Toto

You are supposed to like them. That's how they wrote them- instant likeability

Do you know the album "Mindfields"? It's the only Toto album that I like.

I like Toto.They were playing a lot on the radio when I was growing up.The only albums of theirs that are really good are their debut(Toto) and TotoIV.

I thought Steve Lukather was a pretty good guitarist.

MikeEnRegalia wrote: TheProgtologist wrote: I like Toto.They were playing a lot on the radio when I was growing up.The only albums of theirs that are really good are their debut(Toto) and TotoIV. I thought Steve Lukather was a pretty good guitarist. You don't like Mindfields? BTW: Steve Lukather is a brilliant guitarist ... he writes great melodies.

I have never heard that one,Mike

TOTO are a band that deserve great respect : their members are all very gifted and very much in demand musicians and most of their albums are VERY good. I like very much their first album, TOTO IV and the seventh one. I am less fond of the hard-rock driven Lukather-era that came after the death of Jeff Porcaro, although Tambu has some great moments. BTW, Joseph Williams, the vocalist who appeared on Fahrenheit and the seventh one is the son of the great composer John Williams.

gr8dane wrote: Logos wrote: I rarely express my utter disliking for a band, but Toto.. I doubt if any progger can seriously like them!   Let's put it this way,,,There sure are a lot of worse bands out there. At least these guys a stellar musicians.Does that count for something?? I am not saying everything is great.

They gotta be better than Dream Theatre.

Logos wrote: I doubt if any progger can seriously like them!

well, there are many connections between toto and jazz-rock/fusion (jeff porcaro played with steely dan, jeff berlin, larry carlton, stanley clarke, herbie hancock, lee ritenour, tommy bolin and steve lukather played also for many jazz-rock bands) and prog-rock (bobby kimball, steve lukather and simon phillips played for ryo okumoto's solo album, simon phillips and steve lukather played for derek sherinian) and some of their tracks ARE prog : child anthem, better world, dave's gone skiing. But what I like most about them is that after twenty-five years they are still very dynamic, as shows their recent live in Amsterdam.

maidenrulez wrote: Syzygy wrote: I'm not sure about their prog credentials - they're a long way from Kansas, Toto. Heh ...Great one

Oh The Wizard of Oz, Now I get it! Duh...

Re Toto (the band, not Dorothy's dog) they are all terrific musicians and should appeal to a lot of prog fans. Toto 4 and Isolation were both excellent rock albums in the arid musical desert that was the eighties (they were certainly better than Genesis in this period).

Their major weakness was the inclusion of syrupy ballads on every album (I'll Be Over You, How does it Feel).

They also did Hydra, which is kind of an AOR concept album!

maidenrulez wrote: ah i cant belivie that i like this band at all...and im most embarres of finding that i like those songs like africa, rosanna 99 and hold the life... well well any toto fans here? whats your favorite cd's and songs?

yeah maiden, I have some time for Toto, primarily because I liked them when I was young...

...one album, which I think was rather underrated was 'Turn Back' their 3rd album (1981)...Goodbye Eleanor is a superb bit of rock.  Also Hydra and St George & The Dragon off their second album, 'Hydra' (1979) is also enjoyable...sadly these great pieces of music have been smothered by Toto IV, which in my opinion had no teeth...

Toto's main problem was that they never kept a lead singer for very long, but they were terrific session musicians, and Steve Lukather in particular is a very talented guitarist...

richardh wrote: Yep I love 'Africa' as well..just such a brilliant song.I know I should hate it ...but I can't ..sorry!

I have massive respect for the lyrics - how many pop songs contain a line like

'Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti'

and make it scan perfectly?

Plus Rosanna is all about Rosanna Arquette, possibly the most stunning screen actress of her generation.

Unfortunately, despite these redeeming features, Toto's music was AOR mediocrity at its blandest. Still, you can't have everything.