Turn Back

Toto

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: January 1981
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000025KA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,194 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Japanese pressing remastered reissue of the bands 1981 album. Sony. 2005. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Toto - "Turn Back"., January 28, 2005

By	Louie Bourland (Garden Grove CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Toto's third album "Turn Back" from 1981 is sort of a guenea pig in the band's extensive catalog. Sandwiched between the highly successful self-titled debut, its follow-up "Hydra" and the monster smash of "Toto IV", "Turn Back" was Toto's least successful album yielding no hit singles and barely scraping the album charts. The album also took a beating from many critics claiming that the music and its performances were weak and disasterous.
However, in hindsight, "Turn Back" is not a bad album at all. Since its release nearly 24 years ago, the album has become somewhat a fan favorite. Its lack of success and big hits make the album arguably more enjoyable to listen to than any other Toto album. This is also the band's heaviest album musically. The three opening tracks, "Gift With A Golden Gun", "English Eyes" and "Live For Today" usher in the album with solid dose of hook-filled hard rock with Steve Lukather's biting guitar work and the late Jeff Porcaro's solid forceful drumming. The hard rock element is also apparent in fast-paced shuffle of "Goodbye Elenore" which features a strong resemblance to bands like Queen. There is also a small progressive-rock touch heard in the album's title track with its heavy doses of keyboards and guitar textures.
Balancing out the album are three ballads. "A Million Miles Away" is a typical Toto power ballad with Bobby Kimball's emotional soaring vocals. "I Think I Could Stand You Forever" has a harder edge to it and once again comes across with musical references to Queen and Journey. "If It's the Last Night" is a Steve Lukather sung acoustic ballad with a slight REO Speedwagon vibe to it. This is also the album's powerful closing track.
"Turn Back" is an album that has aged gracefully over the years. Despite its lack of any commercial success, it is still one of Toto's strongest albums displaying the band's usual strong musicianship and great songwriting. With musical of this high of callibel, maybe it is time to Turn Back and realize just what a good album this really is.
An Underrated Gem!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated gem, November 2, 2001

By	Andrew Fortuine (Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For some reason, Turn Back seems to the "lost" Toto album--the poorest in sales, the one with no Top 40 hit, the one where the band supposedly lost all their distinctiveness and magic before recapturing it for IV. Hogwash. The songs on here are creative, energetic, and while not always as memorable as some of their other best work, excellent throughout. My only real complaint is there are only eight songs. That's probably better than the alternative, though: packing the cd with filler material. Turn Back doesn't have a single throwaway in it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than a forerunner, June 12, 2001

By	huochezhan (Germany) - See all my reviews

In my opinion "Turn Back" is one of Toto's best albums, together with "IV" and "The Seventh One". This might sound strange because "Turn Back" is totally different from the two successful albums mentioned above. The opener is the rock song "Gift With A Golden Gun", which is one of the best songs on the album. Kimball's vocals sound a bit like Peter Cetera and the whole song's a bit like "Chicago". "English Eyes" is a solid rock song with much emphasis on the guitar, as well as Luke's "Live for today". These songs are followed by the two best songs on "Turn Back" and two of my all time Toto-favourites: "A Million Miles Away" is a ballad with a hard hitting chorus and "Goodbye Elenore" is one of the best rock songs Toto ever did. "I think I could stand you forever" and "Turn Back" are as well great songs and worth a listen. The last track on the album is the wonderful ballad "If It's The Last Night". "Turn Back" features great vocal performances by both Kimball and Lukather and some great arrangements by Paich, who did most of the songwriting. "Turn Back" is more than just listenable and more than just a forerunner to the commercially successful "Toto IV"