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Toto - Hydra Audio CD

A fair review of the Toto "Hydra" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Toto reviews here, or go back to the Toto tabs.

Toto Band: Toto
Title: Hydra
Rating:
Release Date: 2008-02-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Hydra 2: St. George and the Dragon 3: 99 4: Lorraine 5: All Us Boys 6: Mama 7: White Sister 8: Secret Love

Still sounds good...30 years later.
Arguably the band's best album, outside of "IV". If the Toto catalog would ever get a proper remastering, "Hydra" would merit 5 stars. .


OK but come on people, 5 stars?
) I have to warn other interested folks that unless you are a 'real' Toto fan this is a very middling album. As a casual fan of Toto's hits (99, Roseanna, Africa, Hold the Line, etc. '99' is a great song and almost worth the price of admission, but in today's world you're much better off just downloading it instead of splashing out on the whole thing. What we've got here is not-very-inspired prog rock a la Styx, with some attempted swagger thrown in. The band doesn't seem to be taking it very seriously either. . . If you're looking to dip a foot in I'd recommend Toto IV, where the poppier atmosphere fits the band much better.


Buy it you will not regret it,
Much more heavily produced. This album comes at you from a totally different angle than Toto or 4. As a more recent follower of the band I am not sure of all the member changes. From what I understand there have been many iterations.

For me this album has it all. Great songs, people can listen to this that do not even like rock music. Yes, its that well made and performed. For a 2nd album this thing rocks. Most bands tend to fall off rapidly in the instrumental department and focus on lyrics. Well not this band. Where
they find inspiration for Hydra and St. George leave me amazed.
The piano work is first rate, some of the more driving "Rock feel" songs like "Boys" and "White Sister" will leave your jaw hanging. Melodies like Lorraine tend to even the keel. So melodic. I cannot wait to delve deeper into their work. Amazing.
A great album. A bit too short. I recently "borrowed" the entire collection from a buddy, he is a real fan. He has every album by every band member. Needless to say I have lots of listening left to do. Buy this one. A real treat. .


True Toto fans will love this.
I've always really liked their songs that weren't neccessarily top 40 hits, but rather have a more complicated studio/instrumental sound to them & that's why I've always liked this particular album. I've always been a huge fan of Toto & was able to see them in concert back in the 80's when they were at their peek. The mood of the songs really do match the artwork on the front cover (kind of medieval & mysterious). I was just glad when it came out on CD as my old cassette has long worn out. .


It's All A Matter Of Taste
Are you more of a fan of the psychedelic,fusion-inflected prog rock side of Toto or the soulful,poppy and at times even funky stylings heard on tunes like "Georgy Porgy" and "Africa"?Personally I fit into the latter type of listener. Your enjoyment of 'Hydra' depends greatly on which version of Toto you prefer. As one reviewer point out this is a darker,surreal "concept" album with a lot more spikey rock influences then on the debut. As for my favorite music style of Toto that can be found in "99"-now it's in keeping with the darker Pink Floyd-esque concept but the style is more fusion then prog rock so it definately has more a musical appeal for my ears. My favorite tune on the album has to be "Mama",which not only emphasizes Toto's jazz backround but it sure would sound great right alongside Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters" from about the same time. So why are those the only tunes I mentioned? Well the others while well performed have this feeling of fitting into any prog rock album by an ELP or Styx album of the same period. Luckily one thing that all the progressive rockers had in common (especially Toto and Rush) were that the musicians within the band were all extrodinarily talented,even if they all too often felt the need to show those talents off-one of the main complaints detractors of prog rock will tend to have. But at the very least Toto weren't afraid to mix it up a bit,.


You can see a complete list of all Toto discography, or go back to the Toto tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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