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Toto

Musical Group
Forlisteners curious about toto beyond the biggest singles; aor/pop-rock fans; musicians and gear/playing nerds; live-album collectors
21 Reviews 31 Definitions 84 Charts
Rock AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) Pop Rock

The Profile

Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, known for polished pop-rock/AOR craftsmanship, high-level musicianship, and major hits such as “Africa” and “Rosanna.”

Publicly, Toto formed in Los Angeles and rose to global success in the late 1970s and 1980s. Reviews here repeatedly emphasize their virtuosity (especially Jeff Porcaro’s drumming and Steve Lukather’s guitar), frequent lead-singer changes, and a persistent reputation debate about being “session musicians” versus a cohesive band. Toto IV (1982) is consistently framed as the signature blockbuster, while albums like Isolation (1984) and The Seventh One (1988) are highlighted as key deep-dive favorites.

Across these reviews Toto are portrayed as elite Los Angeles musicians with a real band identity, not just hired hands. The peak narrative clusters around Toto IV (with “Rosanna”/“Africa”) and later fan-favorites like The Seventh One and Isolation. Recurring obsessions: Jeff Porcaro’s drumming, Lukather’s guitar work, and constant lineup changes at lead vocal. Live records are praised as proof that “radio band” is a lazy label. A minority view calls some later albums low points, but the overall stance is admiration.

Notable Quotes

❝ Yes, okay, I know, Toto is one of those bands labeled as "either you love them or you hate them" or "great musicians, but the albums aren't that great," but I'll try to describe them anyway, because between loving them and hating them, I love them.
❝ I find the rumor that Toto is a group of hired and obsequious studio musicians unbearable.
❝ If Toto are (rightly) considered a radio band, one cannot say the same when discussing their quality.
❝ "That "Toto XIV" is the thing closest to our classics is undeniable. Self-congratulatory? Maybe, but who cares: we don’t have to answer to anyone." (David Paich, 2015)
❝ The name Toto is inspired by the dog from The Wizard of Oz
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