TOTO en The Players Club / Mascot Label Group hebben de wereldwijde release aangekondigd van With A Little Help From My Friends, welke zal verschijnen op 25 juni. De release legt een speciale avond vast die plaats vond op 21 november 2020. Die dag verschenen Steve Lukather, Joseph Williams en David Paich met de nieuwe line-up van TOTO voor een wereldwijd live streaming event.
Nieuwe bandleden, bassist John Pierce (Huey Lewis And The News), drummer Robert “Sput” Searight (Ghost-Note / Snarky Puppy) en toetsenist / achtergrondzanger Steve voegen zich bij Lukather, Williams en Paich voor dit volgende hoofdstuk in de TOTO geschiedenis. Maggiora (Robert Jon & The Wreck), Toetsenist Dominique “Xavier” Taplin (Prince, Ghost-Note) en multi-instrumentalist / vocalist Warren Ham (Ringo Starr) voegen zich nu ook weer bij de heren.
Naast een LP release met alleen de audio, is er ook een CD/DVD en CD/Blu-Ray package. Op de track listing staan ‘Till The End’, ‘Hold The Line’, ‘Pamela’, ‘Kingdom of Desire’, ‘White Sister’, ‘You Are The Flower’, ‘I Won’t Hold You Back’, ‘Stop Loving You’, ‘Home Of The Brave’, ‘Rosanna’ en ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’. Op de DVD en Blu-Ray releases staat naast het concert ook een documentaire over de band met bijdrages van elk bandlid die betrokken was bij de show.
Steve Lukather a.k.a. Luke is enthousiast. “When the music is performed by great musicians it honors TOTO. The documentary featured on the DVD offers great insights into our thoughts looking forward. David, who stands with us, alongside Joe and myself, desire to keep this music alive. And Paich could pop in any time for a show as a special surprise. When it came to plan this specific set list, we picked an eclectic group of songs for this one night only show. Looking forward, we’ll be selecting a broader mix from the TOTO catalogue that includes deep cuts, the hits, and tunes from Joe and my recently released solo albums. Both of us could not be more thrilled with the global response to these records. They charted all over the world, and integrating some of the music in to the new TOTO set brings a fresh spice to the TOTO The Dogz of Oz World Tour when we head back out to begin staging shows. Simply, both of us aim to bring the past TOTO to the present and beyond, and this first look at the new line-up sets the stage for a chapter in our history we can’t wait to write.”
Joe Williams voegt daaraan toe: “It’s always a complete joy to perform a TOTO show, but this one was special. Joining me, Luke and David last November were three new top level, virtuoso musicians as well as a few returning geniuses. The show itself was born out of the need to play after being on Covid lockdown, but also served as the reason to build this new band. Right out of the gate this group gelled and dug deep into the new and old TOTO material. Among some of the deeper cuts is one of my all-time favorite songs, ‘You Are The Flower’ by the original – Bobby Kimball. Being a massive fan (and a good friend), I dedicate the performance to him. Also back are a few of my favorite things, ‘Till The End’ and ‘Pamela.’ Played to perfection by the new cats. I have the best job in the band because when I’m not singing, I get to watch the most incredible players work! The TOTO model holds strong and true. A band of the very best musicians and singers writing and performing all manner of cool songs. That’s how it began, and that’s how it continues.” Hij vervolgd, “This documentary explores that concept by talking with David, Luke, Warren, Dominic X, John Pierce, Robert ‘Sput’ Searight, and Steve Maggiora about their experiences as players, and also about being a part of the TOTO legacy. And, of course discussion about the show as well. I think I’m in there too, saying how much I love these guys! Soon we’ll to get back out to you, on stage, in the flesh expanding our set with some even deeper ‘legacy’ cuts as well as some new stuff from Luke’s and my new records. We can’t wait! In the meantime, enjoy a little TOTO history and current events. Xo Joe.”
‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ is geproduceerd door Joseph Williams, en hij is ook verantwoordelijk voor het editen van het video material. Ken Freeman, de voormalige front of house engineer, verzorgde de mix en legde het geluid die avond vast.
