Great Rock Albums of 1984: Toto- Isolation

 

It is probably the case that "Isolation" is most likely my favourite Toto album was the reason that it didn't do as well as its predecessors in the charts. Some would say one reason why I like it more was down to the fact that it doesn't have any cheesy singles like "Rosanna" or "Africa." I never thought either of those songs were to begin with. That accolade goes to "99" in my opinion. Besides, "Rosanna" has a really cool guitar solo on it. Additionally, there are no songs on "Isolation" that would be called 'party killing' tunes in the realm of Wayne's World.

[caption id="attachment_324" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Wayne puts 'Any song by Toto' as number 2 on his party killing tunes list.[/caption]

Now, some may say that the single, "Stranger in Town," from this album is slightly cheesy. Again, I don't agree, I've always liked it. In fact, it is my second favourite Toto song. "Hold the Line" remains number one. If there be cheese, Toto do what they normally do and hide any cheese behind some good musicianship. There is plenty of that to be heard on the song and every other track on the album. "Stranger in Town" is the third track on the album following two rather good tunes. I also really like the track that comes after, "Angels Don't Cry." There is some good guitar work and it reminds me of late 1970s Styx or Kansas in the sense there are some crunching guitars backed up by some cool but not dominating keyboard playing. The same can be said for "Endless." Even the more keyboard dominated tracks are done very well with some good guitar solos in them. I never bought the critics claim that "Isolation" was a Journey clone. Where did they get that one from?

The new event which occurred on this album was that it was the first one to feature Fergie Frederiksen on lead vocals who replaced Bobby Kimball after the band terminated his services. I never knew what lead to the switch in singers but I've never bothered to find out. Admittedly, I didn't even know they had a new singer until I looked on the credits of the album. However, Bobby Kimball still provides backing vocals on three or four of the songs.

Track Listing:

1. Carmen
2. Lion
3. Stranger in Town
4. Angels Don't Cry
5. How Does it Feel
6. Endless
7. Isolation
8. Mr Friendly
9. Change of Heart
10. Holyanna

[caption id="attachment_4090" align="aligncenter" width="279"] Toto[/caption]

Fergie Frederiksen- lead and backing vocals

Steve Lukather- guitars, backing vocals, lead vocal on "How Does it Feel"

David Paich- keyboards, backing vocals, orchestral arrangements, lead vocals on "Stranger in Town" and "Holyanna," co-lead vocals on "Carmen"

Steve Procraro- keyboards, electric sounds

Mike Procraro- bass

Jeff Procraro- drums, pecussion

Bobby Kimball- backing vocals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSeldKAqM-w

Back in 1984, Toto's "Isolation" album was my come down a little bit album after listening to three or four metal albums on the trot. The great progressive rock musicianship that comes out of the speakers when it's played was the reason why. I didn't think about it then but for me, I've come to the conclusion that after the demise of both Styx and Kansas in 1984, this album was the progressive album that carried that sound on.

Next post: Molly Hatchet- The Deed is Done

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Great Rock Albums of 1982: Toto- IV

When I listen to the fourth album by Toto, I find myself pining for what could have been. Three years prior, they came rocking into the world with the heavy rock sound of "Hold the Line." Those riffs are still catchy within my own mind and back in 1979, that song was an island that refused to be flooded in the sea of disco that was around at the time. "Toto IV" is a total departure from the sound in the song I have already mentioned. It follows subsequent albums in going into a more progressive, pop oriented sound. None of the songs on this fourth album come close to sounding like "Hold the Line."

This doesn't mean the album is bad, it's not. The members of Toto are all talented musicians and it shows on the album. Take the opening song and like many albums of 1982 thus far, the biggest single on the album. If "Rosanna" had been done by some fly by night, 80s synth pop group put together by the likes of Stock, Aiken and Waterman, then it would have totally sucked. Sure, it might have been a top ten single but quickly buried and forgotten. The reason why "Rosanna" appears on a number of rock compilation albums is the good musicianship behind it. Hearing the lyrics does make me want to say "Oh God" but then comes a cool keyboard solo and later a decent guitar solo. They make the song and probably why it has stood the test of time. Other songs on the album are in the same vein. Eight out of the next nine songs are mellow out progressive jazzy blues sounding songs which are great to sit down and listen to but I won't be listening to them on my way to Amon Amarth in a couple of weeks. The only song that goes anywhere near hard rock is "Afraid of Love" but that song is let down by a keyboard interlude where a cranking guitar solo should be. Still, the musicianship of Toto carry the songs through.

The closer, "Africa," is more of the same but probably my favourite song on the album. Like the previous nine songs, the closer is definitely a strong progressive song. Unlike "Rosanna," the lyrics for me are more listenable and the quality musicianship remains but I think they could have used a better instrumental break than the one in the song, perhaps a guitar solo. Still, it is the best song on the album for me.

Track Listing:

1. Rosanna

2. Make Me Believe

3. I Won't Hold You Back

4. Good For You

5. It's a Feeling

6. Afraid of Love

7. Lovers in the Night

8. We Made It

9. Waiting for Your Love

10. Africa

[caption id="attachment_1266" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Toto[/caption]

David Paich- keyboards, lead and backing vocals, all horn and orchestral arrangements

Steve Lukather- guitars, lead and backing vocals

Bobby Kimball- lead and backing vocals

Jeff Procraro- drums, percussion ,tympani

Steve Procraro- keyboards, lead vocals

David Hungate- bass

"Toto IV" is probably the reason why Wayne Campbell of Wayne's World fame put "anything by Toto" as the number two party killing song. I have to disagree somewhat here. While I wouldn't listen to the album on my way to a metal concert, I would still listen to it at more appropriate times. This is a good easy listening album, with some decent songs and quality musicianship.

