#paul lukather

[tvdollhouse]

Joe Maross and Paul Lukather in “Graveyard,” an episode of “12 O’Clock High” from 12/30/1966.

[screendoll8]

Jack Lord and Paul Lukather in “The True Story of Lynn Stuart” (1958), directed by Lewis Seiler.

[weirdlookindog]

Hands of a Stranger (1962)

[dollboy7]

Paul Lukather in “Hands of a Stranger” (1962).

[sugahoney-icedtea]

THRILLER40

MICHAEL JACKSON & PAUL MCCARTNEY recording "The Girl Is Mine".

[mychameleondays]

Paul McCartney: Give My Regards To Broad Street

GFS

MPL/Parlophone 1C 064-26 027 1

Released: October 22, 1984

[myvinylplaylist]

Pure Fire: The Ultimate Kiss Tribute (2018)

2022 Vinyl Reissue on Transparent Red Vinyl

Cleopatra Records

[krispyweiss]

EP Review: Ringo Starr - Rewind Forward

Someone call the Police and set up a Sting operation, because Ringo Starr stole “Message in a Bottle” to create “Shadows on the Wall,” the first of four tracks on Rewind Forward.

This is Starr’s fourth - and strongest - EP since 2021. And though it’s unoriginal, these songs are not unlistenable, which is not always the case where Ringo is concerned. That said, the title track is poppy dreck.

Starr’s ex-bandmate Paul McCartney rewrote “Getting Better” as “Feeling the Sunlight” for the extended play and even left space for his fellow former Fab to exclaim Peace and love! in the middle of the song.

That’s a real pal.

Other friends providing a little help include Steve Lukather, Joe Walsh and Mike Campbell, who co-wrote the standout closing cut, “Miss Jean.” This is most authentic rock ‘n’ roll track Starr’s made in a long time with guitar necks nodding to Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman.”

Grade card: Ringo Starr - Rewind Forward - C+

10/23/23

[greensparty]

Concert Review: Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band

Wed. 9/18/24 @ Chevalier Theatre (Medford, MA)

Sir Ringo (center) and his All-Starr Band

What more can you say about Sir Ringo Starr? At 84, he is still an active musician and performer in his own right and not just the drummer for The Beatles who occasionally sang on select songs. I have been fortunate enough to cover not only The Beatles (most recently with the reissue of the Red and Blue albums late last year), but also Sir Ringo's solo output including 2019's What's My Name, 2022's EP3, 2023's Rewind Forward, and this year's Crooked Boy. I was lucky enough to see him live in 2010 on his 70th birthday where his old bandmate Paul McCartney came out for the encore and performed "Birthday" with him. For my second time seeing him in 2022 he was at the Boch Center and it blew me away to see someone in his 80s singing and drumming like he was in his 20s. At the very last minute, I got to cover Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band's only MA show on a Fall tour in the same week I got to see Jane's Addiction and Pearl Jam. What a week!

All-Starr Band with their starry background

Over time it has become cool to poke fun at Sir Ringo, but his solo career is criminally underrated. As a member of The Beatles, he gets loads of respect, but as a solo artist he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. He has to live up to the Fab Four and each of their solo careers, but he has actually made some great solo albums. In 1989, Starr toured with a supergroup Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. Each of the band members takes turns doing some of their hits in addition to backing Starr as he does his solo and Beatle hits. The line-up of the All-Starr Band has changed over the years, but the group is still going strong. This lineup features Toto's Steve Lukather (an All-Starr since 2012), Men at Work's Colin Hay (an All-Starr in 2003, 2008 and since 2018), Average White Band and Paul McCartney's band (in the late 80s/early 90s) Hamish Stuart (an All-Starr 2006-2008 and since 2018), David Lee Roth alum Gregg Bissonette (an All-Starr since 2008), Kansas and Toto alum Warren Ham (an All-Starr since 2014) and Aerosmith touring member Buck Johnson (newest All-Starr). The only difference in this lineup since I saw them in 2022 is that Edgar Winter wasn't there, Buck Johnson was filling in. Ringo did his solo hits "It Don't Come Easy", "I'm the Greatest", "Back Off Boogaloo", and "Photograph" as well as Beatle hits "Yellow Submarine", "Octopus's Garden", "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "With a Little Help From My Friends". He also did cover songs he's closely affiliated with like Carl Perkins' "Matchbox" (which The Beatles did in 1964), and The Shirelles' "Boys" (which The Beatles covered in 1963). Each member got their chance to shine too with Lukather singing Toto hits, Stuart doing Average White Band hits, and Hay doing Men at Work hits. Of all the non-Ringo / Beatle songs, I found the Men at Work hits to be the strongest.

