Tambu (album)

Tambu is the ninth studio album by American rock band Toto. It was released in May 1995 through Sony Records. Tambu has sold 600,000 copies worldwide. It is the first album by the group since the death of Jeff Porcaro in 1992. The album includes the single "I Will Remember", which failed to chart in the US but was the band's first chart hit in the UK since "I Won't Hold You Back" twelve years before.[1]

Tambu
Studio album by Toto
Released	May 9, 1995 (Europe) October 13, 1995 (Japan) June 4, 1996 (US)
Studio	Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, California
Genre	Pop rock soft rock hard rock
Length	70:07
Label	Columbia (Europe) Sony (Japan) Legacy (US)
Producer	Toto, Elliot Scheiner
Toto chronology
Kingdom of Desire (1992) Tambu (1995) Best Ballads (1996)

Tambu was a nominee for Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical in 1997.[2][3]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]

AllMusic's review reflected on the album as a major change of direction for Toto, commenting on the anguished and highly vague philosophical lyrics and the focused, bluesy musical style. They found Steve Lukather's performance as chief lead vocalist of such quality that it was puzzling why he hadn't been given the role earlier, and concluded "You couldn't call the result accomplished, but Tambu suggested that Toto was embarked on a new personal and musical journey that might lead in an interesting direction."[4]

The Absolute Sound called the album "brilliant" and "near-perfect", saying that it was better than the band's previous works.[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gift of Faith"	Steve Lukather, Stan Lynch, David Paich	7:23
2.	"I Will Remember"	Lukather, Lynch	6:06
3.	"Slipped Away"	Lukather, Lynch, Paich, Simon Phillips, Mike Porcaro	5:16
4.	"If You Belong to Me"	Lukather, Lynch, Paich	5:03
5.	"Baby He's Your Man"	Siedah Garrett, Lukather, Paich	5:40
6.	"The Other End of Time"	Randy Goodrum, Lukather	5:04
7.	"The Turning Point"	Lukather, Lynch, Paich, Phillips, M. Porcaro	5:25
8.	"Time Is the Enemy"	Lukather, Paich, Fee Waybill	5:40
9.	"Drag Him to the Roof"	Lukather, Lynch, Paich	6:10
10.	"Just Can't Get to You"	Glen Ballard, Lukather, Paich	5:03
11.	"Dave's Gone Skiing" (Instrumental)	Lukather, Phillips, M. Porcaro	4:59
12.	"The Road Goes On"	Ballard, Lukather, Paich	4:26
13.	"Blackeye" (Japanese release only)	Lukather, Paich, Jenny Douglas-McRae	3:53

Personnel

Toto

• Steve Lukather – guitars; lead and backing vocals; bass fills on "Baby He's Your Man"; mandolin on "The Road Goes On"; synthesizer and acoustic piano on "I Will Remember", "The Other End of Time", and "Just Can't Get to You"
• David Paich – synthesizer (except on "I Will Remember"); acoustic piano (except on "The Other End of Time" and "Just Can't Get to You"); Fender Rhodes and Hammond organ on "The Turning Point", "Just Can't Get to You" and "Baby He's Your Man"; string arrangements and conductor on "I Will Remember", "If You Belong to Me" and "Just Can't Get to You" and "Baby He's Your Man" and "The Road Goes On"; backing vocals; co-lead vocals on "Drag Him to the Roof"
• Mike Porcaro – bass guitar, additional keyboards on "The Turning Point"
• Simon Phillips – drums; additional keyboards on "The Turning Point"; drum loops on "Baby He's Your Man"; Roland TR-808 on "The Other End of Time"

Guest musicians

• John Jessel – keyboard programming
• Shari Sutcliffe – strings contractor
• Lenny Castro – percussion on "Gift of Faith", "I Will Remember", and "The Other End of Time"
• Michael Fisher – percussion on "If You Belong to Me"
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion on "Baby He's Your Man", "The Turning Point", and "Time is the Enemy"
• Steve Porcaro – drum loops on "Baby He's Your Man"
• Jenny Douglas-McRae – backing vocals, lead vocals on "The Turning Point", "Baby He's Your Man", and "Blackeye"
• John James – backing vocals, lead vocal on "Drag Him to the Roof"
• Phillip Ingram – backing vocals on "Baby He's Your Man", "The Turning Point" and "Drag Him to the Roof"
• Ricky Nelson – backing vocals on "Baby He's Your Man" and "The Turning Point"
• Jim Giddens, Steve Lukather, Stan Lynch, Mike Porcaro and Elliot Scheiner – chant on "Gift of Faith"

Production

• Producers – Toto and Elliot Scheiner
• Recorded by Elliot Scheiner, Al Schmitt and Bill Smith.
• Additional recording by Stephen Genewick, Jim Giddens, John Jessel and Sean Schimmiel.
• Mixed by Elliot Scheiner
• Digitally Edited and Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY).
• Production Coordination – Ivy Skoff
• Technicians – Keith Albright, Paul Jamieson, John Jessel and Gavin Menzies.
• Cartage for Steve Lukather – Andy Braun Studio Rentals.
• Drum Set-up – Drum Paradise
• Art Direction – Eric Scott
• Creative Direction – Doug Brown
• Photography – Melanie Lawrence
• Cover and Portraiture – Daniel Brereton
• Management – The Fitzgerald Hartley Co.

Additional notes

Catalogue: (CD) Sony Legacy 64957

Singles

• I Will Remember / Dave's Gone Skiing (released in UK and EU)
• Drag Him to the Roof / I Will Remember (released in Japan)
• The Other End of Time / Slipped Away (released in EU)
• Just Can't Get to You / I'll Be Over You (released in EU)
• The Turning Point / The Road Goes On (released in EU)
• If You Belong to Me / Don't Stop Me Now (released in EU)

References

• Tambu (1995)

1. Toto UK chart history Archived 2013-03-13 at the Wayback Machine, The Official Charts. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
2. Mix vol 21, page 62. Mix Publications, 1997
3. Billboard Magazine. Jan 18, 1997
4. Tambu at AllMusic
5. The Absolute Sound vol 20, p 134. Absolute Sound, Ltd., 1997