R.I.P. Toto.

[StoneCold]

What was up with that name though? Toto?

You can't beat their talent though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75X1vFBk ... ature=user

[JohnH]

One of my all-time favorite bands got laid to rest today.

I never even got a whiff of a chance of seeing them... at least Luke will soldier on with what will probably be a brilliant solo career... he's already done a great job with his first four solo releases!

Spinning their swansong Falling in Between as we speak.

Falling in Between is one of their best albums (to me the best). I was blown away by their show Labor day weekend 2006, I flew up to Vegas specially to see it, because I had gigs. I also had gigs on their next LA visit in 2007...(darn). My next and last chance, the show in Indio, was canceled. The show in Vegas was the best concert period I saw that year. I'm so glad I got to go. I'm hearing bad things about Mike....I wont repeat what I was told about it but I've seen people blurt it out on some other bulletin boards. The sad fact is, Mike is not coming back to any sort of normal life, not to mention any kind of touring situation. You notice Luke says "Mike fell ill". It is an illness and not an injury. Sad. I hope soon they go public with this so they can do some benefits for this and call attention to get more funds for research for the illness.

John

[DracIsBack]

What was up with that name though? Toto?

You can't beat their talent though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75X1vFBk ... ature=user

LOL - yeah. It did a lot to convince the general public that they were a "Dexy's Midnight Runners"/Taco" type 80s band and not the seasoned session musicians they all were.

Lukather once was asked the thing he would change if he could. He responsed "the Name".

You know, all I did was play music. But you've gotta be honest. We were the band to fuckin' beat up. We were without question the most berated band ever in rock history. I'm still taking some for the fuckin' name man. I figure that just made it too easy for them.

I like the name.
It's a stupid name. (laughter) You can print that. (laughter) I hated it from day one but now I am Mr. Toto so what can I tell ya? (laughter) I can't shake it if I want to. (laughter)

I've always thought that bands with musical skills (Toto, Journey, Chicago and many others) tended to get beaten up by the critics. Usually, "music critics" aren't actually musicians with musical knowledge or musical abilities.

[rdekker]

I'm hoping Luke and Neal will someday record together, that would be the ultiamte guitar album

Hhhmmmm......Luke/Perry collaboration? Whaddya think?

[Ehwmatt]

I've always thought that bands with musical skills (Toto, Journey, Chicago and many others) tended to get beaten up by the critics. Usually, "music critics" aren't actually musicians with musical knowledge or musical abilities.

That's because for the most part with very few exceptions the "critics" are latte-sipping, coffeehouse loitering undersexed overintellectualized curmudgeons that happen to enjoy certain songwriters. This leads to a life ambition of being the next Bob Dylan. When these ambitions are summarily derailed, the phenomenon that comes next is paradoxical but almost universal: Instead of growing bitter towards those who bring the intangibles to the "singer-songwriter" persuasion they so miserably failed at, they laud them all the more and instead turn their bitterness on bands that manage to "make it" singing songs about "inconsequential" subjects, getting especially heated if said bands display any form of musical talent or virtuosity that eclipses strumming a few chords on an acoustic guitar and gravelly rehashing the story of Ruben Carter.


The term "corporate rock" is one of the most laughable labels you could have applied to any of the bands covered here on MR, especially retrospectively when you look at the cesspool that the record industry has become in these days of superficiality, the explicit desire to farm a group for anything its worth (even if its only one hit), so on and so forth. Sure, people like Azoff wanted bands like The Eagles to make the big bucks back then, but how is that any different from how the music industry has ever been? Everybody professionally involved has always wanted to make a living. So yeah, they can toss around "disparaging" labels like "corporate rock" all they want. In reality, there's another, more accurate label: Good. It's like Jimmy Fox, the drummer for The James Gang (Walk Away/Funk #49/Joe Walsh's first big band) once told me: "Back in those days, it seems the common link was good. Whatever music that was performed was performed well for its genre and because of this, it appealed to a wide group of people. That's why bands as diverse as Sly and the Family Stone and Black Sabbath could co-exist with us [The James Gang]."

