Toto appreciation thread

[Justin Havu]

One of my all time favorite bands, and IMHO, some of the best keyboard work of the late 70's and 80's, especially on Toto (Child's Anthem, Girl Goodbye) and The Seventh One (Pamela, Mushanga, Only The Children). David P. and Steve P. are both really big influences with my playing and programming.

[BernMeister]

One of my favourite bands too. Back in the day, as a personal challenge, I managed to recreate Rosanna in its entirety, nailing all the intricacies of the keyboard solo too. Great fun.

 

Ah, the good'ol days.

[Electro Fan]

Count me as a fan of the great playing and programming on those 80's Toto discs. I love the whole ensemble and find their ability orchestrate such memorable parts and lay down a fantastic groove to be very impressive. I have always love the piano solo in "Rosana" and the synth work in "Africa". I also am a fan of the live work I have heard Greg Phillinganes do with the band as well.

 

Justin,

Always nice to see a fellow member from the great state of Maine. I live in Bucksport, ME. Sometimes I feel so removed from the larger keyboard playing/live gigging community. tt is nice to hear from someone who lives in my "backyard".

 

Bill

 

 

 

[ThisSiteSucks]

+1 here!

 

In the mid 70's I was in high school ski club. I remember driving to the slopes in my Ford Maverick listening to an 8-TRACK TOTO tape. Good times, great memories

[Cloner]

Got to meet Steve P. in the mid-80's at one of the old Yamaha Electone Organ Festivals (I think he was a judge). I talked to him for at least 10 minutes. He was a very nice, considerate person - very down to earth. Musically, I think he and the whole TOTO gang were years ahead of their time. They've always been a fave of mine!.

[Tonysounds]

Bern, would love to get my hands on that Rosanna transcript!

 

I'm a fan as well...some stuff works better than others, but great players. Minefields is a great album if you haven't heard it.

 

[timwat]

Love them as well, and count me as another who would love to see that Rosanna transcription.

 

I may be the minority there, but in addition to the classic stuff mentioned above, I really dig the Fergie Fredrickson Isolation and Joe Williams Fahrenheit releases as well.

[BernMeister]

Bern, would love to get my hands on that Rosanna transcript!

If you're referring to the piano solo, I don't have it transcribed. However, it's not that difficult a solo (at least to pick out the notes). If, on the other hand, you're referring to the synth orchestration solo, that's another animal. It was sequenced in Voyetra's Sequencer Plus way back, now in storage somewhere

[Bobadohshe]

This thread is going down? You have unleashed a beast in me if you want to talk Toto. I'll out Toto talk anyone as this band is one of my great musical pillars.

 

What makes a studio cat truly a studio cat is something I learned from listening to this band and studying it and the entire scene of L.A. cut records in the 70s and 80s. Jeff epitomizes all the things I love about a great drummer. Their compositions, their sound, their effortless perfection; These are all things that blow me away and continue to inspire me as a player and a producer.

[Dugg64]

Bern, would love to get my hands on that Rosanna transcript!

 

Another option would be to check out Jammit. They have the Rosanna keyboard, guitar, bass, drums and vocals available as original multi-track play-a-long downloads for the app.

 

Check the demo out below

 

[video:youtube]

[Dugg64]

Oh, another cool Rosanna/Toto vid. While I'm sure it's already been posted elsewhere, it bears repeating here. From bonus material on the "Falling In Between Live" DVD, here's Greg Phillinganes discussing/demoing his approach to playing Rosanna and Africa for the tour.

 

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRGBAqZMWxU

[Mark Zeger]

I was totally hooked when I first heard "99" on the radio. I still LOVE that song.

 

This thread is going down? You have unleashed a beast in me if you want to talk Toto. I'll out Toto talk anyone as this band is one of my great musical pillars.

And who hooked you up with the rare Jeff Porcaro tribute album?

[arX]

An all-time favourite:

 

Michael Jackson - Human Nature

 

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgmbYALa0no

 

 

Arranged By David Paich, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro

Drums Jeff Porcaro

Guitar Steve Lukather

Other [Emulator] Michael Boddicker

Percussion Paulinho Da Costa

Synthesizer David Paich

Synthesizer, Programmed By [synthesizer] Steve Porcaro

Written-By John Bettis, Steve Porcaro

[Justin Havu]

And who hooked you up with the rare Jeff Porcaro tribute album?

