Post by erik on Mar 26, 2022 12:25:12 GMT -5
The biggest hit for the L.A. studio-rock band Toto is in this week's Pop Music Hits Spotlight, whose title is sort of self-explanatory.
AFRICA (Toto; CBS; 1982)—Though they are often dismissed by rock critics as being the most obvious example of the “tired” Los Angeles studio rock formula of the late 1970’s (given the fact that all of them were session players before coming together as a band in 1977), Toto was an extremely popular band from the late 1970’s into the late 1980’s. The band was formed in 1977 by keyboardist David Paich, brothers Jeff and Mike Porcaro, lead vocalist Bobby Kimball, and guitarist Steve Lukather, all of whom had studio experience, which resulted in the group having massive commercial success while (as might be expected) having little luck at pleasing most rock critics, particularly at Rolling Stone. Their biggest success came with their 1982 album Toto IV, which produced their two highest charting singles. The first of these was “Rosanna”, which reached #2 during the summer of 1982. Their biggest hit, however, was to come with the release of “Africa” in the fall of 1982. Paich collaborated with Jeff Porcaro on this perennial FM rock and Adult Contemporary favorite, which utilized keyboard and synthesizer effects made to sound like native African music (something along the lines of what the late 19th century French composer Camille Saint-Saens did on his 1896 work for piano and orchestra also called “Africa”). The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending February 5, 1983, and would be the group’s biggest hit. Apart from their own albums, the members of Toto would continue session work on albums by artists as varied as Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Don Henley, Michael MacDonald, and Linda Ronstadt (who was to be a backing vocalist on the group’s album track “Stay Away”, from their 1987 album The Seventh One).
AFRICA (Toto; CBS; 1982)—Though they are often dismissed by rock critics as being the most obvious example of the “tired” Los Angeles studio rock formula of the late 1970’s (given the fact that all of them were session players before coming together as a band in 1977), Toto was an extremely popular band from the late 1970’s into the late 1980’s. The band was formed in 1977 by keyboardist David Paich, brothers Jeff and Mike Porcaro, lead vocalist Bobby Kimball, and guitarist Steve Lukather, all of whom had studio experience, which resulted in the group having massive commercial success while (as might be expected) having little luck at pleasing most rock critics, particularly at Rolling Stone. Their biggest success came with their 1982 album Toto IV, which produced their two highest charting singles. The first of these was “Rosanna”, which reached #2 during the summer of 1982. Their biggest hit, however, was to come with the release of “Africa” in the fall of 1982. Paich collaborated with Jeff Porcaro on this perennial FM rock and Adult Contemporary favorite, which utilized keyboard and synthesizer effects made to sound like native African music (something along the lines of what the late 19th century French composer Camille Saint-Saens did on his 1896 work for piano and orchestra also called “Africa”). The song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending February 5, 1983, and would be the group’s biggest hit. Apart from their own albums, the members of Toto would continue session work on albums by artists as varied as Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Don Henley, Michael MacDonald, and Linda Ronstadt (who was to be a backing vocalist on the group’s album track “Stay Away”, from their 1987 album The Seventh One).