Sir Ringo singing

Sir Ringo drumming

I don't know how much longer Sir Ringo is going to be touring and performing for, so any chance to see him is exciting. He sings lead and sometimes plays drums and he's a born entertainer! There is an element of a Vegas show vibe to this, but what's wrong with that? I do wish they'd incorporate some of Ringo's output since the 70s into set, but he's giving the audience what they want. This was my third time seeing the All-Starr Band and it was a blast. The first time is among my most legendary concert moments ever to get to see two Beatles onstage together. The second show I got to see in the same week as a Sir Paul concert. Bottom line: it's hard to compare to both of those concert experiences, but this was quite a show!

For info on Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band

[bluehome91]

"Georgy Porgy" is a song written by David Paich and included on the eponymous debut album by the group Toto in 1978. It was released as a single and entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at 48, as well as the R&B (18) and Dance (80) charts. The lead vocals are by guitarist Steve Lukather, with Cheryl Lynn providing female backing vocals. The song is still performed on tour, including improvisational solos on guitar and keyboards. In a 1988 interview with Modern Drummer, Jeff Porcaro discussed the beat on "Georgy Porgy": "...it's an imitation of Paul Humphrey and especially Earl Palmer. So the biggest influences were them, but also Ed Geene and James Gadson. I really owe the beat on "Georgy Porgy" to all of them." In 1999, a cover version by Eric Benét (with Faith Evans on vocals) was released as the lead single from Benét's album A Day in the Life. A cover version of the song was also included on MC Lyte's 1991 album Act Like You Know.

[tvdollhouse]

Jim Davis and Paul Lukather in “Trapped,” an episode of “Laramie” from 5/14/1963.

[screendoll8]

Paul Lukather in “Hands of a Stranger” (1962).

[popentertainmentmusic]

YACHT ROCK: A DOCKUMENTARY (2024)

Featuring Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Gary Katz, Jay Graydon, David Pack, Brenda Russell, Tom Scott, Steve Huey, J.D. Ryznar, Questlove, Fred Armisen, Mac DeMarco, Thundercat, Prince Paul, Brian Robert Jones, Bethany Cosento, Molly Lambert, Rob Tannenbaum, Amanda Petrusich, Steven Hyden, Alex Pappademas, Jason King and Garret Price.

Directed by Garret Price.

Distributed by MAX Films. 95 minutes. Rated TV-MA.

I truly hate the term “Yacht Rock” and the whole concept behind it. It’s just a snarky and mocking term, made up long after the fact, which tries to mash together some vaguely similar musicians in a way that makes the music look funny, out of touch and just a bit cheesy. You can even see the jeering in the subtitle of this documentary – a “dockumentary,” indeed.

That said, I unapologetically love much of the music which is considered yacht rock. Much of the music and many of the artists covered in this film are fantastic. Because of that this film is definitely worth watching. And, for better or worse, the popularity of the yacht rock format has brought a lot of very worthy artists and songs back to the public consciousness.

Of course, there seems to be a lot of disagreement as to what constitutes yacht rock. For example, in this documentary one of the architects of the term tries to explain why, in his opinion, The Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross and Toto are yacht rock, and yet Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac and Eagles are “nyacht” rock. You just want to punch the dude in his smug, glib, self-satisfied face.

However, even if it is for the wrong reasons, it is obvious that the creators of yacht rock – which came to be after a group of comedians made a web series in the early 2000s which both celebrated and simultaneously made fun of the music – do have an appreciation for the makers of the songs they have championed. And if the affectations of yacht rock – the plummy upper-class accents, the captain’s hats, the yachts themselves – really have little to do with the music or the artists, it is getting the songs out there.

That’s not nothing.

So, even if it is not taken all that seriously, the Yacht Rock documentary shares some fascinating insights from such artists as Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, members of Toto, members of Steely Dan and many others. These interviews are rarely less than fascinating, and do take the music seriously, even if the made-up “genre” doesn’t really.

Lots of the artists who are considered yacht rock have complicated opinions about the “genre.” David Pack of Ambrosia considered it a bit of a back-handed insult. Christopher Cross originally was uncomfortable with the term but has realized that being connected with it has helped his sales and his career, so he’s made peace with the term. Michael McDonald on the other hand has just taken it with good-natured amusement from the very beginning.

Still, the basic idea of the importance of yacht rock is best exemplified during a brief audio discussion with Steely Dan’s Don Fagen at the end of the documentary.

The music is pretty amazing, though, and Yacht Rock: A Documentary does entertain royally, even if you don’t buy into the basic concept.  

