British writer of Thriller and other Michael Jackson hit songs.

Actually this got quite a lot of press coverage. I bet a lot of people had assumed Michael Jackson wrote most of his biggest hits. (And it was in the days when the real writers didn't have to share writing credits with the artist!).

He also wrote and performed some great Heatwave songs too.

I was 3 or 4 when Boogie Nights was a hit - and it was partly responsible for my love of music from that early age. That track has everything, and it's structure is akin to a soul/disco version of what Brian Wilson was doing with the Beach Boys in 65/66, it's really that great.

Poor old Heatwave - for a band who's music had so much joy they encountered so much trouble in a short space of time, effectively curtailing a career just as it was starting. Rod quit the line-up when Mind Blowing Decisions was in the charts, but was still working with the band - and many of his later songs could well have been theirs.

Excellent interview with Frank Musker on Johnny Walker's show about Rod; catch it on iPlayer.