Fahrenheit and The Seventh One are my favourites, I’m quite fond of the Funk rock prog fusion they did on those two albums and Joseph Williams sounded incredible
Ok, just finished playing all their albums so they are all fresh in my memory. So, here goes... 1. Isolation 2. Turn Back 3. IV 4. Fahrenheit 5. Mindfields 6. Debut 7. Kingdom of Desire 8. Hydra 9. The Seventh One 10. Tambu 11. XIV 12. Falling in Between 13. Old is New 14. XX 15. Through the Looking Glass 👍
my girlfriend and I (now wife) were dating at the time Isolation came out, and we wore that cassette out! Just absolutely one of my favorite Toto records, as with you!
Isolation is my favorite Toto album. Fergie maybe didn’t fit the band’s sound, but he was their best singer technically, imo. I think it didn’t do that well, because it was kinda like a shock to the system. I think a lot of people didn’t really get it, because they went from more of a lighter pop rock album to a more heavy rock oriented sound. And, I agree with Pete. If you haven’t heard the debut, Hydra or Isolation you need to. I would also add Turn Back to that list. They have so many underrated albums, that many people have never heard.
@@seaoftranquilityprog Fair enough, I think it's a bit of a tough one to listen to front to back, as are most of their post-Hydra albums. As much as I love Toto they are slightly filler-prone. But when they're killer, they're killer!
I think the songs are a bit uneven, but the best on it like Home Of The Brave ... total goosebumps! Very clear production, unlike for example Turn Back which is a little more "clumpy" (in my opinion)
@@ivarholeaksnes9540 I love the Seventh One. Home Of The Brave and A Thousand Years are two of the most progressive songs they did, imo. The songs on Turn Back are great, but the production is not that good, like you said. To me, they didn’t really become filler-prone till after Kingdom Of Desire.
It’s my #2 favorite. It’s just an incredible album. To me, it almost feels like Jeff knew that this was gonna be his last album, so he gave it his all.
I've been a huge Toto fan most of my life and own their entire catalog. Absolutely love Kingdom of Desire, Turn Back, and Isolation. Mindfields has always been a personal favorite as well.
@EMUKULELE Well, I guess that would be a matter of one's own opinion and each person determining what seeing things "objectively" actually involves. As for me, I'm still a huge fan of Toto 30 years on and still listen to their catalog regularly, along with a gazillion other bands.
I think Turn Back is underrated it really rocks. Gift with a golden gun, English Eyes, Goodbye Elenore, the title track and my favorite I Think I Could Stand You Forever!
Their first album and Hydra are my 2 favorites. I have never heard Isolation so I will definitely check it out. Great information. Thanks.
4 года назад
A main style element of Toto is the hymnic use if spanish/mexican sounding harmonics and rhythmns. They integrated them very often and I always found that very remarkable for the band! "Hydra"- to me the album shows all the virtues of that band the most. Terribly underrated. I remember, I was lying in hospital when their 1st live album came out and was suffering hard from sickness. Some friends brought a tape Cassette recording of it to me to distract me a little bit from my pain. When I first listened to it and heared Toto opened their album with an awesome strong version of the track of album two, "Hydra" and it was like " Could rock music ever be better then that?" to me and nearly all the pain was gone! Yes, the right music can be a healer!
Toto has been my fave band since I fell in with 99 back in the day. thanks for this tribute. So glad to see Hydra in your top 3. it's not only my fave Toto album, but one of my all-time faves albums by anyone! looking forward to your top 10 song list.
13. Minefields 12. Dune Soundtrack (I think it Counts) 11. Falling In Between 10. Fahrenheit 9. Kingdom Of Desire 8. Turn Back 7. Tambu 6. 14 5. Toto 4. Isolation 3. IV 2. The Seventh One 1. Hydra I love most of these albums. Toto rocks
Top 5 Toto albums: 5. XIV 4. Isolation 3. Hydra 2. The Debut 1. Turn Back Turn Back, should of been a blockbuster, but the average American listener couldn't understand where this band was coming from. Radio would hardly touch the album back in the day, only played a few tracks from it and it ways always really late at night. Worst to Best is still a good title. Pete keep doing what ypur doing, 17.5 K subs, man it seems like yesterday you only had 2K! Great job.
