Mindfields
| Mindfields | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1999 (EU, JP)[1] November 16, 1999 (US) | |||
| Recorded | August 10, 1998 – January 1999[2] | |||
| Studios |
| |||
| Length | 79:37 | |||
| Labels | Columbia (EU) Legacy (US) | |||
| Producers | Toto, Elliot Scheiner | |||
| Toto chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mindfields | ||||
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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 November 16, 1999. Mindfields saw the return of vocalist Bobby Kimball, who had departed the band in 1984 during recording sessions for the Isolation album.
Recording
[edit]The band began recording the album on August 10, 1998.[4] This came after a reunion tour with former lead singers Bobby Kimball and Joseph Williams earlier that year to celebrate their 20th anniversary and Toto XX album. Although the band decided on Kimball, Williams did contribute as co-writer of the song "Mad About You". As of December 3, 1998, the album was being mixed and the cover art was being designed.[4] Release dates were also set but pushed back as they grew closer. The album was eventually released across Europe beginning the first week of March 1999.[5]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Q | |
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."[6]
Track listing
[edit]1999 Release
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "After You've Gone" | Steve Lukather | 6:37 | |
| 2. | "Mysterious Ways" |
|
| 3:42 |
| 3. | "Mindfields" |
| Kimball | 6:04 |
| 4. | "High Price of Hate" (1) |
| Kimball | 9:221 |
| 5. | "Selfish" |
| Kimball | 5:30 |
| 6. | "No Love" |
| Lukather | 4:34 |
| 7. | "Caught in the Balance" |
| Kimball | 6:21 |
| 8. | "Last Love" |
| Lukather | 4:58 |
| 9. | "Mad About You" |
| Kimball | 4:24 |
| 10. | "One Road" |
| Kimball | 3:45 |
| 11. | "Melanie" |
| Lukather | 5:19 |
| 12. | "Cruel" |
| Kimball | 5:57 |
| 13. | "Better World (Parts I, II & III)" |
| Lukather | 7:50 |
| Total length: | 74:42 | |||
1999 Bonus Tracks
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Spanish Steps of Rome" (2) |
| Paich | 4:28 |
| Total length: | 79:10 | |||
1 On some copies of the album, a longer version of "High Price of Hate" was used with a length of 9:49.
2018 All In Remaster
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cruel" (3) |
| Bobby Kimball | 5:55 |
| 2. | "Mysterious Ways" |
|
| 3:40 |
| 3. | "Mindfields" |
| Kimball | 6:03 |
| 4. | "High Price of Hate" |
| Kimball | 9:49 |
| 5. | "Selfish" |
| Kimball | 5:31 |
| 6. | "No Love" |
| Lukather | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Caught In The Balance" |
| Kimball | 6:21 |
| 8. | "Last Love" |
| Lukather | 5:00 |
| 9. | "Mad About You" |
| Kimball | 4:26 |
| 10. | "One Road" |
| Kimball | 3:48 |
| 11. | "Melanie" |
| Lukather | 5:21 |
| 12. | "After You've Gone" (3) |
| Lukather | 6:38 |
| 13. | "Better World" (4) |
| Lukather | 7:41 |
| 14. | "Spanish Steps" (5) |
| David Paich | 4:28 |
| Total length: | 79:37 | |||
3 Track 1 ("Cruel") and 12 ("After You've Gone") switched places
4 Track 13 ("Better World") was originally titled "Better World (Parts I, II and III)"
5 Track 14 ("Spanish Steps") was originally titled "Spanish Steps of Rome"
Personnel
[edit]Adapted from album's liner notes.[8]
Toto
[edit]- Bobby Kimball – lead vocals (2–5, 7, 9, 10, 12), backing vocals (3, 4, 8–10, 12, 13)
- Steve Lukather – guitars, lead vocals (1, 2, 6, 8, 11, 13), backing vocals (1, 4, 6, 8, 10–14)
- David Paich – keyboards, horn arrangements (2, 5), backing vocals (3, 8), slide guitar solo (5), lead vocals (14)
- Mike Porcaro – bass, cello (1)
- Simon Phillips – drums, tabla (1), percussion (5, 6, 8, 10, 13), loops (11), backing vocals (13)
Guest musicians
[edit]- Steve Porcaro – keyboards (7, 11)
- Clint Black – harmonica and backing vocals (6)
- Lenny Castro – percussion (1–3, 9, 11, 13–14)
- Jim Horn – horns (2, 5, 12)
- Tom Scott – horns (2, 5, 12), horn arrangements (12)
- Bill Reichenbach Jr. – horns (2, 5, 12)
- Chuck Findley – horns (2, 5, 12)
- Gary Grant – horns (2, 5, 12)
- Mark Hudson – backing vocals (1, 2, 5)
- Timothy B. Schmit – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 11)
- Phil Soussan – backing vocals (1)
- Richard Page – backing vocals (3, 7, 9, 12)
- Chris Thompson – backing vocals (6, 8, 10, 11, 13)
- Maria Vidal – backing vocals (14)
Production
[edit]- Produced by Toto and Elliot Scheiner
- Recorded by Elliot Scheiner, Steve MacMillan, Jess Sutcliffe, and Al Schmitt
- Mixed by Elliot Scheiner at Capitol Studios (Hollywood, CA)
- Mastered and sequenced by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound (New York, NY)
- Pro Tools editing and recording – Steve MacMillan
- Second engineers – Jeff Thomas, Chad DeCinces, Steve Genewick, Charles Paakari, Eric Cowden, and Brian Davis
- Studio guitar technician – Gavin Menzies
- Keyboard technician – Gavin Menzies
- Copyist – Dan Ferguson
- Production coordination – Shari Sutcliffe
- Album design – WorldWest Communications
- Creative direction – Doug Brown
- Art direction, design, and illustration – Brian Peterson
- Band and cover photography – Melodie Lawrence
- Package coordiation – Lori Peterson
Singles
[edit]- Melanie / Spanish Steps Of Rome
References
[edit]- ↑ "Official Toto News Archive".
- ↑ "Official Toto News Archive". Archived from the original on December 6, 1998. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Toto singles".
- 1 2 Petra + Mark Regemann, e-mail: ninetynine@toto99.com. "TOTO Hot News". www.toto99.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 1998. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Petra + Mark Regemann, e-mail: ninetynine@toto99.com. "TOTO Hot News". www.toto99.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 1999. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - 1 2 AllMusic review
- ↑ Johnson, Howard. "Review: Toto - Mind Fields [sic]". Q (July 1999). EMAP Metro Ltd: 125.
- ↑ Mindfields (booklet). Legacy. 1999.