The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities overseas, and was doing business in France and Germany, Indonesia, Korea and Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. The company saw North America as a growth market for Washlet's bidets and toilets, in contrast to its "base" markets of Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was recording Toto words to ensure the next generation would be able to read them. Many words were replaced by foreign ones. For example dui, which was Bengali for verandah was being used.
Origins
Established in 1917, Toto's early years mirrored Japan's economic development. In the beginning, Toto manufactured goods to meet the demand for modern, brand new urban housing. It had the first tunnel kilns in the country to produce ceramics continuously. It also pioneered the use automation to control production, which allows for greater efficiency and consistency.
The company began expanding internationally in the late 1980s to benefit from new markets and sales opportunities. 토지노 커뮤니티 created the Cera Trading Company, importing and selling other products from other manufacturers to complement its own line of plumbing fittings and sanitary earthenware. This strategy boosted sales and expanded the firm's market share.
In the 1990s, Toto had shifted its emphasis on research and development of household appliances that use water. It also redesigned its distribution system to better serve its customers and increase profit. The company employed the same just-in time approach in its supply chain management as well as sales program. This resulted in a greater level customer satisfaction.
Toto has continued to innovate on the toilet technology. The latest toilet, for instance it has an extremely powerful tornado flush that is more environmentally green than traditional toilets. Toto uses recycled water in its manufacturing process, and has a green buying policy. Toto also manufactures bathtubs, faucets, and hand dryers with higher energy efficiency than conventional models.
The company's first museum opened in 2015, and it has exhibitions on Toto's seminal products and their development, its group companies (all related to ceramics) as well as the historical background of plumbing and products like bath units and, in a separate gallery, Toto products sold around the world. The museum houses the bathroom equipped with a washbasin and other toilet innovations.
Before the formation of Toto members of the group did sessions with various musicians. Keyboardist David Paich, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and guitarists Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather all played on the album Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs. They also played on records by Steely Don, Seals and Crofts and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
With a name like Asia you'd expect the group to be prog kings and queens however, it's actually a fairly simple rock group. The band was initially four-piece, and released two albums that were self-titled in 1979 and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. The group has a diverse musical background, but their greatest success came in 1982 when they released Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster but not without its problems. Record companies put the band on the place with the directive "give us an album that's a smash or we'll drop you" and the pressure was on to meet the deadline. Toto was able to do this feat with the help of the hit song "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is a result of their prior experience, as the band members were session musicians for artists such as Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts prior to forming the group. Their distinctive sound has become the norm for '80s pop, influencing many contemporary artists.
The album starts out hard with songs like Running Out of Time or Unknown Soldier that show the band's ability to write great AOR tunes that slowly get into your head. The album also has some more mellow, jazzy tracks, like The Little Things and Chinatown. The album concludes with Great Expectations, a song that combines folk with distortion AOR and could sound like a complete flop, but works wonderfully well.
After Toto IV the band's fortunes started to plummet. David Hungate left the band to focus on his solo career and the band had a variety of drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the band after drug charges. The band remained with Michael Porcaro, Steve Lukather and Michael Porcaro.
Despite the chaos, Toto forged ahead and released Isolation, which was not as successful as IV. The band managed to release an album that topped the charts, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. This album marked Toto's final lineup and the debut of Simon Phillips, a new singer.
Tours
The band has performed across the globe to an audience of millions, and has sold-out shows across Europe, North America, Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. The repertoire of the band is extensive and their catalog has amassed over billion streams on streaming services worldwide. The band's music has inspired numerous generations of fans.
Steve Lukather has forged a vibrant, intimate friendship with Joe Williams that is flourishing professionally around the globe. In 2018, the duo celebrated their 40 Tours Around The Sun with a hugely profitable global tour. The album of the same name landed at #5 on the Billboard 200. The band's latest tour includes their greatest hits rare live deep-cuts and a selection of songs from Lukather's and Williams individual catalogs.
TOTO has an Net Promoter Score of 20. This score is a measure of the likelihood that customers will recommend the brand. Promoters are those who rate the company highly and actively encourage others to make use of their products or services. Detractors are those who evaluate the company poorly and might even actively dissuade people from using their products or services.
Join Toto to experience a unique cultural encounter in Asia. This highlight tour of a region that the French once called Indochine provides luxurious accommodation, a trip on a deluxe junk in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mystical temples of Angkor Wat. You'll also spend one night in the charming town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city that will delight 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 an even more consistent and powerful effort that had a more grittier edge. The more edgier sound of Turn Back reflected the growth of the band. Bobby Kimball's growing ability to play was evident in the vocal delivery of Joseph Williams, who had become more confident and mature. Keyboardist David Paich's work was more refined, sharper, and less derivative than previously recorded efforts.
After touring to promote their album, the band recorded an Amsterdam live performance that was released by Eagle Records as a 2-CD set titled Falling In Between. The group released their new studio album just a few months after, and went on a world tour promote 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 exploring old demo tapes and tapes to make a new record featuring songs that were never recorded before. The album was released in 2001 and released as a double album called Then and Now. It was the band's first album without one single track titled "A". The album also included a previously unreleased track titled "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The fourth album, Old Is New, was a commercial flop and vocalist Williams was suffering from a severe laryngitis infection which limited his singing capabilities. Additionally, Hungate returned to Nashville as a drummer, and Leland Sklar was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Downes, Wetton Palmer and Howe, the founding members of Asia were in England early in 2006 to discuss the possibility that the group could be revived. The lineup, with the exception of 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.