| It was do
or die for Toto on the group's fourth album, and they rose to
the challenge. Largely dispensing with the anonymous studio
rock that had characterized their first three releases, the
band worked harder on its melodies, made sure its simple lyrics
treated romantic subjects, augmented Bobby Kimball's vocals
by having other group members sing and bringing in ringers like
Timothy B. Schmit, and slowed down the tempo to what came to
be known as "power ballad" pace.
Most of all, they wrote some
hit songs: "Rosanna," at he old story of a lovelorn lyric matched
to a bouncy beat, was the gold, Top Ten comeback single accompanying
the album release; "Make Believe" made the Top 30; and then,
surprisingly, "Africa" hit number one ten months after the album's
release.
The members of Toto may have
more relatives who are NARAS voters than any other group, but
that still doesn't explain the sweep they achieved at the Grammy's,
winning six, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year
(for "Rosanna"). Predictably, rock critics howled, but the Grammy's
helped set up the fourth single, "I Won't Hold You Back," another
soft-rock smash and Top Ten hit.
As a result, Toto IV was both
the group's comeback and its peak; it remains a definitive album
of slick L.A. pop for the early '80s and Toto's best and most
consistent record. Having made it, the members happily went
back to sessions, where they helped write and record Michael
Jackson's Thriller.
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