Toto co-founder David Paich pays tribute to Leon Russell, one of his musical influences, with an earnest reading of “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” on 2002’s Through the Looking Glass. Though this song originally appeared on Bob Dylan’s iconic 1965 Highway 61 Revisited album (with piano by Paul Griffin, co-writer of Steely Dan’s “The Fez”), the update found on Leon Russell and the Shelter People from 1971 had a bigger influence on Paich.
Toto’s version has a late-night smoky feel to it, with Paich’s carefree lead vocal and powerful Memphis-infused piano. Simon Phillips produces a Jim Keltner-like backbeat which is perfectly in the pocket with Mike Porcaro’s simple yet effective bass patterns. Background vocalist Monet adds a sprinkle of ad-lib magic throughout the song, too.
“It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” is wrapped up with a blues-infused solo by Steve Lukather, which is almost as joyous as the guitarist’s dobro playing throughout the song. The result is a fantastic end to a Toto album which deserves a revisit.
By the way, this song also appears on David Garfield’s Tribute to Jeff album, with a lead vocal by Boz Scaggs and a stirring guitar part by Little Feat’s Fred Tackett. The end guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen is embarrassing in comparison.
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