Lost/Forgotten Album #312

[Jon]

For the 41st album in the series I thought up all by myself, we're going to go way back to 1988. That's almost 30 years ago. Think about that for a minute.

The Seventh One is Toto's seventh album, believe it or not. I didn't even have to look up that fact, it's just something that I know. It's the first Toto album since 1981's Turn Back that did not reach any certification level in the U.S. and was, at that time, the lowest charting album in their career, only reaching #64 on the U.S. charts. 

The previous three albums were certified multi-platinum (IV) or gold (Isolation, Fahrenheit). WHy this album didn't have greater success in the U.S. is beyond me, maybe it's backlash from Fahrenheit which, IMUOWINEW, is Toto's worst. 

Outside the U.S. the album fared much better reaching the top 10 in numerous countries and reaching platinum (Sweden, The Netherlands) and multi-gold status (France). 

The first track I heard off this album was "Stay Away" during a radio station thingy where you could vote if they should put a certain song into rotation or vote it away. I voted to keep it but don't think it made it. It's one of Toto's heaviest tracks and that's why I liked it. 

One thing that bugged me about this album was the running time. Clocking in at over 53 minutes, it would NOT fit onto one side of a 90 min cassette. That created quite a problem, something that I would rather not relive but am. It still depresses me to this day. 

For those that care, I still really like this album. Critics know nothing. 

Now it's time for the allmusic.com review, but first I would like to share the picture of the album that they have. Normally I use their pictures, but this one just wouldn't do even though it's cool. 

Toto attempted to satisfy commercial considerations by loading up the first half of their seventh album with the kind of power ballads that had given the band recognition before, especially songs named after women whose names end in "A" like "Pamela" and "Anna." But these thinly veiled rewrites of "Rosanna" earned only modest radio play, and the rest of the album, which rocked harder as it went on, while it may have been truer to the band's musical aspirations, continued to sound too anonymous to earn any response beyond the band's fan base, especially its international one (which it seemed to be acknowledging by printing some of the sleeve notes in Japanese).

The Seventh One

1. Pamela
2. You Got Me
3. Anna
4. Stop Loving You
5. Mushanga
6. Stay Away
7. Straight From The Heart
8. Only The Children
9. A Thousand Years
10. These Chains
11. Home Of The Brave

Availability: Around $5 is all it costs and the original CD sounds pretty darn good.  

[Scott]

HA - Just got the Rock Candy remaster of this about a month ago!  Classic album and I agree with you its really very strong, I like it a lot!

[Jon]

I still have the original disc and say that is sounds really good.

You just need to lighten up, Francis.

[Scott]

[Jon]

Wait a second. He wasn't in that movie. That's a false gif. You are worshiping a false gif!

[Scott]

Toto is famous for several things, one of those things is songs about women whose names end with the letter “a”.  You’ll find 3 of them within the first 5 songs on here.  Allmusic review of this album noticed it too, but offer no explanation.  It’s a strange phenomenon that has yet to be researched – well, at least I’d like to know why.  Pamela being the best of the 3, but Mushanga has some really great musicianship and island styles that make it very interesting, far finer than the hit Pamela but not quite as catchy of a chorus.  Anna?  Well it’s a fine slice of 80’s balladeering as well…

Stop Loving You is my favorite track on here.  Easily…  Its pure Toto, a mixture of the band from start to the Seventh One, you can hear it if you listen close. 

I liked Joseph Williams, thought he fit really well, love that he came back for XIV – which is near the top of favorite of the new millennium list – never understood why he left.  But when you hear the follow up “Kingdom of Desire” you understand this bands resiliency.  The core talent may seem like the stellar musicianship but I think you could argue it’s the core member’s ability to write music as well. 

Given all that, the second half of the album may be the best part though, this is the pure Toto stuff and Porcaros beats are just stunning when you focus in on his work.  So underrated!  Great album and great post! One of Jons best ever!

RIP Jeff Porcaro one of the greatest!!