 

I have a bootleg of that, plus a few other shows from the 80's (Seventh Heaven, Till the Endless '86, Live at Budokan '82.)

 

Mindfields has some great keyboard work as well, (LOVE the track "Better World.)

[PinkFloydDudi]

One thing about Toto - I never realized how involved a couple of those guys are with music scene outside of their band. Their list of accomplishments even with other artist's doing songs they wrote is pretty impressive.

 

Definitely feel they are an underrated band!

[Justin Havu]

I remember 10 years ago, back in high school, I recreated the title track from Fahrenheit, using a couple of keyboards--Yamaha PSR-48, PSR-300M, and a Roland KR-570 piano, all MIDI'd to my laptop (running Cakewalk Pro Audio 9). The piano had a 16-track sequencer, but I did all of the sequencing in Cakewalk, using the sequencer in the piano as a "multi" mode. This allowed me to not only use the sounds in the KR-570, but also layer some stuff with the two Yamaha's. Man, I miss those days!!

[Mike Martin]

I've actually met Steve Lukather a few times. Actually played Toto's Africa for him on a XW-P1...a demo that we came up with at the NAMM show. He's a great guy. I was invited to a Toto rehearsal, but missed it because of other travel.

 

Steve Lukather has a solo album coming out soon and I had the pleasure of listening to the whole thing a few weeks ago right before it went to get mastered. CJ Vanston produced this new album does all the keyboard work incredible.

[BernMeister]

Bern, would love to get my hands on that Rosanna transcript!

 

Another option would be to check out Jammit. They have the Rosanna keyboard, guitar, bass, drums and vocals available as original multi-track play-a-long downloads for the app.

 

Check the demo out below

 

[video:youtube]

Wonderful technology, now that it's available today. However, there's a genuine appreciation for this music by trying to lift it without the help of this technology i.e. access to the actual studio tracks (not to mention what it does to improve your ear-training!). Of course, you can always verify your attempt to the actual tracks and see how close you've come; that would be gratifying!

[Jason Stanfield]

Love me some Toto!

 

I was just jamming on a Toto playlist while on the road between Gulfport & Oxford this weekend.

[Dugg64]

Bern, would love to get my hands on that Rosanna transcript!

 

Another option would be to check out Jammit. They have the Rosanna keyboard, guitar, bass, drums and vocals available as original multi-track play-a-long downloads for the app.

 

Check the demo out below

 

[video:youtube]

Wonderful technology, now that it's available today. However, there's a genuine appreciation for this music by trying to lift it without the help of this technology i.e. access to the actual studio tracks (not to mention what it does to improve your ear-training!). Of course, you can always verify your attempt to the actual tracks and see how close you've come; that would be gratifying!

 

Definitely agreed! However, depending on the tune, the actual part may be so buried in the mix that what is truly being played may not be derived from listening. Luke addresses this in the Jammit promo below

 

[video:youtube]

[BernMeister]

Definitely agreed! However, depending on the tune, the actual part may be so buried in the mix that what is truly being played may not be derived from listening. Luke addresses this in the Jammit promo below

 

[video:youtube]

This is a great app and a welcome tool. However, and I mean no disrespect towards the maker of this app (or Mr.Lukather), what's said in the video is just a sales pitch. Maybe some people can't hear the guitar part in question (I could, and I'm sure "Luke" can too).

 

Apologies for having derailed this thread.

[CEB]

I especially appreciate how Toto stood up to that mean old Miss Gulch.

[Dugg64]

Definitely agreed! However, depending on the tune, the actual part may be so buried in the mix that what is truly being played may not be derived from listening. Luke addresses this in the Jammit promo below

 

[video:youtube]

This is a great app and a welcome tool. However, and I mean no disrespect towards the maker of this app (or Mr.Lukather), what's said in the video is just a sales pitch. Maybe some people can't hear the guitar part in question (I could, and I'm sure "Luke" can too).

 

Apologies for having derailed this thread.

 

Perhaps not the best example in the vid, but as I said," depending on the tune, the actual part may be so buried in the mix that what is truly being played may not be derived from listening."

