Toto have released a stream of their cover of Weezer classic Hash Pipe.
It emerged last month that Toto had recorded their take on Weezer’s 2001 track in response to Rivers Cuomo and his band covering Africa and Rosanna.
Toto then premiered Hash Pipe live in Vancouver earlier this month – and now they’ve shared the studio version.
Toto guitarist Steve Lukather says: “We were blown away at the response Weezer got doing our old songs. They did a good job too, but we never saw hit records coming from it.
“It was all started by a sweet 15-year-old girl named Mary. Then the ball started rolling. They did two of ours and Africa took off! It seemed only right that we did a version of one of their songs so we started digging around, listening to a bunch of their music, which I have grown to like a lot.
“My 30-something kids were flipped over Weezer recording two of our songs as they are fans and we picked Hash Pipe. The irony that we were smoking hash before these guys were alive was not lost on us – and the other is it has a killer melody and a great groove.”
Lukather says they set out to do a cover “that rocked” and adds: “We give you our version, with a little of our thing on it like they did their ‘thing’ to ours. It is an unlikely collaboration, but some of the best ones are unexpected.
“Thanks to Weezer, their manager Jonathan, and their fans as they have been really nice to us – and they didn't have to be. Now I guess we have to do some crazy mash up live someday.
“Kudos to Steve Porcaro for running with this as the producer.”
Toto are currently on the road on their 40 Trips Around The Sun tour, celebrating the band’s 40th anniversary.
