| If Toto's
musical advantage was that, since its members continued to play
on many of the successful records made in L.A., its own music
was popular almost by definition, its disadvantage was that
it made little attempt to seek an individual musical signature
— a particular style, say, or a distinctive singer (Bobby Kimball
was not it) who could make its records immediately identifiable.
"Hold the Line" had been a big
hit, but who did it? Boston? Foreigner? As a result, Toto was
less-well-positioned than most to come off a big debut album
with the follow-up, and Hydra was unusually dependent on its
lead-off single, "99."
Maybe it was a tribute to the
female lead on the old Get Smart TV show, but many listeners
didn't get a song with a chorus that went, "Oh, 99, I love you,"
and the single stalled in the bottom half of the Top 40. The
album went gold on momentum, but the songs, however well-played,
simply were not distinctive enough to consolidate the success
Toto had achieved with its debut album.
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