HOLDING THE LINE: TOTO 
"... the skeptic in me
conviction that beauty can not be
so beautiful, smooth, combed"
(Richard Bertoncelli
music critic and writer)
Toto I belong to that group of musicians who can boast of having monopolized for long periods of negative opinions of our local militant music critics as a reflection of inevitable prejudices and stereotypes cemented in time. Born in the mid 70's, the American group - whose peculiarity was to be composed of renowned and sought after session musicians - began immediately in the telescopic sight of our critique to show the alleged of their instrumental expertise. Who has a good familiarity with the discography of the band Steve Lukather & co. what will turn up their nose. The first disc of the band - Toto (1978), Hydra (1979), Turn Back (1981) and partly Isolation (1984) - in fact offer the listener a good example of fine rock, sometimes strong, sometimes relaxed, played with technical The finest ever performed for free. The music that comes out (once it was written "by microgroove", now almost exclusively "from the optical disk") is played with passion, not only with mastery. Alas lacks in rebellious rage, and this 'guilty' shortcoming many experts have never forgiven them, one of the most experienced, Richard Bertoncelli, then (as now?) Apologist confessed of "the only beauty's ugly, man" (the only beauty is ugly, friend) to Dylan's memory, still branded as "too tame [...] too lacquered, too beautiful [... ] and so good. " For Bertoncelli of Italy, for that matter, Toto have been and always will remain, the unbearable "first class," perfect and soulless. Yet the first records of Toto, and a handful of songs scattered in the other, a soul (and not "mortacci them ...) have it. It is ugly, dirty, iconoclastic and bad, but no less beautiful. If it is true that, with age and the onset of routine and so, have lost spontaneity and authenticity (like Dylan and the other pioneers of the Brut and Bon), is the least questionable assertion that "a lot of music 80 [were] much more interesting lives and daring." Leaving aside the notion of "interesting" does not appear that to be considered "a lot more lives and daring" the music should have a clear pedigree punk, nihilistic and proletarian. You can write music alive and courageous "in the shade of palm trees in California and not called John Doe and Exene Cervenka (former leader of the X, however great), but Jeff Porcaro and David Paich ...
DISCOGRAPHY Toto (1978) *** 1 / 2 - A song about all of them: "Hold The Line
. Also worthy
I'll Supply the Love George Porgy and . Toto I get nominated for the Grammy for Best New Artist.
Hydra (1979) *** 1 / 2 - The most successful single of this album,
99, was inspired by a film by George Lucas, "The man who escaped from the future" (THX 1138, 1971), in the film, people were in fact identified with numbers rather than by name.
Turn Back (1981) *** 1 / 4 - Toto harden the sound, and many fans turn up their noses. Too bad, because the songwriting is inspired, and the songs tough as ever in the future. The album, unfortunately, will be half misstep for the band, it only reached position number 41 on the Billboard charts.
IV (1982) ** 1 / 2 - As a direct consequence of the flop
Turn Back, Toto soften: well too. The hard fact is sometimes soporific. Not enough
Lovers in the Night, and especially Africa
to remove the impression of anemia mannered. But since the quality and success are not assumed and therefore, the disk becomes even platinum. In 1983, thanks to
IV, Toto Grammy win as many as 6 ...
Isolation (1984) *** - During the recording of the album the singer Bobby Kimball leaves (or is dismissed for the "usual" problems of alcohol and drugs ...), Steve Porcaro and recommended his friend Dennis "Fergie" Frederiksen, we already active in the (semi) unknown Le Roux and Trillion. Advice was never more inspired: Frederiksen has un'ugola titanium, does not regret his pre decessore and brings new life to a sound that was in danger of anemia at all. The single from the album Stranger In Town are
and
Holyanna . In the video for Stranger In Town
the main part is played by actor Brad Dourif, that, between others, Child's Play, Trauma, Mississippi Burning, Alien IV and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
Fahrenheit (1986) ** - Frederiksen unfortunately leaves. In its place comes Joseph Williams, son of John, composer of popular soundtracks (ET, Star Wars). The album is a step backwards: Toto definitely veering towards a soft rock radio and forgiveness grit and polish of better times. The single most successful
I'll Be Over You (in the chorus stands out the voice of Michael McDonald).
The Seventh One (1988) ** 1 / 4 - A subtle step forward from the previous album. Prior to the album, Steve Porcaro left the band to continue as a soloist (mainly as a composer of film scores), but will continue to cooperate actively with the band. On this album, two hit singles such as Pamela
and
Stop Loving You (also in the chorus Jon Anderson, lead singer of Yes).
Past to Present 1977-1990 (1990) sv - Joseph Williams leaves during the Toto The Seventh One Tour, and the band decided to call Bobby Kimball, with whom he recorded some songs (including
Goin 'Home , which is then inserted in
XX). The record, however, pressure for the Toto pay an South African Jean Michel Byron, who sings 4 new songs. During the subsequent tour, Toto, however, aware that Byron is not suited to their style and redundant: the four unknown in this collection are therefore the only evidence of his art with the group. Despite the incompatibility with Byron,
Out Of Love still becomes a hit single in Europe.