Next post: Dire Straits- Lover Over Gold

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Also available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Wayne's World's Top Ten Party Killing Songs

In case anyone is wondering which are the top ten party killing songs according to Wayne's World, I thought I would print the list here:

Top Ten Party-Killing Songs

01 Any Disco Tune

02 Anything by Toto

03 "From A Distance" by Bette Midler

04 "Billy Don't Be A Hero" by Paperlace

05 "Lovin' You" by Mimi Ripperton

06Le "Color My World" (nice flute solo... Not!)

07 "More Than Words" (chick song by the inappropriately named Extreme)

08 "Hotel California" (No, really, it's a great party. I'm just going for a walk)

09 "Freebird"

10 "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris

How many of these do you agree with? Let's start a discussion.

Great Rock Albums of 1980: Toto- Hydra

I still do not agree with Wayne Campbell from Wayne's World fame when he listed "Anything by Toto" as number two in his list of "Top Ten Party Killing Songs" in his book "Extreme Close Up." Saying that, there are quite a few others in that list I wouldn't agree with either, but that's not the point. In no way is the single "Hold the Line" from the first album a party killer. The closest any song comes to be a party killer is "99" from this album, "Hydra." While it wouldn't kill the party, that song would signal to me that the party is beginning to wane. That could be said with many of the songs in the album.

Okay, "Hydra" is not an album I would use to get the party into full swing but that in no way makes this a bad album. The first four tracks, or side one if you listen to it on cassette or vinyl, is more suited to softer rock and yes, "99" is one of those four songs. It isn't until the fifth song, "All Us Boys" that Toto have any inclination to go heavy in the way of "Hold the Line" and the only other song that is similar to "All Us Boys" is "White Sister." The rest of the album is a more mellow sound with ballads like "Loraine" and the closer "A Secret Love." However, all of the songs are done very well and credit where due, Toto are all very good musicians and this helps to make this album into what I call, a good late night listen.

Track Listing:

1. Hydra

2. St George and the Dragon

3. 99

4. Loraine

5. All Us Boys

6. Mama

7. White Sister

8. A Secret Love

Toto

Bobby Kimball- lead and backing vocals

Steve Lukather- guitars, vocals

Steve Pocraro- keyboards, electronics, backing vocals

David Paich- keyboards, lead and backing vocals

David Hungate- bass

Jeff Pocraro- drums, percussion

"Hydra" may not be a party enhancer but it is definitely not a party killer. It's more of a chill out in your room type of album and the musicianship of Toto makes it a very good album in which to do that.

Next post: A series of announcements

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Great Rock Albums of 1979: Toto

Although I was a big fan of Wayne's World, there was one thing in their book "Extreme Close Up" I didn't agree with. That was some of the songs they listed in the category of "Top Ten Party Killing Tunes." There were at least two other songs that I felt shouldn't have been on the list, "Hotel California" by the Eagles and "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. However, down at number two was "Anything by Toto." I don't agree that every song by Toto is a party killer. Maybe in the case of "Georgy Porgy" but not their most noted song, "Hold the Line." That was the song that made me aware of them and I still enjoy listening to it when I play any of the compilation CDs it appears on. Saying that, I do agree with Wayne's number one choice, "Any disco tune."
Sticklers for music history will point out that this album was released in 1978, but it didn't come to my attention until March of 1979. How it did is an amusing story. An Air Force recruitment band came to my high school and played a gig. They introduced "Hold the Line" by saying that Toto had left Dorothy and the rest of the Wizard of Oz group and formed his own band. No, I didn't find that funny either, but they did make the song sound good. Therefore, I was totally impressed when I heard the actual version by Toto.
If someone bought this album today after hearing "Hold the Line," they may be disappointed in the fact that Toto aren't a true hard rock band. They are more of a prog rock band with elements of hard and soft rock. I will go out on a ledge here and say they sound like 10cc with a bit of Kansas thrown in. While the album definitely isn't party killing, it's not a party enhancer either. This album is what I call a good wind down album. It's great for playing when travelling home from a metal concert and you want something to bring you down. It's also good for chilling in your big chair.
One thing I can say from this and other offerings by Toto is that they're all talented musicians. The opening track, "Child's Anthem" is a brilliant instrumental  intro to the album and while some of the song "I'll Supply the Love" has that generic commercial 70s sound in some places, there is some good guitar licks and a keyboard solo to bring it up. A critic, which I'm not, might say that the musicianship makes up for any other flaws in the music.

Track Listing:

1. Child's Anthem

2. I'll Supply the Love

3. Georgy Porgy

4. Manuela Run

5. You Are the Flower

6. Girl Goodbye

7. Takin' It Back

8. Rockmaker

9. Hold the Line

10. Angela

Toto

Bobby Kimball- lead and backing vocals

Steve Lukather- guitars, lead and backing vocals

David Paich- keyboards, lead and backing vocals

Steve Porcaro- keyboards, lead vocals

David Hungate- bass

Jeff Porcaro- drums

Toto are a good prog rock outfit, maybe not as good as Kansas in my opinion, but still good as their first album shows. And don't pay attention to Wayne's "Top Ten Party Killing Tunes" list.

Next post: Queen- Jazz

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London