The Band Toto Asia
Toto expanded its production facilities abroad, and doing business in France and Germany, Indonesia, Korea and Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. North America was seen as an opportunity to grow for Washlet toilets and bidet seats, in contrast to its "base" markets in Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was documenting Toto words to ensure that the next generation could comprehend them. Many words were substituted with foreign ones. For example dui, which is Bengali for verandah, was used.
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, contemporary urban housing. To achieve this, it used the country's first tunnel kiln to make ceramics in a continuous flow. It also pioneered the use automation to control production, which allows for more efficiency and consistency.
In the latter half of the 1980s, the company began to expand outwards to benefit from sales and new markets. It created the Cera Trading Company, importing and marketing other manufacturers' products to complement its own line of plumbing fittings and sanitary earthenware. This strategy increased sales and increased the firm's market share.
In the 1990s, Toto had shifted its focus to research and development of household appliances that use water. It also upgraded its distribution system to better serve the needs of its customers and to increase profits. The company used the same approach of just-in-time in its supply chain management as well as sales program. This resulted in a greater level of customer satisfaction.
Toto has been able to continue to innovate in the toilet technology. Its latest toilet, for instance is equipped with a powerful tornado flush that is more eco friendly than conventional toilets. The company also uses recycled water in its production process and has a green procurement policy. Toto also produces faucets, bathtubs and hand dryers that have higher energy efficiency than conventional models.
The first Toto museum opened in 2015. It has exhibitions on the most iconic products of Toto as well as their evolution, group companies (all of which are made from ceramics), the history of plumbing and products such as bath units. In a separate gallery you will find Toto products that are sold throughout. The museum also includes a bathroom with the WASHLET toilet, as well as other toilet-related innovations.
Before forming Toto members of the group performed session work for various musicians. Boz Scaggs' album Silk Degrees featured keyboardist David Paich, guitarists Mike Porcaro & Steve Lukather, drummer Jeff Porcaro & Steve Lukather. They also appeared on records by Steely Don, Seals and Crofts and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
You would expect a group with a name like Asia to be a prog rock group however it's actually a fairly straight forward rock outfit. The band was initially four members and released two albums that were self-titled in 1979 and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. However, even though the group have a wide range of musical backgrounds, their biggest success was achieved in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster but not without its issues. The record companies placed the band under pressure to release a hit single or they would drop the album. Luckily for Toto, they did with the help of the smash hit single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery owes a lot to their prior experience in the music industry, as the band members were 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.
The album opens up 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. However, the album also includes some more mellow, jazzy tracks, like The Little Things and Chinatown. The album closes with Great Expectations. This song blends folk and distortion AOR, which should seem like a complete blunder, but is very effective.
After Toto IV, the band's fortunes changed towards the negative. David Hungate left the band to focus on his solo career, and the band had several drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the group due to drug charges. The band remained with Michael Porcaro, Steve Lukather and Michael Porcaro.
Despite the chaos, Toto forged ahead and released Isolation however, which was not as successful as IV. The band managed to release a chart-topping album, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. This album marked the end of the original Toto lineup and was the first to feature a new singer, Simon Phillips.
Tours
The band has performed all over the world to a global crowd of millions, with sold-out shows in Europe, North America, Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. The band has a vast repertoire, and its catalog has been heard over a billion times on streaming services across the world. The band's music has influenced many generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have forged a deep, colorful friendship that thrives professionally on a worldwide basis. In 2018 the duo celebrated 40 years of Tours Around The Sun by a hugely successful global tour. The album with the same title was ranked #5 on Billboard 200. The band's latest tour includes their most popular songs and rarely-performed live deep cuts as well as some songs that come from Lukather's and Williams individual catalogs.
TOTO has an Net Promoter Score of 20. This score measures how likely it is that customers will recommend the brand. Promoters are those who give a good score to the company and encourage others to use its products and services. Detractors are those that do not like the company and actively discourage people from making use of its products or services.
Join Toto to have a unique experience in Asia. This highlights tour offers luxury accommodation, a day on an elegant cruise ship on Halong Bay and an exploration of Angkor Wat, a mystical temple that the French called Indochine. Also, you'll spend a night in the charming town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city that is a feast for the senses. This is an unforgettable trip which you'll never want to miss!
Line-up
Turn Back, the band's third studio album, was a return to a classic sextet format and it was a more consistent, more powerful album with a sharper edge. Its more punk-rock sound reflected the maturation of the group and featured drummer Bobby Kimball's greater proficiency on the drums, as well as a more confident, mature vocal delivery from singer Joseph Williams. David Paich's keyboard skills were also sharper, more complex and less akin to previous recordings.
After touring to promote the album, the band recorded a live performance in Amsterdam which was released as a two-CD set titled Falling In Between Live on Eagle Records. A new studio album was released a few months later, and the group embarked on an extensive world tour in support of 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 and Lukather started looking through old demos and tapes in search of an album that would feature songs that had never been recorded before. It was released as a double-album titled Then and Now in 2001. It was the band's first album without the single track "A". The album also contained a previously unreleased track called "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. 안전놀이터 , Old Is New, was a commercial flop and singer Williams suffered from a bad laryngitis infection which limited his singing capabilities. In addition, Hungate returned to Nashville and drummer Leland Sklar was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Downes along with the other original 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, minus Howe (who was a member of 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 also featured a guest appearance by singer Michael McDonald, and a backing singer named Mabvuto Carpenter.