The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities abroad and operating in France, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. Toto saw North America as a growth market for Washlet's bidets and toilets, in contrast to its "base" markets of Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was documenting Toto words to ensure the future generations could comprehend them. However, many words were being replaced by foreign ones, like dui from Bengali for verandah.
Origins
The early history of Toto which began in 1917, was a reflection of Japan's economic expansion. In the beginning of its existence, the company made products to meet the demand for modern and contemporary urban housing. It had the first tunnel kiln in the nation to continuously produce ceramics. It also pioneered automation to allow production control, which allows for greater efficiency and consistency.
The company began expanding overseas in the late 1980s in order to profit from new markets and sales opportunities. 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 boosted sales and increased the firm's global market share.
In the 1990s Toto began to concentrate on research and development for water-related appliances. It also improved its system of distribution to better serve its customers and increase profit. The company adopted a just-in-time approach to managing its supply chain and applied the same approach in its sales program. This led to a higher level customer satisfaction.
Toto continues to invent with regard to toilet technology. Its latest toilet has a powerful, environmentally-friendly tornado flush. The company also uses recycled water in its manufacturing process and has a green purchasing policy. Toto also manufactures faucets, bathtubs and hand dryers with greater energy efficiency than typical models.
The first Toto museum opened in the year 2015. It hosts exhibits on Toto's most famous products as well as their evolution, group companies (all of which are ceramics) and the history of plumbing and other products like bath units. In another gallery, visitors can view Toto products that are sold across the world. The museum has the bathroom equipped with a WASHLET as well as other toilet innovations.
Before forming Toto the band, members of the band did session work for a variety of musicians. Boz Scaggs' album Silk Degrees featured keyboardist David Paich as well as guitarists Mike Porcaro & Steve Lukather and drummers Jeff Porcaro & Steve Lukather. They also performed on albums by Steely Don, Seals and Crofts and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
It is common for a group with a name such as Asia to be a prog rock band however, it's actually a fairly straight forward rock band. The group began as a quartet and recorded two albums: 1979's self-titled debut album, and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. The group has a wide musical background, but their biggest success came in 1982 when they released Toto IV.
The album was a major blockbuster, but not without its own set of issues. The record companies put Toto under pressure to release the top single or they would drop them. Luckily for Toto, they did with the aid of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is the result of their previous experiences. Before forming the group, members worked as session musicians for artists such as Boz Scaggs. Steely Dan and Seals and Crofts. Their sonic signature has since become the standard for pop music from the 1980s, and has influenced many contemporary artists.
The album begins hard with songs such as Running Out of Time or Unknown Soldier that show the band's ability to write great AOR songs that slowly sink into your head. However, the album also includes some slower, more jazzy tracks like The Little Things and Chinatown. The album concludes with Great Expectations. This song mixes folk and distortion AOR that could seem like a complete blunder, but is very effective.
After Toto IV The band's fortunes turned to the downside. David Hungate left to concentrate on his solo career and the band was through numerous drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the band following drug-related charges. The band continued with Michael Porcaro, Steve Lukather and Michael Porcaro.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It was not as well-liked as IV. However, the group managed to release another chart-topping album in the year 1992 with Kingdom of Desire. The album was the last of Toto's lineup and the debut of Simon Phillips, a new vocalist.
Tours
The band has performed for millions of fans across the world, with sold-out shows across Europe, North America and Asia and also Australia and New Zealand. The band has a wide collection of songs, and their catalog has been heard more than one billion times on streaming services across the world. The band's iconic music has influenced multiple generations of fans.
Steve Lukather has forged a rich, deep friendship with Joe Williams that is flourishing professionally around the world. In 2018 the duo celebrated their 40 Tours Around The Sun with a hugely successful tour around the world. The album that bears the same name was ranked at #5 on the Billboard 200. The band's new tour features their greatest hits and rarely performed live deep cuts, as well as some of the songs from Lukather and Williams' individual catalogs.
TOTO has an NP Score of 20. This score measures how likely it is that customers will recommend the brand. the advantage are people who give a good rating to the company and encourage others to use its products and services. Detractors are those who evaluate the company poorly, and can even actively hinder people from using their products or services.
Join Toto for an unforgettable cultural experience in Asia. This highlights tour offers luxury accommodations, a day aboard the most luxurious cruise ship on Halong Bay and an exploration of Angkor Wat, a mystical temple that was once the home of the French called Indochine. 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 trip that you shouldn't miss!
Line-up
The band's third album, Turn Back, marked an reversion to the classic sextet arrangement of previous albums. It was a more ferocious, constant effort with an edge that was more pronounced than Hydra. The more edgy sound of the album reflected the maturation of the group and featured drummer Bobby Kimball's greater ability on the drums and an improved, mature vocal delivery by singer Joseph Williams. David Paich's keyboard skills were as well more refined, more precise, and less derivative on previous recordings.
After touring to promote their album, the group recorded the band's Amsterdam live show which was released on Eagle Records as a 2-CD set entitled Falling In Between. The group released a new studio album just a few months after and then embarked on a world tour support the album. During this time, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes filled in for Paich, and bassist David Hungate left the group to spend more time with his family.
In 1998, Paich & Lukather began exploring old tapes and demos to discover songs that hadn't been recorded before. It was released in the form of a double-album called Then and Now in 2001. It was the band's first album that did not contain one single track titled "A". The album also contained a previously unreleased track titled "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The group's fourth album, Old Is New, was a commercial failure, and singer Williams was suffering from a serious laryngitis infection that limited his singing abilities. Hungate also returned to Nashville and Leland Sklar's drumming was replaced by Shem Von Schroeck.
Downes, Wetton Palmer and Howe, the founding members of Asia were in England early in 2006 to discuss the possibility that the group could be reformed. This lineup, minus Howe (who was working with Yes at the time) was later referred to 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.