with because they never came out as he heard them.

RE: Beat It...that ain't no door knock. Michael never said that either. It is, of course, Van Halen's tremolo on the guitar - think of a slightly loose string suddenly being tightened to get that sound. Any able guitarist should be able to do it.

 

[becane]

At 4.12, I wonder if that's a mastering error or intentional. Anybody know?

Link (only ~ 40 KB): http://rapidshare.com/files/452319642/WBsnippet.mp3

On the first vinyl pressings of Thriller, there is the same noise

 

[betseyby67]

I also read about that knock on the door. It was accidental but they kept it.

 

[TPIMaster]

RE: Beat It...that ain't no door knock. Michael never said that either. It is, of course, Van Halen's tremolo on the guitar - think of a slightly loose string suddenly being tightened to get that sound. Any able guitarist should be able to do it.

This.

I highly doubt the door knock on beat it as being a mistake, its again in time with the music and changes in pitch slightly. Also no one in there right mind would knock on a door whilst someone is recording in a studio, its silly aswell as Eddies guitar would have been recorded using a jack lead so no open mic would have been in the studio. If its anything it would have been eddie knocking on his guitar of some percussion added by Michael.

And this.

The knock seems to be on Eddie's guitar track (based on the panning in the mix being exactly the same as the solo guitar) which makes it a sound from Eddie's guitar directly input to the soundboard. It wouldn't make sense to record the solo with an open mic. If it was recorded with an open mic, the knock is very close to the mic and I think Eddie would've stopped if there was knocking that close to him.