Toto Album: “Falling in Between Live”

Unlike the Amsterdam live DVD, Toto included more recent album songs on this live album. There are tracks from Mindfields and Kingdom of Desire, as well as the newest album they are promoting. There is even a selection from a Luke solo album. I would have selected songs like or "High Price of Hate" from Mindfields, which features a Beckesque Luke guitar jam echoed by Paich on organ---incredibly cool---amd would be a highlight live, but the songs they chose are good ones. "White Sister" is on Amsterdam Live so I won't complain about it's omission from Falling in Between Live.

The live sound is top-knotch, and of course the performance is outstanding by a talented band. It has meatier versions of Falling... tunes, which wakes them up. I wasn't a big fan of Falling in Between, which to me sounded too calculated. When Toto is best is when they are more a rock and roll band, and less a prog- or arena band, as they say. The live mix, here, has a rock and roll band feel to it.

This is a refreshing new album from a great band. There is a DVD from this performance to be released sometime next year, as well as a Steve Lukather solo album.

I've seen Toto live twice in the past two years and this CD does a great job of capturing the essence of what I experienced both times. The live versions of the 3 Toto staples of classic rock radio (Rosanna, Hold the Line and Africa) are all superior to the recorded versions, each injected with new life by a supremely talented but 'not-very-close' version of the band that originally laid down these tracks more than 25 years ago. Especially pleasing on this set is the inclusion of three cuts from the hugely under-rated 'Kingdon of Desire' album, from 1992. The quality of Toto's friends is clear for all to see as chief songwriter, and founder, David Paich, and long time bassist, Mike Porcaro, are barely missed with Greg Phillinganes and Leland Sklar both proving high class replacements. The 4 cuts from the band's latest album 'Falling in Between', stand up very well against a deep and classy back catalogue.

I bought this CD along with the live Tull CD. First watched the concert on the 101 Network. i thought Toto was only a studio band. Was in my car changer with the live Tull CD for three months which is unheard of for me. On my IPOD and gets a lot of play time. A well recorded live CD.

I just got the cd and dvd (soon to get the blu-ray) and it looked great, it sounded great and the only thing that could have made it better would be Porcaro and Paich. Toto is one of the few bands where I was with them when the first album was released and have stuck with them ever since. I'd never seen the band until just recently (May 2007) for this very tour. The venue was a bar in a casino! They played two shows and I got to see both of them (Thanx Rabbit! It was one of our more memorable outings!). Not to sound like an awe-struck kid, but met Luke after the show and got his autograph. It was kind of cool to meet and shake the hand of one of the members of a band who'd spent so much time on/in my turntable/cassette deck/Walkman/cd player/mp3 player. Toto has always been just pop enough to rack up some impressive hits yet retain even the most discerning musician's respect. If there was ever any doubt to whether these guys are just oustanding musicians...WATCH THIS SHOW! This was an especially nice treat for me as the show I'd seen was in a small bar, this would've been the way to see this show and I can't WAIT to see it in 1080p and hear it through an optical cable! Sitting in for Mike Porcaro is Leland Sklar who has played with EVERYONE. He learned the entire show in 5 days when Mike Porcaro was unable to play (ALS...sorry Mike!) and did a stellar job! He's spot on and still brings a very relaxed feel to it. Greg Phillinganes is on the keys for this tour (Paich has retired from touring) and does a top-notch job of handling them in David's absence. Watch the extras, his portion was especially nice as you get to see his interpretation of some famous Toto melodies and keyboard solos. Luke? What can I say, he rocks! Still one of my top 5 favorite guitarists of all time, he does it all! Props to Tony Spinner for his obvious promotion. Who knew this guy could sing as well as play guitar!? Simon is probably one of the tightest if not THE tightest drummer around. I'd love to jam on the bass with him playing ANYTHING. I know, I'm not being very technical...haven't been this jazzed over a live performance in awhile! BUY IT! WATCH IT! LISTEN TO IT! nuff said...

On a sidenote...Is it just me or am I hearing just the "slightest" evidence of some "vocoder" on the vocals? Turn your back and listen very carefully...it's not a harmonizer...too suttle. Just a "tad" of vocoder? Anyone else hearing this? Is this why the vocals are just smooth as silk on this thing...almost..."too" perfect?

4.75 actual rating for possible vocoder

All I can say is Steve Lukather at his finest!

What a show - non-stop enjoyment for any Toto fan!