Search - Toto :: Past to Present

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Peter Ainn | 04/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Calling this `generic corporate rock' is hilarious, if insulting to toto who put a lot of thought and effort into their music. The only thing that's a bit generic about this is 1990's digital standard dogging down their tape masters.

I'll be over you is an example of a toto song with good vocal, lyric, music and barrels of emotion. I think this is a truly beautiful track and once you develop enough to listen to these songs for what they are (love songs in the truest sense - could be about your dead mum!) you will see that toto are a great band on the whole. This cd is 1990 so obviously it suffers a bit from the digital of then. Ironically the songs like Rosanna that loads who buy this seem to love are the kind that suffer most compared to the vinyl releases which is only a credit to what decent tracks they are. Ones like I'll be over you translate perfectly to cd and remain as beautiful on this cd as they are on the 45 12' single.

I mean really though, generic? Of all things you could call toto how could you call them generic. Do you listen to the musicianship. The human energy put into the keyboarding, the drumming by the least generic and possibly best drummer to ever walk the face of earth. Solo's by lukather? I think you should listen again.



My thoughts on this disc are that its not perfect no, it is `artistic' as an album is and not designed/may not satisfy `best of' customers/ fast forward happy listeners (that's maybe why it's not called best of- or greatest hits.

While understandably 'past to present' means greatest hits to a lot of you, to other's it means a `vision' of what's gone on. A reflection on toto `from back then till now'

Get the essential toto if you are hoping to find a personal fav track you aren't sure is here, or if you are one of those hungry people, you like big big cd's that contain lots of avenues. This is album art. I think it is a great start and a great cd I highly recommend to anybody.

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