In early highschool (circ. 2015) I discovered the band Toto and listened to them on repeat during my bus ride each day. At home I compulsed through my parents CD collection and sure enough found some of their records, and spent entire evenings reading and dissecting the liner notes, examining the pictures on the back covers etc, and found that these guys were virtually in every production from back then. I was very interested in synths at the time, and Steve Porcaro was a hero of mine, the Starlicks instructional video is a classic, along with the Jeff masterclass on Hal Leonard (which ends with the Garfield track "Creatchy Stomp", and his label is "Creatchy Records"; Coincidence ? I think not :)
This was the stuff I was looking for. Dated production taped on VHS, clanky Yamaha DX7s and midi sequencers, and essentially what was the Porcaro sound/aesthetic at that time: endless rack of synths, clean af drums, and impeccable technique and execution. I even stole my dad oversized shirts to dress like Steve. Didn't need the glasses tho.
Youtube then suggested an obscure album album called "James Newton Howard & Friends". I became absolutely fascinated by this as it was practically an independant Toto album, with David Paich, Steve Porcaro and James NH on keyboards, Jeff and Joe Porcaro on drums. Very few information were available about it, except - and this was the whole sell point - that it was recorded at Sheffield Lab, LA in 1983, "direct to disc", which if you think about it is kinda awesome. Praised by the audiophile community for equipment testing they say.
The liner notes thanks Yamaha for their "DX7, DX9 and GS1 synths", making this album technically an add for FM synths. Some underexposed pictures are displayed inside, and while I never had the chance to hold one of them for real, some pics can be found online. Absolutely jealous of James Yamaha shirt.
I wasn't a very acute student at music school, learning drums mostly by ear (don't we all?) and piano thanks to these pianorolls on YT, or midi files on my phone. Which wasn't available online for these tracks. Time passed, my musical taste changed, I changed, and quietly forgot about it, or shelved it in a place of my mind I somehow knew I would come back to.
Fews months ago I dusted this memory shelf and started to transcribe the tracks. My music theory skills are very limited, and the Musescore practice was very laborious in the beginning, but got ok along the way. Someday in the future I will transcribe the soloes.
I have no idea why i wrote a whole cooking-recipe-blog-introduction-typeshit paragraph laying out my life, maybe something to exorcize. Anyway.
- Caesar (David Paich)
Full of synths with build in fourths, nice piano intro. Absolute nightmare of managing the time signature in the end.
- Gone Buttlefishin' (James Newton Howard & David Paich)
I remember some years ago two dudes playing it in their garden on Youtube.
Credits to these guys for playing it live in '03.
- She (Steve Porcaro & David Paich)
My favorite track. The bridge in 7/8 is very tasteful. Steve rules as always.
He plays an excerpt with David this Yamaha Montage promotional video.
- L'Daddy (David Paich)
score incoming!
Many videos of this on youtube with a fancy meal/gourmet decoration ? Strange association.
- Tandoori (James Newton Howard & David Paich & Jeff & Joe Porcaro)
score incoming !
- Borealis (James Newton Howard)
not sure if I want to score this, strange track.
- E Minor Shuffle (David Paich)
Absolute classic. Famously covered by David Garfield and Karizma, and of course Toto in On The Run.
- Slippin' Away II (David Paich)
fun to play along on bass.
- Amuseum (James Newton Howard & Wendy Smith Howard)
2nd favorite track, 10/8 section is smooth af. Jeff showing off his chops. Pretty simple harmonically speaking, but the instrumentation with the clavs and marimbas and strings ties it all together. Cover by Sheffield Lab again in a different instrumentation, other direction, other choices, still interesting.
bonus: Moodido, from the 84 Los Angeles Olympics
Was my morning alarm for so long.
That's about it,
xoxo
Pietrox