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. The company considered North America as a growth market for Washlet's bidets and toilets, as opposed to its "base" markets of Japan and China.
visit the next site recorded Toto words so that the next generation could be able to read the words. Many words were replaced by foreign words. For example dui, which was Bengali for verandah, was used.
Origins
The company was founded in 1917 and its early years mirrored Japan's economic development. In the first half, Toto made products to meet the growing demand for modern, brand new urban housing. To accomplish this, it employed the country's first tunnel kiln to make ceramics in continuous flow. It also pioneered the use automation to control production, allowing for greater efficiency and consistency.
The company began expanding internationally in the late 1980s to profit from new markets and sales opportunities. The company created the Cera Trading Company to import and distribute other products of other manufacturers in order to complement its own line of sanitary earthenwares and plumbing fittings. This strategy increased sales and expanded the firm’s global market share.
In the 1990s, Toto had shifted its emphasis on research and development of water-related household appliances. It also upgraded its distribution system to better meet the needs of customers and increase profits. The company also employed the just-in-time approach to its supply chain management as well as sales program. This led to a higher level of satisfaction of customers.
Toto has continued to innovate on the toilet technology. The most recent toilet features a powerful, environmentally-friendly tornado flush. Toto uses recycled water in its manufacturing process, and also has a green purchasing policy. Toto also manufactures bathtubs, faucets, and hand dryers with greater energy efficiency than standard models.
The first museum of the company was opened in the year 2015, and it has exhibitions about Toto's iconic products and their development as well as its group companies (all related to ceramics) and the history of plumbing and products like bath units and, in a different gallery, Toto products sold around the world. The museum also has a bathroom with a washbasin and other toilet innovations.
Before the formation of Toto, members of the group did sessions for a variety of musicians. Boz Scaggs album Silk Degrees featured keyboardist David Paich and guitarists Mike Porcaro & Steve Lukather as well as drummers Jeff Porcaro & Steve Lukather. They also played on records by Steely Don, Seals and Crofts and Sonny and Cher.
Discography
You would expect a group with a name like Asia to be a prog rock band however, it's actually a fairly straight forward rock outfit. The band was initially four-piece, and released two albums: 1979's self-titled debut and 1980's Armed to the Teeth. The group has a diverse musical background but their biggest success came in 1982 with Toto IV.
The album was a major blockbuster, but not without problems. The record companies placed the band under pressure to deliver an album that was a success or they would drop them. Luckily for Toto, they did with the aid of the smash single "Africa."
Toto's musical mastery is the result of their previous experiences. Before forming the group, the members worked as session musicians for artists such as Boz Scaggs. Steely Dan and Seals and Crofts. Their sonic signature has since become the standard for '80s pop, influencing many modern artists.
The album opens up hard with songs such as 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 includes some jazzier, slower tracks like The Little Things and Chinatown. The album closes with Great Expectations, a song which combines folk and distortion AOR and sounds completely wrong, but actually works amazingly well.
After Toto IV The band's fortunes changed for the worse. David Hungate left to concentrate on his solo career and the band was through numerous 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 wasn't as popular as IV. However, the band was able to release a chart-topping album in 1992 with Kingdom of Desire. The album was the last of Toto's lineup and the debut of Simon Phillips, a new vocalist.
Tours
The band has performed across the globe to an crowd of millions, with sold-out shows in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand. The band has a vast repertoire, and its catalog has been listened to over one billion times on streaming services across the world. The band's music has inspired numerous generations of fans.
Steve Lukather and Joe Williams have forged a deep, colorful friendship that thrives professionally on a global basis. In 2018 the duo celebrated 40 Tours Around the Sun with a hugely successful global tour. The album with the same title ranked 5 on the Billboard 200. The new tour of the band features their greatest hits and rarely performed live deep cuts, as well as a selection of songs from Lukather and Williams' individual catalogs.
TOTO has a satisfaction rating of 20 based on its Net Promoter Score, which measures how likely its customers are to recommend the brand. Promoters are those who are highly satisfied with the company and actively encourage others to make use of their products or services. Detractors are those who judge the company poorly and might even actively discourage others from using their products or services.
Join Toto to enjoy a unique cultural experience in Asia. This highlights tour includes luxurious accommodation, a cruise on an elegant cruise ship on Halong Bay and an exploration of Angkor Wat, a mystical temple that is what the French called Indochine. You'll also stay a night in the charming town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage city that will delight the senses. This is an unforgettable journey that you won't want to miss!
Line-up
The album's third, Turn Back, marked a return to the classic sextet style of previous albums and was a stronger, more constant effort with an edge that was stronger than Hydra. Its edgier sound was indicative of the maturation of group and featured drummer Bobby Kimball's improved ability on the drums and a more mature, confident vocal delivery from singer Joseph Williams. Keyboardist David Paich's work also was sharper, more intricate and less cloying than previously recorded efforts.
After touring to promote the album, the group recorded a live show in Amsterdam which was released as a two-CD set called Falling In Between Live on Eagle Records. The studio album came out shortly after, and the group went on an extensive world tour in support of it. During this time, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes replaced Paich and bassist David Hungate quit the group to spend time with his family.
In 1998, Paich & Lukather began exploring old tapes and demos to discover songs that had never been recorded prior to. It was released as a double-album titled Then & Now in 2001. It was the first album by the band not to feature one single track with the word "A" in its title and it included one previously unreleased track, "Kari-Anne".
By 2003, Toto had begun to decline in popularity. The group's fourth record, 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 was replaced by Shem Von Schroeck.
Downes, Wetton Palmer and Howe, the original members of Asia were in England early in 2006 to discuss the possibility that the group could be revived. This lineup, minus Howe (who was working with Yes at the time) was eventually referred to as Toto XIV and 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 had the appearance of singer Michael McDonald, and a backing singer named Mabvuto Carpenter.