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Rating: After 'Toto', the debut album of the eponymous group dated 1978, and the immediate following success with the album 'Toto IV', the band led by Lukather and Paich faced a period of difficulties, partly due to situations involving Bobby Kimball and Fergie Frederiksen at the center of controversies regarding their drug use.
In 1988, 'The Seventh One' was released, bringing quite a few changes to the American group: on one side, the debut of Joseph Williams as the lead vocalist, and on the other, the semi-definitive departure of Steve Porcaro, who would still continue to work with Paich and co., albeit behind the scenes. Personally, I consider it the best album by the band after 'Toto IV' and 'Toto', as well as a record that will not only echo rock frequencies but also softer genres. It is important to highlight the various ballads included in the album, such as 'Anna', 'Stop Loving You', and 'You Got Me'. Songs that contrast with other significant tracks of the album. First among these is '''Pamela''': a song that is influenced by rock and, at the same time, tries to get as close as possible to the famous 'Rosanna', the jewel of 'Toto IV'. Apart from women, I would also highlight two other very beautiful pieces: 'Mushanga' features a splendid groove by the late Jeff Porcaro. 'Straight for the Heart' is not a masterpiece, but it remains a catchy song because, let's face it, a band with people like Lukather, Porcaro J., and David Paich would never limit themselves to composing mediocre songs. 'Stay Away' and 'Only the Children' are also good level songs, but I intend to focus the entire review on the piece which, in my humble opinion, turns out to be the best of the entire album. 'Home of the Brave' is a wonderful song. It rightfully enters the band's 'top 10' and also has excellent chances of breaking into the 'top 5'. Once again, David Paich contributes enormously to the beauty of this piece with fantastic melodies. The same work is done by Steve Lukather, who always and anyway adds his touch. However, the true soul of the piece is represented by the great Jeff Porcaro, who, once again, manages to transform a secondary instrument into something indispensable. In this track, Jeff gives it all: Paradiddles, double Paradiddles, and more. I should probably thank him because it is his drumming that greatly excites me while listening to this piece.
In summary, it is an album that will achieve significant commercial success and at the same time, manage to keep itself well away from the shameless, filthy, and lurid pop that would start devastating music from that period onwards.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Pamela (05:11)
Oh, yeah
Side by side
I'll be yours forever
Yes I will
Rain or shine
Any kind of weather
Any kind
There isn't anything
I wouldn't do for you
Let's take what's getting old
And make it new
Oh, eye to eye
It's a blinding confrontation
You and I
We're a deadly combination
So don't start mixing
Truth with jealousy
The road we're on is clear
As far as I can see
Pamela
Don't break this heart of mine
Just remember it may not heal this time
Pamela
There is no second chance
For the one who leaves it all behind
Yeah, yeah
I love you, little girl
Black and white
Always go together
Day and night
You're the precious jewel I treasure
Wanting every part of you
Is not a crime
Could it be that you're the one
Who's wrong this time
Pamela
Don't break this heart of mine
Just remember it may not heal this time
Pamela
There is no second second chance
For the one who leaves it all behind
Leave all
Oh, Pamela, oh
Thousands of miles away
But always in my heart
Pamela
So don't break this heart of mine
Just remember it may not heal this time
Pamela
There is no second chance
For the one who leaves it all behind
Pamela
Don't break this heart of mine
Just remember it may not heal this time
Pamela
There is no second chance
For the one who leaves it all
Leave all behind
Leave all behind
I still love you, little girl
I still love you
And you know it, little Pamela
I still love you, yes I do
And you know it, little Pamela
Come on
Oh, little Pamela
03 Anna (04:55)
Anna please turn around, we'll work it out somehow
Anna don't turn me down, there's still a chance
if we can hold out once more
'Cause we started out with love, that was more than enough
And that's a lot to give up
Chorus:
Even if you turn and walk away, love will bring you back somehow
I will wait forever and a day, 'cause I believe without a doubt
The time will not run out on our love
Anna you gotta stay, it's just a stage we're going through
And Anna this all can change, if we turn the page
then we can start all again
'Cause we almost touched the sky, and it could never again be this right
Anna please change your mind
Chorus:
Even if you turn and walk away, love will bring you back somehow
I will wait forever and a day, 'cause I believe without a doubt
The time will not run out on our love
(Instrumental break)
Chorus:
Even if you turn and walk away, love will bring you back somehow
I will wait forever and a day, 'cause I believe without a doubt
The time will not run out on our love
Chorus:
Even if you turn and walk away, love will bring you back somehow
I will wait forever and a day, 'cause I believe without a doubt
The time will not run out on our love
And I believe without a doubt, the time will not run out
