Composed entirely of seasoned studio musicians, Toto seemed to come out of nowhere. They did not get known first on the club circuit as nearly all bands do prior to being signed by a label. Their reputations in the studio were enough. For example, Paich, Hungate and Jeff Porcaro wrote songs for and performed on Boz Scaggs' album Silk Degrees.
Toto released their debut album Toto in October 1978, selling two million copies based on their top ten hit Hold the Line. The next two albums Hydra and Turn Back had little success, but Toto IV (released in 1982) featured the number one hit Africa as well as the top ten single Rosanna. Toto IV went multi-platinum and earned several Grammy Awards including 1983 Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Rosanna").
Their only film work to date was for the 1984 David Lynch science fiction film Dune. In addition to their own score, they also recorded the Prophecy Theme, composed by Brian Eno.
After the release of Toto IV, Mike Porcaro (brother to Jeff and Steve), joined the group on bass, replacing Hungate. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the group after being arrested for selling cocaine and was replaced by Dennis Frederiksen aka Fergie Frederiksen, who was replaced not long after by Joseph Williams.
Steve Porcaro left the band in 1988, however, he still contributes as a sideman.
In 1990, Jean-Michel Byron replaced Williams for the new recordings on Past to Present 1977-1990, then left with Lukather becoming the group's lead singer.
On August 5, 1992, Jeff Porcaro died of a heart attack, days after completing work on Kingdom of Desire. The group considered disbanding, before adding British drummer Simon Phillips for the subsequent tour. In the years since Porcaro's death, Lukather has seemingly succeeded Paich as the band's de facto leader.
In 1999, Bobby Kimball returned to the lineup after a 15-year absence.
Greg Phillinganes joined the lineup in 2004 to fill in for David Paich during a tour, then officially joined Toto in 2005.
After a period of rumours and some allusions, on June 5th, 2008 Steve Lukather made an official announcement on his website stevelukather.net, stating: "The fact is yes I have left Toto. There is no more Toto." Lukather further stated that after 31 years of recording, producing and playing with Toto without even missing one single gig, he couldn't do it anymore: "I just can't do it anymore and at 50 years old I wanted to start over and give it one last try on my own." With Lukather being the only original member left in the band (Bobby Kimball was also an original member, but was out of the band from 1984-1998) there was no other option than to call it quits. As the main motivation for his decision, Lukather said: "When Dave retired that was REAL hard for me 'cause we started the band together. Hell, it's 35 years if you count High School where the core all met. When Mike fell ill and had to leave that was it for me. If there isn't Paich or at least one Porcaro how can we even call it Toto?" Luke also stated: "Honestly, I have just had enough. This is NOT a break. It is over. I really can't go out and play Hold The Line with a straight face anymore." The break-up of Toto after 31 years received mixed reactions from the fans, but in general the decision was understood and many agreed with Lukather's reasons to quit the band.
On April 5th, 2008, Toto played what would be their last show ever, in Seoul, Korea, as a part of their Falling In Between Live tour. This left lots of fans without a real farewell tour.
On February 26th, 2010, Steve Lukather announced on his Twitter-account that Toto are reforming for a brief tour in Europe in the summer of 2010 to honor bass player Mike Porcaro, who's suffering from ALS syndrome. Line-up will include David Paich, Steve Lukather, Steve Porcaro, Simon Phillips, Joseph Williams and Nathan East.
Toto released their fourteenth studio album and their first in nine years titled Toto XIV on March 20 (Europe), March 23 (UK and Oceania), and March 24, 2015 (North America). To promote the newly finished project, the band started a world tour running with an extensive European headline arena tour including appearances at key festivals, along with a North American tour to follow in the summer of 2015 and Asia later that year.[43][44]
On March 15, 2015, former bassist Mike Porcaro died, due to complications from his battle with ALS, in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles.[45]
On 6 April 2015, Toto announced that they would embark on 7 August 2015 in Mashantucket, Connecticut with veteran progressive band Yes on a joint summer tour of North America due to end on 12 September 2015 in Coquitlam, British Columbia.[46][47][48] Shannon Forrest has continued to perform as the band's drummer.