I pick up Rolling Stone with all the morbid curiosity of an 8 year-old poking his grandfather's stiff, cold skin at the open casket. I also expect the experience to be about as rewarding as that. Nothing more. Goldmine is still a pretty good mag.

[ProgRocker53]

I've always thought that bands with musical skills (Toto, Journey, Chicago and many others) tended to get beaten up by the critics. Usually, "music critics" aren't actually musicians with musical knowledge or musical abilities.

That's because for the most part with very few exceptions the "critics" are latte-sipping, coffeehouse loitering undersexed overintellectualized curmudgeons that happen to enjoy certain songwriters. This leads to a life ambition of being the next Bob Dylan. When these ambitions are summarily derailed, the phenomenon that comes next is paradoxical but almost universal: Instead of growing bitter towards those who bring the intangibles to the "singer-songwriter" persuasion they so miserably failed at, they laud them all the more and instead turn their bitterness on bands that manage to "make it" singing songs about "inconsequential" subjects, getting especially heated if said bands display any form of musical talent or virtuosity that eclipses strumming a few chords on an acoustic guitar and gravelly rehashing the story of Ruben Carter.


The term "corporate rock" is one of the most laughable labels you could have applied to any of the bands covered here on MR, especially retrospectively when you look at the cesspool that the record industry has become in these days of superficiality, the explicit desire to farm a group for anything its worth (even if its only one hit), so on and so forth. Sure, people like Azoff wanted bands like The Eagles to make the big bucks back then, but how is that any different from how the music industry has ever been? Everybody professionally involved has always wanted to make a living. So yeah, they can toss around "disparaging" labels like "corporate rock" all they want. In reality, there's another, more accurate label: Good. It's like Jimmy Fox, the drummer for The James Gang (Walk Away/Funk #49/Joe Walsh's first big band) once told me: "Back in those days, it seems the common link was good. Whatever music that was performed was performed well for its genre and because of this, it appealed to a wide group of people. That's why bands as diverse as Sly and the Family Stone and Black Sabbath could co-exist with us [The James Gang]."

I pick up Rolling Stone with all the morbid curiosity of an 8 year-old poking his grandfather's stiff, cold skin at the open casket. I also expect the experience to be about as rewarding as that. Nothing more. Goldmine is still a pretty good mag.

Effin' A, dude!

Great freakin' post!!

[StoneCold]

What was up with that name though? Toto?

You can't beat their talent though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75X1vFBk ... ature=user

You guys didn't catch the joke. Watch this youtube clip.

At least a minute of it anyway.

[Ehwmatt]

Effin' A, dude!

Great freakin' post!!

Glad you liked it... I get fired up about the crock of shit that is the record industry and music media these days...

[DracIsBack]

You guys didn't catch the joke. Watch this youtube clip.

At least a minute of it anyway.

Gag.

At least do something real (and recent)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS5BFuouDn4

[WalrusOct9]

They did make some really funny videos. I love watching Past To Present on DVD when I'm drunk. Funny shit. One of my fav. bands of all time, but videos weren't really their specialty.

I wish I could get the rest of the videos on DVD Though...Sony was too lazy to add anything to the PTP DVD, which sucks...there's videos for 99, I Will Remember, Melanie (funny-ass shit, if you ever get to see it), and "How Does It Feel," and maybe a couple others.

[DracIsBack]

I wish I could get the rest of the videos on DVD Though...Sony was too lazy to add anything to the PTP DVD, which sucks...there's videos for 99, I Will Remember, Melanie (funny-ass shit, if you ever get to see it), and "How Does It Feel," and maybe a couple others.

Melanie is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSQDbDnvx38

[StoneCold]

You guys didn't catch the joke. Watch this youtube clip.

At least a minute of it anyway.

Gag.

At least do something real (and recent)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS5BFuouDn4

Ha,

Cool, that band fibbooks or flubboks whatever its called does really bad covers of hit songs. They're funny as hell if you watch certain parts.

Anyway, good live clip you linked. The jazzy side of Toto.