Thanks for doing this video Pete. I've had the Toto 1977-1990 cd in my collection for over 20 years. After watching your video, I decided to add 6 of their albums from the late 70's through the 80's to my collection.
Probably a controversial album for most people. I personally can´t stand it, same with Turn Back, and Lukather seems to be op a similar opinion. Mindfields, on the other hand, I really like. It followed the awful Tambu from 1995, which also elevated it for me.
Listening to all 12 studio albums the past 10 days. My picks: 1. Toto 2. IV 3. Hydra 4. XIV 5. Kingdom of Desire 6. Turn Back 7. Falling in Between 8. Isolation 9. Seventh One 10. Tambu 11. Minefields 12. Fahrenheit Good review Pete. A few differences in choices. Love this group, old or new band members. Still on my bucket list to see in concert.
The first Toto albums I ever got were Hydra and Turn Back, which a friend dubbed onto opposing sides of a 90-minute cassette for me. So, those are forever linked in my mind, like two halves of a double album, and they remain my favorites.
My personnal top-three: 1. Toto I 2. The seventh one 3. IV Sometimes if my mood is different, it changes. Overall Toto is a great band and every record is worth to listen to.
great vid as always Pete, i think your right on the money with the ever changing sound of Toto and not being huge over a long period of time in the US, with that said that's always been one of the reasons i love this band so much, always surprised and excited for each new album as i was always wondering what they would do or attempt next. with that said , man they haveALWAYS been super huge in Europe and the Scandinavian countries. your top 3-4 picks have pretty much always been interchangable for my top 3-4 as well, Toto's 1st album is one of the few actual vinyl albums i kept when cd's came out on the market ,and as most or all of us did , started replacing our music collection with compact discs, although that didn't last long for me as i didn't stray too far from my vinyl records realizing very fast that even though the cd sound was clean and crisp, it couldn't replicate the natural warmth and atmosphere of vinyl and all that great shit:) Pete i'm sure your familiar with and probably even have some Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs cd's in your awesome and vast cd collection that all us viewers salivate over-lol!!! i have Toto IV on the MoFi vinyl pressing and IT SOUNDS F****G AWE SOME!!!!!! I love listening to that album in a MoFi format for that audiophile sound quality. keep up the great vids brother Pete! really been diggin' the album cover artists vids too, AWESOME SHIT!!! S.O.T. ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!! \m/ \m/
I love Mindfields. It’s in my top 5. Better World is one of their best songs, imo. I also love Spanish Steps. It kind of goes along with Africa and Spanish Sea (from Old Is New).
Pete, if you haven’t yet - look up Toto’s *smoking* concert video from 1979 “Live in Cleveland”. The band is young, vibrant, eager, and their vocal/instrumental chops are stunning. A particular highlight is “Hey Little Girl”, a wild tune that’s proggy, funky and rocking all at once - never released on a studio album! Well worth a watch 🤘🏻
Nice video! I’m a huge Toto fan and it’s cool to hear you talk about them. You know your stuff. I don’t know what my order would be. I agree with Mindfields last, probably. I would move Fahrenheit up. That was released at a poignant time in my life. I don’t like the title song, much, but Could This Be Love, I’ll be Over You, and Without Your Love are favorites. I also dig These Chains (a lot) from The 7th One. Isolation is a high ranking album for me too. Nice job! Rankings is a good word to use.
I gotta admit, I only have Toto IV and The Seventh One but I need to get some more of their stuff. I saw them live like a year ago and they were amazing live. Thanks for this Pete. BTW, when you get a chance, you should do a Rush ranking :)
On a little side note, Through The Looking Glass is a studio album you missed, the one from the box set, Old is New, came out after Toto XIV. My ranking would go: 13. Through The Looking Glass 12. Falling In Between 11. Fahrenheit 10. The Seventh One 9. Toto XIV 8. Toto 7. Toto IV 6. Turn Back 5. Tambu 4. Isolation 3. Hydra 2. Kingdom of Desire 1. Mindfields Mindfields is actually an amazing album if you asked me. They just tapped into so many different genres there, from Psychedelic to Neo-Prog to Country to Blues, Jazz Rock and World Music, and almost all of it turned out so very fine. Better World, No Love, Last Love, After You've Gone, Mysterious Ways, the title track, One Road, Spanish Steps are all so very great songs.
