"Every day at 4pm, Michael would schedule a singing lesson," says Steve Porcaro, remembering the time he was working on Michael Jackson"s monumental Thriller album in the early ‘80s. "Even though he’d just completed an amazing vocal performance on what became the best-selling album of all time, Michael was still keen to push himself... to go further."
Porcaro, perhaps best known as the keyboard/synth dude with the multi-platinum band Toto, played on several Thriller tracks – as well as co-writing Human Nature – and had also worked on Jackson's previous release, Off The Wall.
"There was none of the weirdness back then," says Porcaro. "It was just a bunch of guys making incredible music: Michael, Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton. Oh, yeah, Rod was a character! This English guy, always eating sweet rolls, smoking, making pots of tea.
“My brother Jeff [Toto"s drummer] played drums on Thriller, too, and his words really summed up what it was like working with Rod: ‘He knows what he wants.’ There was nothing ever vague with Rod. For session musicians like Jeff and I, that made all the difference. Working on the album was a joy."
As someone with a co-write – even if it was just one track – Thriller must also have provided Steve Porcaro with a decent pension.
He grins. "Yep, Human Nature brings in $2.50 every year, whether I need it or not!"
Although Steve, drummer Jeff, and their other brother Mike, a bass player, were all members of Toto at one time or another, they had few dreams of rock stardom as kids.
"Our dad, Joe, was a session drummer and percussionist," explains Steve. "He worked with everybody... Sinatra, Jerry Goldsmith [film composer], the Monkees. That’s what we aspired to as teenagers. We wanted to do what Dad did; backroom boys, playing with all these big names.
"If I"m being honest, the formation of Toto kind of happened by accident. David Paich, [pianist/songwriter] David Hungate, [bassist] Steve Lukather [guitarist] and my brother Jeff had all been part of various backing bands and studio sessions over the years. I was beginning to make myself useful as a synth programmer/keyboard/techy guy, Bobby Kimball came in on vocals. That was Toto. We didn’t even go looking for a record deal. Columbia Records could see what we were capable of and they got in touch."
The band’s eponymous 1978 debut album was an international hit and included the multi-million selling single, Hold the Line.
"It"s an amazing feeling," remembers Porcaro, "knowing that your band is starting to happen. We were lucky to have the right musical ingredients: heavy guitars with that R&B vibe, a little bit of Steely Dan jazz, great hooks, epic choruses. The stars were aligned."
While the next couple of albums weren"t huge hits, the band were soon back on an even – and hugely successful – keel. Released in 1982, Toto IV was another worldwide biggie, netting them six Grammys and boasting a couple of singles that, over 40 years later, are still FM/AOR radio staples: Rosanna and Africa.
At the time the album was being recorded, Steve Porcaro was dating Rosanna Arquette and rumours have long suggested that songwriter David Paich based the song on this – at the time – up-and-coming actress.
"I don't know if all the lyrics were based on ‘my girlfriend’, but I’m pretty sure the song’s title came from her," says Porcaro. "And why wouldn’t you write a song about someone like that? She was funny and adorable... still is."
Rosanna is also widely regarded as one of the most beautiful sounding, brilliantly mastered tunes in rock history.
"But what you've got remember," counters Porcaro, "is that, back in the early-’80s, nobody had heard of Pro Tools and nobody had a professional studio on their laptop. We were recording live to tape on 24-track machines. OK, we linked four of those 24-track machines together to give ourselves more room, but there was still a point at which the buck had to stop.
"There were times recording Rosanna – and Africa, too – where we literally had one spare track. Just the one! And we were debating whether we needed to do another guitar take. ‘Are you really sure we need another take? That last one was pretty good. If we punch in, we’re going to lose that one.’ There was no Command-Z! Get it wrong and you were in the doghouse for the next couple of days. Or weeks, depending on how much you messed up."
As well as Toto, Steve Porcaro had a fully-packed diary of side hustles, working with the likes of Hall & Oates, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Donna Summer and Don Henley as well as on the aforementioned Jackson albums. So, it was perhaps no surprise when, in 1987, he decided to step back from Toto.