And I believe without a doubt, the time will not run out on our love
04 Stop Loving You (04:30)
Reflections in my mind
Thoughts I can't define
My heart is racing
And the night goes on
I can almost hear a laugh
Coming from your photograph
Funny how a look can share
A thousand meanings
Well-intended lies
Contemplating alibis
Is it really you
Or is it me I'm blaming
A distant memory
Flashes over me
Even though you're gone
I feel you deep inside
Dance beneath the light
With that look in your eyes
I can't stop loving you
Time passes quickly
And chances are few
I won't stop 'till
I'm through loving you, girl
There's a window in the heart
I've tried to look through from the start
You're never really sure
What someone else is thinking
Someone's broken something new
Another altered point of view
Just a certain someone's
Conscience playing
I held it in my hand
I did not understand
What lives inside the wind
That cries her name
Tried to catch a shooting star
What seems so close can't be that far
I'm living in a dream
That's never ending
Dance beneath the light
With that look in your eyes
I can't stop loving you
Time passes quickly
And chances are few
I won't stop 'till
I'm through loving you, girl
Dancin' with that look
That's in your eyes
I can't stop loving you
Time passes quickly
And chances are few
I won't stop 'till
I'm through loving you, girl
I can't stop loving you
Time passes quickly
And chances are few
I won't stop 'till
I'm through loving you, girl
05 Mushanga (05:36)
[Verse 1:]
I can't forget you my little Mushanga
I keep a place in my heart for you
The days of waiting they keep getting longer
And not a thing I can do
I was a poet, a magazine writer
Sent to report on political views
It was by chance through a lens that I met you
A Capetown girl with no shoes
Chorus:
You were runnin' down the road
I was going your way
I stopped and turned around to lent you my hand
You smiled though you were suffering
I didn't understand, then
You broke into my heart
I saw your eyes and then I knew
You broke into my heart
Like the wind and rain that followed you
You broke into my heart
Had the Lord above forgotten you?
You broke in from the start
And all my tears belong to you
Mushanga, oh, Mushanga, oh
[Verse 2:]
I sat and watched as she danced by the fires
Through ancient songs did the tale unfold
They sang of diamonds that came from their mountains
The loss of lives mining white man's gold
I had to leave and go back to Manhattan
Where all my stories are bought and sold
I know the city would surely be saddened
If what I knew could be told
(Chorus)
[Instrumental break]
[Verse 3:]
It's been so long since I last heard your laughter
So many letters and still no news
I hope you find all the things that you're after
You know my heart is with you
You were runnin' down the road
I was going your way
I stopped and turned around to lent you my hand
You smiled though you were suffering
I didn't understand, then
You broke into my heart
I saw your eyes and then I knew
You broke into my heart
Like the wind and rain that followed you
You broke into my heart
Had the Lord above forgotten you?
You broke into my heart
I saw your eyes and then I knew
You broke in from the start
And all my tears belong to you
Mushanga, oh, Mushanga, oh [repeat 3x]
09 A Thousand Years (04:53)
Day after day
I feel myself slowing down
What does it mean?
The air has changed
It's getting harder to breathe
Or so it would seem
Sail me away to a distant shore
Where everything's fine
Chorus:
A thousand years
Lost in the blink of an eye
If the sky keeps fallin'
The world will come tumblin' down
In a thousand years
Tell me my friend
Can you imagine a place
Free of boundaries and lies
There's blood on the wind
And it's come all of the way
From faraway skies
Take me away to a different world
Where everything's fine
(Chorus)
A thousand years
One day for every life
Just keep on going
We'll find you a home underground
In a thousand years
[Instrumental break]
Sail me away to a distant shore
Where everything's fine
(Chorus)
A thousand years
One day for every life
Just keep on going
We'll find you a home underground
In a thousand years
11 Home of the Brave (06:51)
Everything's gonna be alright boys
Help is on the way
Hold your head up high now
There's no need to cry now
We're not running anymore
Leave the politics behind boys
They're not working anymore
There's so much more at stake here
It's make or break here
Haven't we been here before?
(Well come on!)
Tell me what we're waiting for
Chorus:
You gotta remember
You don't have to be afraid
You still have the freedom to learn
And say what you wanna say
You gotta remember
Don't let 'em take away
The land we call the home of the brave
Who sings the song of the people?
You don't hear it anymore
I heard it late last summer
To the beat of a different drummer
It never sounded quite like this before
So you're trying to shake this feeling
That trouble's right outside the door
You lie awake each dark night
Like a time bomb wound up too tight
A storm in waiting, just offshore
(Well, come on!)
Tell me what we're waiting for
Chorus
(Instrumental break)
Chorus repeats 2x
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Other reviews
By pier_paolo_farina
The songwriting in several instances is excellent, the then-singer Joseph Williams more than convincing.
The concluding trio of songs soar and deserve a place in any good music collection.
