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Toto
Columbia 35317
Released: September 1978
Chart Peak: #9
Weeks Charted: 48
Certified Platinum: 1/23/79

Steve_PorcaroDavid HungateSteve LukatherDavid PaichBobby KimballJeff_PorcaroToto is the kind of dull debut you'd expect from a bunch of career session players -- which is really disappointing, because the musicians involved are unusually fine. David Paich, Jeff Porcaro and David Hungate have been sensational in backing Boz Scaggs, Dirk Hamilton, et al., on record, but Toto lacks at least two elements crucial to good rock: a singer and a writer. Three group members sing passably; a fourth, Bobby Kimball, is terrible -- and, unfortunately, the lead vocalist. Paich is chief songwriter, but most of his tunes are merely excuses for back-to-back instrumental solos. Toto is a band of skilled craftsmen without a mesmerizing mastermind: pros, but no poetry.

- Don Shewey, Rolling Stone, 1/25/79.

Toto - Toto
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This sextet features an unusual rock lineup in that two keyboard players are featured, along with the more standard guitar, bass and drum battery, plus a vocalist (Bobby Kimball). However, he yields the lead on three of the 10 exceptional pop/rock cuts to three other members. Harmonies and instrumental work shine in this debut LP, which offers another rock twist in that the opening cut is an instrumental ("Child's Anthem"). Best cuts: "I'll Supply The Love," "You Are The Flower," "Girl Goodbye," "Hold The Line."

- Billboard, 1979.

Toto's self-titled debut established their slick, professional pop/rock sound with hits like the driving "Hold the Line" and the R&B-inflected "Georgy Porgy." * * * *

- David Jehnzen, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Few Toto records offer more than a couple of good cuts among an album's worth of seamless playing, which is why the debut record, Toto, stands out. Offering a range of material, from the AOR hit "Hold the Line" to the urban radio single "Georgy Porgy" (with R&B diva Cheryl Lynn helping out on vocals), this record is the band's most consistent. * * * *

- Eric Deggans, Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, 1996.

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