Toto

Performer: Toto
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Also available in a 3-pack with HYDRA and TOTO IV. Music snobs love to deride Toto as exemplars of MOR, radio-ready commercial product, a criticism not entirely off the mark for a supergroup formed by high-profile studio musicians intent on mixing pop styles into a glossy, accessible package. But Toto weren't all chops and no substance, especially when it came to writing memorable pop songs, as one listen to their hugely successful 1978 self-titled debut will attest. Whether squeezing nursery rhymes into smooth grooves ("Georgy Porgy"), mixing funky verses with anthemic choruses ("I'll Supply the Love"), or honing their focus to unleash some genuine rock & roll here and there (the hit single "Hold the Line"), Toto crafted smart hooks and made them stick, wrapping them in a guitar/keys-heavy sound that straddled soft rock, hard rock, and lite R&B. Consequently, their debut made significant strides in sales and radio play. In fact, anyone within earshot of a radio in the '70s will recognize the aforementioned mentioned songs, and those who don't will find TOTO to be a polished, well-crafted pop-rock period piece.

The original members of Toto were L.A.-based session men who had played with everyone from George Benson to Boz Scaggs and wanted to create something they could call their own. They scored a hit straight out of the gate with the AOR smash "Hold the Line" from their 1978 debut. Their biggest success, however, would come in the early '80s with "Rosanna" and "Africa" from TOTO IV. The band endured some major personnel shake-ups over the years, and in 1992 founding drummer Jeff Porcaro died unexpectedly, but Toto continued working, even as the individual members kept their lucrative session careers going.

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