Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Toto
Label: Eagle Records
Release: 2014
Rating: 5/5
Time flies, and it’s hard to believe that more than 35 years have passed since the founding of the American melodic rock greats Toto, who are marking the occasion with the double live album »35th Anniversary Tour – Live In Poland«. The title makes it clear right away: this live document was recorded in Poland on June 25, 2013, during the anniversary tour celebrating the band’s 35th birthday. Toto played the Polish city of Poznań that night, where legions of music fans were waiting for them, well aware that the evergreens of this in many ways great band, who never wrote a single truly bad song in their career, will live forever. Toto even split up between 2008 and 2009, but luckily, after a stormy reaction from disappointed fans, they quickly rose from the dead and returned to the stage in a revamped lineup in grand style, which every single performance on »Live In Poland« proves.
Original members Steve Lukather (guitar/vocals), David Paich (keyboards/vocals) and Steve Porcaro (keyboards/vocals) managed to lure the superb singer Joseph Williams back into the fold, for the first time since the second half of the 1980s, while the ailing bassist Mike Porcaro was replaced on the live dates by guest bassist Nathan East. By the way, after the tour East was in turn replaced as the live bassist by original member David Hungate. Also along for the ride were guest backing vocalist Amy Keys and additional singer Mabvuto Carpenter, whose vocal talent shines especially bright on their biggest hit, »Africa«. For longtime drumming wizard Simon Phillips, this was the last tour as a member of Toto, as Keith Carlock had already replaced him by then. »Live In Poland« is thus one of the last, if not the last, official live albums to feature the fantastic rhythm section of Phillips and East, which plenty of Toto fans will surely miss for a long time to come.
The setlist that night drew from almost every era of Toto and, besides the hits, included a few lesser surprises in the form of songs that hadn’t been in their live repertoire for quite a while. That goes especially for all four tracks from the album »Hydra« (1979), which are a real joy to hear again, performed by the modern incarnation of this legendary band. After a short instrumental intro comes a medley of shortened versions of three beloved Toto standards, »On The Run«, »Child’s Anthem« and »Goodbye Elenore«, where the band immediately goes all out showing off their enviable technical chops and exceptional ear for melodic sensibility, while Mr. Williams proves that after all these years his vocal cords still do as they’re told.
One of the bigger surprises on this double set is undoubtedly the performance of »Goin’ Home«, originally recorded in 1988 and officially released only on the rarities album »Toto XX« (1998). »Hydra« is, as mentioned, represented by no fewer than four songs. The title classic, where keyboardist Paich takes over the vocal baton, is wrapped in the same mix of nostalgia and punch as the original even in its modern rendition, while »St. George And The Dragon« likewise comes to life in an incredibly lively way. »White Sister«, where Williams hits some surprisingly high notes, is another wonderful, totally unexpected surprise, with the band going all in with their protective, deeply sensitive blend of melody and rhythmic power. Even better is the moving power ballad »99«, where the indestructible Steve Lukather wows with his guitar and vocal magic.
Quite a few fans still miss original singer Bobby Kimball on live renditions of the early Toto classics, though his vocal cords haven’t obeyed him as well in recent years, and of all the former singers Williams is honestly the best possible choice right now. Some will perhaps be disappointed that Toto didn’t play a single evergreen from the album »Isolation« (1984), their only outing with singer Fergie Frederiksen, who sadly lost his long battle with cancer, but there’s such an abundance of superb takes on classics from other albums that this can more or less be forgiven. »The Muse« is a short instrumental where ethereal variations on acoustic guitar and piano take your breath away. Anyone who’s a regular at Toto gigs already knows that they always pull the most live material from their most famous album, »Toto IV« (1982). On »It’s a Feeling«, the other keyboardist, Steve Porcaro, gets his chance at lead vocals, and even in his later years, with a little help from his bandmates, he still manages to conjure up the nostalgic atmosphere of the original.
»Rosanna«, one of the most beloved Toto hits of all, is still one of the live highlights, and this time is no different. The power ballad »I’ll Be Over You«, which Lukather predictably sings with incredible fire and heart, is the first performance of the night to come from the album »Fahrenheit« (1986), the first Toto record with Williams in the lineup. Toto are known for sneaking a brand-new/crazy improvisation into live versions of their long-standing standards here and there, and that makes the fantastic version of the »Kingdom Of Desire« (1992) classic »Wings Of Time« especially vivid, with lead vocalist Steve Lukather cooking up a heroic guitar solo in the closing section that brings the hall to a full boil, right up to the edge of bubbling over. »Kingdom Of Desire« is also represented by a fascinating version of »How Many Times«, where ‘Cool Hand Luke’ invites the audience to sing the chorus. Interestingly, on »I Won’t Hold You Back« Williams takes the lead vocals, even though on the original version Lukather sings lead, and he keeps wowing here too with his melodic yet clever guitar variations.
Fairly big surprises are also the performances of »Falling In Between« from the album of the same name and »Better World« from »Mindfields« (1999), which are among the rare moments in their career where you can hear a bit more in the way of prog rock and jazz fusion elements. Though Williams is convincing on all the Toto songs where he didn’t originally sing, he’s at his best, as expected, on the classics from »Fahrenheit« (1986) and »The Seventh One« (1988), so the beloved hit »Pamela« and »Stop Loving You« (both from »The Seventh One«) are among the many highlights of this double live set.
Of course, the performance of the thunderous evergreen »Africa«, by far the most popular song in the career of these American musical all-rounders, is the moment most Toto fans at their gigs usually wait for most impatiently. The extra percussion in the intro and the superbly sung vocal lines from all the singers, led by Paich, with the crowd, as always, enthusiastically joining in, still conjure up an unforgettable atmosphere, because »Africa« is simply one of those unforgettable evergreens that true music gourmets can’t get tired of even after the thousandth listen. For a triumphant finish Toto serve up fascinating versions of the big hit »Hold The Line« and the epic treat »Home Of The Brave«, making for a nearly perfect end to the show.
Toto marked their big milestone in the best way possible, releasing a double live album, the fifth of their career so far, packed with killer versions of some of their best-loved hits as well as lesser-known cuts from their colorful history. »35th Anniversary Live In Poland« will also go down in the annals of the Toto story as a great showcase of the live lineup that, to the great delight of lovers of good music, brought them back ‘from the dead’ after 2009, even though that lineup no longer exists today. The long-awaited thirteenth studio album is supposed to finally come out next year, and in the meantime this superb double live document will surely get plenty more spins.
Lineup
Jospeh Williams – vocals
Steve Lukather – guitar, vocals
David Paich – keyboards, vocals
Steve Porcaro – keyboards, vocals
Simon Phillips – drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Nathan East – bass guitar
Mabvuto Carpenter – backing vocals
Amy Keys – backing vocals
Production
Toto
Tracklist
CD1:
1. Intro
2. Medley: On the Run/Child’s Anthem/Goodbye Elenore
3. Goin’ Home
4. Hydra
5. St. George and the Dragon
6. I’ll Be Over You
7. It’s a Feeling
8. Rosanna
9. Wings of Time
10. Falling in Between
11. I Won’t Hold You Back
12. Pamela
CD2:
1. 99
2. The Muse
3. White Sister
4. Better World
5. Africa
6. How Many Times
7. Stop Loving You
8. Hold the Line
9. Home of the Brave
