Jeff Porcaro

Jeff rules! Definitely one of the best groovedrummers ever!
 
Womble said:
3) Dire Straits, On Every Street: 'Calling Elvis' features absolutely perfect rock drumming. You must hear this track!! The big single off the album was 'Heavy fuel'; crap song, great drumming, with a massive Jeff snare fill at the end.

Wow.. I own this record, and it's been years since I've listened to it. I just listened to "Calling Elvis". Thanks for openning my eyes on the drum part.
 
shuffle said:
Thanks for openning my eyes on the drum part.

That's my pleasure. I bang on about Jeff so much that I figure I probably bore people to death, so it's nice to get some positive feedback.
 
I've noticed that Manu Katche also plays on the "On every street" album

However, there are no indications in my booklet regarding which songs are played by Porcaro and which ones by Katche.

From previous posts in this thread, I see that Porcaro plays "Calling Elvis" and "Heavy Fuel"... Anybody knows about the other songs ?
 
Calling Elvis is very Jeff Porcaro, and not very Manu sounding for sure!
 
shuffle said:
there are no indications in my booklet regarding which songs are played by Porcaro and which ones by Katche.

Yes, don't you just hate when they do that? It's the same with Madonna's Like a Prayer, it just tells you that JR, Jeff, and Jonathon Moffet played on the album. Thankfully, telling those 3 apart is very easy.

I'll have to listen to the other tracks on On Every Street and give you my best guesses.
 
Womble said:
Yes, don't you just hate when they do that? It's the same with Madonna's Like a Prayer, it just tells you that JR, Jeff, and Jonathon Moffet played on the album. Thankfully, telling those 3 apart is very easy.

I'll have to listen to the other tracks on On Every Street and give you my best guesses.

I also hate when you buy downloaded music and get EVEN LESS in the lines of liner notes. Some bands are starting to include digital booklets, but I just wish they'd make an mp3 tag or whatever for band credits!
 
Also might add that Jeff Porcaro played on Pink Floyd's The Wall including Pt. 2. If you listen to it you can definitley hear his sound. Apparently Nick Mason was off racing cars or something and was somewhat relieved that they had someone come in and do the album tracks for him.

Also played on Tommy Bolin's "Teaser" which is a great track.
 
shuffle said:
You're sure about that ? I thought he only played on the song "Mother".

Yeah I'm pretty sure because I was pretty surprised by it at the time. I *think* it was in the MD issue from a few years but I did read a more detailed account as related by his drum tech but i'm trying to think where I read it. To correct myself though, I'm not sure he played on the full album, I thought he did a number of tracks, and I do believe it was he who was on "Another Brick in the Wall." "Mother" sounds about right too.
 
I couldn't agree more about Calling Elvis. One of the catchiest grooves ever. Some very tasteful ghost notes on that as well.
 
Jeff also shows up BIGTIME for "Chicago" .... on "17", the first tune is all Jeff.

I thought for years that was Seraphine, but it was Porcaro on "Stay the Night".

Jeff also played for Contemporary Christian artist Sandi Patti on her record, "Another Time Another Place".

I've gotten the video that's posted up here... I'm NOT a drummer; my main thing is keyboards/vocals/flute ...but I'm learning from watching Jeff's segments on that tape.
I didn't complete MUS482 on kit; or even on concert snare. Arm injuries will do that.
But now that it's completely better; I'm gonna try again.

One of the things Jeff said is key. PHRASING. I was taught that on a rediculous level by my piano instructors --- anyway. He was an amazing musician; not just a time keeper. There was more than "metronome" to his playing. Just watching the video ---during the opening Jam, the smile never leaves his face. That's true joy there.
Loving what you do.

PS: "Creature Stomp" kicks; but they rolled credit and I couldn't SEE what he was doin'.
That sucked. ANYBODY got the title of the Opening jam those guys do on that thing?
It's my favorite thing on the entire video; he's all over EVERYWHERE> The guy had the lightest hands of anybody I've ever heard or seen. Phenominal.

Saturday he'd have been 52. Has it been that long since he left??? Good NIGHT.

Anywho; drummers aren't the only people affected by guys like Jeff. the influence was MUCh broader. I am one of those "non drummers" who absolutely LOVED hearing "Lido Shuffle" and the things he did on Bonnie Raitt's "Luck of the Draw" caused my jaw to drop.

I was sunbathing and filling out housing request forms on 9/05/02. I heard the news guy say "Porcaro" and "heart attack" and it didn't sink in until about two hours later that he'd gone. Shock. Like when I heard of Anthony Berger (Gospel pianist) passing away at the keyboard in February of this year. Absolute denial for a few hours.

Sheer, unadulteraed, God-Given "Groove". How else to explain what Gift??

I don't know if the hole he left in the industry has been filled...YET!

It's gonna take awhile.............


