Toto IV

Toto IV is the band’s greatest masterpiece, binding TOTO’s outstanding playing to detailed, accessible songwriting. Even as the keyboards, guitar and rhythm are ordered down to the details, the sound never turns cold and keeps a rich groove. To make the melody land strongly, the riffs are not more complex than necessary, and the rhythm functions to push the vocals forward. The complex shuffle groove of “Rosanna” and the majestic breadth of “Africa” splendidly show that craft and popular appeal never contradict. Songs like “I Won't Hold You Back,” “Make Believe” and “Waiting for Your Love” have rich melody and playing skill too. Moving naturally between AOR, R&B and hard-rock elements, it won many Grammy Awards and became a reference point of 1980s pop rock — an enduring masterpiece. The small changes added in bridges and short interludes make the release of returning to the chorus all the greater.