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: November 29, 2024.

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

YACHT ROCK: A DOCKUMENTARY (2024)

Featuring Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Gary Katz, Jay Graydon, David Pack, Brenda Russell, Tom Scott, Steve Huey, J.D. Ryznar, Questlove, Fred Armisen, Mac DeMarco, Thundercat, Prince Paul, Brian Robert Jones, Bethany Cosento, Molly Lambert, Rob Tannenbaum, Amanda Petrusich, Steven Hyden, Alex Pappademas, Jason King and Garret Price.

Directed by Garret Price.

Distributed by MAX Films. 95 minutes. Rated TV-MA.

I truly hate the term “Yacht Rock” and the whole concept behind it. It’s just a snarky and mocking term, made up long after the fact, which tries to mash together some vaguely similar musicians in a way that makes the music look funny, out of touch and just a bit cheesy. You can even see the jeering in the subtitle of this documentary – a “dockumentary,” indeed.

That said, I unapologetically love much of the music which is considered yacht rock. Much of the music and many of the artists covered in this film are fantastic. Because of that this film is definitely worth watching. And, for better or worse, the popularity of the yacht rock format has brought a lot of very worthy artists and songs back to the public consciousness.

Of course, there seems to be a lot of disagreement as to what constitutes yacht rock. For example, in this documentary one of the architects of the term tries to explain why, in his opinion, The Doobie Brothers, Christopher Cross and Toto are yacht rock, and yet Hall & Oates, Fleetwood Mac and Eagles are “nyacht” rock. You just want to punch the dude in his smug, glib, self-satisfied face.

However, even if it is for the wrong reasons, it is obvious that the creators of yacht rock – which came to be after a group of comedians made a web series in the early 2000s which both celebrated and simultaneously made fun of the music – do have an appreciation for the makers of the songs they have championed. And if the affectations of yacht rock – the plummy upper-class accents, the captain’s hats, the yachts themselves – really have little to do with the music or the artists, it is getting the songs out there.

That’s not nothing.

So, even if it is not taken all that seriously, the Yacht Rock documentary shares some fascinating insights from such artists as Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, members of Toto, members of Steely Dan and many others. These interviews are rarely less than fascinating, and do take the music seriously, even if the made-up “genre” doesn’t really.

Lots of the artists who are considered yacht rock have complicated opinions about the “genre.” David Pack of Ambrosia considered it a bit of a back-handed insult. Christopher Cross originally was uncomfortable with the term but has realized that being connected with it has helped his sales and his career, so he’s made peace with the term. Michael McDonald on the other hand has just taken it with good-natured amusement from the very beginning.

Still, the basic idea of the importance of yacht rock is best exemplified during a brief audio discussion with Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen at the end of the documentary.

The music is pretty amazing, though, and Yacht Rock: A Documentary does entertain royally, even if you don’t buy into the basic concept.  

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2024 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: November 29, 2024.

[1234567ttttttttttt]

Dinosaurus FULL MOVIE | (Paul Lukather, Ward Ramsey) STREAM CITY

[myraelvira]

Jeff Porcaro

Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro was born on April 1st, 1954 in Hartford, Connecticut. He was the eldest son of the percussionist Joe Porcaro. He had two brothers, Steve and Mike, that would later play in the band Toto with him. They were raised in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, and Jeff attended Ulysses S. Grant High School.

Jeff began to play drums at the age of seven, getting lessons from his father. Later, he’d study under Bob Zimmitti and Richie Lepore. At the age of 17, Jeff got his first professional gig playing in Sonny and Cher’s touring band. He called Jim Keltner and Jim Gordon his idols during this time.

In his 20’s, he recorded on hundreds of albums. He toured with Boz Scaggs, before cofounding the band Toto with his brother Steve, and childhood friends Steve Lukather and David Paich.

Jeff became renown among drummers for the drum pattern on the song ‘Rosanna’. The song would later win a grammy. The pattern, called ‘The Half-Time Shuffle Groove’ was originally created by drummer Bernard Purdie, who called it the ‘Purdie Shuffle’. Jeff made his own version of the pattern by blending the Purdie Shuffle with the groove he’d hear in John Bonham’s work with Led Zeppelin, mainly the song “Fool In The Rain”, while keeping a Bo Diddley beat on the kick drum.

Jeff had worked with numerous artists. Very notably Steely Dan, but also: George Benson, Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, David Gilmour, Elton John, Don Henley, Donna Summer, Joe Walsh, Paul McCartney, and more than that!

On October 22nd, 1983, Jeff married Susan Norris, a TV broadcaster for KABC-TV. They had 3 sons, Christopher, Miles, and Nico.

