The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding 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 a market that would grow for bidet and washlet toilet seats, as opposed its "base" markets in Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto recorded Toto words so that the next generation could understand the words. However, many of the words were being replaced by foreign ones, such as dui from Bengali for verandah.
Origins
Established in 1917, Toto's early years mirrored Japan's economic growth. In the early years of its existence, the company produced products to meet the demands of new, modern urban housing. To achieve this, it used the first tunnel kiln in the nation that produced ceramics in continuous flow. It also pioneered automation to allow production control, which helps to increase efficiency and consistency.
In the latter half of the 1980s, the company began to expand overseas to benefit from sales and new markets. It created the Cera Trading Company, importing and selling other products of manufacturers to complement its own range of sanitary earthenware and plumbing fittings. This strategy increased sales and increased the company's market share.
In the 90s, Toto began focusing on research and development for water-related appliances. It also upgraded its distribution system to better meet the needs of customers and to increase profits. The company implemented a just-in-time method of managing supply chains and applied the same methodology in its sales program. This resulted in a greater level of customer satisfaction.
Toto continues to invent in the toilet technology. Its latest toilet has a strong, eco-friendly tornado flush. Toto uses recycled water for its manufacturing process, and has a green purchasing policy. Toto also produces faucets, bathtubs and hand dryers that have higher energy efficiency than typical models.
The first Toto museum opened in 2015. It has exhibitions on Toto's most famous products and their evolution, the group companies (all of which are made of ceramics) and the history of plumbing and even bath units. In an additional gallery, you will find Toto products that are sold across the world. The museum also includes a bathroom with a WASHLET toilet and other toilet-related innovations.
Before the formation of Toto the members of the group did sessions for various musicians. Keyboardist David Paich, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and guitarists Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather all performed on the album Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs. 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 group, but it is actually a pretty straightforward rock band. The band was initially four members and released two albums: 1979's self-titled debut and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. Although the band have a wide range of musical backgrounds their biggest breakthrough came in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a massive blockbuster but not without its difficulties. Record companies put the band on place with the directive "give us an album that is a success or we'll sack you" and the pressure was on to meet the deadline. Toto was able to do this through the aid of the hit song "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is a result of 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 standard for the '80s, and has influenced many contemporary artists.
The album begins with a hefty dose of hard rock with songs like Running Out of Time and Unknown Soldier showcasing the bands ability to write fantastic AOR songs that slowly work their hooks into your mind. The album also features jazzier, slower tracks like The Little Things and Chinatown. And the album ends with Great Expectations, a song which combines folk and distortion AOR and should sound completely wrong, but actually works wonderfully well.
After Toto IV, the band's fortunes started to plummet. David Hungate left to concentrate on his solo career, and the band went through several drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball was fired from the group in the aftermath of drug-related charges. However, the group continued to perform as a trio featuring Michael Porcaro and Steve Lukather.
Despite the turbulence, Toto forged ahead and released Isolation, which was not as successful as IV. However, the band was able to release a chart-topping album in 1992 with Kingdom of Desire. This album marked the end of the original Toto lineup and was also the first to feature a new singer, Simon Phillips.
Tours
The band has performed to millions of people around the globe, and has sold-out shows across Europe, North America and Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. The band has a vast repertoire, and its catalog has been listened to over a billion times on streaming services across the world. The band's music has influenced many generations of fans.
additional hints has forged a colorful, 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 global tour. The album of the same name landed at #5 on the Billboard 200. The band's latest tour includes their most popular hits rare live deep-cuts, and a selection of songs from Lukather's and Williams' individual catalogues.
TOTO has a customer satisfaction rating of 20 according to its Net Promoter Score, which measures how likely customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are those who are highly satisfied with the company and actively encourage others to utilize their products or services. Detractors are those who judge the company poorly, and may even actively dissuade people from using their products or services.
Join Toto to experience a unique cultural encounter 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 is what the French called Indochine. You'll also stay a night in the charming town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city that will delight the senses. This is a excursion you should not miss!
Line-up
Turn Back, the band's third studio album, was an attempt to return to the classic sextet structure, and an even more consistent and powerful album with a sharper edge. The more experimental sound of Turn Back reflected the maturation in the group. Drummer Bobby Kimball's increased proficiency was evident in the vocal delivery of Joseph Williams, who had grown more confident and mature. David Paich's work was sharper, more intricate and less cloned previously recorded performances.
After touring to promote the album, the group recorded a live show in Amsterdam that was released as a two-CD set titled Falling In Between Live on Eagle Records. A new studio album was released just a few months later and the group embarked on an extensive world tour in support of it. During this time keyboardist Greg Phillinganes replaced Paich and bassist David Hungate quit the group to spend time with his family.
In 1998, Paich and Lukather started searching through old demos and tapes in search of an album that would feature songs that had never been recorded before. The album was released in 2001 as a double album called Then and Now. It was the first album in the band's history that did not include a single song with the word "A" in its title. It also included one previously not released track, "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 condition which hampered his singing. Hungate also returned to Nashville and Leland Sklar's drumming was replaced by Shem Von Schroeck.
Downes and the other original members of Asia - Wetton, Palmer, and Howe--convened a meeting in England in the early part of 2006 to discuss the possibility of formally reforming the band. The group, which was missing Howe who was busy with Yes at the time, was renamed Toto XIV. They 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 had an appearance by singer Michael McDonald and a backing vocalist named Mabvuto Carver.