Toto: Live at Montreux 1991

The history of Toto's revolving-door in the personnel department is dizzying. But, for a spell, this group of American session musicians—originally formed in 1977 and challenging the then-tide of upstart punk bands with a brand of chunky arena music that fused heavy metal, jazz, R&B, and progressive rock—was reduced from six to four members. That lineup took the stage for this 1991 concert, in which they are joined by several supporting players and a fine trio of backup singers. Toto's music is technically proficient, loud and thick with guitar reverb, but devoid of character, as evidenced in the eight songs presented here that include a bit of then-new material, a couple of covers, and two of the band's classics. The pointless propulsion of the opener “On the Run” establishes the wearying tone, immediately followed by “Kingdom of Desire,” in which the monotonous rhythm section lays a foundation for singer-guitarist David Paich's snaky solo. Things pick up a bit with the ever-popular “Africa,” which finally introduces some actual textures with polyrhythm and overlapping harmonies, and the evergreen hit “Rosanna” still charms, but the jazz noodling of “Jake to the Bone” disappoints, as does the rendition of Jimi Hendrix's feverish “Red House,” which here sounds like a beery cliché from a bar band. The concert ends with a high-wattage take on Sly Stone's “I Want to Take You Higher,” during which the stage fills up with a lot of folks (including Quincy Jones). Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include a bonus audio CD. Optional. (T. Keogh)