The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities in the overseas market and doing business in France, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. Toto considered North America as a growth market for Washlet bidets and toilets, as opposed to its "base" markets of Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was recording Toto words to ensure the future generations could comprehend them. Many words were replaced with foreign ones. For instance dui, which is Bengali for verandah was being used.
Origins
Incorporated in 1917, Toto's early years mirrored Japan's economic development. In the beginning, Toto produced products to meet the growing demand for modern, brand new urban housing. It had the first tunnel kiln in the nation to continuously produce ceramics. It also pioneered the use of automation to control production, allowing for greater efficiency and consistency.
The company began expanding its operations overseas in the latter part of the 1980s to take advantage of new markets and sales opportunities. The company founded the Cera Trading Company to import and market other manufacturers' products to complement its own line of sanitary earthenwares as well as plumbing fittings. This strategy helped increase sales and expand the firm’s global market share.
In the 1990s, Toto had shifted its focus to research and development of household appliances that use water. It also upgraded its distribution system to better serve its customers and increase profit. The company implemented a just-in-time method of managing supply chains and used the same methodology in its sales program. This resulted in a higher level customer satisfaction.
Toto continued to develop toilet technology. Its most recent toilet, for example, has a strong tornado flush that is more environmentally friendly than traditional toilets. The company also makes use of recycled water in its manufacturing process and has a green purchasing policy. In addition to toilets, Toto produces bathtubs and faucets and hand dryers that are more efficient in terms of energy consumption than standard models.
The first Toto museum opened in 2015. It features exhibits on Toto’s seminal products, their evolution, the group companies (all of which are made from ceramics) and the history of plumbing, and products such as bath units. In a separate gallery you can view Toto products sold all over. The museum has bathrooms with a WASHLET as well as other toilet innovations.
Before forming Toto the band, members of the group performed sessions for a variety of musicians. Keyboardist David Paich, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and guitarists Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather all performed on the album Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs. They also performed on albums 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 rock band, but it is actually a fairly straight forward rock group. The group began as a group and released two albums - 1979's self-titled debut album, and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. The group has a wide musical background but their biggest success came in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster but not without its problems. The record companies placed the band under pressure to deliver an album that was a success or else they would pull the album. Luckily for Toto, they did and they did it with the assistance of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery owes a lot to their previous experience, as the band members had been session musicians for artists like Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts prior the group. Their sonic signature has become the norm for '80s pop, influencing many modern artists.
The album begins with a hefty dose of hard rock with songs like Running Out of Time and Unknown Soldier showcasing the bands ability to write great AOR songs that slowly build their hooks into your. But the album also contains some more mellow, jazzy tracks, like The Little Things and Chinatown. And the album ends with Great Expectations, a song which combines folk and distorted AOR and should sound like a complete flop, but works wonderfully well.
After Toto IV the band's fortunes began to decline. David Hungate left the band to pursue a solo career. The band was dominated by drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball left the band following drug-related charges. The band continued to play with Michael Porcaro, Steve Lukather and Michael Porcaro.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It was not as well-liked as IV. 토토 꽁머니 was able to release a chart-topping album, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. The album marked the end of the original Toto lineup and was also the first album to feature the new singer, Simon Phillips.
Tours
The band has entertained millions of people around the world, performing sold-out shows across Europe, North America and Asia and also Australia and New Zealand. The repertoire of the band is extensive, and their collective catalog has accumulated more than billion streams on streaming services across the globe. The band's iconic music has inspired generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have formed a strong colorful friendship that is thriving professionally on a global basis. In 2018, the duo celebrated 40 Tours Around the Sun with a massively successful global tour. The album that bears the same name reached #5 on Billboard 200. The band's latest tour includes their greatest hits rare live deep-cuts, and some songs from Lukather's and Williams' individual catalogues.
TOTO has a customer satisfaction rating of 20 according to its Net Promoter Score which measures how likely customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are people who give a good rating to the company and encourage others to use its products and services. Detractors are those who judge the company poorly, and can even actively dissuade people from using their products or services.
Join Toto to have a unique experience in Asia. This highlights tour of a region the French once called Indochine provides luxurious accommodation, a day on a luxurious cruise ship in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mysterious temples of Angkor Wat. Also, you'll spend a night in the charming town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city that will delight the senses. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip that you shouldn't skip!
Line-up
Turn Back, the band's third studio album is an ode to the classic sextet structure and a more consistent, stronger effort with a harder edge. The more experimental sound of Turn Back was a reflection of the maturation in the group. Drummer Bobby Kimball's increased proficiency was evident in the vocals of Joseph Williams, who had grown more confident and mature. David Paich's keyboard skills were also sharper, more complex and less akin to previous efforts.
After touring to promote the album, the band recorded a live concert in Amsterdam which was released as a two-CD set called Falling In Between Live on Eagle Records. A new studio album was released a few months later, and the group went on a long-distance tour in support of it. 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 album featuring songs that had never been recorded before. It was completed in the form of a double-album called Then & Now in 2001. It was the first album by the band that did not include one single track with the word "A" in the title, and it also contained one previously unreleased track, "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 severe laryngitis condition 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 were in England early in 2006 to discuss the possibility that the band could be revived. The lineup, with the exception of Howe who was busy with Yes during that time, was renamed 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 also had an appearance by singer Michael McDonald and a backing vocalist named Mabvuto Carver.