Andrew writing liner notes for box set

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Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby The_Noble_Cause » Mon Jan 22, 2018 12:03 am

From MR homepage...

G'day folks,
As announced earlier this week on Facebook, I have been commissioned by Toto and Sony Music to write the complete liner notes for the Toto 40th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set, which is coming out later this year.
It has been a honor and a privilege to be involved with Steve Lukather, David Paich and the guys - people I have admired and respected for as long as I can remember.
Work on the liners will continue right up until the end of the month, but first drafts are due to be handed in tomorrow. I hope I will do the band justice.
Luke tells me Sony are backing this set all the way and will be submitting for Grammy considerations. It will be a super deluxe set featuring all new 2017 masters of the entire Sony catalogue. These albums sound even more amazing than ever.
So I should be back to normal next week. I will catch up on the news I've thus far missed and a huge MRX update.
Please stand by for some MRF news and details and plenty of big MRR news. Next week.


Wonder if the set will include XX and Through the Looking Glass? Shame that FIB and XIV weren't on Sony. Wonder what Drew will say about Mindfields? He gave it a C-. Anyway, congrats Drew! Just another reason to buy this.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby WalrusOct9 » Tue Jan 23, 2018 4:34 am

It will cover XX, but not Looking Glass (which is now technically owned by Universal, I think, although I doubt anyone there is even aware of it). Theoretically Sony could pay to license songs from Universal and Frontiers, but I wouldn't hold my breath there.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the XX songs dispersed as bonus tracks with their corresponding original albums, since it doesn't really hold together well as an album, but that's just what I'd do if I was putting this together.

Hopefully Mindfields will be less compressed than the original version. The mastering isn't as bad as FIB or XIV, but it could still be a lot more natural and dynamic.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby ptgraphics » Tue Jan 23, 2018 12:40 pm

I thought Mindfields was compressed and a bit loud when I bought the album when it first came out. But compared to the mastering on FIB or XIV it's a sonic masterpiece! Great songs all around though. Just want great mastering/mixing to go with great songs.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby Andrew » Tue Feb 13, 2018 12:40 pm

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Wonder if the set will include XX and Through the Looking Glass? Shame that FIB and XIV weren't on Sony. Wonder what Drew will say about Mindfields? He gave it a C-. Anyway, congrats Drew! Just another reason to buy this.


XX yes, Looking Glass no (was EMI)

Mindfields was better than I originally reviewed it - and is their best sounding record probably.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby The_Noble_Cause » Wed Feb 14, 2018 4:41 am

Andrew wrote:
XX yes, Looking Glass no (was EMI)

Mindfields was better than I originally reviewed it - and is their best sounding record probably.


Thanks. Glad you have come around on Minefields. While a little long, I love the diversity.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby artinis1 » Wed Feb 14, 2018 6:55 am

Will there be any live bonus tracks from the past? Would like early 80’s live versions
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby ptgraphics » Sun Feb 18, 2018 6:18 am

Good to hear you are writing the liner notes.
Anyone know if the box set will have the edits or remixes from the singles, etc?
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby WalrusOct9 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 5:55 am

Andrew wrote:
The_Noble_Cause wrote:Wonder if the set will include XX and Through the Looking Glass? Shame that FIB and XIV weren't on Sony. Wonder what Drew will say about Mindfields? He gave it a C-. Anyway, congrats Drew! Just another reason to buy this.


XX yes, Looking Glass no (was EMI)

Mindfields was better than I originally reviewed it - and is their best sounding record probably.


Mindfields is alternately utter brilliance ("Cruel") and total throwaways ("Mysterious Ways"). It'd be twice the album at half the length. But man, the 7 or 8 great songs on it are really, really great.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby The_Noble_Cause » Wed Feb 21, 2018 10:38 am

WalrusOct9 wrote:
Andrew wrote:
The_Noble_Cause wrote:Wonder if the set will include XX and Through the Looking Glass? Shame that FIB and XIV weren't on Sony. Wonder what Drew will say about Mindfields? He gave it a C-. Anyway, congrats Drew! Just another reason to buy this.


XX yes, Looking Glass no (was EMI)

Mindfields was better than I originally reviewed it - and is their best sounding record probably.


