The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities overseas and operating in France, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the People's Republic of China. North America was seen as an opportunity to grow for Washlet 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 the words. However, many words were replaced with foreign words, such as dui, which is Bengali for verandah.
Origins
Established in 1917, Toto's early years mirrored Japan's economic growth. In the first half, Toto made products to meet the growing demand for modern, contemporary urban housing. It was the first tunnel kilns in the country that could produce ceramics continuously. It also pioneered the use automation to control production, which allows for more efficiency and consistency.
In the latter half of the 1980s, the company began expanding outwards to take advantage of sales and new markets. The company founded the Cera Trading Company to import and distribute other manufacturers' products in order to enhance its own range of sanitary earthenwares and plumbing fittings. This strategy helped increase sales and increased the company's market share in the world.
In the 1990s, Toto had shifted its focus on research and development of household appliances that use water. It also upgraded its distribution system to better serve customers and increase profit. The company employed the same approach of just-in-time in its supply chain management and sales program. This led to a higher level of satisfaction of customers.
Toto continued to innovate toilet technology. The most recent toilet features an environmentally friendly, powerful tornado flush. The company also uses recycled water in its production process and has a green procurement policy. In addition to toilets, Toto manufactures faucets and bathtubs, as well as hand dryers that are more efficient in terms of energy consumption than standard models.
The first museum of the company was opened in the year 2015, and it has exhibitions on Toto's seminal products and their evolution, its group companies (all having to do with ceramics) and the history of plumbing and products such as bath units and, in a separate gallery, Toto products sold around the world. The museum even has a bathroom that includes a WASHLET toilet and other toilet-related innovations.
Before the formation of Toto members of the group did sessions with various musicians. Keyboardist David Paich, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and guitarists Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather all played on the album Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs. They also performed on albums by Steely Dan, Seals and Crofts, and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
You would expect a group with a name like Asia to be a prog rock band however it's actually a fairly straight forward rock group. The group started out as a quartet, and they released two albums - 1979's self-titled debut album, and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. Although the band have a variety of musical backgrounds their biggest breakthrough was achieved in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a major blockbuster but not without its issues. Record companies placed the band on the spot with the ultimatum "give us an album that's a smash or we'll drop you" and the pressure was on to meet the deadline. Luckily for Toto they did and they did it with the assistance of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is a result of their previous experience. Before forming the group, the band members worked as session musicians for artists such as Boz Scaggs. Steely Dan and Seals and Crofts. Their distinctive sound has since become the standard for '80s pop, influencing many contemporary artists.
The album opens up hard with songs such as Running Out of Time or Unknown Soldier that show the band's ability to create great AOR songs that slowly sink into your head. But the album also contains some slower, more jazzy tracks such as The Little Things and Chinatown. The album concludes with Great Expectations, a song that mixes folk with distorted AOR and sounds like a complete flop, but is incredibly effective.
After Toto IV, the band's fortunes turned for the worse. David Hungate left the band to focus on his solo career, and the band was dominated by drummers. In 안전놀이터 추천 , Bobby Kimball left the band following drug-related charges. The band remained with Michael Porcaro, Steve Lukather and Michael Porcaro.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It wasn't as well-liked as IV. However, the band was able to release a chart-topping album in 1992 with Kingdom of Desire. The album was the last of Toto's lineup and the debut of Simon Phillips, a new singer.
Tours
The band has performed across the globe to an crowd of millions, with sold-out shows in Europe, North America, Asia as well as Australia and New Zealand. The band has a vast collection of songs, and their catalog has been heard more than one billion times on streaming services across the world. The band's music has been influential to many generations of fans.
Steve Lukather has forged a vibrant, intimate friendship with Joe Williams that is flourishing professionally around the globe. In 2018 the duo celebrated their 40th anniversary of Tours Around The Sun with an incredibly profitable global tour. The album with the same title ranked #5 on the Billboard 200. The latest tour of the band features their greatest hits rare live deep-cuts and an assortment of songs from Lukather's and Williams' individual catalogues.
TOTO has a customer satisfaction rating of 20 based on its Net Promoter Score which is a measure of how likely customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are those who are highly satisfied with the company and actively encourage others to make use of their products or services. Detractors are those who do not like the company and actively discourage people from using its products or services.
Join Toto to experience a unique cultural encounter in Asia. This highlights tour includes luxurious accommodations, a day aboard the most luxurious cruise ship on Halong Bay and an exploration of Angkor Wat, a mystical temple that the French called Indochine. 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 trip that you shouldn't be missing!
Line-up
Turn Back, the band's third studio album, was an ode to the traditional sextet style and it was a more consistent, more powerful effort that had a more grittier edge. The more edgy sound of the album reflected the maturation of the group, with drummer Bobby Kimball's increased ability on the drums and an improved, mature vocal delivery by singer Joseph Williams. Keyboardist David Paich's work also was more refined, sharper and less cloned earlier efforts.
After touring to promote their album, the group recorded an Amsterdam live concert which was released on Eagle Records as a 2-CD set titled Falling In Between. The group released a new studio album just a few months after, and went on a world tour support it. During this time, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes replaced Paich and bassist David Hungate quit the group to spend time with his family.
In 1998, Paich & Lukather began looking through old tapes and demos to discover songs that hadn't been recorded before. The album was released in the form of a double-album called Then and Now in 2001. It was the band's first album without the single track "A". The album also contained a previously unreleased track titled "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The group's fourth album, Old Is New, was a commercial failure, and singer Williams was suffering from a serious case of laryngitis that limited his singing abilities. 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 in the early part of 2006 to discuss the possibility that the group could be revived. The lineup, which was minus Howe (who was busy with Yes at the time) was later referred to as Toto XIV and 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 also featured an appearance by singer Michael McDonald, and a backing singer named Mabvuto Carpenter.