The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities abroad and was doing business in France, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. North America was seen as a market that would grow for Washlet toilets and bidet seats, as opposed its "base" markets in Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was recording Toto words to ensure the next generation could comprehend the words. However, many of the words were being replaced with foreign ones, like dui from Bengali for verandah.
Origins
Incorporated in 1917, Toto's beginnings mirrored Japan's growth. In the first half, Toto manufactured products to meet the demands for modern, contemporary urban housing. It had the first tunnel kiln in the nation to produce ceramics continuously. It also pioneered automation to allow production control, which helps to increase efficiency and a more consistent production.
The company began expanding internationally in the late 1980s in order to benefit from new markets and sales opportunities. The company founded the Cera Trading Company to import and distribute other products from other manufacturers in order to expand its line of sanitary earthenwares as well as plumbing fittings. This strategy helped increase sales and expand the firm’s global market share.
By the 1990s, Toto had shifted its emphasis on research and development of household appliances that are water-related. It also upgraded its distribution system to better meet the needs of its customers and increase profits. The company implemented a just-in-time approach to managing its supply chain and applied the same method in its sales program. This led to a higher degree of customer satisfaction.
Toto continued to develop toilet technology. Its most recent toilet, for example, has an extremely powerful tornado flush that is more environmentally green than traditional toilets. The company also makes use of recycled water in its manufacturing process and has a green purchasing policy. Apart from toilets, Toto manufactures faucets and bathtubs, as well as hand dryers that are more energy efficient than conventional models.
The first Toto museum opened in the year 2015. It features exhibits on Toto's most famous products, their evolution, the group companies (all of which are made from ceramics), the history of plumbing, and even bath units. In another gallery, visitors will find Toto products sold all over. The museum has a bathroom with a WASHLET as well as other toilet innovations.
Before forming Toto members of the group performed sessions with various musicians. Boz Scaggs album Silk Degrees featured keyboardist David Paich and guitarists Mike Porcaro & Steve Lukather as well as drummer Jeff Porcaro & Steve Lukather. They also performed on albums by Steely Dan, Seals and Crofts, and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
You would expect a group with a name such as Asia to be a prog band however it's actually a pretty straightforward rock band. The group was formed as four-piece, and released two albums: 1979's self-titled debut and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. However, even though the group have a wide range of musical backgrounds their biggest hit was achieved in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a major blockbuster but not without its difficulties. The record companies placed Toto under pressure to release an album that was a success or else they would pull the album. Luckily for Toto, they did, with the aid of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is due to their previous experience in the music industry, as the band members had been session musicians for artists like Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts prior the group. Their distinctive sound has become the standard for '80s music, influencing many contemporary artists.
The album begins with a hefty dose of hard rock, with songs such as Running Out of Time and Unknown Soldier showcasing the bands ability to write amazing AOR songs that slowly work their hooks into your. But the album also contains some more mellow, jazzy tracks, like The Little Things and Chinatown. The album concludes with Great Expectations, a song which combines folk and distortion AOR and could sound totally wrong, but works wonderfully well.
After Toto IV, the band's fortunes started to plummet. David Hungate left the band to pursue a solo career, and the band had several drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball was fired from the band in aftermath of drug-related charges. However, the band continued as a trio, which included Michael Porcaro and Steve Lukather.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It was not as popular as IV. 첫가입 꽁머니 managed to release an album that topped the charts, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. This album marked the end of Toto's lineup and the debut of Simon Phillips, a new vocalist.
Tours
The band has entertained millions of people around the world, performing sold-out shows in Europe, North America and Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. The band's repertoire is huge, and their collective catalog has accumulated over billion streams on streaming services across the globe. The band's iconic music has influenced multiple generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have formed a strong, colorful friendship that thrives professionally on a global scale. In 2018 the duo celebrated 40 years of Tours Around The Sun by a hugely successful global tour. The album with the same name debuted at 5 on the Billboard 200. The latest tour of the band features their most popular songs, rarely performed live deep-cuts as well as an assortment of songs that come from Lukather's and Williams catalogs.
TOTO has a customer satisfaction rating of 20 according to its Net Promoter Score which is a measure of how likely customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are those who give a high rating to the company and encourage others to use its products or services. Detractors are those that do not like the company and actively discourage others from using its 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. It also includes an evening in the charming city of Luang Prabang. This UNESCO World Heritage City is a feast for your senses. This is a once in a lifetime excursion you should not miss!
Line-up
Turn Back, the band's third studio album is a return to a classic sextet structure, and it was a more consistent, more powerful effort with a harder edge. The more experimental sound of Turn Back was a reflection of the development of the group. Drummer Bobby Kimball's increased virtuosity was reflected by the vocal delivery of Joseph Williams, who had become more confident and mature. David Paich's keyboard work was as well more refined, more precise, and less derivative on earlier efforts.
After touring to promote the album, the group recorded a live show in Amsterdam which was released as a two-CD set entitled Falling In Between Live on Eagle Records. The group released a new studio album a few months later, and went on a world tour to support it. 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 demo tapes and tapes to make a new album featuring songs that were never recorded before. It was completed in 2001 as a double album titled Then and Now. It was the first album in the history of the band not to feature one single track with the word "A" in the title, and it also contained 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 vocalist Williams was suffering from laryngitis that affected his singing abilities. In addition, Hungate returned to Nashville and drummer Leland Sklar was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Downes, Wetton Palmer and Howe, the original members of Asia were in England early in 2006 to discuss the possibility that the group could be revived. The lineup, which was minus Howe (who was working 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 group also featured an appearance by singer Michael McDonald and a backing vocalist named Mabvuto Carver.