Mindfields is alternately utter brilliance ("Cruel") and total throwaways ("Mysterious Ways"). It'd be twice the album at half the length. But man, the 7 or 8 great songs on it are really, really great.


Even the throwaways are interesting tho I think.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby r@y » Wed Feb 21, 2018 3:45 pm

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Even the throwaways are interesting tho I think.


Absolutely !

Even the title track is a groovy in a psychedelic way kind of tune....haha

I had Caught in the Balance on a loop back then....
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby WalrusOct9 » Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:26 am

I mean, they're such good musicians that there's at least something to enjoy, but honestly they just didn't have 80 minutes of A-level music written. I think a 45 minute album of all-killer-no-filler is a better album than one that runs 80 minutes just because it could. (There's always the option of putting any leftovers on an XX-type outtakes set down the line)

People keep talking about the 'art of the album' being a dying thing, and I think it's stuff like that during the CD era that contributed. (obviously many artists are far worse about this than this one Toto album...I think every other Toto record is fairly concise and well-sequenced, especially given the critical drubbing they always received for being self-indulgent musician types :lol:)
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby tedpruitt » Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:10 am

Yikes... http://store.totoofficial.com/music/all-in.html

Hope they consider a CD or even better SACD/DVD/or BluRayAudio-only version of this. I'm sure it's worth the $500 price tag with the LPs - but I have no desire, nor any way to play LPs...
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby artinis1 » Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:24 am

Anyone know what the tracks are on the
Live in Tokyo 1980 EP from the box set?
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby Anymajordude » Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:18 am

artinis1 wrote:Anyone know what the tracks are on the
Live in Tokyo 1980 EP from the box set?


Probably this, March 13th 1980. It's been bootlegged for decades:

Setlist:
01. Hydra
02. I'll Supply The Love
03. 99
04. Mama
05. Tale Of A Man
06. Georgy Porgy
07. Hold The Line
08. White Sister
09. Band introduction
10. All Us Boys
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby WalrusOct9 » Sat Feb 24, 2018 3:42 am

tedpruitt wrote:Yikes... http://store.totoofficial.com/music/all-in.html

Hope they consider a CD or even better SACD/DVD/or BluRayAudio-only version of this. I'm sure it's worth the $500 price tag with the LPs - but I have no desire, nor any way to play LPs...


There will be a CD version, but that's it.

I basically just do vinyl and streaming at this point, so I'll probably pick up the 90's albums on vinyl whenever they decide to sell them individually. I have really nice copies of the first seven LP's already.

I keep seeing the live thing advertised as an EP...hopefully that's a mistake, seems silly to not include the whole show.

Also, where do the Past To Present songs fit in here? Did they just disappear?
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby artinis1 » Sun Feb 25, 2018 12:26 am

Was really hoping for the Budokan full 82 concert and maybe a disc of live rare tracks
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby WalrusOct9 » Sun Feb 25, 2018 4:17 am

Me too. I honestly think there needs to be a separate box of live stuff. I'm thinking about a Yes box set that came out years ago called The Word Is Live, and I'm not sure the concept worked particularly well for that band (too much politics involved and ground to cover for it to really hit the mark), but I think it'd work really well for Toto. (There was also a live Rod Stewart box that compiled around 4+ hours of live stuff from the 70's and 80's..i'm not enough of a post-Faces Rod fan to know whether it was good, but looking at the tracklisting it seems to cover a lot of ground without overlapping any releases fans already had)

But given that Toto never had a real live release with Jeff (until the recent Montreux thing, which was a short set and still wasn't complete), there's definitely a need for something like this. There were so many songs Toto only played on one or two tours, and I'd really love to hear them without needing poor-quality audience recordings.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby The_Noble_Cause » Sun Feb 25, 2018 11:07 am

So the ten track cd (featuring Alone, Spanish Sea, Lightening and 7 others) is called "Old is New."
Very un-TOTO like title. Either way, bring it on.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby Anymajordude » Sun Feb 25, 2018 9:37 pm

Actually, it's just a big shame no official full concert live audio is available from the 1978-1988 era. I've been requesting this for two decades. This upcoming "EP" sure sounds like another letdown. I'mooking forward to the remastered albums big time, but the lack of vintage Toto live audio is just sad.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby artinis1 » Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:55 am

