Toto

Product Description
Fully remastered sound shaped from 24 BIT digital technology / Includes bonus track / Contains the hit singles Hold The Line and I'll Supply The Love / 16 page full colour booklet 3,000 word essay about the making of the album, enhanced artwork and rare photos The release of the debut Toto album signalled a significant tipping point in the development of rock. Similar sounding acts such as Foreigner, Journey and Steely Dan had sowed the seeds of melodic AOR but none at that point had truly crafted the definitive role model.

Toto took basic elements and turned them into pure gold by crafting a sound that was precise, cultivated and pretty much flawless, blending memorable songs with state of the art production and melodies that would propel their songs onto the airwaves from Los Angeles to London and all points in between. Formed by the cream of the LA session circuit, the band's credential were further enhanced by keyboard player and composer David Paich, a man who had carved a successful song writing reputation with artists such as Boz Scaggs. Joining him was guitar prodigy Steve Lukather, lead vocalist Bobby Kimball, bassist David Hungate, and two brothers in keyboardist Steve and drummer Jeff Porcaro; all men with their eyes on the prize and talent to burn.

Originally issued in 1978, the album produced two massive worldwide hit singles, Hold The Line and I'll Supply The Love , securing them a top ten album in the Billboard Charts and double Platinum certification. Elsewhere the tracks range from the soulful pop of Georgy Porgy to the raging, almost malevolent, hard rock of Girl Goodbye .

1. Child's Anthem
2. I'll Supply The Love
3. Georgy Porgy
4. Manuela Run
5. You Are The Flower
6. Girl Goodbye
7. Takin' It Back
8. Rockmaker
9. Hold The Line
10. Angela
11. Georgy Porgy (Extended Remix)

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Hydra

Product Description
Fully remastered sound shaped from 24 BIT digital technology / Classic AOR / Contains Hydra , St George And The Dragon and White Sister / 16 page full colour booklet 3,000 word essay about the making of the album, enhanced artwork and rare photos. It's fair to say that Toto's debut album was one of the surprise events of 1978. It was rammed to the rafters with methodically crafted tracks, and produced two bonafide hit singles; I'll Supply The Love and Hold The Line .

It was these two songs that reshaped the sound of melodic rock, giving rise to the style that forever onwards became known as AOR. Certified double platinum, the future for Toto looked assured or so they thought...When they returned with their second album Hydra , originally released in 1979, their fans and critics were confronted with a work that although immediately recognisable, was considerably more advanced and complex. Instead of serving up another dish of stylistic pop rock, they reached deep inside and committed to elaborate compositions and intricate arrangements.

In many respects the approach could be traced directly back to the band's progressive rock leanings; something that their musical ability and dexterity had always hinted at. Actually Hydra is arguably Toto's finest hour. It is a record that combines all the positive aspects of a band that not only wrote great songs but also presented them in a format that wasn't clichéd or pedestrian. The title track, for instance, is a seven minutes plus anthem that has become a career cornerstone, whilst shorter, sharper tracks such as White Sister and All Us Boys reinforced the AOR backbone in spectacular form.

1. Hydra
2. St. George & The Dragon
3. 99
4. Lorraine
5. All Us Boys
6. Mama
7. White Sister
8. A Secret Love

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Turn Back

Product Description
Fully remastered sound shaped from 24 bit digital technology / Produced by Geoff Workman (Journey, Sammy Hagar) / Contains English Eyes , Goodbye Elenore and Gift With The Golden Gun / 16 page full colour booklet 2,500 word essay about the making of the album, enhanced artwork and rare photos. You could say that Turn Back is the lost Toto album.

Whilst their debut record achieved double platinum sales figures, producing two global hit singles, and it s follow up Hydra , was eventually acknowledged as a neo progressive rock triumph, Turn Back flew beneath the radar and barely caused a blip on the charts before disappearing from sight. The fact that their follow up album Toto IV has won an unprecedented seven Grammys and contained three top 10 hit singles only seems to emphasise the point. But although it is the least well known early era Toto album, to die-hard fans of the band it is regarded as one of their creative highpoints. Originally issued in 1981, it found the band taking a far more aggressive approach, dialling down the keyboards and upping the guitar quota by a considerable margin. This was, for all intents and purposes, an arena rock album designed to stave off their detractors and emphasise that they could hold their own against meatier acts such as Foreigner and Boston.

Once again, much of the material was written or co-written by David Paich but the songs are tougher and far more dynamic than their previous work. Much of this was due to the enlistment of renowned British co-producer Geoff Workman who provided a raw, heavy sound. Highlights include Goodbye Elenore , A Million Miles Away and the brilliantly arranged English Eyes , a candidate for their greatest ever track.

1. Gift With A Golden Gun
2. English Eyes
3. Live For Today
4. A Million Miles Away
5. Goodbye Elenore
6. I Think I Could Stand You Forever
7. Turn Back
8. If It's The Last Night

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I am very excited about these.