I did the same thing. I read Steve's book (loved it) and dug out all the albums and discs. I seem to remember "Kingdom of Desire" sounding really fresh to my ears. Also "Falling in Between" and "Hydra" were way stronger than I remembered.
kevin u You really need to try The Seventh One even though there are a few pop/rock songs on there they also do some of their heaviest songs I mean “Only The Children“ has a pop/metal chorus anthem any Metal band would love then there’s “Straight For The Heart” “Home Of The Brave” three to four hard rocking song’s on this Album with Joseph Williams on vocals who is like almost a Metal version of their first singer Bobby Kimball except Joseph has more grasp and occasional scream 👍🏻, Even though I love Isolation and Fergie’s voice it was just too much of a change in sound as a singer for Toto, one can only imagine how insanely great Isolation would’ve been had they picked Joseph for that Album, If you want to try their hard rock side try the Albums Seventh One, Kingdom Of Desire & Falling In-between, 👍🏻
The ranking concept is perfect worst or best is so subjective to an individual, so yes ranking is excellent. I would love your opinion on rankings on Led Zepplin, AC/DC, Rush and so on, great channel by the way just discovered you around New Years and I enjoy your views!! Looking bac and just now noticed you did indeed rank Zepplin's studio albums :) now I have something to watch after work tonight.
Couldn't agree more. You nailed it. In the beginning, you say they didn't have a perfect album - true, other than the first. Hydra is more my cup of tea, but the prog thing was definitely not happening in 1979s disco era, and thus, it didn't sell like it should have. I don't have minefields and tambu, but am now interested
Great stuff Pete I really like the first two albums best of all mainly because there's less pop tunes and more hard rock and prog direction. These guys were all excellent musicians and were adept enough and skilled enough to provide the same uniform of quality over these different styles Thanks Pete.
Great show Pete. I have never dug into Toto’s discography, probably due to hating Africa and Rosanna back in the 80s, but will give them a listen now. You have never steered me wrong before so I trust that there some real gems in their collection.
Awesome band. Fantastic production and music. I could listen to Jeff Porcaro drumming on pots and pans. The albums are up and down but when they’re good they’re very good! I bought the ‘All In’ CD box and I love XX, the rarities disc, 7th One the most. I really dig the Byron stuff on ‘Past To Present’ from 1990. Even a 2 CD hits package is brilliant to hear all the classics together.
Toto is such an awesome band - the quality that runs through all their albums, and the musicianship of every single member through the years is almost unrivalled. For fans check out the solo albums of Steve Lukathur and Bobby Kimball too - they are kickin' for the most part. Not sure whether other members did much solo work...
This would be my top 10: 1: Isolation (Love the Hard Rock on this album and Fergie’s vocals) 2: Kingdom Of Desire (Love how they went for a more ballsy blues/hard rock sound on this one) 3: The Seventh One (Love the drums from Jeff and bass from Mike on this album) 4: Hydra (Love the prog elements on this album and I think it’s really underrated) 5: Mindfields (After giving the album many listens I’ve started to really love it and it’s now one of my favorites. Better World and Spanish Steps are in my top 15 Toto songs) 6: Turn Back (Love the songwriting and playing, but the production could be better) 7: Toto (Debut) (Like you said a young band and there’s really not a bad song on it) 8: Toto IV (There’s a reason it’s probably they’re most known album) 9: Tambu (First album with Simon and I think one of the strongest with him) 10: Falling In Between (Love the guitar and bass on this album. Stand out tune for me is Let It Go) Honorable Mentions: Toto XIV (Just love this album. Stand out tracks are definitely Great Expectations and Chinatown. A cool fun fact about that song is that Paich wrote most of beginning of that song during the Turn Back sessions and Chinatown was originally a demo from 1977, that was never finished until this album recording sessions) Old Is New (Love Vinnie Colaiuta’s playing on this album and the hooks on this album are great. I also love how it features tracks from Jeff and Mike) The thing that I love about watching your Ranking The Albums series is that you say “Some people may rank these differently and that’s fine, we all hear them differently.” I love that, because I’ve talked to other people about favorite albums and they’ll fight you till they get the last word.
