Toto, Christopher Cross, et The Romantics

Toto started life in 1977, when a group of session musicians decided to form their own band to play original music of their own. The lineup has changed over the years but currently the band features Steve Lukather on guitar and vocals, Joseph Williams as lead vocalist, David Paich on keyboards and vocals, Steve Porcaro on keyboards, Keith Carlock on drums and bass player David Hungate replacing Mike Porcaro due to illness.

Toto's anthemic arena rock has been pleasing fans worldwide for over three decades, with the band releasing a total of 17 albums and selling over 35 million records. Their 1982 album "Toto IV" became their most commercially successful release, featuring the top five hits "Hold The Line," "Rosanna" and perhaps their best known song "Africa." The main keyboard riff of "Africa" is instantly recognisable and is a classic song of the 80s. What makes Toto's music so successful is their wide-ranging influences, incorporating world rhythms, progressive rock, soul and jazz into their melting pot. "Toto IV" earned the band seven Grammy Awards, which included Record of the Year for "Rosanna," as well as Album of the Year and Producer of the Year for the record.

Toto continued to have a prolific output yet did not achieve the same levee of success as with "Toto IV." In 2002, to celebrate their 25th anniversary, the band released "Through the Looking Glass", an album of covers that was a tribute to the music that influenced the band, featuring covers of songs by Bob Marley, Steely Dan and George Harrison. The band struggled with lineup changes throughout the later stage of their career. In 2008, following David Paich's retirement and Mike Porcaro's illness, Steve Lukather called an end to Toto, citing the loss of many of the original members as reasons for this. But in 2010, in order to raise money to support Porcaro through his medical costs, the band reunited for several further tours and also talk of a new album in the works.

Toto were one of the most successful bands of the 80s and their music continues to define the sound of the decade. In 2009, the band were inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2009, cementing their reputation.

Christopher Cross is an infamous name in music history. He is one of the best known examples of the Best New Artist Grammy’s infamous curse, the fact that an alarming amount of the recipients of that very award seemingly crashed and burned soon after receiving it. This may be true of Starland Vocal Band and A Taste Of Honey, but Christopher Cross is a very different beast altogether, and definitely one deserving of your time.

Before rising to fame, Cross first performed with a San Antonio based rock band called Flash. Those that only know Cross for his smooth pop hits might be surprised to know that he spend his time in Flash’s ranks thrashing away at a Flying V guitar covering Deep Purple tracks through Marshall amp stacks. It’s a long way between that and “Sailing” but there was a long time between those two events. Almost nine years in fact.

Cross signed his solo record contract in 1978, and if anyone successfully predicted the album’s success; they would have been called an optimistic fool. “Christopher Cross” was a worldwide smash, with four singles charting in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, Cross gaining a slot opening for The Eagles and 5 million copies sold in the US alone.

Then came then1980 Grammy awards, and if there was ever a way to make winning five of the most prestigious awards in the pop world a bad career move, Christopher Cross showed exactly how it could be done. Namely it involves beating Pink Floyd, whose timeless “The Wall” album Cross beat to Album of the Year.

A second album “Another Page” followed in 1983 that was a strong showing, but then MTV showed up. Cross just wasn’t the personality that was needed to make an impact in the first days of the music video and his commercial success took a harsh down turn because of it. The 90s saw him produce some of his most critically acclaimed work, however, and when you have an artist with as much commercial success behind him already, that’s what counts.

Since then he’s shown up in the most surprising places. He appeared on Tina Fey’s sitcom 30 Rock and his song “Ride Like The Wind” featured in Will Ferrel’s Anchorman sequel. Clearly, Cross is an artist with far more to give than history says so. Any fan of soft rock will be very pleasantly surprised, and he comes highly recommended.

Fittingly enough for people who would call their band The Romantics, Wally Palmar, Jimmy Marinos, Mike Skill and Rich Cole played their first gig together on Valentines Day 1977. It was this very concert that would inspire their name, and playing their brand of perky new wave that was a direct challenge to the nihilism of British punk rock, the band spent the next couple of years touring around their native Michigan and the surrounding states. By 1979 the band had signed a record deal with Nemperor Records and their self-titled debut album came out in the September of that year. The album was in danger of slipping under the radar until the release of the single “What I Like About You”, which became a sleeper hit all over the world, charting everywhere from the U.S to Australia, where it was a top ten hit single.

However, it wasn't until their fourth album “In Heat” that the band became bona-fide pop stars. Off the back of the top three hit single “Talking In Your Sleep”, the record would be certified Gold in both the U.S and Canada, and would enjoy top twenty placings all over the world. To this very day, the band continue to play live, and with over three and a half decades of experience to their name, their concerts have been better received than they've ever been. They might not still be clad in the trademark red leather suits of their heyday, but they've become a fundamentally better band since then. For continuing to develop where many would rest on their laurels, The Romantics come highly recommended.