The Story Behind "Lowdown" from Tribute to Jeff [Porcaro] | David Garfield

The Story Behind "Lowdown" from Tribute to Jeff [Porcaro] | David Garfield
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Written by Boz Scaggs & David Paich
Arranged by David Garfield & Donald Fagen
Recorded and mixed by Alan Hirshberg
Vocal version remixed by Steve Sykes
David Garfield - Piano, electric piano, synths
Abraham Laboriel Jr. - Drums
"Ready" Freddie Washington - "P" bass
David Paich - Leslie Fender Rhodes
Steve Porcaro - Strings & synths
David Williams - "Wah wah" guitar
Paul Jackson Jr. - Rhythm guitar
Michael Paulo - Alto sax
Chris Trujillo - Congas
Joseph Williams, Jason Scheff, Bill Champlin - BG vocals
Alex Ligertwood - Lead vocals
Video directed/edited by Amanda Jo Nagle
Footage from the Creatchy Record archives

[@docwill184]

First(!) Just another Jeff-junkie here. I once was driving, first date with a new g.f. I started tapping an ersatz beat on the steering wheel. "Oh, Rosanna. I love that song..." Nobody who listened to 70's-80's pop doesn't know Jeff's 'feel.'

[@metalwitch58]

Nice to hear Jeff's brother Steve playing on this!

[@lee95757]

They left out Louie Sheldon who played that incredible guitar solo.

[@David.Garfield]

Louie's great! He played on Boz's version but not on our version ...He's been in Australia for years.... I just saw him perform here in LA at the Wrecking Crew concert... he was awesome...still got it!!!

[@rafgarcia4526]

Just found this. Amazing. Crazy how it these guys all support each other. Including my fav, Donald Fagen.

[@johnmatichecchia1942]

what a beautifull story, with top musicians, for a sad reason for sure, but sometimes, the sad things in Life, bring the best results..... really love to see this stuff, thanks David!

[@richardrudar1268]

As a side bit of trivia, a Cleveland R&B radio station WJMO, broke the Song, thinking Boz Scaggs was a Black Singer and the Song got picked up by Urban stations all over the Country. The rest is history. WJMO put Boz Scaggs on regular rotation and started the rise of the Song, Boz and indirectly Tge birth of TOTO

[@Proggydan]

This tribute has a very very special place in my heart. And this song is just an absolute jem.

[@jerryburdick8051]

I love this. Thank you! Really dig the whole album, but this tune is magical. Knowing the impact Jeff Porcaro had on Abe Jr., it's just magical that he's on this track.

[@musicmansweden]

Wonderful to get a deeper understanding of this beautiful song and the whole process- thanks so much 🙏

[@shikhalemuel6802]

I remember "Lowdown" being mixed with "Forget Me Nots" in clubs or on KTU92. Was good stuff

[@DavidChristieCareerCafe]

Want!

[@ericferry4704]

Wow! Thanks for sharing!

[@joebrewer1892]

That was awesome! Thanks for sharing

[@thomaspenn2475]

Thank you for the great story and the history and all of the musical details

[@toddwalkerdrumstudio]

.................Just AWESOME (info./footage) David, thank you!

[@randyperfecto7468]

Outstanding

[@bonzomio]

Thank you, David!

[@wonderdrummer]

So very cool!! Love the footage as well!, Thanks for posting…

[@joanb7180]

I love this song until today! I play the chords on piano. It’s a magnificent song. I love to hear it when I’m driving to get a way. Thanks for sharing!

[@moose6676]

An absolute classic 🙏🏻 Thanks for this fantastic tune 🙏🏻

[@gimmeagig]

I used to play that version with my band almost 20 years ago. How time flies. Let's stay together was another one of the songs we did of that CD. I love good remakes.

[@thetonetosser]

Thank you David 🍺

[@MrRodocola]

I went to a music in the park yesterday here in Kirkland WA and the band performed Lowdown, wow immediately the nostalgia hit and brought me to this video. Thank you for sharing and the knowledge you provided. Really enjoyed the tribute.

[@williambyrne6855]

Very cool

[@davidrosen9711]

Killing

[@guymann7614]

Great video … nice hearing about these players especially the guitarist who played those funky parts for Michael Jackson! I think of Jeff often while listening to modern songs and wonder what he would of played …

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Merci

[@RATCLIFFE-LISTENS]

What a class guy you are this is a story of love,talent,inspiration and Family. People do not understand the layering of Vocals,just how many people make a consolidated effort to Record a truly revolutionary piece of work. When we received an advance copy at our Office we all sat in the Branch Manager’s Office he absolutely loved Boz his name was Al Bergamo. When Low down was on he stopped the record and yelled listen to that we all were flabbergasted. Boz was already huge in the Bay Area. He had competed 5 Sold Out Nights at the Paramount in Oakland. The difference between where Boz was musically prior to Silk Degrees then after was not of this world. Much of the credit for this body of work goes to the Musicians and Production team . Many of those people enjoyed giant career leaps and continued to make amazing music. I happened to fly to LA to A&R Office and Boz was siting in the front area.We had met but I was down the ladder. I asked him how he thought the Record sounded and complemented the material. We talked for a few minutes and took a minute and looked at me as though he was in shock. He was smiling and went off on how professional and contributory the Studio guys were. He said I should have done this along time ago. You just tell these guys what you want and bang it’s done. He was thrilled and blown away as he received help with Parts and Collaboration writing. We did a lot of things with and for him. Boz.was so gracious I and others received Real Framed Certified Gold Albums. It was the only one I ever received. So those were such great times. Peace

[@CiaoGibson]

❤

[@FountainSongs]

I remember one time around '82-83, you were set to play at the Baked Potato featuring Larry Carlton and Jeff Porcaro. So I was excited to go! I went, and unfortunately, Jeff Porcaro couldn't make it (the excuse is that he got sick), and you had a Black drummer in his place (don't remember his name). My recollection was that it was a great gig anyway!