On 29 September 2015, Toto announced the first leg of their 2016 Tour in support of Toto XIV consisting of European and Japanese dates. Leland Sklar, who joined them on their 2007 and 2008 tours, replaced founding member Hungate.[49] Sklar left Toto in early 2017 and was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Toto will release their anniversary album "40 Trips Around The Sun" on February 9, 2018. Then, they'll embark on their world tour promoting their album and celebrating 40 years of music.
The original lineup (1978)
* David Paich - vocals and keyboards
* Steve Lukather - guitar and vocals
* Bobby Kimball - vocals
* Steve Porcaro - keyboards
* David Hungate - bass
* Jeff Porcaro - drums
The last lineup (2017)
* David Paich - vocals and keyboards
* Steve Lukather - guitar and vocals
* Joseph Williams - vocals
* Steve Porcaro - vocals and keyboards
prologue
Toto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Know then, that is the year 10191.
The known universe is ruled by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam the Fourth,
my father.
In this time, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange.
The spice extends life.
The spice expands consciousness.
The spice is vital to space travel.
That is, travel to any part of the universe without moving.
Oh, yes.
I forgot to tell you.
The spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe.
A desolate, dry planet with vast deserts.
Hidden away within the rocks of these deserts are a people known as the Fremen,
who have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah,
who would lead them to true freedom.
The planet is Arrakis, also known as
Dune.
The lyrics from Toto's song Prologue are actually an adapted version of the opening monologue from Frank Herbert's novel Dune. The song sets the stage for a science-fiction story set in the distant future where the universe is under the control of an Emperor named Shaddam the Fourth. In this world, the most valuable commodity is the spice Melange. The lyrics tell the listener that the spice has several properties, including the ability to expand consciousness, extend life, and is vital to space travel.
One of the most interesting aspects of the lyrics is how the spice has mutated over 4000 years to allow navigators to fold space. This concept of space folding is a unique idea in science fiction that requires both an understanding of theoretical physics and abstract thinking. Equally fascinating is that the spice only grows on one planet in the entire universe, Arrakis, also known as Dune. This planet is unique in that it is filled with vast deserts that hide a mysterious people known as the Fremen, who hold a prophecy that a messiah would come and lead them to true freedom.
The song "Prologue" from Toto's album Dune was released in 1984 and was used as the opening track of David Lynch's movie adaptation of Herbert's novel. Apart from being the opening monologue to the movie, the lyrics are also an iconic part of the novel and have become famous among science fiction fans.
Line by Line Meaning
A beginning is a very delicate time.
Starting something is a delicate moment and one should be careful at this stage.
Know then, that is the year 10191.
In the year 10191, something important is happening.
The known universe is ruled by the Padishah Emperor Shaddam the Fourth, my father.
My father, Padishah Emperor Shaddam the Fourth, is ruling the known universe.
In this time, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange.
At this time, the most important substance in the universe is Melange.
The spice extends life.
Melange increases life span.
The spice expands consciousness.
Melange enhances the thinking process.
The spice is vital to space travel.
Melange is essential for space travel.
The Spacing Guild and its navigators, who the spice has mutated over 4000 years, use the orange spice gas, which gives them the ability to fold space.
The Spacing Guild and its navigators, who have been affected by the spice for over 4000 years, use the orange gas created from the spice to fold space and travel without moving.
That is, travel to any part of the universe without moving.
They can travel to any part of the universe without physical movement.
Oh, yes.
Oh, by the way.
I forgot to tell you.
I neglected to mention earlier.
The spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe.
Melange can only be found on one planet in the universe.
A desolate, dry planet with vast deserts.
This planet is barren, dry and has huge desert areas.
Hidden away within the rocks of these deserts are a people known as the Fremen, who have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah, who would lead them to true freedom.
The Fremen, who have been waiting for a messiah to lead them to freedom, live in secret in the rocks of the desert.
The planet is Arrakis, also known as Dune.
The planet where Melange is found is called Arrakis, but it is also known as Dune.
Writer(s): Cyril Ornadel, Leslie Bricusse
Contributed by Jake D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Denis S. Pratt
on Take My Hand
Beautiful rendition of a reconciling moment that my mother and I will lay to rest.