The Band Toto Asia
Toto was expanding its production facilities in the overseas market and was doing business in France, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the People's Republic of China. North America was seen as a market that would grow for toilets and bidet seats, in contrast to its "base" markets in Japan and China.
Dhaniram Toto was documenting Toto words to ensure the next generation would be able to read them. click here for more info were replaced by foreign words. For instance, dui, which is Bengali for verandah was being used.
Origins
The early history of Toto that began in 1917, was a reflection of Japan's economic growth. In the first half of its existence, the company made products to meet the demands of modern, contemporary urban housing. It had the first tunnel kilns in the country to produce ceramics continuously. It also pioneered the use automation to control production, allowing for more efficiency and consistency.
In the late 1980s, the company began to expand overseas in order to benefit from sales and new markets. The company established the Cera Trading Company to import and market other products of other manufacturers to enhance its own line of sanitary earthenwares and plumbing fittings. This strategy helped to increase sales and expand the firm’s global market share.
By the 1990s, Toto had shifted its focus to research and development of household appliances that use water. It also improved its distribution system to better serve the needs of its customers and increase profits. The company adopted a just-in-time approach to supply chain management, and it used the same method in its sales strategy. This resulted in a greater level of satisfaction with the customer.
Toto has continued to innovate in the toilet technology. The most recent toilet features a strong, eco-friendly tornado flush. Toto uses recycled water in its manufacturing process, and has a green purchasing policy. Toto also manufactures bathtubs, faucets, and hand dryers with greater energy efficiency than conventional models.
The first museum of the company was opened in the year 2015, and it has exhibitions on Toto's most iconic products and their evolution, its group companies (all having to do with 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 has the bathroom equipped with a WASHLET as well as other toilet innovations.
Before the formation of Toto the members of the group did session work for many 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 appeared on records by Steely Don, Seals and Crofts and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
It is common for a group with a name such as Asia to be a prog rock band, but it is actually a pretty straightforward rock band. The band started out as a quartet, and they recorded two albums - 1979's self-titled debut album, and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. However, even though the group have a wide range of musical backgrounds their biggest breakthrough was in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a huge blockbuster, but it was not without its own set of issues. Record companies put the band on the position with the order "give us an album that is a success or we'll take you off the market" and the pressure was on to meet the deadline. Luckily for Toto, they did with the assistance of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is due to their previous experience, as the band members were session musicians for artists like Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, and Seals and Crofts before starting the group. Their sonic trademark has become the standard of '80s music, influencing many contemporary 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 songs that slowly sink into your head. The album also contains jazzier, slower tracks like The Little Things and Chinatown. And the album ends with Great Expectations, a song that mixes folk with distorted AOR and could sound totally wrong, but is incredibly effective.
After Toto IV The band's fortunes changed for the worse. David Hungate left the band to pursue a solo career, and the band had several 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 turmoil. It was not as well-liked as IV. However, the band had a successful chart-topping album in 1992, 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 to millions of people around the world, performing sold-out shows across Europe, North America and Asia and also Australia and New Zealand. The band has a vast collection of songs, and their catalog has been played over one billion times on streaming services around the world. The band's music has inspired numerous generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have forged a deep and vibrant friendship that flourishes professionally on a global scale. In 2018 the duo celebrated their 40th anniversary of Tours Around the Sun with a hugely successful tour across the globe. The album with the same title was ranked at #5 on the Billboard 200. The latest tour of the band features their greatest hits rare live deep-cuts, and some songs that come from Lukather's and Williams catalogs.
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 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 dissuade others from using their products or services.
Join Toto for an unforgettable cultural experience in Asia. This highlights tour includes luxurious accommodation, a day on an elegant cruise ship on Halong Bay and an exploration of Angkor Wat, a mystical temple that is what the French called Indochine. It also includes 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 that you shouldn't skip!
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 album with a sharper edge. Its edgier sound was a reflection of the maturation of the group and included drummer Bobby Kimball's greater virtuosity on drums, and a more mature, confident vocal delivery from singer Joseph Williams. Keyboardist David Paich's work was more precise, sharper and less cloned earlier performances.
After touring to promote their album, the group recorded their Amsterdam live concert that was released by Eagle Records as a 2-CD set titled Falling In Between. A new studio album was released a few months later, and the band embarked on a long-distance tour in support of it. 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 a new record featuring songs that were never recorded before. The album was released as a double-album titled Then and Now in 2001. It was the band's first album without the single track "A". The album also contained an previously unreleased track titled "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The fourth album, Old Is New, was a commercial flop and the vocalist Williams was suffering from a serious case of laryngitis that limited his singing abilities. Additionally, Hungate returned to Nashville as a drummer, and Leland Sklar was replaced by Shem von Schroeck.
Downes and 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 formally reforming the group. The lineup, with the exception of Howe who was working with Yes at the time, became 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 group also featured a special appearance by singer Michael McDonald and a backing vocalist named Mabvuto Carver.