“Africa” Wasn’t Supposed to Happen (The Toto Story)

About this episode

This episode explores the rise and challenges of the band Toto, highlighting their journey from studio musicians to chart-topping artists.

Imagine a world where the best session musicians in Los Angeles have a revolutionary idea: "....Hey... why don't we just BE the band??" In this episode of Tape Spaghetti, Scott & Blake unravel the surprisingly unlikely rise of Toto, a cadre of hyper-skilled studio players who went from backing name-brand artists to dominating the charts on their own. Featured in hits ranging from yacht-rock to Thriller, these guys weren't exactly starving artists, but finding solo success wasn't easy. In fact, sounding exactly like a bunch of elite studio musicians didn't even work in their favor. Critics dismissed them as being overly-polished, calculated, and perfect. Then came Toto IV, a do-or-die album that delivered "Rosanna," "Africa," and a bonafide Grammy sweep. Of course, in the scope of rock mythology, even success leads to chaos, industry backlash, tragedy, and irrelevance – but, powered by the internet and an unexpected Weezer cover, Toto experienced one of the great second acts in pop history. Here's how the most overqualified band in history proved that success is never guaranteed.

People in this episode

Hosts: Blake Wyland, Scott Marquart

Topics covered

• music history
• Toto
• studio musicians
• Grammy awards
• pop culture
• second acts

Keywords

• Toto
• studio musicians
• Toto IV
• Grammy
• Africa
• Rosanna
• Weezer
• music history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Toto, Weezer

Books & works: Toto IV, Rosanna, Africa, Thriller

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