Toto: Falling in Between Liveby Anonymous

Reader Rating:
See Detailed Ratings

June 11, 2008: This is from the latest tour and maybe the last but one band tour from the latest album “Falling in Between”, on which we got special appearances like Ian Anderson, from Jethro Tull, and Joseph Williams, lead singer on the successful “Seventh One”, from 1988. Gregg Phillinganes, who played before with Toto guys since the early times of Boz Scaggs’ “Silk Degrees” album from 1976, is replacing former David Paich, Leland Sklar who is another studio giant who come touring and recording with artists like Phill Collins, replacing injured Mike Porcaro guitarrist Tony Spinner Simon Phillips on the drums and the only two remaining artists from the “original” Toto: lead guitarrist and singer Steve Lukather and the well known voice of “Africa” and “Rosanna” Bobby Kimball. Song list mixes songs from the latest album like “King of the world”, “Bottom of your soul” and “Taint your world” with successfull and commonly included songs like “Pamela”, “Stop loving you” and “Don´t chain my heart” power ballads like “I´ll be over you” and the all time favorite “classic hits” “Africa”, “Rosanna” and “Hold the line”. You can get three terrific solo spots: Simon Phillips following “Hydra”, Gregg Phillinganes following the song “Cruel” and the all time unbelievable guitar solo from Steve Lukather following “Kingdom of desire”. There are also good surprises like the inclusion of “Gift of faith”, taken from album “Tambu”, 1995 – the first album with Simon on the drums after Jeff Porcaro passed away “Hydra” from 1976’s album with the same name and the powerful “Isolation” from 1979’s released album. Look at the DVD for what it is per se: a great spot of highly experienced group of musicians: they are all, except Spinner, from the “A” team of the Los Angeles’ studios from where the important part of 80’s popular music of the world came out, playing music at a serious way but ... as a serious Toto fan I don’t consider a strongly Toto show. Band always came to its end when Jeff passed away in 1992, they renewed the path with Simon and got the terrific “Tambu” album in 1995 and they´ve got another great album with “Mindfields” in 1999 on which “Mad about you”, a great song, comes with Kimball’s ideas on a song written by Joseph Williams and David Paich. They are all, also, kids on the top of their 50’s playing songs which were hits when they were on their 20’s. Kimball, for example, is still singing great (you can catch it hearing him sing mega hits like “Africa” and “Rosanna”, but you can note some lack specially on the powerful “Pamela”. After 22 albums and 30 years of road they deserver all recognition from the history of popular music and, maybe, trace new paths on music ... serious fans like me will follow them for sure.