The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities in the overseas market and operating in France, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the People's Republic of China. The company saw North America as a growth market for Washlet's bidets and toilets, as opposed to its "base" markets of Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was documenting Toto words to ensure the future generations could comprehend the words. Many words were replaced by foreign ones. For instance dui, which was Bengali for verandah, was being used.
Origins
The early history of Toto that began in 1917, was a reflection of Japan's economic expansion. In the first half of its existence, the company produced products to meet the demand for new, modern urban housing. It was the first tunnel kilns in the country that could produce ceramics continuously. It also pioneered automation for production control, allowing greater efficiency and consistency.
In the late 1980s the company began expanding overseas in order to take advantage of sales and new markets. It launched the Cera Trading Company, importing and selling other products from other manufacturers to complement its own lines of plumbing fittings and sanitary earthenware. This strategy increased sales and expanded the firm’s global market share.
In the 1990s, Toto had shifted its emphasis to research and development of household appliances that are water-related. It also upgraded its distribution system to better serve its customers and boost profits. The company used the same just-in time approach in its supply chain management and sales program. This led to a higher level of customer satisfaction.
Toto continues to invent with regard to toilet technology. Its most recent toilet, for example, has an extremely powerful tornado flush that is more ecologically friendly than conventional toilets. Toto also makes use of recycled water in its production process and has a green procurement policy. Apart from toilets, Toto produces bathtubs and faucets, as well as hand dryers that are more energy efficient than conventional models.
The first Toto museum opened in 2015. It features exhibits on Toto’s seminal products and their evolution, the group companies (all of which are made of ceramics), the history of plumbing, and other products like bath units. In another gallery, visitors can view Toto products sold all over. The museum also has a bathroom with a washbasin and other toilet innovations.
Before forming Toto, members of the band did session work for many musicians. Boz Scaggs album Silk Degrees featured keyboardist David Paich, guitarists Mike Porcaro & Steve Lukather as well as drummers Jeff Porcaro & Steve Lukather. They also performed on albums by Steely Don, Seals and Crofts and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
With a name as evocative as Asia you'd think that the group would be prog kings and queens however, it's actually a fairly simple rock band. 안전놀이터 TOTOPIA began as four-piece, and released two albums in 1979, the self-titled debut album and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. But even though the band have a diverse musical background their biggest breakthrough was in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a massive blockbuster but not without its issues. Record companies put the band on spot with the ultimatum "give us an album that is a success or we'll sack you" and the pressure was on to give it. Luckily for Toto they delivered and they did it with the aid of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is due to their prior experience, as the band members had been session musicians for artists such as Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts prior the group. Their distinctive sound has become the norm for '80s pop, influencing many modern artists.
This album starts off hard with songs like Running Out of Time and Unknown Soldier showcasing the bands ability to write amazing AOR songs that slowly build their hooks into you. The album also contains more jazzy, slower tracks such as The Little Things and Chinatown. The album closes with Great Expectations. This song mixes folk and the distorted AOR that could seem like a complete blunder, but works extremely well.
After Toto IV, the band's fortunes took a turn to the downside. David Hungate left the band to pursue a solo career, and the band was dominated by drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the band following drug-related charges. The band continued to play with Michael Porcaro, Steve Lukather and Michael Porcaro.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It wasn't as well-liked as IV. The band was able to release a chart-topping album, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. This album marked the end of Toto's lineup and the debut of Simon Phillips, a new singer.
Tours
The band has performed for millions of people across the globe, and has sold-out shows in Europe, North America and Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The band has a vast repertoire, and its catalog has been played over one billion times via streaming services all over the world. The band's music has influenced generations of fans.
Steve Lukather has forged a rich, deep friendship with Joe Williams that is flourishing professionally all over the world. In 2018 the duo celebrated 40 Tours Around the Sun with a wildly successful global tour. The album with the same title ranked 5 on the Billboard 200. The band's latest tour includes their most popular songs rare live deep-cuts and a selection of songs that come from Lukather's and Williams individual catalogs.
TOTO has a satisfaction rating of 20 based on its Net Promoter Score which measures how likely its customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are those who are highly satisfied with the company and actively encourage others to make use of their products or services. Detractors are those who do not like the company and actively discourage others from using its products or services.
Join Toto to experience a unique cultural encounter in Asia. This highlights tour of a region that the French used to call Indochine provides luxurious accommodations, a day on a luxury cruise ship in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mysterious temples of Angkor Wat. You will also spend a night in the charming city of Luang Prabang. This UNESCO World Heritage City is a feast for the senses. This is an unforgettable trip which you'll never want to skip!
Line-up
The album's third, Turn Back, marked a return to the classic sextet arrangement of previous albums and was a more powerful, consistent effort that had an edge that was more pronounced than Hydra. Its edgier sound was a reflection of the maturation of the group and included drummer Bobby Kimball's increased virtuosity on drums, and a more confident, mature vocal delivery from singer Joseph Williams. David Paich's work was more precise, sharper and less cloned previously recorded efforts.
After touring to promote their album, the group recorded their Amsterdam live show which was released on Eagle Records as a 2-CD set titled Falling In Between. The group released a brand new studio album a few months after, and went on a world tour help promote the album. During this time keyboardist Greg Phillinganes replaced Paich and bassist David Hungate quit the group to spend time with his family.
In 1998, Paich & Lukather began looking through old tapes and demos to discover songs that hadn't been recorded before. The album was released in 2001 as a double album called Then and Now. It was the band's first album without one single track titled "A". The album also contained an previously unreleased track "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The group's fourth record, Old Is New was a commercial failure and vocalist Williams was suffering from laryngitis, which restricted his singing capabilities. Hungate also returned to Nashville and Leland Sklar's drumming duties were replaced by Shem Von Schroeck.
Downes and the other original members of Asia - Wetton, Palmer, and Howe--convened a meeting in England in early 2006 to discuss the possibility of officially restructuring the band. The group, which was missing Howe who was occupied with Yes during that time, became Toto XIV. They toured extensively.
In 2010, the band reunited for another reunion tour with a slightly different line-up, including guitarists Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather, drummer John Pierce, bassist Shannon Forrest, and multi-instrumentalists Warren Ham and Dominique Taplin. The band featured a special guest appearance from singer Michael McDonald and a backing vocalist named Mabvuto Carver.