Mindfields is the tenth studio album (though counted as the 11th album overall — see Toto XIV) by the American rock band Toto. It was released in Europe and Japan in March 1999, followed by a US release on 16 November 1999. Mindfields saw the return of vocalist Bobby Kimball, who had departed the band following the 1982 album Toto IV.

Mindfields
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1999 (1999-03) (Europe, Japan)[1]
November 16, 1999 (1999-11-16) (US)
Studio
  • Royaltone Studios
  • ATS Studios
  • Hollywood Sound Recorders
GenreArena rock, pop rock, progressive rock
Length78:50
LabelLegacy
ProducerToto, Elliot Scheiner
Toto chronology
Toto XX
(1998)
Mindfields
(1999)
Livefields
(1999)

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Q     [3]

The album received mixed reviews from critics. Michael Gallucci of AllMusic wrote: "Overlong, overwrought, and devoid of personality, this incredibly dull world-view update of Toto's crassly professional sound manages to pillage several cultures at once without contributing a single song worth remembering. The playing is tight—as you would expect from a bunch of studio session musicians—but all the skills in the world can't liven these 14 plodding tracks."[2]

Track listing edit

1999 Release edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
1."After You've Gone"Steve Lukather, Phil SoussanSteve Lukather6:37
2."Mysterious Ways"Dean Grakal, Mark Hudson, Lukather, David PaichBobby Kimball and Lukather3:42
3."Mindfields"Bobby Kimball, Lukather, Paich, Simon Phillips, Mike PorcaroKimball6:04
4."High Price of Hate" (1)Lukather, Stan Lynch, Paich, Phillips, PorcaroKimball9:221
5."Selfish"Lukather, Lynch, PaichKimball5:30
6."No Love"Randy Goodrum, Paich, LukatherLukather4:34
7."Caught in the Balance"Kimball, Lukather, Lynch, Paich, Phillips, PorcaroKimball6:21
8."Last Love"Lukather, PaichLukather4:58
9."Mad About You"Paich, Joseph WilliamsKimball4:24
10."One Road"Goodrum, Lukather, PaichKimball3:45
11."Melanie"Goodrum, Lukather, PaichLukather5:19
12."Cruel"Kimball, Jed Leiber, Lukather, PhillipsKimball5:57
13."Better World (Parts I, II & III)"Lukather, Paich, PhillipsLukather7:50
Total length:74:42

1999 Bonus Tracks edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
14."Spanish Steps Of Rome" (2)Lukather, PaichDavid Paich4:27
Total length:79:09

1 On some copies of the album, a longer version of "High Price of Hate" was used clocking in at 9:49.
2 Bonus track on North American and Japanese versions of the album.

2018 All In Remaster edit

No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
1."Cruel" (3)Bobby Kimball, Jed Lieber, Steve Lukather, Simon PhillipsBobby Kimball5:55
2."Mysterious Ways"Dean Grakal, Mark Hudson, Lukather, David PaichKimball, Steve Lukather3:40
3."Mindfields"Kimball, Lukather, Paich, Phillips, Mike PorcaroKimball6:03
4."High Price of Hate"Lukather, Stan Lynch, Paich, Phillips, PorcaroKimball9:49
5."Selfish"Lukather, Lynch, PaichKimball5:31
6."No Love"Randy Goodrum, Paich, LukatherLukather4:36
7."Caught In The Balance"Kimball, Lukather, Lynch, Paich, Phillips, PorcaroKimball6:21
8."Last Love"Lukather, PaichLukather5:00
9."Mad About You"Paich, Joseph WilliamsKimball4:26
10."One Road"Goodrum, Lukather, PaichKimball3:48
11."Melanie"Goodrum, Lukather, PaichLukather5:21
12."After You've Gone" (3)Lukather, Phil SoussanLukather6:38
13."Better World" (4)Lukather, Paich, PhillipsLukather7:41
14."Spanish Steps" (5)Lukather, PaichDavid Paich4:27
Total length:79:36

3 Track 1 ("Cruel") and 12 ("After You've Gone") switched places
4 Track 13 ("Better World") was originally named "Better World (Part I, II and III)"
5 Track 14 ("Spanish Steps") was originally named "Spanish Steps of Rome"

Personnel edit

Adapted from album's liner notes.[4]

Toto

  • Steve Lukather – guitars, lead vocals (tracks 1, 2, 6, 8, 11, 13), backing vocals (tracks 1, 4, 6, 8, 10–14)
  • David Paich – keyboards, horn arrangements (tracks 2, 5), backing vocals (tracks 3, 8), slide guitar solo (track 5), lead vocals (track 14)
  • Mike Porcaro – bass guitar, cello (track 1)
  • Simon Phillips – drums, tabla (track 1), percussion (tracks 5, 6, 8, 10, 13), loops (track 11), backing vocals (track 13)
  • Bobby Kimball – lead vocals (tracks 2–5, 7, 9, 10, 12), backing vocals (tracks 3, 4, 8–10, 12, 13)

Guest musicians

Production edit

  • Producers – Toto and Elliot Scheiner
  • Recorded by Eric Cowden, Steve Genewick, Steve MacMillan, Charles Paakari, Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt, Jess Sutcliffe and Jeff Thomas.
  • Mixed by Elliot Scheiner at Capitol Studios (Hollywood, CA).
  • Mastered and Sequenced by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
  • Editing by Steve MacMillan
  • Production Coordination – Shari Sutcliffe
  • Copyist – Dan Ferguson
  • Creative Director – Doug Brown

Singles edit

  • Melanie / Spanish Steps Of Rome

References edit

  1. ^ "Official Toto News Archive".
  2. ^ a b AllMusic review
  3. ^ Johnson, Howard. "Review: Toto - Mind Fields [sic]". Q (July 1999). EMAP Metro Ltd: 125.
  4. ^ Mindfields (booklet). Legacy. 1999.