I’ve been doing a deep dive in Jeff Porcaro’s session archive, and not to my surprise, there are too many. You can count them if you want, but I stopped at 120 albums - and this is outside Toto.
I was certainly surprised by some of the tracks I found (Pink Floyd!?), and so - probably a hot take for many - here’s my Jeff Porcaro Top 5 songs outside Toto:
1. 'Beat It' - Michael Jackson.
Not surprising anyone with this first place. Here’s where Jeff’s genius comes into play: he didn’t have a reference track. He created the drums from Michael Jackson’s vocals and a drum case thump - played by Jackson himself! Quincy Jones recorded Michael’s vocals and Eddie Van Halen’s solo first, and then added Porcaro and Steve Lukather (guitars) on a different session (and different studio). Jeff actually created his own click track by listening to the vocals and doing a take of just him playing drum sticks. Armed with that, he recorded - in 3 takes - the drums for one of the most played songs in history (actually, they used the second take. so 2 takes!).
Here’s Steve Lukather telling the story:
And here’s the song:
2. “Mother” - Pink Floyd.
This was a shock to me. I grew up loving Nick Mason, so to find out that he didn’t play on this song only made my love for Jeff even greater.
This song is notable for its use of multiple time signatures (⅝ and 9/8 here an there). This was too much for Mason. So what do you do? You pick up the red phone and call Jeff Porcaro.
3. "Forever Man" - Eric Clapton.
One of my favorite Clapton tunes. A typical Jeff session where he joins forces with Steve Lukather (and bass wizard Nathan East, who would join Toto years later), this song is not written by Clapton, but by seasoned composer Jerry Lynn Williams.
4. "What A Fool Believes" - Aretha Franklin.
For the 1980 album “Aretha”, producers Chuck Jackson and Arif Mardin just wanted the best of the best. For the drum department it meant Ed Greene, some inexperienced youngster called Bernard “Pretty” Purdie and Jeff Porcaro. Jeff plays the perfect groove for this song. Just beautiful.
5. "When a Man Loves a Woman" - Michael Bolton.
Say whatever you want about Michael Bolton, but this has been drilled into your skull so much that you know it by heart. I don’t care if you’re Tom Araya from Slayer, you know this song (together with the other 16 million people who bought the album). The drums are crucial to maintain the flow of the song, especially at its slow tempo (55 BPM). Making such a slow song flow the way it does is a true test of mastery.
Do you agree with this list? Leave a comment and let’s discuss!