Jeff died at Human Hospital-West Hills on the evening of August 5th, 1992, after falling ill, while spraying insecticide in the yard of his home. The coroner ruled out an accident and determined a heart attack due to occlusive coronary artery disease caused by atherosclerosis, resulting from cocaine. An LA county coroner spokesman, along with some doctors who treated him, attributed his death to a heart attack caused by an allergic reaction to inhaled pesticide. Bandmade Steve Lukather, and Porcaro’s wife stated that they believed that Jeff had also been suffering from a long standing heart condition, and a smoking habit, both of which contributed to his death. Lukather noted several members of Jeff’s family died at a young age, due to heart disease.

An article posted by the LA Times on August 8th, 1992, talked about how Jeff suffered a heart attack after a possible allergic reaction to a pesticide he was spraying in his yard. It is unknown what type of spray he was using. I don’t know if the brand or scientific name was ever revealed.

He may have possibly inhaled the spray, as authorities thought, at least pre-autopsy.

Paramedics were called to Porcaro’s home around 6:30pm. Witnesses stated that Jeff complained of feeling sick while doing yardwork.

LA county Fire Inspector Dennis Vlach stated that Jeff was in critical condition when they arrived on the scene. “There was no breathing, no pulse. He was in full cardiac arrest.”.

Rescue workers managed to briefly revive Jeff, who was taken by helicopter to Humana-Hospital-West Hills. He was pronounced dead at 8:30pm.

Jeff lived with his 3 kids and wife, Susan, who was mayor pro tem of Hidden Hills at the time.

Initially, newspapers stated that Jeff had passed away from an allergic reaction to a pesticide he was spraying in his yard. The story seems to be unclear, and has changed over the years, with the truth being rather elusive today. The Bangor Daily News posted that Jeff was spraying pesticide in the garden of his home, when he collapsed, an allergic reaction to the pesticide. Some sources state that the pesticide reaction caused a heart attack. His manager, Larry Fitzgerald, said that “He was doing a little yard work. The doctor believes that the pesticides somehow triggered an allergic reaction, and he suffered a cardiac arrest.”.

His wife and kids were home at the time. Jeff had just returned from a family vacation in Florida, and the band was scheduled to begin rehearsals for a tour in support of their recent release, “Kingdom of Desire”.

More than 1200, or 1600 according to some sources, people attended his funeral; including well known musicians like Don Henley, Eddie Van Halen, David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Jackson Browne. After his death, Jeff’s family asked that any donations be made to Grant High School, where Jeff had attended.

The Ashbury Park Press, among other sources, wrote that the Lost Angeles County coroner’s office ruled that Jeff’s death was caused by the hardening of the arteries, stemming from past cocaine use. His brother, among other people, rejected this. Mike Porcaro is quoted in the article saying, “Some public officials will say anything to get their name in the papers. Jeffrey was no angel, but he wasn’t an animal either. He had a heart condition that had nothing to do with drug abuse.”

A couple of other sources I have posted this :

“Who died of coronary problems linked to cocaine use.” [The Atlanta Constitution]

“Died from a heart attack that a coroner ruled was brought on by cocaine use, according to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll.” [Press of Atlantic City]

A tribute concert was held for Jeff in December of 1992, the proceeds were to go towards an education fund for his songs. Many of Jeff’s friends and former bandmates showed up to play, such as Don Henley, Michael McDonald, David Crosby, Eddie Van Halen, Boz Scaggs, Donald Fagen, and a surprise guest appearance from George Harrison.

An article from the LA Times talked about the tribute, and brought up the circumstances of Jeff’s death. It stated that Jeff was initially thought to have a heart attack, triggered by an allergic reaction to pesticide he was spraying in his yard. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s report, found no traces of the pesticide, instead citing a history of cocaine use as causing hardened arteries. Small traces of cocaine were found in Jeff’s system. Susan, his widow, disputed the coroner’s conclusion. There was supposed to be a private autopsy done, that his wife wanted. Though it may have required exhuming Jeff’s body. One source states that the private autopsy could have used materials without exhuming the body, but, I never saw any update on this, or if it was even done.

The Morning Star posted on September 16th, 1994, that , “on the insistence of an insurance company, a further autopsy revealed that his death was related to the hardening of the arteries”, though the rest of the sentence was cut off. The Windsor Star posted on July 30th, 1998, that Jeff’s death was related to the hardening of the arteries stemming from cocaine use.

