Toto to release new album: Toto XIV

The true follow-up to Toto IV?

From Billboard:

"The band Toto is gearing up for a new album, its first studio effort in nearly a decade.

Frontiers Music SRL will release Toto XIV in North America on March 24 and additional territories in the days before and after. The album will be available in multiple formats, including a deluxe CD/DVD package and a two-LP vinyl set. It is available for preorder now.

According to a statement announcing the release, XIV, the band's first album of new material since 2006's Falling In Between, is what Toto "personally considers ... to be the true follow-up to TOTO IV, which made the band global superstars."

Said keyboardist Steve Porcaro: "This is opposite of going through the motions. We are treating this like it is Toto V."

The album also features the return of founding bassist David Hungate.

Toto, which has sold 35 million albums and saw massive hits in the 70s and 80s -- among them "Africa," "Hold the Line" and "Rosanna" -- embarks on an extensive European tour in the Spring which will include headlining arena dates and appearances at festivals. A North American trek follows in summer 2015."

 

They've been "going through the motions" for 33 years?

 

Hope it's not brickwalled. The last Toto record was and Luke's last solo records too.

 

Frontiers Records is the best label around today. It will be interesting to see how the new album sounds. It'd be awesome to see Toto have a hit even if it was just on the Adult Contemporary charts.

 

Hungate is back ... Nashville must not need him anymore? I used to LOVE Toto, but that ship sailed for me just after "The Seventh One" album. They just seemed to get harder and less commercial on every album after that album, which was a great one, I might add! To me, "The Seventh One" was what "Toto V" should have been, but if you really want to get this old Toto fan excited, bring back Joseph Williams (the son of famous movie composer, John Williams), as he was a great singer and he really brought the old sound back, in my opinion! The "outtakes" CD was the only real point of interest since "Seventh" for me, as it had quite a few decent unreleased tracks on it.

 

Toto - Toto XIV EPK (Official / New Studio Album / 2015)

 

The music coming out of Nashville these days doesn't really need anyone with Hungate's skill level. Be real.

Studio guys aren't any different than the famous people, eventually they probably get replaced by younger, trendier versions, especially in this town.

At least there will be a vinyl version, so there might be a less-compressed option. Frontiers puts out some great records, but they're almost always horrifically mastered. I have their Mr. Big What If... vinyl and it's pretty nice though, so there's hope.

 

You will be happy to learn that Joseph Williams is currently the vocalist for the band and has been for the last few years.

 

And you can see/hear him on the Toto - Live in Poland release (CD/DVD/Blu-ray), so time to wake up and get excited ;-)

 

He doesn't actually say that. He said that many bands at this stage in their career often just rely on covers albums or redo what they've done "going through the motions ", but Toto approached this album like they depended on it, and it was like they were recording Toto V again. That article kinda misconstrues his comments a bit.

Mark

 

Ordinarily I'm not into the whole big AOR/Pomp rock deal, but these guys are masters in that vein ... I'll give it a whirl! (I enjoyed Hydra, Isolation, Seventh One). Please let it not be MIDI-keyboard-layered up the Wazoo ... Keith Carlock and Hungate being there, means there'll be some real crackin' rhythm section stuff happening.

 

Looking forward to this release. Hope the mastering is better than the last album.

Pat

 

This I did not know, good news! What happened to Bobby Kimball?

 

If I'm not mistaken I think I saw their vintage Polyfusion modular system that provided part of their signature sound in that EPK.

Patchcords, levers and knobs oh my!!

Mark

 

I loved Falling In Between. Dying on my Feet and Bottom of Your Soul are classics.

 

Another falling out with Lukather, I think. J. Williams was with them for the last few tours, including here in the U.S. last summer.

 

Since the sad news about Mike Porcaro I figured at some point Hungate would return. Glad to hear he is back.

Now apparently the drummer is Keith Carlock (this according to the Amazon description of the new album). What happened to Simon Phillips?

 

Yep, I concur. Hooked and King Of The World are personal favs as well.

Mark

 

Yeah, Ramius and Darius (or whatever they were called...)

Better those than a DX-7!

 

Checked Amazon and I like the cover artwork. Part of me thinks of Hydra "below 7th Avenue" and another part that line in Spiritual Man about John Coltrane.

Mark

 

I just looked Bobby up on the web and it appears that he just started mixing his next solo record a few days ago. He also recently helped out with some vocals for a member of "Survivor" that was written for their lead singer who recently passed away and also for Fergie (The second lead singer of Toto, whom I didn't even realize had passed?) And it also looks like he is doing a show this month at The Whisky in L.A., so he's keeping busy despite not being on Luke's radar anymore. By the way, I always liked Bobby, especially on the early albums, but I've always felt that Joseph Williams really brought out the best vocally, for the band. The second singer who passed didn't do much for me, but I liked the guy who sang a few of the new tracks on the "Greatest Hits" album, especially on the song "Out Of Love", which should have been a hit, in my honest opinion.

 

Please no please no.

 

I think his name was Jean-Michel Byron? Are you thinking of the song "Out of Love"? I liked it a lot too. The story of his joining the band seems pretty strange. It sounded as if he got thrust on them by a manager and never fit in at all. But that song I think turned out well.

I also liked Bobby Kimball. It's good to hear he's still working as a vocalist. To my mind the anniversary concert in Amsterdam, where he's more or less the lead and which is available on DVD and Blu-ray, is great, even if almost everyone has some rough moments vocally.

 

Already pre-ordered just the CD on Amazon.

Glad to see Joseph Williams back as vocalist. I always thought it was a shootout between him and Bobby Kimball - but for me - it's Bobby (though, Joseph a very close second).

 

Toto always seemed slightly schizoid to me; on one hand able to craft tight, prog-y albums like Hydra, but then doing rather AOR-ish ballads ... Often it worked (IV a huge seller, IIRC), but I rather hope they are economical with the latter on this new album.