Theresa
B.M. Music Business 1996
Southern Mississippi
 
He had a jazz background but could kick the crap outta the bass drum's batter side.
"Kingdom Of Desire" ranks as my #2 favorite record of TOTO stuff he ever did, "Wings of Time"....amazing. "Gypsy Train" just HAULS.....and "Kick down the Walls" ---sounds like Jeff might have tried it, ha ha.

I'm listening to the opening groove on the instructional video and amazed STILL at the way the guy's just FLYIN' around the kit. "Jake to the Bone" (from K.O.D.) is an amazing little thing.

"How Many Times" also on KOD is another smokin' thing.
"Look the F out" is correct. I told my sister tonight, "all OVER the place, this guy was---when he got a chance to really stretch out---LOOK out 'cause you never knew where he'd go next." His Hat work is STILL blowin' my mind.

Porcaro could go all finesse one minute and tear the top of your head off the next. I loved hearing him on KOD because this was not "typical" for TOTO and they'd really stretched things.
"Never Enough" REMAINS my favorite from the album (all time). I'm sitting here writing this, watching the instructional DVD and singing the groove for "How Many Times" all at once.
He and Mike had the FATTEST pocket groove on that record.
I sing with my family; all the time. (It's a Gospel thang). NOTHING like that.
You don't have to SAY a word----it just happens. Hungate/Porcaro rocked; but when Mike and Jeff got into ANYTHING; it just plain smoldered. KOD is prime example of that.


-just my observations/musician's opinions..... (everybody's got 'em. LOL).

T

mlehnertz said:
4) Word on both comments. That's a wonderful tune. As for Lukather, he's a mofo live. I've seen Toto a half dozen times now and I never leave disappointed.

5) Gypsy Train is a nice tune as well. It shows Porcaro's ability to play it heavy when need be.

Toto is one of those bands that is under-appreciated because the tunes that everyone hears on the radio (or in the elevator) are the commercial sell-out tunes that a band needs to write to get album sales (i.e. radio play). I get tired of the "Toto? You mean Africa? What a gay band." comments. Then you pull out a tune like "Dave's Gone Skiing" or "Jake to the Bone" and you get to hear the harder side of Toto.

Lukather to guitarists is Porcaro to drummers. Never overstated, always just the right playing for the song but when they let loose, look the F out.
 
Jeff was one of the best and most innovative drummers of his time, he was taken way too soon. His playing looked so effortless. Eric Clapton gained the reputation as "slowhand" because he would seemingly make notes you never saw his hands produce. Jeff was the same way.
 
doublestrokeroll said:
Jeff was one of the best and most innovative drummers of his time, he was taken way too soon. His playing looked so effortless. Eric Clapton gained the reputation as "slowhand" because he would seemingly make notes you never saw his hands produce. Jeff was the same way.

on the Hal Leonard thing, Jeff talked about how he ripped off Bonham for "Rosanna".

Listening to "Rosanna" as I type--- the ghost notes tha Bonham did....Jeff took to an entirely new and frightening level of "cool". I'll never 'get' that... I found out the title track/opening jam is "Corbit Van Brauer" and is a David Garfield composition (much as is Creature Stomp" at the end.

Once Porcaro got going on "Corbit..." the rack toms never stopped moving. Somewhere (I think in the Liner Notes for "Tribute to Jeff"), Keltner mentions this instructional and makes the statement that he (Keltner) could barely contain himself watching that--that Jeff's right wrist just floored him. If KELTNER said that about his best friend.... where's that leave the rest of us (beginners or otherwise?).

And the most hilarious thing on the entire DVD for me--is the Shuffle Example (the 2nd one); I fault MIKE PORCARO for that down-and-dirty, slinky groove that Jeff just ran with.
Quiet 601's for the first couple bars of that, and then Porcaro goes from all over the Ride --reaching over and just smacks the hats like "Wake up!!!!" And, man DID they.

He was known for the Shuffle groove he couldn't RUN from....but two other things about Jeff that will always be what I listen for as identifiers: That silky/sexy hi hat and a right foot from the Nether Regions..... all on his toes; I guess that came from (as he put it on the vid) "not being able to reach (Dad's) pedals". That 18x22" took the brunt of some classy footwork. It's a joy to watch that.... just to sit and say to myself, "Just remember, he played for a LONG. TIME goin' to get that good....this won't happen over night....Be patient!"

Jeff had decades of playing kit.... I'm just starting. I have to remember the difference is I've had 30 years on KEYS. Phrasing is still Phrasing and he makes that plainly evident
with the work on those toms during "Corbit Van Brauer" and a couple other things in the video. A blast to watch....and learn...and remember just what sort of Giant that guy was.

(And still is).
Thank GOD tape doesn't lie.

T
 
The most musical drummer of all times. I cried the day he died.
 
JP is my favorite drummer of all time. I still play his video and still get plenty of ideas of of it.
Did you guys notice that he was using K's in the Stop Loving you video?
 
No one else makes me feel what I feel when I listen to him play. The thing is I dont even know what im feeling, i cant explain it, but I like it.
 
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