Steve Lukather’s studio anger

Toto guitarist Steve Lukather has described a solo on latest album XIV as a “fuck you” to bandmate Dave Paich – but adds that it’s all done with love.

They recently launched a stream of their track Holy War, taken from the follow-up to 2006’s Falling In Between, released this week.

Lukather tells MusicRadar: “Making the album was blood, sweat, tears, love, pain, laughter – it was all that. We had fun, but we kept pushing each other.

“We had a couple of times when we almost killed each other. But without any tension you make pussy music.”

He adds of Holy War: “I was really pissed off at Dave. He kept messing with me, and I got pissed off and played that solo. You can hear it’s like, ‘Fuck you, Dave!’

“But I say that with love. I’m just kidding. When you’ve been playing with each other for over 40 years, you get to know them. It’s hard to surprise my friend – and yet I try to do that.

“You’ve got to dig deep when you play with guys who have heard all your shit.”

Paich last week described XIV as a surprise to the band, revealing they hadn’t known they still owed their label an album. Toto return to the UK in May:

May 21: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

May 23: Dublin Vicar Street

May 25: Manchester O2 Apollo

May 26: London Eventim Apollo

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Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.