I own none of these on CD (all on vinyl) and have been waiting an eternity for Toto remasters-especially of Hydra and Turn Back.

I don't care about bonus cuts as I just want high-quality releases of these that aren't expensive Japanese issues.

Rock Candy will have a 16 page booklet and remastered sound and nice packaging as always so I am ordering these very soon.

I hope they do the rest of the catalogue on Columbia (and of course Toto IV), but this is still great news even if it stops with these 3 albums.

I am very happy to read this! Love those first 2 albums, especially. If they also do "IV" I might get to hear a nice-sounding CD version of my fave deep track, "Afraid of Love".

Hope these are also mastered for iTunes!

Just kidding,

...and I thought that I was the only one who liked "Hydra"! In general, I always thought that "Hydra" and "Turn Back" sounded like crap, so these will be nice upgrades, at least I hope they will be.

The title track of "Hydra" is my favorite Toto song of all!

Hell yes-what a riff and if that's not Prog and Hard Rock, what is it?

Oh wait-years ago a lunatic on here basically told me to rot in hell for saying Toto were Hard Rock. I hope he buys these remasters.

Love Toto and bought the Japanese remaster a couple of years ago but was disappointed. I'm afraid these early albums will never sound great (damn late 70s early 80s production.....very thin). Toto IV by comparison sounds audiophile!

But I will pick up these new remasters and hope for the best. Hydra has always been a guilty pleasure for me.

I am going for the first two. Never bought the import versions so this will be my introduction.

Rick A.

I'll probably skip these since I already own the whole catalog on CD, and even though a lot of them are '80s or early-'90s pressings, they sound more than adequate & I don't think it's worth the money for whatever sonic upgrade there might be. Now if they ever do deluxe editions, I'll buy those.

I've never felt guilty about liking Hydra.

My partner's favorite is Turn Back, an album I don't know well. It's pretty heavy-sounding compared to other Toto albums, like how Road Island was for Ambrosia.

Ordered ""Road Island" from Rock Candy today.

Rick A.

Turn Back is dynamite.

Mostly Hard Rock with some Prog touches and excellent ballads.

Your partner is wise!

I always thought the first album was just sort of average...but Hydra and Turn Back are both excellent records. The fourth record is very good but a step down from the previous two. Isolation was decent and for whatever reason I just lost track of them after that.

I already have the original CD issues of Hydra and Turn Back so I'm not sure if I'd be in on remasters or not. If the reviews are positive enough I might take the plunge.

But for those thinking about adding Hydra and Turn Back to their collection but are on the fence, I'd say go for it. Fantastic albums.

I agree, great albums but unfortunately the original domestic CDs sound awful.
Not sure if it's poor mastering or poor recordings.
Even the JSACD of Hydra isn't great.

Hopefully these guys can improve them.

These all have US links now for April 1 I believe.

Just got all three of these. Good sound, quieter than the 2004 Japanese mini-LP cover reissues but to these ears after A-B'ing them, a bit warmer. The only bummer is the lack of the original lyrics that accompanied all three albums on their inner sleeves. I doubt anyone cares about reading interviews more than once — if that — and the first CD has eight of the sixteen pages in the booklet taken up with photos. Again, we know what the band looked like; their fan base in 2014 isn't a bunch of teenage girls and this isn't a boy-band; three or four photos would suffice, but the lyrics can be useful if you can't make them out, want to sing along, whatever ... and more importantly, they were a part of the original packaging and should always be included in any label's supposedly "Deluxe" reissues.

I have received mine as well a few weeks back. Never having these on CD (only on LP) I am really enjoying these re-masters.

Rock Candy in my book comes thru again.
Rick A.

I took Rick's advice and ordered these from RC (Rock Candy) themselves. They arrived in 10 days, which I thought was cool (UK to USA).

I also got King's X's RC remaster. That sounds great.

On another note, I purchased Toto IV (a Sony Japan 2008 remaster) from Amazon. That disc blew me away. The sound is impeccable to my ears.

Got all 3 of these and the sound is a real surprise.

Very moderate in terms of highs and such and quite warm sounding.

Not loud in any way at all-I have to turn these up-reminds me of my vinyl (I still have the first 2 on vinyl).

Jon Astley did a wonderful job with the mastering and as always, the booklets are detailed and classy, as is the packaging.

Sadly, no more are planned, but I believe Culture Factory have some of these remastered and out now but I do NOT trust that label at all regarding sound and their sources for the masters.

You have the Sony Japan remasters from 2005? I bought everything from IV on up from there. They all sound killer (to me). My most recent acquisition was The Seventh One.




The Japan remaster really has new life breathed into it.

Great news-more Toto remasters are on the way from Rock Candy later this year.

I still listen to these three that they did and they were really worth it.

Excellent news IP! I, as you probably know have all 3 as well and they sound killer. As soon as "Rock Candy" makes then available for order I'm there!

Rick A.