The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities abroad and doing business in France, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the People's Republic of China. Toto saw North America as a growth market for Washlet's bidets and toilets, as opposed to its "base" markets of Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was documenting Toto words to ensure the next generation could comprehend the words. Many words were replaced with foreign words. For example dui, which was Bengali for verandah, was being used.
Origins
Established in 1917, Toto's early years mirrored Japan's economic development. In the first half of its existence, the company produced goods to meet demand for new, modern urban housing. It had the first tunnel kilns in the country to produce ceramics continuously. It also pioneered automation to allow production control, which allows for greater efficiency and consistency.
In the late 1980s the company began expanding overseas in order to profit from sales and new markets. The company created the Cera Trading Company to import and sell other products from other manufacturers in order to complement its own line of sanitary earthenwares as well as plumbing fittings. This strategy helped increase sales and increased the firm's market share in the world.
In the 1990s, Toto had shifted its emphasis to research and development of household appliances that are water-related. It also redesigned its distribution system to better serve customers and improve profit. The company implemented a just-in-time method of managing supply chains and applied the same approach in its sales program. This resulted in a greater level of customer satisfaction.
Toto has continued to innovate with regard to toilet technology. The latest toilet from the company features a powerful, environmentally-friendly tornado flush. The company also uses recycled water in its production process and has a green purchasing policy. Apart from toilets, Toto produces bathtubs and faucets and hand dryers that are more efficient in terms of energy consumption than typical models.
The company's first museum opened in the year 2015 and features exhibits on Toto's most iconic products and their evolution and its group companies (all related to ceramics), historical background of plumbing and products like bath units and, in a separate gallery, Toto products sold around the world. The museum even includes a bathroom with a WASHLET toilet and other toilet-related innovations.
Before the formation of Toto members of the group did 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 Don, Seals and Crofts and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
You might expect a band with a name such as Asia to be a prog rock group however it's actually a pretty straightforward rock outfit. The group was formed as four-piece, and released two albums that were self-titled in 1979 and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. But even though the band have a wide range of musical backgrounds, their biggest success was in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster, however it did not come without its share of problems. Record companies placed the band on the position with the order "give us an album that's a smash or we'll take you off the market" and the pressure was on to meet the deadline. Toto was able to do this with the help from the hit song "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is the result of their previous experience. Before forming the group, members were session musicians for artists such as Boz Scaggs. Steely Dan and Seals and Crofts. Their sonic signature has since become the standard for pop music from the 1980s, and has influenced many modern artists.
The album begins hard with songs like Running Out of Time or Unknown Soldier that show the band's ability to write great AOR tunes that slowly creep into your head. The album also has some slower, more jazzy tracks like The Little Things and Chinatown. The album closes with Great Expectations, a song which combines folk and distorted AOR and could sound completely wrong, but actually is incredibly effective.
After Toto IV the band's fortunes started to plummet. David Hungate left the band to focus on his solo career, and the band had several drummers. In 1984, Bobby Kimball was fired from the band in aftermath of drug-related charges. However, the group continued to perform as a trio with Michael Porcaro and Steve Lukather.
Toto released Isolation despite the turbulence. It was not as popular as IV. The group managed to release a chart-topping album, Kingdom of Desire, in 1992. This album marked the conclusion of the original Toto lineup and was also the first album featuring a new singer, Simon Phillips.
Tours
The band has performed across the world to a global audience of millions, and has sold-out shows in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand. The band has a huge repertoire, and its catalog has been played more than one billion times via streaming services all over the world. The band's music has inspired many generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have developed a deep and vibrant friendship that flourishes professionally on a global basis. In 2018, the duo celebrated 40 years of Tours Around The Sun by a hugely successful global tour. The album with the same name debuted at 5 on the Billboard 200. The latest tour of the band features their most popular hits rare live deep-cuts and a selection of songs from Lukather's and Williams individual catalogs.
TOTO has a customer satisfaction rating of 20 based on its Net Promoter Score, which measures how likely its customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are people who give a positive score to the company and encourage others to use its products and services. Detractors are those who judge the company poorly, and can even actively discourage others from using their products or services.
Join Toto for a unique cultural experience in Asia. This highlights tour of the region the French used to call Indochine offers luxurious accommodation, a trip on a luxury cruise ship in Halong Bay, and an exploration of the mysterious temples of Angkor Wat. Also, you will spend an evening in the charming city of Luang Prabang. This UNESCO World Heritage City is a feast for your senses. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip you don't want to skip!
안전놀이터 TOTOPIA -up
Turn Back, the band's third studio album, was an attempt to return to the traditional sextet style, and it was a more consistent, more powerful effort with a harder edge. The edgier sound of Turn Back reflected the development of the group. Drummer Bobby Kimball's increased ability to play was evident in the vocal delivery of Joseph Williams, who had grown more confident and mature. David Paich's keyboard playing was also more sophisticated, sharper and less akin to earlier efforts.
After touring to promote their album, the band recorded their Amsterdam live performance that was released on Eagle Records as a 2-CD set entitled Falling In Between. The group released a new studio album a few months after and embarked on a world tour promote the album. In this time, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes filled in for Paich, and bassist David Hungate left the group to spend more time with his family.
In 1998, Paich and Lukather started exploring old tapes and demos for an album that would feature songs that had never been recorded before. The album was released as a double album titled Then and Now in 2001. It was the first album in the band's history not to feature one single track with 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 group's fourth album, Old Is New was not a commercial success and vocalist Williams was suffering from laryngitis, which limited his singing ability. Hungate also returned to Nashville and Leland Sklar's drumming duties were replaced by Shem Von Schroeck.
Downes along with the other original members of Asia--Wetton, Palmer, and Howe--convened an event in England in the beginning of 2006 to discuss the possibility of officially reforming the band. The lineup, with the exception of Howe who was working 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 featured a special appearance by singer Michael McDonald and a backing vocalist named Mabvuto Carver.