Toto XX (20th Anniversary Collection)

In this episode of the Slang Of Ages Podcast, Preston Frazier digs into Toto XX, the 1998 collection that marked the band’s 20th anniversary—not with hits, but with deep cuts, rarities, and alternate perspectives on Toto’s long arc from 1977 to 1997. Rather than a traditional retrospective, XX plays like a parallel Toto history, spotlighting songs that fell between the cracks, lineup shifts, and stylistic experiments that never quite fit the album cycles of their time.

Preston frames XX as essential listening for understanding Toto beyond the radio staples. Tracks like “Going Home,” “Tale of a Man,” and “Last Night” reveal David Paich’s cinematic songwriting instincts and the band’s constant push toward emotional and harmonic sophistication. Early-era material such as “Mrs. Johnson” highlights Bobby Kimball’s mid-tempo rock authority, while “Miss Sun”—a Boz Scaggs-associated tune later adopted by Toto—shows the porous boundaries between the LA session elite.

The episode also explores unreleased and live material, including “Love Is a Man’s World,” “On the Run” (captured at Montreux in 1991), and the Johannesburg live version of “Dave’s Gone Skiing.” Preston closes with the reimagined “Africa,” arranged with African elements by Simon Phillips, underscoring Toto’s willingness to revisit and rethink their legacy.

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