It wasn't a complete break – he guested on the 1988 album The Seventh One, returned to touring with them in 2010 and played on the last two albums in 2015 and 2018 – but his main focus became session work and soundtracks. Porcaro's huge CV includes Celine Dion, Jefferson Airplane, Michael McDonald and Yes, plus soundtrack work for Quentin Tarantino’s From Dusk Till Dawn 2, Eddie Murphy"s Metro, Harrison Ford’s The Fugitive and Michael Crichton’s hugely successful ER TV series.
"There was no big fall-out when I took a break from the band," he explains. "It was the late-’80s and grunge/Nirvana was about to happen. Along with Journey, REO Speedwagon and Foreigner, we’d been lumped-in with the whole Corporate Rawk thing. We weren’t ‘cool’. Toto were talking about getting back to a more rootsy, basic sound and they didn’t really need some guy noodling around with weird noises on synths – which was kind of my job! So, I said, ‘Is it OK if I go and do this other bunch of stuff?’"
It was Porcaro’s dad, Joe, who first got him hooked on electronic sound, buying him a Rheem organ/keyboard for Christmas in 1967. Quickly realising he was never going to be the greatest pianist/keyboard player in the world, Porcaro saw an opening via this new world of electronic keyboards, synths and their associated studio tech.
"Some producers simply needed a Moog bassline," says Porcaro about the early days. "Others were after particular pad sounds or atmospheres, others needed someone who could make this arpeggiator talk to this synth. ‘Hey, I can do that!’ I hung around in the studio and made myself useful.
“Of course, some engineers viewed me with suspicion, thinking I was after their job, so I made sure that I always fitted in. No ego, never stepping on anyone’s toes; just being the guy who could sort your synth problems."
If Porcaro has one complaint about his 50-year career, it’s perhaps that constantly working with other artists left him little time for solo albums. He did finally release his debut, Someday/Somehow, in 2016, but it’s taken him almost a decade to record a follow-up, The Very Day.
"Starting a song is easy," he says. "You hit the wrong button on a drum machine or play the wrong chord. ‘Hey, that sounds great. What have we got here?’ Finishing that song... well, that’s something else. I've never been much good at that.
"Getting involved in soundtracks – especially TV – was great training for me. You’re on a schedule; it’s a weekly TV show and they need the music by tomorrow morning. No excuses! I can do it when I need to, but once the pressure was off, I never seemed to get around to doing all the stuff on my own music. Finally, I found some diary time and locked myself in the studio, opened Logic and went to work.
"Everything ended up in Pro Tools for the final mastering, but I still use a lot of MIDI, so I prefer to put the songs together in Logic. Pro Tools sounds great but MIDI isn’t its thing... the designers don’t want it crashing. Maybe one day, the companies will all get together and put their best bits into one super-platform that we can all use. No swapping from one to the other. No hiccups."
Although fans of Toto will instantly recognise the new album"s jazzy-funky feel and pristine hooks – Porcaro handles some of the vocals, and there are guest spots from high-profile mates like Michael McDonald – The Very Day is never afraid to wave its own flag. The El and Prelude are a couple of all-too-brief bursts of gorgeous, late-night soundtrack ambience, while Miss Jane Sinclair is all irrepressible pop chops... a sort of Weezer without the sharp edges.
River Cuomo's band have Toto connections, of course, covering Africa in 2018 - a move that no doubt helped fuel the current upturn in Yacht Rock’s fortunes.
"Ah, yes," laughs Porcaro. "Yacht Rock! When I first heard that phrase, I groaned. Sounds kinda disparaging, doesn’t it? A vain attempt to throw together ‘70s and ‘80s bands like us, the Doobie, Steely Dan, Eagles, Christopher Cross. But then I thought, ‘Who cares what it’s called? If it keeps people listening to some great music, I’m happy!
"And before you ask... no, I don"t have a yacht!"
Steve Porcaro's new album, The Very Day, is out now via Green Hill Music.
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