TOTO - Old is New

When TOTO released their massive All in In 1978 - 2018 anthology it was as a record and CD collection, and at the time I didn't want the records, but boy oh boy was I interested in getting the remastered discs. Elliot Scheiner by all accounts had worked his magic and the much maligned Turn Back in particular was supposed to sound amazing. I remember following on the band's site and there were questions about when and if the CDs would be offered as a standalone ...

Short answer: Yes, and in May of 2019 I picked up the set, and when it arrived it was a good day. The box set included a bunch of stuff like Live in Tokyo 1980 as well as XX and Old is New which were all included in the box set. Of course I now have serious buyers remorse in not getting the records as I'd love to have Kingdom of Desire and Tambu on vinyl ... even though I have the original CD releases and the remastered CDs.

I was scrolling on line and saw Old is New on sale and snapped it up. Which is sort of typical of my borderline obsessive nature. There was really no good reason for me to get it ... I have an absolutely pristine CD copy that I only played a couple of times from the box set. I had a baker's dozen to go through and while I was curious about the discs I didn't have before, it was the main catalogue remasters I wanted to hear ... and frankly I had them all on disc already, and I wasn't going to do a painstaking A / B but I was going to get through them all ...

It's kind of strange how little time I spent with Old is New initially. I gave it a spin and thought it was okay, if not particularly memorable. I thought "Spanish Sea" was just a thin attempt to recreate the groove of "Africa" and never gave it a chance. I passed judgment and put it away. Part of the problem for me was Joseph Williams, which I know is kind a dick reason. Joseph is a heck of a singer, and while Fahrenheit and The Seventh One are both pretty good records (who am I kidding, The Seventh One is awesome), he just never seemed to fit for me. However, he is way, way better than Jean-Michel Byron, the guy who sang on the new tracks on Past to Present (1990) that I guess were going to usher in new era for the band. He quickly and quietly dumped as a misstep.

While I was waiting for the record to arrive, I played the CD a couple of times, and my initial impression was ambivalent. I realized I was treating Toto with the same casually dismissive attitude many critics have taken toward the band throughout its career - something beneath me as a fan. I can be my own worst enemy. Some of the bias I’d carried since my youth against Joseph had crept back in, and I wasn’t really giving it a chance to breathe.

When the record arrived, I had hoped for liner notes, but nope - just a plain white sleeve. So I pulled out my box set and got the notes. I appreciated the musician credits, but honestly I was hoping for a little background and a timeline, similar to what was provided with XX which was pretty cool. 

Regardless, I set about immersing myself in this one. I had already heard it a couple of times and it still felt like an album meant for fans. This wasn't going to win TOTO any new converts. They were essentially preaching to the choir. Which while not a bad thing it's sort of how it is for a lot of established bands who are still releasing new music. Casuals want the hits and that's about it. Meanwhile TOTO is still capable of creating new music, and really good music at that. It's actually a blessing for a band like TOTO who never really went away that their fans have stayed true. North American audiences may have forgotten, but in Europe they never stopped playing the big rooms. Whenever they dropped an album, I dropped some cash.

Old is New is really a love letter to the band's fans. Initially it wasn't a standalone release, and was only available as part of the All In box set. By all accounts Old is New is the last album of new material by the band and not considered a compilation album like XX. I didn't need a vinyl copy, so I bought a copy anyway ... because I have 99 problems, and being able to resist something I want isn't one of them. It was nice to be able to get it, even if it there were no liner notes. HOW WERE THERE NO LINER NOTES!

I've been taking shots at Joseph Williams, and have already taken a passive aggressive shit on the record by calling it something only a fan would like. Let's take a closer look shall we?

First let's shoot the elephant in the room. Joseph Williams, for whatever reason I think he's a somewhat acquired taste, and despite knowing better this is my default setting and it isn't favourable until I hear him sing, and then I'm trying to understand what's wrong with me. The guy is the real deal and his voice on Old is New is simply outstanding. From the opening track "Alone" Mister Williams is not phoning it in.

Second, this is a fans record. It is. It features performances from Jeff and Mike Porcaro who have both passed away and were a big part of the band. Jeff from the band's inception, and Mike after he stepped in to replace David Hungate. Speaking of David Hungate, he shows up on a couple of tracks, and is still a master of holding the bottom end together. I loved the gentle way he anchored "In a Little While" one of Steve Lukather's nearly trademarked ballads. 

Admittedly the first couple of times I played this, it was more of a passive listen. I did perk up the first time I heard "Spanish Sea" as much for the shuffle that sounded so much like the one from "Africa" it was distracting at first. That distraction was replaced by mild bewilderment at the almost impossibly high backing vocals that ushered in the chorus:

"If they could see the way you smile at me / How could I ever let you go..."

Bewilderment transitioned into respect ... this really is a standout song, and I suspect people will shit on it for the passing resemblance to "Africa" and not give it a chance.

To me the biggest surprise was hearing Steve Porcaro sing "Chase the Rain" as it's the only song I can recall him singing. When I was listening to the album in the car and the song came on I remember thinking, "Who's singing this?" I thought it was David Paich singing in a higher register. The tone was similar but different. Turns out it was Steve, not that one ... this one. 

I'm trying to avoid getting into a song by song reaction, so I'll pull out one more. It's a killer song, and pushes so many happy buttons. "Fearful Heart" is so good. Joseph is absolutely top shelf here. There was just one little thing that kept running through my head when I played it. There was something really familiar about certain sections that I couldn't put my finger on. It felt like something from Foreigner 4. Then it twigged, it was the keyboard chords in "Break it Up" that it reminded me of. Of course being reminded of, and being alike are very different ... a quick comparison only served to confirm a feel. Regardless, it is a great song.

The song that seems to get a mixed reaction is the album's closer a collaboration between What So Not and TOTO that featured Skrillex. Yup, right there you're going to have a lot of people rolling their eyes. I thought it was kind of cool. Not great, but props to the guys for having fun. Why not?

If this was indeed the last album of new material by TOTO it was by no means a hodgepodge of musical fridge art. This one has really grown on me, and there are some great songs here. It's not their best album, and it's not their worst either. It's a really goog TOTO record. Old is New may not have been heard outside of the band's receptive audience, and that's just fine. 

Their loss.