Omer Plays Bass . . . Toto - English Eyes (bass cover)

Omer Plays Bass . . . Toto - English Eyes (bass cover)  Bass by David Hungate Bass Used in this Video: Dingwall Guitars Super PJ     Hope you have a look and if you do, don’t forget to click 'Like" and subscribe to the channel   The first Omer Plays Bass . . . video in the new studiO. I still have some lighting tweaks and camera setup work to do based on the test videos I have completed in the space, but still wanted to share the videos that I shot anyways.  This one is “English Eyes” from Toto’s 1981 ’Turn Back’ album. After the disappointing performance of their second album “Hydra”, (which I wrote about    • Omer Plays Bass . . . Toto - Hydra (bass c...   and    • Omer Plays Bass . . . Toto - St. George an...  ) Toto produced their third album "Turn Back" with an eye towards a bit heavier, bit more arena rock style - which ironically they did not tour to support - they were still chasing the lightning in a bottle that “Toto” delivered. Recorded as the guys in line-up - David Paich on keyboards and vocals, Steve Lukather on guitar and vocals, Jeff Porcaro on drums,  Steve Porcaro on keyboards and vocals , Bobby Kimball on lead vocals and David Hungate on bass - were really ramped up on session the session work that would dominate music produced in LA in the early to mid ‘80s, resulting in their decision to not tour and stick closer to LA for the sessions they were the most in-demand for and really delivering on. Like ‘Hydra’ before it, in hindsight, "Turn Back", released in January 1981, signals elements that would coalesce on "Toto IV" a year later demonstrating the band's ability to craft great songs and execute the parts brilliantly. Emphasizing a heavier sound, while retaining the funky/soulful elements on previous releases, "Turn Back" charted poorly, sold badly, produced no US singles, doesn’t sound all together that great (sounding a bit underwater with virtually no mid-range in the mix) and is one of my favourite Toto albums. The poor performance of the album famously led to the label telling the band that if they didn’t deliver on the next one they would be dropped from the label - a recurring theme of Toto’s record label history - and boy did they ever deliver with “IV” but "Turn Back" should not be overlooked for what it is, which is a solid and heavier rock album with great songs and,  as one reviewer noted, "those famous chops that Toto possessed in abundance”. As I discovered "Toto IV" and the bass (written about in my annual video celebrating its release like    • Omer Plays Bass . . . Toto - Rosanna (bass...  ), as a young player I could not realistically be expected to learn most of the parts (or frankly any of the parts) on “IV” - but I could learn some of it’s predecessor "Turn Back"  (save for 'Goodbye Elenore' a real standout track on the album with a live take video of the song that was great to watch with Porcaro standing up and walking away from the kit after a raucous ending) with its more reserved bass parts in a rock bass style played mostly with a pick, an approach that Hungate had on the album. This track 'English Eyes' was a great example of that reserved playing on the album - not that it couldn’t be more complicated just that it wasn’t - with much of the album sounding very live off the floor (when you are doing two and three sessions a day I am sure the band either didn't have time to labour over it or was so tight that they didn’t need to). Played by Hungate with a pick (I did in parts but liked it mostly finger-style) and locked in with Porcaro's stellar drum part (like that break in the middle I mean really!!), it features some of Lukather's heaviest rhythm guitar and great soloing and Paich’s weird fascination with England (to resurface on “Isolation” with ’Stranger in Town’) with the real standout on the track being Kimball’s vocals - funky and heavy all at the same time and really in the sweet spot of his range. The song  - and frankly bass part as well - takes a few unexpected turns to a bit of reggae, for Hungate echoed on “IV” in the almost reggae part on ‘Africa' and then a bit of “Dune”-like synth in the middle after being really heavy in the verses and chorus and really cooks through the out. Definitely was fun to play. In the video for 'Goodbye Elenore', Hungate played a Yamaha BB bass - when I was learning to play my brand new BB300 that I thought was looking generally like Hungate's bass -  a real important thing for a young player at the time (even though the liner notes on “IV" read: "David Hungate uses Fender Bass???”). When playing here, I recall being 13 and learning most of this part and thinking I was pretty good. I guess I had a lot of ground to cover before I could make that claim and I’m still trying to achieve that today. Disclaimer: I am not saying this is exactly how David Hungate played this song, but it is how I would play it if I was playing it at a gig.    For more bass cover videos by Omer visit:  www.omer.com/youtube www.facebook.com/oalkatib www.instagram.com/omer_alkatib www.twitter.com/omeralkatib