Taking sides: Styx vs. Toto

Styx wins, because you can make better logos with those four letters.

Morbid mythological imagery = DUD (see: death metal) Small pieces of wood in the forest = CLASSIC (see: Tindersticks)

I think Styx wins because this reference got them a lot of write ups as Satan Worshipers in 80's fundamentalist christian anti-rock books like "What The Devil Is Wrong With Rock N' Roll?" and the like.

If you can write really bad pop rock and get in the bible belt up in arms about corrupting their youth with songs like Mr. Roboto and Sail Away, you must be doing something right.

Musically, they can both ... ah, I'm too tired to be angry.

toto's "africa" is a pretty good song too, a fact that dave q's craftily elborated question hides in order to make the contest seem even closer than it really is.

Over at a friend's house at 8 or 9, and his big brother played us Styx and Toto and Kansas. I desperately wanted to be cool like my friend's brother, but I was horrified by these "cool" records. It was a very disillusioning afternoon.

I blame early exposure to Styx and Toto for an irrational mistrust of all new music. I never get into anything until it's been out for 5 years.

Tie.

xoxo

As a newbie on the board, this thread made me laugh and laugh. But I gotta say, in strictly musical terms there is no comparison. Toto is merely boring MOR. Styx has it all: inane, pretentious lyrics, arena size self-regard, bathetic musicianship, and the worst vocalists of all time. I had like four of their records when I was ten . . . no one under 40 owned a Toto album. Styx all the way!

The fact that they named themselves "Toto" has not yet been addressed on this thread.

Toto is the better band, but Styx gave us Mr. Roboto. And for that, Toto is the winner. Because, while Mr. Roboto is funny for about 2 seconds, it is hardly worth listening to for the full 2 minutes or whatever.

The fact that they named themselves "Toto" has not yet been addressed on this thread.

I think it's kind of cool, actually.

"Once all of the songs were written, the band came together in the studio to record. According to popular myth, in order to distinguish their own demo tapes from other bands in the studio, Jeff Porcaro wrote the word "Toto" on them, having recently viewed The Wizard of Oz. Another rumor about the origin of Toto's name came about because of a false rumor that Bobby Kimball's real last name was Toteaux. This rumor was in fact only a joke made by former bassist David Hungate. However, the official Toto website says the name came from the Latin, meaning "everyone." "

Wikipooja

Toto is awesome. I think the parts of the Dune OST I really like were actually Brian Eno, but still, "Africa"??? "Rosanna"??? So good.

I cannot, will not, ever think of "Africa" as "brilliant" nor "so good." It's one of those songs that just triggers my gag reflex, like some folks won't eat mushrooms. But yeah, Dave Q's original post, which I am seeing for the first time, = hilarious. I used to own a "Crystal Ball" T-shirt, so Styx obv gets my vote.

Toto now plays MusicMan guitars. Surely that ain't cool, is it?

Styx all the way.

No mention of Toto's "Georgie Porgie" here. What's wrong with you people?
Styx ain't got nothing that funk-ay.

While they produced some terrific individual tracks, Styx were always somewhere between 3½ to 9¼ tracks away from a really really good album.

I knew a mate in college who called Toto "Blow-doe" - something that still makes me laugh.

Blow-doe.

Toto may be good, but thanks to South Park I have to say Styx.

Got the twelve o'clock news blues.

I was at a pretty big party, "Africa" was being played but got cut off in the middle of the song. Everyone went "boooooooo", therefore Toto.

Is it cool to say you like "Hold the Line"? or at least acceptable?

I don't care for Styx

Toto had only one ghastly singer

Not to be pedantic -- and apologies if someone else alrighty pointed this out -- but Toto had at three singers (all of them ghastly). There was high-piped mustachioed dude who sang "Hold the Line" and the chorus of "Africa," there was guitar playing, white-guy-afro dude who sang the lead of "Rosanna," and then there was chubby beardo dude who played keyboards who sang the lead on "Africa."

Also, to lend some creedence to the Satan worshiping element, there's a hidden goat's head on the back cover of Grand Illusion (in the reflecting pool if you turn it upside down.

I shit you not.

Hail Satan.

That reminds me that after watching the "Hold The Line" video on Vh1 classic, Toto is a firm candidate for most unattractive band ever.

Bested only by Christopher Cross in the "damn you, MTV for making the visual element so important" stakes.

"Video Killed Christopher Cross" isn't very catchy.

Goats got nothin' to do with Satan. I've met Satan. He's a personal friend of mine. And goats are nothing like Satan.

"Africa" is my ringtone... so Toto

And forgive me for not knowing my classic rock history well enough, but who was the third singer in Styx?

The start of this thread shows that ILM wasn't any more mature back in the day than it is now.