Sunday, June 15, 2014

TOTO: "35th Anniversary - Live In Poland"

Rating: Live
Label: Eagle Records 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

...And here's the latest live album from the soft-rock, AOR, west coast outfit originating from L.A. and came together originally as a one-off project by the finest session players of the ancient era of 1978. They're however not in Kansas anymore as this recording took place in Lodz, Poland and featuring my favourite Toto singer, Joseph Williams. Yup. The 7th one is my all-time fave album. It's their 35th Anniversary party recorded on the 25th of June, 2013 and this double live CD represent the best(?) of their timeless soft-rock. I personally wish they could include more songs from The Seventh One though.

Williams (still) possesses a fine voice and we're at times reminded of a somewhat better version of the man ála 1988. They possess songs that please the ears of any soft-rock fan and the live sound is almost too perfect at times. "I'll Be Over You" gets you in the heart every time and they manage to cover all the different periods of Toto from the classic debut to their latest effort in 2006? Also available on DVD and BluRay, we listened, we liked, we wondered, and merely wished we had the video version to review. The Tasmanian Devil a.k.a. Andrew McNeice is responsible for liner/sleeve notes. Good on ya' matey.

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