By the time Toto entered the studio to make Isolation, their fifth album, the American band had already decided not to tour behind the record that made them stars. The group chose to skip the road in 1983, and guitarist Steve Lukather later admitted he regretted the chance to become America's arena-rock act. Instead of capitalizing on that momentum, Toto walked into the sessions for Isolation without the singer who had fronted their biggest hits. Toto released Isolation on October 18, 1984.
A new voice at the microphone
The album arrived on October 18, 1984, on Columbia Records, with the band producing itself. It was also the first Toto record to feature Mike Porcaro as the official bassist after the departure of David Hungate. But the bigger change was at the microphone. Bobby Kimball, the voice of Toto IV, struggled with his vocals during the sessions and left the group in April 1984. Toto needed a new singer, and they found one in Fergie Frederiksen, then fronting LeRoux.
Frederiksen got the job in a rehearsal room after singing four songs, and on Isolation he became the band's sole lead vocalist — the only Toto album where that was true. He also co-wrote several tracks, including "Angel Don't Cry" and the title song. The music leaned toward hard rock and arena rock, a harder edge than the polished pop that had defined Toto IV. Lukather put it bluntly: the album clearly did not sound like it came from the band behind Toto IV. The search for a new singer had been thorough. The band reviewed about fifteen audition tapes. Richard Page was the first choice, but he declined because of his contract with Mr. Mister. Lukather wanted Eric Martin, who later joined Mr. Big, but Jeff Porcaro was drawn to Frederiksen.
The label picks a different single
The label noticed the difference too. Toto wanted the first single to be "Endless," with Frederiksen on lead vocals. Columbia Records chose "Stranger in Town" instead, sung by David Paich, because the label thought it sounded more like the hit "Africa." The single reached number 7 on the Mainstream Rock chart and cracked the top 30, but for a band coming off Toto IV, that felt like a disappointment. Five singles were pulled from the album, yet none matched the old magic.
The tour made things worse. Bookers had put Toto into arenas because of the success of Toto IV, but the 10,000-seat venues were poorly filled. Lukather called the tour a disaster and said the band lost its shirt. The European leg was cancelled, and Toto fired their booking agents. An album that was supposed to extend the band's dominance instead became a lesson in how fast a peak can turn into a slide.
An album that was supposed to extend the band's dominance instead became a lesson in how fast a peak can turn into a slide.
Still, Isolation had its pockets of success. The record went gold in the United States and triple platinum in Japan, where it climbed to number 2 on the Oricon chart. Critics were less kind. Rolling Stone gave the album one star out of five, and a retrospective AllMusic review praised the playing of drummer Jeff Porcaro, Paich, and Lukather but dismissed Isolation as a Journey clone without the heart-wrenching ballads. The musicianship was never the problem; the identity was.
Isolation stands as the moment Toto tried to move forward while the ground shifted under them. A new bassist, a new singer, a harder sound, and a label second-guessing the band's instincts — all at once. The album that followed would bring yet another vocalist, Joseph Williams, and Frederiksen's time in the spotlight would end almost as quickly as it began. For one record, though, Toto sounded like a band searching for itself, and the search cost them.