[@gerritveldhuisen7748]

I have that LP and Music Book

[@IanRTaylor]

I was gigging on drums a lot when Lowdown came out and like everybody played 1/16 notes RLRL on the hihat but it never sounded right to me. Then when I saw videos of Jeff playing it he was just doing 1/8th notes with his right hand on the hihat. Turns out that's how he did it on the album but later overdubbed a second hihat RLRL 1/16th note track. The two hihats are hard panned left and right so that double hihat thing is a big part of the peculiar groove of the tune. No wonder it never sounded right when I did it.

[@TheFRiNgEguitars]

Great info about this legendary song performed by legendary musicians, excellent, but have we forgotten to mention Louis Shelton on the lead guitar sections?

[@joerico9461]

What about beat it with Michael Jackson and the late great Eddie Van Halen on guitar RIP Jeff Porcaro and Eddie Van Halen

[@richardrudar1268]

EVH played the Solo on Beat it! Steve Lukather played all the other Guitar parts, plus the Bass on the Song!

[@joerico9461]

@@richardrudar1268 hell yeah that's cool did not know that Wikipedia as Michael Jackson as lead / backup vocals and drum case beater LOL

[@joerico9461]

@@richardrudar1268 Rock On 🤘

[@David.Garfield]

David Williams played on "Billie Jean" from the Thriller CD.... As I remember at the time there was a mistaken credit for him on "Beat It" and veteran session guitarist Dean Parks was credited with "Billie Jean" who actually played on "Beat It" ...in pother words their credits were "swapped" by mistake. Dean Parks kept getting calls to play on sessions afterward and was constantly being asked to do what he did on "Billie Jean" to the dismay of the clients Dean said "I didn't play one that...That was David Williams" Dean later took out an ad in Billboard stating this to try to solve the problem..... Go Figure!!! David Williams also played on "Lady Love Me" by George Benson & "Got Too Be Real"..He is very much Missed!!!!

[@joerico9461]

@@David.Garfield very interesting

[@tonymarinelli7304]

Jeff is THE groove MASTER. I’m suprised Lukather wasn’t involved

[@David.Garfield]

He was involved on a different track "Big Bone" ....the one I wrote with Jeff.... we had 78 musicians on this project ...all friends, family, mentors & admirers of Jeff P!

[@tonymarinelli7304]

@@David.Garfield Thank you, I can’t believe I haven’t heard of this project until now. All killer players on here

[@wizrom3046]

So this video is all about the COVER VERSION of the classic song? Should say that in the title. 🧐

[@David.Garfield]

Thanks for your suggestion....we'll keep that in mind!!! .It does say "Lowdown" from Tribute to Jeff (Porcaro) which is the album it's from.... music.apple.com/us/album/lowdown/161935084?i=161935102 Hope you'll check it out!

[@omarks]

Not the same without Louie Shelton on guitar

[@KrisVComm]

I have an early release of the Tribute to Jeff CD and it sounds nothing like the version now

[@David.Garfield]

This is the second version from "Tribute toJeff Revisted' music.apple.com/us/album/lowdown/161935084?i=161935102

[@musicmansweden]

Which are the main differences between the versions? Thanks

[@KrisVComm]

@@musicmansweden different vocal tracks, some instrumental differences. I believe Lowdown was primarily instrumental only on the early release

[@David.Garfield]

@@KrisVComm several years after the Tribute came out, we decided to add lead vocals to Lowdown & Babylon Sisters which were instrumentals and include Denny Dias's guitar solo on Bag's Groove which was left out oj the original release. On Lowdown we only added Alex's lead vocals but re-mixed, edited the vocal intro & re-mastered. Revisted also includes some bonus tracks...

[@KrisVComm]

@@David.Garfield thanks for clarifying Dave. I love and have both editions. I’m especially fond of the earlier because that is what I first became familiar with and is what I identify most with Jeff’s passing. I saw Lobotomys at the Coach House mere days before he passed. I’ve also been to “The Tater” countless times and seen you with the same groups of guys. Thank you for putting this whole thing together. Both versions are great. There is a ton of talent on those records and I encourage everyone who collects to get your hands on one or both of the editions

[@morbidmanmusic]

Should have had the second high hat part. It was a large part of the original.

[@David.Garfield]

I'm impressed that you know about that! Not may people do but Jeff told me about it when we we're hanging out a long time ago! We chose to do our version on a different tempo & groove/beat so we didn't copy that part intentionally..... Our version was based on an arrangement Donald Fagen did with the New York Rock & Soul Review that I performed with Boz in 1991.... It was deliberately different in many ways. This arrangement I did was a cross between Fagen's & the original.....We still play this live and people love it!

[@stevedewese6591]

Nobody gives Louie Shelton credit for anything

[@funksfunk]

Louis Shelton, man. C’mon, fool.

[@davidramirez4810]

Vocals weren’t too good….