Toto - Turn Back (1981)

EU Import

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2014 Rock Candy "Remastered & Reloaded" Collector's Edition:

I was fan of Toto IV from the get-go so I thought I'd check out this 1981 album which immediately preceded it. Guitarist Steve Lukather seems to have come up with some great, aggressive riffs for this guitar-heavy, arena-rock album and then the band didn't do much with them. There's nothing really objectionable/skippable here, but there's nothing particularly memorable/hummable, either. But the classic Toto chops are on full display, so it's got that going for it. Bobby Kimball's voice was fantastic back then but all the players are first-rate - that was the point of putting the group together, right?

From Lukather's website:

Turn back was our attempt at "arena rock" as we were starting to be pissed off that the Sony were putting out all the ballads and the softer side of us, like 99 etc... *I* did NOT want this to happen, unfortunatly it did anyway. We worked with Geoff Workman who was Roy Thomas Bakers engineer (Queen-Journey-the Cars etc...) and at THAT time... THAT was what was happening. It was an experiment. I think that there are some great tunes on the record, it sounds a bit strange and VERY different from our other records but I have very fond memories doing it. [sic]

In their list of "100 Classic Album Covers" (issue 617), Rolling Stone magazine ranked Tony Lane's Turn Back album cover at #55 which appears to be the most praise this album has received over the past 40 years.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "usual brand of melodic powerhouse rock."
• CashBox: "the band has matured beautifully"
• Record World: "striking artwork"
• Rolling Stone (★): "sounds like a load of post-Boston blather"
• Stereo Review: "slick, cautious, and forgettable."
• Record Mirror: "a real bummer"

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #41
• Billboard Rock: #26
• CashBox: #40
• Rolling Stone: #40

Tracks: If the ad above is any indication, the lead single from this album was Goodbye Elenore (it 'bubbled under' the Hot 100 at 107). I could say it doesn't really stand out, but none of the tracks do. The only other track that saw Billboard chart action was track 3, Live For Today, which peaked at #40 on the magazine's very first Top Rock Tracks chart in March 1981. If you put a (golden) gun to my head today and made me pick favorites, I'm thinking the best track is Gift With A Golden Gun while my least favorite is the more-experimental title track, which doesn't fit in with the vibe of the remainder of the album. Did I just write that no tracks stand out and then went ahead picked a favorite anyway? Hunh, I guess I did.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Around the time this album was released in January 1981, I was starting the spring semester of my freshman year in high school. My high school scheduled six classes a day back then (today, 8 is the norm around here); I "studied" American History, Algebra, Band, Theatre Arts, English, and Physical Science. I had questionable teachers in history and math, but the others were at least competent. Still, there was a lot of "instruction" along the lines of  'read the chapter and answer the questions at the end' and worksheets that semester. But that really doesn't have much to do with this Toto album other than coincidental timing, so never mind. As you were.

Possibly altered freshman yearbook photo
of your humble blogger, ca. 1980-81.

Previously revisited for the blog:
IV (1982)

Toto - IV (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

I was attending a high school baseball game last night where I heard Toto's hit single from this album, Rosanna. I was bobbing my head to the song's insistent shuffle beat and looked around. Seemingly everyone in the stands was singing along with the song, regardless of age or ethnicity. I knew the song was huge when I was in high school, but I didn't realize it had such staying power. However, when I last drew up a "desert island" list of CDs in August of 2004, this CD was on it, so I know it has staying power with me.

This is not only the band's best and most consistent album, but also the definitive album of slick L.A. pop for the early '80s. This band was made of L.A. session musicians that wrote and recorded this album between other gigs, most notably Chicago 16 and Michael Jackson's Thriller. Even though this album was a major part of the soundtrack to my high school years, I only stuck with the band for one more album, 1984's Isolation, but it was such a weak follow-up to this solid album, I quickly lost track of the band. Evidently, the band is still around in some form.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★): "feels about as real as a Velveeta-orange polyester leisure suit"
• Robert Christgau (B-): "they have their glitzy moments"
• Record World: "Four looks like a lucky number for this all-star band"
• CashBox: "elaborate arrangements that seem custom-made for Top 40 success"
• Billboard: "best material and most rounded performances yet"

 

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #4 (but I guess that was predestined when they named the album)
• Billboard Rock: #6
• CashBox: #5
• Rolling Stone: #6

Tracks: I listen to all of it, even I Won't Hold You Back, one of the few power ballads I can stand. The weakest track is It's A Feeling, but the majority of the filler is better than most, especially Waiting For Your Love. The hits are the hits and they still sound good.

	Hot 100	Rock	AC
Rosanna	2	8	17
Make Believe	30
I Won't Hold You Back	10		1
Good For You
It's A Feeling
Afraid Of Love		28
Lovers In The Night		57
We Made It
Waiting For Your Love	73		27
Africa	1		5

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: At my senior prom, we had a live cover band (I think the band's name was Fast Forward?) and I remember dancing to a decent filler track from this album, We Made It. Even back then, I thought that song was a curious selection for a cover band.

While this music wasn't a big hit with the critics, other musicians loved it, which led to numerous arrangements of the music for school groups. I remember playing Rosanna, Africa, and I Won't Hold You Back in high school marching band and/or jazz band.

My erudite friend Scott once tried to convince me that the word "rains" in the lyrics "the rains down in Africa" referred to years, not actual rain. He had just read Alex Haley's Roots, so in his mind, that made him an expert on African culture and nomenclature. Hell, for all I know, he could have been right.

Blog post #550