If you love the golden age of '70s music as we do here at Gooseneck HQ, then you undoubtedly -- and perhaps unknowingly -- love Toto.
That's because the core members of Toto -- David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, Steve Lukather and David Hungate -- were all highly accomplished and in-demand Los Angeles studio musicians during that period when many great records were being recorded in L.A.
These guys played on literally hundreds of records before and even after they formed Toto. In fact, they formed Toto after running into each other so many times at sessions and deciding they should start their own band. Plus, several of the guys all grew up together and went to the same high school in Van Nuys.
Of all the records they played on outside of Toto, we love their work with Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs and Michael Jackson.
Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees
Boz's breakthrough and best-selling album, Silk Degrees, was also a breakthrough for David Paich. Boz asked Paich to collaborate on the record and he ended up co-writing with Boz five of the ten songs on this album, including the perennial hits "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle."
Listen to "Lido" today and you can tell that it's basically a Toto record with Boz singing on top of it. In fact, the whole rhythm section on Silk Degrees -- Paich on keyboards, Jeff Porcaro on drums and David Hungate on bass -- is Toto.
It's also cool to note Jeff Porcaro's father, Joe -- himself a veteran studio musician -- played percussion on this album. And in another example of "like father/like son" David Paich's father, Marty, was also an accomplished studio pianist and arranger.
Steely Dan, Pretzel Logic
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are known as studio perfectionists who called on a rotating cast of ace session musicians to bring their songs to life. David Paich and Jeff Porcaro were both on speed-dial for Donald and Walter during that period in the mid-'70s when the Dan were recording Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied in L.A.
We're not sure which of the exact tracks the Toto guys played on, as the Dan were sometimes cryptic in their liner notes. But listen to songs like "Any Major Dude" and you can start to hear similarities to the playing on Toto records.
Michael Jackson, Thriller
Eddie Van Halen gets the credit for the guitar solo on "Beat It," but it's Steve Lukather's rhythm guitar and Jeff Porcaro's drums that define this track. Another Toto contribution to Thriller is on the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney duet "The Girl Is Mine."
There's also a Toto songwriting credit on Thriller. Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro caught Quincy Jones's ear with a demo recording of his song "Human Nature" when it was still being written. Quincy loved it, got John Bettis to help complete the lyrics, and then recorded it with Michael.
So what do Michael Jackson, Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs have in common? Toto! Even if you don't love Toto, you probably love some of the other records the members of the band played on during the '70s and '80s.
Leave A Comment
Now it's your turn. What's your favorite record that Toto played on for another artist? What's your favorite Toto record? Leave a comment and let us know!
If you like this post, you might also like:
Steely Dan's Long-Lost Song "Second Arrangement"
Steely Dan's Aja Is Pure Genius
Who's The Deacon In Steely Dan's Deacon Blues?
That's because the core members of Toto -- David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, Steve Lukather and David Hungate -- were all highly accomplished and in-demand Los Angeles studio musicians during that period when many great records were being recorded in L.A.
These guys played on literally hundreds of records before and even after they formed Toto. In fact, they formed Toto after running into each other so many times at sessions and deciding they should start their own band. Plus, several of the guys all grew up together and went to the same high school in Van Nuys.
Of all the records they played on outside of Toto, we love their work with Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs and Michael Jackson.
Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees
Boz's breakthrough and best-selling album, Silk Degrees, was also a breakthrough for David Paich. Boz asked Paich to collaborate on the record and he ended up co-writing with Boz five of the ten songs on this album, including the perennial hits "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle."
Listen to "Lido" today and you can tell that it's basically a Toto record with Boz singing on top of it. In fact, the whole rhythm section on Silk Degrees -- Paich on keyboards, Jeff Porcaro on drums and David Hungate on bass -- is Toto.
It's also cool to note Jeff Porcaro's father, Joe -- himself a veteran studio musician -- played percussion on this album. And in another example of "like father/like son" David Paich's father, Marty, was also an accomplished studio pianist and arranger.
Steely Dan, Pretzel Logic
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker are known as studio perfectionists who called on a rotating cast of ace session musicians to bring their songs to life. David Paich and Jeff Porcaro were both on speed-dial for Donald and Walter during that period in the mid-'70s when the Dan were recording Pretzel Logic and Katy Lied in L.A.
We're not sure which of the exact tracks the Toto guys played on, as the Dan were sometimes cryptic in their liner notes. But listen to songs like "Any Major Dude" and you can start to hear similarities to the playing on Toto records.
Michael Jackson, Thriller
Eddie Van Halen gets the credit for the guitar solo on "Beat It," but it's Steve Lukather's rhythm guitar and Jeff Porcaro's drums that define this track. Another Toto contribution to Thriller is on the Michael Jackson/Paul McCartney duet "The Girl Is Mine."
There's also a Toto songwriting credit on Thriller. Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro caught Quincy Jones's ear with a demo recording of his song "Human Nature" when it was still being written. Quincy loved it, got John Bettis to help complete the lyrics, and then recorded it with Michael.
So what do Michael Jackson, Steely Dan and Boz Scaggs have in common? Toto! Even if you don't love Toto, you probably love some of the other records the members of the band played on during the '70s and '80s.
Leave A Comment
Now it's your turn. What's your favorite record that Toto played on for another artist? What's your favorite Toto record? Leave a comment and let us know!
If you like this post, you might also like:
Steely Dan's Long-Lost Song "Second Arrangement"
Steely Dan's Aja Is Pure Genius
Who's The Deacon In Steely Dan's Deacon Blues?