Ungewürdigte pearl in the TOTO discography

On TURN BACK TOTO refer to the varied self-titled debut album and the very experimental second HYDRA to unfamiliar rocking sounds. This may have then led to turn back short of expectations of the record company and certainly the band remained. But guitarist Steve Lukather years later still said: "We had to make this album. Without TURN BACK TOTO IV could have never done. And that has become our most successful album of all time. "
Another reason for the musical line of approach was the fact that in the wake of the success of TOTO many bands first started to copy the successful sound. Examples of this include JOURNEY, REO SPEED WAGON and Jefferson Starship could be called. To that extent it concerns with turnback also a deliberate move away from what the others copied so successful.
Nevertheless TURN BACK has become an excellent album that stands out due to the high proportion of rock pieces also excellent songs. Here can be found with "Gift With A Golden Gun", "ENGLISH EYES" and "Goodbye Elenore" some of the best rock songs that have ever been written TOTO. Not for nothing was one of the pieces of turnback always on the last tours of Californians to set list ("Gift With A Golden Gun" and "ENGLISH EYES" on the PAST TO PRESENT-TOUR, "IF IT'S THE LAST NIGHT" at the gigs KINGDOM OF DESIRE, "A Million Miles Away" is immortalized on LIVE FIELDS and "Goodbye Elenore" was the opener in the medley of Through the Looking Glass concerts). But as always with TOTO also characterized the most rocking piece still an excellent hook, a great chorus and / or a great solo. Especially since the songs are never over hard and always somehow unmistakably TOTO. This is no different even when TURN BACK.
But it would not be TOTO album, though not some exceptionally beautiful ballads would be represented on it. This is also the case here: "A Million Miles Away" and "IF IT'S THE LAST NIGHT" are among the most beautiful slow songs that TOTO ever recorded. In addition, can be found with the semi-ballad "I THINK I COULD STAND YOU FOREVER" the most beautiful Love Declaration on the album, which I can imagine (perhaps apart from "I'LL NEVER GET TIRED OF YOU" of KING'S X on FAITHHOPELOVE, but only in passing).
A little getting poor is likely doing well the guitar sound of LUKATHER be, the very strong experiment in the rock songs with a flanger. It is non-guitarist hard to explain what a flanger sound, but who takes the album into their own hands and sounds, will immediately know what is meant (for at this point a little sorry).
Throughout the album, also attracts a certain live atmosphere. This results from the fact that the individual band members have mostly worked prior to joining TOTO as session and studio musician. Certainly the changing impressions had left traces of the first rock album cycle tour-album-tour, so that the reflected again both in the nature of songwriting as well as in the recordings. A small proof of the thesis may be also the photos in the booklet, all taken from concerts.
But all in all turnback is unfortunately completely underrated album that offers perhaps especially friends of rock music better access to TOTO, as the best-of compilations, which are frequently overloaded with ballads. Because while the rock side of the six musicians from California is often overlooked, which is a serious mistake, because even as TOTO have their strengths. And they live with turnback from more than on many other CDs. From my side an absolute buy recommendation.