Great list. Here's my own top 10: 10. Turn Back 9. Fahrenheit 8. Falling in Between 7. Mindfields 6. Isolation 5. Kingdom of Desire 4. Hydra 3. Toto IV 2. Toto 1. The Seventh One
Well, never been a big fan of Toto but hey. They've made many amazing songs. Hydra is my favorite album. Best song: The Turning Point As always. Great work Pete. :D
Thank you Pete for ranking Isolation and KoD so high. In fact, if you ever re-start your "Classic Album Rewind" series at some point, Isolation and maybe to a lesser extent Hydra would be great candidates. The debut would seem to be a great candidate for "Perfect Albums" should that ever be returned to. You also briefly mentioned Toto XX: I would put "Goin' Home" in my personal top ten.
It is not easy to elaborate a ranking of Toto's best albums, in all of them there is very good and remarkable music. For me the best is The Seventh One, it is absolutely perfect from start to finish.
Love Toto! Going to play some right now. Didn't realize Joseph Williams retired...got to meet him, Luke and Leland Skalr a few years ago. Fantastic, professional show, great musicians, nice guys...absolutely nothing not to like.
Awesome Video dude... Toto is amazing... They just play a diferent kind of rock... Listening there music all Day on Google Play Music 🍺-Fantastic Quallity tunes there
Ok, well I wouldn't put my favorites in that order. I do love Kingdom of Desire mainly because there's so many rockin songs on there. Kick Down The Walls, Don't Chain My Heart, She Knows The Devil, Gypsy Train, Wings of Time and I love the ballad Only You. There is another album you didn't mention...Through The Looking Glass...which was a cover album, but they did an excellent job on it. I love that one too. Especially Luke playing and singing Sunshine of Your Love (Cream). Awesome!
Pete, if possible would be curious to hear your ranking of Boz Scaggs' studio albums pre and post 'Silk Degrees'. So much of Toto on Silk Degrees as David Paich helped Boz write half the songs on that iconic platinum album. Toto members like the Porcaros, Paich and Lukather did additional work helping Boz on "Down Two Then Left" as "Middle Man" as Toto was starting out their self titled debut album and 'Hydra'.
For as much as I like Toto then and now, over the years there have been large gaps in my awareness of their album releases. The first big gap was their debut in 78! I had just entered military service is a possible explanation, where my focus was directed toward my technical work, and less on the latest music. Of course I heard Hold The Line plenty like everyone else, but it wasn't until their 4th album that I became the fan I am. I was back to playing music by then, keen on music that inspired my playing. Surprisingly, I never bothered to go back and explore those first few releases, and especially their debut. Only just a short time ago I found a near pristine LP copy, and playing that album was my actual first complete listen! I treasure that album!
I haven’t listened to much Toto at all, so I won’t give a full list. They aren’t one of my favorite bands, mainly because their style doesn’t catch my ear all that much. I do plan on listening to everything else I haven’t heard yet, but so far I’ve heard 3 albums, so I’ll list those. 4. Toto IV Rating: 7.0/10 Favorite Song: Africa Comments: It’s alright. It has a couple good rock tracks, but it’s a much better pop album than a rock album. I like “Rosanna” and “Africa” just as everyone else does. But I also like “Afraid of Love” quite a bit, with it being one of my favorite underrated gems from Toto. And I’ll get into why kids like “Africa” today after I rank the other three. 3. Toto Rating: 7.7/10 Favorite Song: Hold the Line Comments: I know this album is considered a classic for Toto, but for me it’s just good. I like it now better than I used to, with my favorite songs being “Hold the Line,” “Girl Goodbye,” and “Angela.” But I think there are just a couple songs that I don’t love on here that hold it back from greatness to my ears. 2. Hydra Rating: 8.0/10 Favorite Song: Hydra Comments: This album just rocks. You can tell it’s the same band that did the first album but it’s just so much stronger to me because of the shift to heavy prog. In my opinion, the title track is their masterpiece, being a seven minute epic with an iconic keyboard riff, some incredible guitar lines and a great vocal melody. My other favorites from this album include “St. George and the Dragon,” “99,” “Mama,” and “White Sister.” Big fan of this album. 