Kingdom of Desire (1992) ** 1 / 2 - Williams is not replaced by any singer role. E 'guitarist Steve Lukather to deal with all the solo parts. The release of the album is marred by a sudden tragedy: August 5, 1992 the drummer Jeff Porcaro died of a heart attack. Perhaps partly as a result of this tragic event, the record sounds hard, edgy, aggressive. In a word, unrecognizable in the ears of fans. A little flour and plenty of Toto - perhaps too much ... - Steve Lukather. Kingdom of Desire seems to a solo guitarist, rather than the eighth studio album of the group ... The single from the album is
Do not Chain My Heart . The song that closes the album, the instrumental
Jake to the Bone, was originally conceived by Steve Lukather with a vocal score by Roger Waters, who was recording his
Amused to Death in the study next to that of Toto.
Absolutely Live (1993) *** - It 's the first official live band. Simon Phillips, will replace poor Jeff Porcaro, learn in six weeks, the lineup of the Kingdom of Desire Tour concerts of this tour will end with usually
With a Little Help From My Friends the Beatles, but in the version handed down by Joe Cocker.
Tambu (1995) ** 1 / 4 - absorbed the shock - emotional and professional - for the death of Jeff Porcaro, and left the hard matrix lukatheriana, Toto found a center of gravity of melody, even if the disk is too homogeneous and crystallized, harnessed in a soft-rock soul with unusual grain. The only drops of energy gives the
Drag Him To The Roof ... official debut album for drummer Simon Phillips, but is forced to give up for health reasons in the first part of the promotional tour and was replaced by Greg Bissonette (David Lee Roth Band in already).
XX (1998) sv - It 's a collection of rare material, unreleased and live, which celebrates 20 years of career of the group. On the promotional tour taking part in some ex-band members, Steve Porcaro and former singer Bobby Kimball and Joseph Williams. The single "
Goin 'Home , will also be inserted (in a different version) in 3, Joseph Williams solo album. Among the material selected for this collection is to be reported
On the Run, which is the last official recording (made during il Montreux Jazz Festival) con Jeff Porcaro alla batteria.
Mindfields (1999) **1/2 - E' il disco che sancisce il rientro nei ranghi del "figliol prodigo" Kimball, già collaudato nel recente tour del ventennale. Nonostante le insolite aperture reggae e una certa inclinazione al blues, il disco lesina energie creative, è discontinuo e ipertrofico (71 minuti!), talora a corto di identità. Un passo avanti, comunque, rispetto al troppo estetizzante Tambu.
Livefields (1999) **1/2 - Secondo live ufficiale per la band, ma mezza spanna sotto il precedente: i Toto battono il ferro ritrovato finché è caldo. Le registrazioni sono state effettuate in Francia durante the Mindfields Tour
Through The Looking Glass (2002) *** - Toto dealing with the microcosm of the "cover". Eleven pieces, from classical
Could You Be Loved by Bob Marley the final
It Takes a Lot to Laugh , It Takes a Train to Cry
Bob Dylan, through Steely Dan, Elton John, Cream, Elvis Costello, George Harrison and Herbie Hancock. The result? Amazing ...
Live in Amsterdam (2003) ** 1 / 2 - Yet another live, recorded during a tour of twenty-five years.
The Essential Toto (2003) sv - Collection published by Sony in the series "The Essential", available as single and double CD.
Falling In Between (2006) ** 3 / 4 - Thanks to the enterprising Neapolitan label Frontiers Records, which puts them under contract by surprise, Toto return to a record in 7 years away from
Mindfields . The time is not spent in vain: the band has found amalgam, determination and motivation, and the disc is a pure distillation of Toto-sound revised and developed properly.
Poly-talented Jeff Cannata made his debut in the music biz founded the Jasper Wrath at the end of the 60's along with Michael Soldan, Robert Giannotti and Phil Stone. The band, the creator of an original mixture of beat, prog rock and vaguely psychedelic light up, she was noticed by MGM and put under contract. The debut album, recorded in the studies by Phil Ramone in New York, gets a resounding critical success: comparisons with the music of Yes and Gentle Giant were not slow in coming. After several auditions, he was hired vocalist James Christian (later frontman of the House of Lords) and the training is extended with the grafts of the keyboard player Jeff Batter and guitarist Scott Zito. The ceaseless play Jasper Wrath live activity in the Northeast of the U.S. until 1976, when economic difficulties and musical differences will cause the dissolution. In 1983 
In 1988 Carrere (always under the protective wing of CBS) offers Cannata at the possibility of building a home recording studio analogue to 24 slopes, where affect and compose freely. The result is Images of Forever , including the magazine Kerrang! the top ten albums of melodic progressive rock of the year. The disc looks like a pop version of the 90's Saga targati : the voice of Jeff, in fact, has striking similarities with that of Michael Sadler and the use of the guitar is reminiscent of the style of Ian Crichton, guitarist for the combo Canada. In 1993 
Five years after leaving Tamorok , alternating recordings of a classic novel with not too distant past. In 2006 he Magnum Mysterium, the disc's most ambitious Cannata, a real hotchpotch of music, a crucible in which all the influences and styles he practiced meet and merge, creating a mosaic of shimmering beauty. 
