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 believed that North America as a growth market for Washlet bidet seats and toilets, as opposed to its "base" markets of Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto recorded Toto words to ensure that the future generation could be able to read the words. However, many words were being replaced by foreign words, such as dui, which is Bengali for verandah.
Origins
The early history of Toto that began in 1917, mirrored Japan's rapid economic expansion. In the first half of 1917, Toto produced products to meet the demands for modern, brand new urban housing. To achieve this, it employed the country's first tunnel kiln to produce ceramics in continuous flow. It also pioneered the use of automation for production control, which allows for greater efficiency and a more consistent production.
In the latter half of the 1980s, the company began expanding overseas in order to benefit from sales and new markets. It created the Cera Trading Company, importing and selling other manufacturers' products to complement its own line of plumbing fittings and sanitary earthenware. This strategy increased sales and expanded the company's market share in the world.
In the 90s, Toto began to concentrate on research and development of water-related appliances. It also upgraded its distribution system to better serve its customers and boost profits. The company adopted a just-in-time approach to supply chain management and applied the same approach in its sales strategy. This resulted in a greater level of customer satisfaction.
Toto has continued to innovate in the toilet technology. Its latest toilet has a powerful, environmentally-friendly tornado flush. The company makes use of recycled water in its manufacturing process, and also has a green purchasing policy. Apart from toilets, Toto manufactures bathtubs and faucets, as well as hand dryers that are more efficient in energy use than typical models.
The first museum of the company was opened in the year 2015 and features exhibits about Toto's iconic products and their evolution as well as its group companies (all that deal with ceramics) and the history of plumbing and other products such as bath units and, in a different gallery, Toto products sold around the world. The museum even has a bathroom that features the WASHLET toilet, as well as other toilet-related innovations.
Before beginning the formation of Toto members of the group did sessions for a variety of musicians. Boz Scaggs' album Silk Degrees featured keyboardist David Paich as well as 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 one would think that the group would be prog kings and queens but they're actually a fairly simple rock band. The band was initially a four-piece and released two albums: 1979's self-titled debut and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. But even though the band have a diverse musical background their biggest hit was in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster, but not without its own set of issues. The record companies placed Toto under pressure to deliver an album that was a success or they would drop them. Toto was able to achieve this feat with the help of the smash hit "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery owes a lot to their previous experience since the members had been session musicians for artists like Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts prior to forming the group. Their distinctive sound has become the standard for the '80s, and has influenced many contemporary artists.
The album begins hard with songs like Running Out of Time or Unknown Soldier that show the band's ability to create great AOR tunes that slowly get into your head. The album also contains slow, jazzier tracks like The Little Things and Chinatown. And the album ends with Great Expectations, a song that mixes folk with distortion AOR and could sound completely wrong, but actually works wonderfully well.
After Toto IV, the band's fortunes began to decline. David Hungate left to concentrate on his solo career and the band had to go through various drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball was fired from the band in the after he was charged with drug abuse. the band continued as a trio featuring Michael Porcaro and Steve Lukather.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It wasn't as well-liked as IV. The band was able to release an album that topped the charts, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. The album marked the end of the original Toto lineup and was also the first album featuring a new singer, Simon Phillips.
Tours
The band has performed to millions of people around the world, with sold-out shows in Europe, North America and Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. The band has a wide collection of songs, and their catalog has been played over one billion times on streaming services across the globe. The band's iconic music has influenced generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have forged a deep colorful friendship that is thriving professionally on a worldwide basis. In 2018 the duo celebrated their 40th anniversary of Tours Around the Sun with a massively successful global tour. The album with the same title was ranked #5 on Billboard 200. The latest tour of the band features their most popular hits, rarely performed live deep-cuts and a selection of songs from Lukather's and Williams individual catalogs.
TOTO has a Net Promoter Score of 20. This score is a measure of how likely it is that customers will recommend the brand. Promoters are those who rate the company highly and actively encourage others to make use of their products or services. Learn Additional are those who rate the company poorly, and can even actively discourage others from using their products or services.
Join Toto to enjoy a unique cultural experience in Asia. This highlights tour of the region the French used to call Indochine provides luxurious accommodation, a day on a deluxe junk in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mysterious temples of Angkor Wat. You will also spend an evening in the charming city of Luang Prabang. This UNESCO World Heritage City is a feast for the senses. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip that you shouldn't be missing!
Line-up
Turn Back, the band's third studio album, was an attempt to return to the classic sextet structure and it was a more consistent, more powerful effort with a harder edge. The edgier sound of Turn Back reflected the development of the group. The drummer Bobby Kimball's increasing virtuosity was reflected by the vocals of Joseph Williams, who had become more confident and mature. David Paich's keyboard playing was also more sophisticated, sharper and less akin to earlier efforts.
After touring to promote their album, the band recorded the band's Amsterdam live performance that was released by Eagle Records as a 2-CD set entitled Falling In Between. A new studio album followed shortly after, and the group went on a world-wide tour to promote the album. During this period keyboardist Greg Phillinganes replaced Paich and bassist David Hungate quit the group to spend time with his family.
In 1998, Paich & Lukather began searching through old tapes & demos to discover songs that had never been recorded prior to. The album was released in the form of a double-album called Then & Now in 2001. It was the first album in the history of the band not to feature a single song with the word "A" in its title. It also included one previously unreleased track, "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The fourth album, Old Is New, was a commercial failure and the vocalist Williams was suffering from a severe laryngitis infection which hampered his singing. Hungate also returned to Nashville and Leland Sklar's drumming duties were replaced by Shem Von Schroeck.
Downes along with the other members of Asia--Wetton, Palmer, and Howe--convened an event in England in early 2006 to discuss the possibility of restructuring the band. This lineup, with the exception of Howe (who was busy with Yes at the time), eventually became known as Toto XIV and 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.