The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding production facilities overseas, and was doing business in France and Germany, Indonesia, Korea and Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. North America was seen as an area of growth for toilets and bidet seats, in contrast to its "base" markets in Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was documenting Toto words to ensure that the future generations would be able to read them. However, many words were being replaced with foreign words, such as dui, which is Bengali for verandah.
Origins
The early history of Toto that began in 1917, mirrored Japan's economic growth. In the first half of its existence, the company produced goods to meet demand for new, modern urban housing. To do this, it used the first tunnel kiln in the nation that produced ceramics in continuous flow. It also pioneered automation for production control, which helps to increase efficiency and consistency.
The company began expanding its operations overseas in the late 1980s in order to profit from new markets and sales opportunities. The company founded the Cera Trading Company to import and distribute other products of other manufacturers to complement its own line of sanitary earthenwares and plumbing fittings. This strategy helped increase sales and expand the market share of the company globally.
In the 1990s Toto began to focus on research and development for water-related appliances. It also improved its distribution system to better meet the needs of customers and increase profits. The company used the same just-in time approach in its supply chain management as well as sales program. This led to a higher level of satisfaction of customers.
Toto has continued to innovate on the toilet technology. totopia , for instance is equipped with a strong tornado flush that is more ecologically friendly than traditional toilets. The company makes use of recycled water for its manufacturing process and has a green purchasing policy. Toto also manufactures faucets, bathtubs and hand dryers with higher energy efficiency than typical models.
The first museum of the company was opened in 2015 and features exhibits about Toto's iconic products and their evolution and its group companies (all that deal with ceramics) as well as the history of plumbing and other products like bath units and, in a separate gallery, Toto products sold around the world. The museum even has a bathroom that features the WASHLET toilet, as well as other toilet-related innovations.
Before forming Toto members of the group did sessions for a variety of musicians. Boz Scaggs album Silk Degrees featured keyboardist David Paich and guitarists Mike Porcaro & Steve Lukather, drummers Jeff Porcaro & Steve Lukather. They also played on records by Steely Dan, Seals and Crofts, and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
It is common for a group with a name like Asia to be a prog band however, it's actually a pretty straightforward rock outfit. The band started out as a group and released two albums - 1979's self-titled debut, and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. The group has a wide musical background, but their biggest success was in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster, but not without its share of issues. Record companies put the band on position with the order "give us an album that is a success or we'll take you off the market" and the pressure was on to meet the deadline. Luckily for Toto they delivered and they did it with the assistance of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is a result of their previous experience, as the band members were session musicians for artists such as Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts prior the group. Their sonic signature has become the norm for '80s pop, influencing many contemporary artists.
The album begins hard with songs like Running Out of Time or Unknown Soldier that show the band's ability to write fantastic AOR tunes that slowly creep into your head. The album also contains more jazzy, slower tracks such as The Little Things and Chinatown. The album concludes with Great Expectations, a song that mixes folk with distortion AOR and should sound totally wrong, but works amazingly well.
After Toto IV the band's fortunes began to wane. David Hungate left to concentrate on his solo career and the band went through several drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball was fired from the band in after he was charged with drug abuse. the group continued to perform as a trio, which included Michael Porcaro and Steve Lukather.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It wasn't as well-liked as IV. The band was able to release a chart-topping album, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. This album marked the end of the original Toto lineup and was the first to feature the new singer, Simon Phillips.
Tours
The band has entertained millions of fans across the world, with sold out shows in Europe, North America and Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand. The band has a wide repertoire, and its catalog has been heard over one billion times on streaming services across the globe. The band's iconic music has influenced generations of fans.
Steve Lukather has forged a vibrant, intimate friendship with Joe Williams that is flourishing professionally around the world. In 2018, the duo celebrated 40 Tours Around the Sun with a wildly successful global tour. The album with the same title ranked 5 on the Billboard 200. The band's new tour includes their best hits and rarely played live deep cuts, alongside a selection of songs from Lukather 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 are highly satisfied with the company and actively encourage others to utilize their products or services. Detractors are those that rate the company negatively and actively discourage others from using its products or services.
Join Toto for an unforgettable cultural experience in Asia. This highlight tour of a region the French once called Indochine provides luxurious accommodation, a day on a deluxe junk in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mysterious temples of Angkor Wat. You will also spend an evening in the charming city of Luang Prabang. This UNESCO World Heritage City is a feast for the senses. This is a once-in-a-lifetime excursion you should not skip!
Line-up
The album's third, Turn Back, marked the return to the traditional sextet arrangement of previous albums. It was a stronger, more consistent effort that had an edge that was more pronounced than Hydra. Its edgier sound was a reflection of the maturation of the group, with drummer Bobby Kimball's greater proficiency on the drums, as well as a more confident, mature vocal delivery from singer Joseph Williams. Keyboardist David Paich's work was sharper, more intricate and less cloned previously recorded efforts.
After touring to promote their album, the band recorded their Amsterdam live performance which was released on Eagle Records as a 2-CD set entitled Falling In Between. The group released their new studio album a few months after, and went on a world tour to support the album. In this time keyboardist Greg Phillinganes replaced Paich and bassist David Hungate quit the group to spend time with his family.
In 1998, Paich and Lukather started looking through old tapes and demos for a new record featuring songs that had never been recorded before. It was completed in 2001 as a duo album called Then and Now. It was the first album in the history of the band not to include any single song that had the word "A" in its title. It also included one previously not released track, "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The fourth album, Old Is New, was a commercial failure and the vocalist Williams was suffering from a serious case of laryngitis which limited his singing capabilities. Hungate also returned to Nashville and Leland Sklar's drumming was replaced by Shem Von Schroeck.
Downes, Wetton Palmer and Howe, the founding members of Asia, met in England early in 2006 to discuss the possibility that the band could be reformed. This lineup, minus Howe who was busy with Yes during that time, became 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 featured a special appearance by singer Michael McDonald and a backing vocalist named Mabvuto Carver.