1. Isolation Rating: 8.2/10 Favorite Song: Carmen Comments: As of March 12, 2022, my new favorite Toto album is their fifth album, Isolation. I just listened to it for the first time (because I put a bunch of albums in a randomizer and this was the album it picked). I was expecting to be lukewarm toward it since it followed their big pop album that I’m also lukewarm toward. But I liked this album a lot. Some really strong hard rockers in “Carmen,” “Angel Don’t Cry,” and “Mr. Friendly.” A couple good pop rockers with “Stranger in Town” and “Endless” (I freaking love “Endless”). And some more mellow stuff with “How Does It Feel” and “Holyanna.” This is a strong album from start to finish, and while it doesn’t exactly reach the extreme highs that Hydra and the debut do, I think this one is better as a complete album. So now the reason that younger people still like “Africa”: People are sheep. They’re told what to like and what to dislike, and most mainstream music listeners follow. It’s a catchy song with a hummable melody and it’s super easy to listen to. It’s one of the most perfect pop songs of all time. And people were told by the masses to like the song, to play it all the time, and to buy into the hype. I should know. That’s how I got into it. I was watching a livestream from this guy and he used the song as pre-stream music to get people amped up before he started doing anything. It worked. “Africa” used to be like his theme song and everyone there loved it. I only realized after seeing those livestreams that “Africa” was a big hit from the 80s. After that, I started hearing it played all the time. Around school, in other people’s livestreams, on the radio... The thing that annoyed me most about “Africa” was that the younger people who listened to it are mostly the same people who would write off a song like “Hydra” as “just old and out of style” because they’re unfamiliar with it. Same band, same era, obviously different styles but both great songs. But I know people who wouldn’t want anything to do with “Hydra” because they haven’t been told to like it by the masses. (Switching topics slightly just because it bugs me) I had a kid in my Graphic Design class last year when I was a senior in high school. This kid was a freshman who listens to modern hip hop and rap. I played a lot of classic rock in there because we had access to computers and the internet and RU-vid and music. “Hydra” was one of the songs I played in there. He didn’t like it. But when I played “Liar” from Queen, he didn’t know the song but when Freddie appeared on screen he went “Oh my god, is that Queen?” like he actually knew anything from them besides the hits. I played “War Pigs.” He hated it. Asked me “What is this garbage?” Switched to “Immigrants Song.” He went “Oh yeah, this is from Thor: Ragnarok!” He didn’t know or like a single song I played unless he had heard it in a movie or on the radio before. I have a bunch of stories of playing music at school where my friends and other people around me didn’t like what I was playing because it wasn’t a modern pop hit. I won’t go through all those, though, because it would take forever. Sorry for the long comment, I just don’t like the way music is consumed. It’s all based on people being sheep and being told what to like because the music industry knows everyone will follow, and people don’t try to get into anything they’re not explicitly told to like. It bothers me to no end and I don’t think it’ll change any time soon.
africa is a good song i dont see why you have to be told to like it sounds great on the radio ive loved it since it came out and never tire of it agreed some songs are music for the masses but not this one imo toto have done better songs but its still a great song
“People were told by the masses to like the song”. That comment is self-contradictory. If the masses were telling people to like it, they must have liked it themselves. Or did you mean they were told to like it by the media? That’s a different thing altogether. I do agree that the general public has a “sheep” mentality these days, though.
Crush Everything I kind of wrote my original comment when I was in a loopy state from not getting enough sleep yesterday, so my word choice wasn’t exactly the best. You are correct, I do mean that people were told to like certain music because of the media and strategic marketing. That’s how music is promoted. It starts with people being told to like certain music by the record labels, then the media covers it to give it more exposure. But then the sheep only listen to what they’re told to by the media and they share it with other sheep. That goes in a cycle where the masses tell other people to like what they already like and everyone just goes with it because it’s the popular thing to do. It’s like a mix of the media and the masses creating an echo chamber where popular equals good and anything that’s not popular isn’t worth their time.
Aweso - Well, since you put it that way 😄 I find your last comment to be profoundly astute; I’ve been saying the same for over twenty years. That echo chamber drives me crazy! I actually wrote a song about it called Hive Mind. I’ve always been drawn to people who think for themselves and don’t feel the need to be one of the crowd. It shows courage and strength of character. You seem like one of those and I can tell you, it’s the key to true happiness! Take care.
