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 bidet and washlet toilet seats, as opposed its "base" markets in Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was recording Toto words to ensure that the future generations could comprehend the words. Many words were substituted with foreign ones. For example, dui, which is Bengali for verandah was being used.
Origins
Toto's early history which began in 1917, mirrored Japan's economic growth. In the first half, Toto manufactured products to meet the growing demand for modern, brand new urban housing. It used the first tunnel kiln in the nation to produce ceramics continuously. It also pioneered automation for production control, which helps to increase efficiency and a more consistent production.
The company began expanding overseas in the late 1980s in order to profit from new markets and sales opportunities. It launched the Cera Trading Company, importing and distributing other manufacturers' products to complement its own line of sanitary earthenware and plumbing fittings. This strategy increased sales and expanded the market share of the company globally.
In the 1990s, Toto began focusing on research and development for water-related appliances. It also improved its system of distribution to better serve customers and boost profits. The company also employed the just-in-time approach to its supply chain management as well as sales program. This led to a higher level of customer satisfaction.
Toto has continued to innovate on the toilet technology. The latest toilet from the company features a powerful, environmentally-friendly tornado flush. Toto also makes use of recycled water in its manufacturing process and has a green purchasing policy. In addition to toilets, Toto manufactures bathtubs and faucets, as well as hand dryers that are more efficient in terms of energy consumption than conventional models.
The first museum of the company was opened in the year 2015 It has exhibits on Toto's seminal products and their development as well as its group companies (all related to ceramics) as well as the historical background of plumbing and products like bath units, and in a separate gallery, Toto products sold around the world. The museum houses a bathroom with a WASHLET and other toilet innovations.
Before the formation of Toto the band, members of the group performed session work for various musicians. www.to-topia.com , drummer Jeff Porcaro, and guitarists Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather all played on the album Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs. They also played on records by Steely Dan, Seals and Crofts, and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
You would expect a group with a name such as Asia to be a prog band, but it is actually a pretty straightforward rock band. The group was formed as four members and released two albums: 1979's self-titled debut and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. However, even though the group have a diverse musical background, their biggest success was in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a major blockbuster, but not without its share of issues. The record companies put the band under pressure to release a hit single or they would drop the album. Luckily for Toto they did, with the assistance of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is the result of their prior 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 pop music from the 1980s, and has influenced many modern artists.
The album starts out 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. The album also has some more mellow, jazzy tracks like The Little Things and Chinatown. The album closes with Great Expectations, a song that mixes folk with distortion AOR and could 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 focus on his solo career and the band had a variety of drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball was fired from the band in aftermath of drug-related charges. However, the band continued as a trio, which included Michael Porcaro and Steve Lukather.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It wasn't as popular as IV. However, the band was able to release a chart-topping album in 1992, Kingdom of Desire. This album marked the end of Toto's lineup and the debut of Simon Phillips, a new vocalist.
Tours
The band has performed to millions of people across the globe, and has sold-out shows across Europe, North America and Asia and also Australia and New Zealand. The repertoire of the band is extensive and their catalog has amassed over one billion streams on streaming services around the world. The band's iconic music has influenced generations of fans.
Steve Lukather has forged a rich, deep friendship with Joe Williams that is flourishing professionally all over the world. In 2018 the duo celebrated 40 years of Tours Around The Sun with an incredibly profitable global tour. The album with the same title was ranked #5 on Billboard 200. The new tour by the band includes their most popular songs and rarely live cuts, along with some of the songs from Lukather and Williams their individual catalogs.
TOTO has a satisfaction rating of 20 Based on its Net Promoter Score, which measures how likely customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are those who give a good rating to the company and encourage others to utilize its products or services. Detractors are those who evaluate the company poorly and might even actively discourage others from using their products or services.
Join Toto for an unforgettable cultural experience in Asia. This highlights tour of the region that the French used to call Indochine provides luxurious accommodations, a day on a deluxe junk in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mysterious temples of Angkor Wat. You will also spend one night 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
The band's third album, Turn Back, marked an reversion to the classic sextet style of previous albums. It was a more ferocious, constant effort with an edge that was more pronounced than Hydra. Its edgier sound reflected the maturation of the group and featured drummer Bobby Kimball's improved ability on the drums and a more confident, mature vocal delivery from singer Joseph Williams. David Paich's keyboard playing was as well more refined, more precise, and less derivative on previous recordings.
After touring to promote the album, the group recorded a live show in Amsterdam which was released as a set of two CDs titled Falling In Between Live on Eagle Records. A new studio album followed just a few months later and the band embarked on a world-wide tour to promote the album. During this period, 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 2001 and released as a double album titled Then and Now. It was the first album in the history of the band that did not include any single song that had the word "A" in its title. It also included one previously unreleased track, "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The fourth album, Old Is New, was a commercial flop and vocalist Williams suffered from a bad case of laryngitis which limited his singing capabilities. In addition, Hungate returned to Nashville and drummer Leland Sklar was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Downes, Wetton Palmer and Howe, the founding members of Asia The original Asia members met in England early in 2006 to discuss the possibility that the band could be reformed. This lineup, with the exception of 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.