In a 1998 article from Sunday Mercury, David Paich is quoted as saying:

“There was so much rubbish talked about Jeff’s death. Like anyone else in the band who used it, he had stopped taking cocaine and partying by the time of his death. He was not addicted to cocaine.”. The article then went on to say that, “pathologists blamed Jeff’s death on the hardening of the arteries which they linked to years of cocaine use.”.

On April 24th, 2000, The Guardian posted an article about musicians that met tragic ends. Interestingly, they talked about Jeff, and said:

“One afternoon, while trying to install a barbeque in his backyard, Jeff embarked on one of his bug killing binges. All he wanted was a pest free lawn. But the endless onslaught of bumblebees, the whole brutal regime of pesky winged insects finally became too much for poor Jeff. So he went out and purchased a 10 gallon container of industrial strength pesticide. It all got a little out of control, and he more or less sprayed himself to death.”.

In 1998, Jeff’s widow remarried. She had moved to Florida to be closer to her own family soon after Jeff’s death.

An article by UPI, posted on September 4th, 1992, stated that the coroner’s toxicological report showed that Jeff died of heart disease, caused by long-time cocaine use, as stated by Coroner spokesman Bob Dambacher.

The autopsy found traces of cocaine in Jeff’s blood, along with benzoylecgonine, which is described as a metabolite, or byproduct of cocaine. The coroner’s report stated that the cause of death was determined “to be occlusive coronary artery disease, due to atherosclerosis, due to the effects of cocaine.”.

On Loudersound, the story is a little different. “Earlier in the day, of August 5th, 1992, Steve Lukather had spoken to Jeff on the phone about Toto’s upcoming tour. The conversation ended as it always did, with them telling each other, “I love you.”. Hours later, he got the call telling him that Jeff had been rushed to the hospital after suffering a seizure. In a state of panic, Lukather got lost while driving to the hospital.

“By the time I got there, Jeff was gone. A doctor took me to a room, and Jeff was lying there on a fucking slab. They left me in that room alone with him, and I freaked out. I was screaming. They had to give me smelling salts.”.

Lukather has angrily refuted allegations that Jeff overdosed on cocaine.

“It was irresponsible journalism. You know, the guy had a wife and kids. He did not die from a cocaine. I swear on all four of my children’s lives. They found one one-hundreth of a microgram of cocaine in Jeff’s blood/ That’s like 2 crystals on a fucking matchstick. That ain’t gonna give somebody a heart attack, believe me. The rest of us were doing a hundred times more than that and we all lived to tell the tale.”.

Lukather said that Jeff had a pre-existing heart condition, he was also a heavy smoker. This, is what Lukather believes led to the pesticide getting into Jeff’s system. “He was probably smoking a cigarette, or a joint. He didn’t have gloves on. That’s how the chemicals got into the skin.”

♣♣♣

I think, that in the least, there were elements in Jeff’s life that contributed to his death. A major contention would be smoking. Lukather said himself, that Jeff was a heavy smoker. I don’t understand why there has been this emphasis that the autopsy was wrong, or that the amount of cocaine was not enough. From all of the articles I found, I never saw anyone call Jeff a cocaine addict. There wasn’t any hint of disrespect. Of course, tabloids might have been disrespectful; but why would the autopsy lie?

Through all the articles, the coroner/medical examiner’s name was not mentioned once. The pesticides that Jeff supposedly used, were not mentioned by brand name, or scientific name, not once. It seems that the association of cocaine comes with a negative connotation, but one filthy habit, or moment of leisure, does not make up an entire person’s personality, or humanity.

Personally, I think that Jeff's achievements outweigh any negative connotations that his cause of death has. I don't see his death as anything shameful, it comes off to me as just another part of life. It's unrealistic to think that a famous musician never did any drugs; it's also unrealistic to believe that those drugs never affected any of those musicians either.

Just because some people "lived to tell the tale", doesn't mean that everyone will. Every person is different. Even the medical backgrounds for siblings can differ.

To me, Jeff's death was a conglomerate of things. Having used cocaine in the past, being a smoker, and having a family history of heart disease, made him prone to the hardening of the arteries. It's important to note that his cause of death is something that takes years to develop. August 5th, 1992 was just the breaking point.

I think that Jeff was a great musician. He seemed to be a natural fit when playing with Steely Dan, as Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were notorious for being meticulous with their work. Jeff was very much the same. One of my favorite Steely Dan songs is "Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More", which Jeff played on. The album "Katy Lied" is a great show of his talent as a whole. With "Everyone's Gone To The Movies" as another great example of his work.

For me, I don't see any shame in how he died. I just wish that he could have stayed around a little longer.

"He was such a great drummer, and his personality really came out in his playing. He really changed the way people played the drums." - Donald Fagen

[SOURCES]