Universal Music GroupToto has announced official plans to release their cover of alternate-rock act Weezer‘s “Hash Pipe,” which will be available for purchase digitally and via streaming services this Friday, August 10.
As previously reported, Toto recorded their rendition of 2001 tune in response to Weezer covering two of the veteran pop-rock group’s hits: “Rosanna” and “Africa.” “Africa” is now #1 on Billboard‘s Alternative Songs chart.
“We were blown away at the response Weezer got doing our old songs,” says Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. “They did a good job too…It seemed only right that WE, Toto, 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.”
Lukather explains that Toto chose “Hash Pipe” to cover because “[t]he irony that we were smoking hash before these guys were alive was not lost on us, and…it has a killer melody and a great groove.”
He adds, “We wanted to do something that rocked. We give you our version — with a little of our thing on it like they did their ‘thing’ to ours.”
Lukather also says that he feels Toto and Weezer now “have to do some crazy mash-up live someday.”
Meanwhile, Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro, who produced the track, says, “Covering ‘Hash Pipe’ was an absolute blast. When I asked my neighbor, a huge Weezer fan, which record we should cover, he rattled off about five of their biggest hits, but then he smiled and said, ‘But there’s nothing like driving down the freeway at 80 miles an hour with “Hash Pipe” cranked.'”
Toto recently launched a North American tour leg celebrating its 40th anniversary. Check out all the dates at TotoOfficial.com.
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