 

That's not saying that a satisfactory guitar/keyboard/etc. part couldn't be constructed by listening. I'm just saying that Jammit could help those who just can't sleep at night without knowing what's actually under the hood : )

 

Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

[JohnH]

A huge Toto fan. Also have met Luke many times. Just saw them in September, having Steve and David back is really awesome. Have been to two Toto concerts last one before this was 6 years ago with Greg. The recent show is one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Met Steve at a Dave Garfield show ten years ago and he was very nice , big smile when I told him I play too. Funny story, at that venue in 2002 which was platinum live, Garfield did a show and David Paich showed up. Garfield dedicated Lowdown to David Paich, who beamed proudly on the floor just off stage left. 6 months later at the same venue is when I met Steve. So Garfield dedicates Human Nature to Steve, who was beaming proudly and standing in the exact same spot Paich was 6 months before. I couldn't believe it!!!

[Bucktunes]

One thing about Toto - I never realized how involved a couple of those guys are with music scene outside of their band. Their list of accomplishments even with other artist's doing songs they wrote is pretty impressive.

IIRC they were all originally well established session players. They were assembled into a "supergroup", and they were one band who truly lived up to that title! That's never been more true now the Greg Phillinganes is on the keys. A legendary session player joining a now legendary band - What an ideal fit!

 

I've played numerous Toto tunes in cover bands over the last 20 years or so, including the ones mentioned above. Nobody's mentioned this one yet, so I will...I've always believed "I Won't Hold You Back" is one of the most gorgeous rock ballads ever, and it's a blast to play live. The vocal harmonies, the guitar solo over orchestra...Great stuff, and audiences love it!

[Justin Havu]

I did "I Won't Hold You Back" during my high school talent show 10 years ago, as part of a medley which included Dave's keyboard solo from "Livefields" and the ending to "Better World". Year before that, I performed "Hydra" in its entirety, (the song, not the album. )

 

[Bobadohshe]

I did "I Won't Hold You Back" during my high school talent show 10 years ago, as part of a medley which included Dave's keyboard solo from "Livefields" and the ending to "Better World". Year before that, I performed "Hydra" in its entirety, (the song, not the album. )

 

Sounds amazing!

[JohnH]

One thing about Toto - I never realized how involved a couple of those guys are with music scene outside of their band. Their list of accomplishments even with other artist's doing songs they wrote is pretty impressive.

IIRC they were all originally well established session players. They were assembled into a "supergroup", and they were one band who truly lived up to that title! That's never been more true now the Greg Phillinganes is on the keys. A legendary session player joining a now legendary band - What an ideal fit!

 

 

Was.Greg was awesome in Toto but has not been in the band since 2008. When Toto reformed in 2010 Steve and Dave returned . The band states there will be no new albums , one of the reasons is a contract lawsuit with the label Frontiers . Never say never, I never thought I'd see Dave and Steve back and the band live again do who knows what will happen if they can get released from Frontiers.

[BRW]

... the entire scene of L.A. cut records in the 70s and 80s. Jeff epitomizes all the things I love about a great drummer. Their compositions, their sound, their effortless perfection;

 

I wholeheartedly agree! Jeff Porcaro was one the most gorgeous "in-the-pocket" players. His drum tracks are beautiful on everything he ever did, from Toto to Donald Fagen (The Nightfly) to Boz Scaggs etc etc.

 

Watch Porcaro's drum master class on YouTube - you can totally learn a lot even if you are a keyboard player / pianist.

 

 

One thing about Toto - I never realized how involved a couple of those guys are with music scene outside of their band.

 

Oh yes. The Toto gang pretty much did played the whole MJ "Thriller" album (along with Greg Phillinganes and others, of course). By the way, Paich is the guy playing the piano on MJ's "Stranger In Moscow"...

 

One thing I was really surprised to learn was that David Paich co-composed Cheryl Lynn's funky "Got To Be Real" with David Foster!

 

My favorite Toto albums are "IV" and the first one.

[stillplaying]

I'd forgotten about Toto. The bass player in a band I work with suggested adding Gorgy Porgy to the set (we're not BTW). He's the younger side of forty with the rest of the band - good to know they're still being played somewhere.

 

The two 21 year olds that front it have us doing Beach Boy numbers.

 

I look at them when we're ripping through some of these 60s tunes (Beatles stuff) - they play it with such gusto. The Beatles always looked like my parents - older, got my respect - but when I see and hear the younsters playing I get why they were rocky and edgy and the young girls screamed. Gigging life's good right now.

 

Toto were always old to me - but what a band of players.