I agree, especially live 80’s, when they were at their peak,
I’ve sent texts to Steve, with no response, they have been
great with live releases from the last 15-20 years
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby WalrusOct9 » Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:12 pm

I was thinking about it too...it's sort of odd, since Toto were never a b-sides band..."The Seventh One" is the only one I can think of, and I think that was mostly bumped to a b-side just due to LP space limitations at the time. I'm genuinely surprised Sony didn't record any live stuff in the 80's to use as b-sides/collectors bait on singles since the band so rarely provided extra tracks or remixes. (I'm also surprised the band didn't push a live recording more as a way to push back on their image as a lite-rock/ballad-heavy MOR band)
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby Anymajordude » Tue Feb 27, 2018 2:39 am

WalrusOct9 wrote:I was thinking about it too...it's sort of odd, since Toto were never a b-sides band..."The Seventh One" is the only one I can think of, and I think that was mostly bumped to a b-side just due to LP space limitations at the time. I'm genuinely surprised Sony didn't record any live stuff in the 80's to use as b-sides/collectors bait on singles since the band so rarely provided extra tracks or remixes. (I'm also surprised the band didn't push a live recording more as a way to push back on their image as a lite-rock/ballad-heavy MOR band)


'In a word' was a unique b-side as well (I'll be over you).
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby Penguinpc » Wed Feb 28, 2018 8:11 am

I wonder what the CD box set will cost. I would like to have the LP's, but I don't have $500 in disposable income for that.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby WalrusOct9 » Fri Mar 02, 2018 8:06 am

Anymajordude wrote:
WalrusOct9 wrote:I was thinking about it too...it's sort of odd, since Toto were never a b-sides band..."The Seventh One" is the only one I can think of, and I think that was mostly bumped to a b-side just due to LP space limitations at the time. I'm genuinely surprised Sony didn't record any live stuff in the 80's to use as b-sides/collectors bait on singles since the band so rarely provided extra tracks or remixes. (I'm also surprised the band didn't push a live recording more as a way to push back on their image as a lite-rock/ballad-heavy MOR band)


'In a word' was a unique b-side as well (I'll be over you).


Oh, I never knew that. I just know it from XX. But still, that's two b-sides in 40 years. (I'm not counting "Blackeye" since it's on most copies of Tambu) Not a big deal at all, but just surprised Sony or the band never (as far as we know) had any pre-1990 gigs recorded professionally to use on singles (or for a live video).
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby Anymajordude » Sat Mar 03, 2018 1:44 am

WalrusOct9 wrote:
Anymajordude wrote:
WalrusOct9 wrote:I was thinking about it too...it's sort of odd, since Toto were never a b-sides band..."The Seventh One" is the only one I can think of, and I think that was mostly bumped to a b-side just due to LP space limitations at the time. I'm genuinely surprised Sony didn't record any live stuff in the 80's to use as b-sides/collectors bait on singles since the band so rarely provided extra tracks or remixes. (I'm also surprised the band didn't push a live recording more as a way to push back on their image as a lite-rock/ballad-heavy MOR band)


'In a word' was a unique b-side as well (I'll be over you).


Oh, I never knew that. I just know it from XX. But still, that's two b-sides in 40 years. (I'm not counting "Blackeye" since it's on most copies of Tambu) Not a big deal at all, but just surprised Sony or the band never (as far as we know) had any pre-1990 gigs recorded professionally to use on singles (or for a live video).


I agree 100 %. Makes me wonder if they have any vintage live multitrack recordings at all in the vaults. I know there was talk at the old Toto Network about this. Bobby K has said (if I remember correctly) he has a recording of their first time together in the studio. Stuff like that, I want to hear it.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby WalrusOct9 » Sun Mar 04, 2018 4:01 am

Yeah, that's exactly what I was wondering. I feel like if they'd made good multitrack live recordings back in the day, something would've cropped up by now as bonus tracks on a 12" single or CD reissue or something. But surely the band has better stuff than what we've got on bootlegs, even if it's not perfect.
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Re: Andrew writing liner notes for box set

Postby artinis1 » Sun Mar 04, 2018 7:07 am

I would hope so, but if they do, now is the time to release it
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