Another amazing Amazing band so many styles jazz prog funk heavy and top class musicians no matterr who was in the band tough for me but gun to my head my fav is hydra. And superb greatest hits and live albums too
Thank you for this! Too often, Toto is treated like a red headed stepchild when it comes to their place in the rock landscape, but they are amazing musicians. Never fully understood why they got the hate they did from critics. Sure, David Paich is a bit of a heavy handed lyricist, but never has their been a better lineup of talent from top to bottom. One member who I think was underrated was David Hungate. That funky bass line from the early albums was all over their music and when he left, I missed that. My favorite albums are self titled, Hydra and IV.
I love your discussion of Toto's work. Toto is definitely my favorite band of all time. So...will someone please explain to me why Toto is NOT in the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame? Unbelievable in my humble opinion.
PETE/ like I said I respect your opinion/. I only have 5 TOTO records/. I need to update records. LBI. Lol. I may have been on beach with you in 80s. Time flies. Now I take my kids like 4x a month to Seaside Heights ( Summer). I’ll start updating my TOTO. Very informative show / as usual
I agree on the Isolation album which tends to be overlooked generally. Fergie Frederiksen it can be argued has possible the ultimate AOR voice, in my opinion. In my ears it has kind of a Journey vibe to it. Absolutely LOVE the track Change Of Heart from that one, which even has The London Philharmonic on it if I remember correctly. Richard Page of Mr. Mister was one of the candidates to take over for Bobby Kimball. (Interesting "what if", that one). My two favorite Toto tracks are Home Of The Brave and Jake To The Bone :-) Have seen Toto six times live.
My personal ranking: 1. The Seventh One 2. Toto IV 3. Toto 4. Kingdom Of Desire 5. Mindfields 6. Fahrenheit 7. Isolation 8. Old Is New 9. Toto XIV 10. Tambu 11. Turn Back 12. Toto XX: 1977-1997 13. Hydra 14. Falling In Between
@@seaoftranquilityprog something to think about - all of the albums were remastered by Elliot Scheiner and Luke - and particularly the first 3 albums (among your favorites) sound much, much better. Plus you can get the whole set on eBay for like $ 45.00. I had them all on CD but upgraded and was glad I did. Isolation has a vastly improved soundstage with better vocal detail, but again, it is Toto/Turn Back/Hydra that REALLY benefit. Really like your channel FYI
@@ajvasta the compilation had 3 of the new songs but there are 7 more and most are killer - in a Little While is quite simply the most gorgeous tune they've ever cut.
Yes, any hardcore fan needs the box, the sound throughout is immense, the new disc is great, but there's also some easter eggs along the way, the live EP from 1980 and the extended codas on 'You Are the Flower' and 'Angela' on the debut - cool stuff!
I am a Toto fan since at least 1982. And this despite their being repeatedly savaged by Rolling Stone. After the seventh one I had lost interest in their post-jeff porcaro stuff but always listened to what had been my favorites: the debut, IV, and the seventh one in particular. I might be crazy, but now I think their strongest album is Toto xiv. Every song is excellent and lyrically nothing compares. Joseph Williams’ voice is the best it’s ever been. The Steve Porcaro ditty. brings tears to my eyes every time. The shred riffs on Running out of Time, and the wistful imagery of Chinatown. The Steely Dan-esque chops of 21st Century Blues. I could go on. Yes, Hydra and Turn Back are underrated, but this album is so remarkable for coming towards the end of their career. There’s no filller whatsoever.
Yeah bud - Beachaven roof deck, "KOD" crankin' post-lunch>pre-dinner (with the seagulls); great x! Good list, mine are: 1. Toto 2. IV 3. Hydra 4. Falling In Between 5. Kingdom of Desire 6. Fahrenheit 7. Isolation 8. Turn Back 9. Seventh One 10. Tambu 11. XIV 12. Mindfields Cheers to 1992!!!
so good that ISOLATION is high ranked i always thought was very underrated !! every song was a winner although it was not a big seller, no big hits but the quality of the songs was amazing!
Love this review! I think Toto’s demise in the US was partly due to its sound. After ‘Toto 1V’ they had that Euro sound production to their records, and whilst Toto never had that all American rock sound/look, the Euro flavour was definitely there after 1983. Be interested in your thoughts Pete.
