Isolation Songs Ranked
Isolation is the Gold-certified fifth studio album by Toto, released on October 18, 1984. This was the only album the band made with Fergie Frederiksen as the primary vocalist, as he was let go following the album’s world tour due to ongoing vocal problems. Isolation failed to achieve the popularity of its predecessor, Toto IV, although it achieved gold record status and gave the band their highest charting mainstream rock single “Stranger in Town” (No. 7). Relatively few songs from this album were featured in live performances after 1985’s Isolation World Tour. While Toto IV was a massive, Grammy winning success, Toto elected not to mount a U.S. tour behind the album, a decision Steve Lukather has since regretted as a missed opportunity to become a “US-arena rock band.” Part of the reluctance to tour was the ongoing personal and legal drug-related problems of lead vocalist Bobby Kimball. Here are all of Isolation songs ranked.
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10. Carmen
“Toto’s most arena-oriented rock album in some respects. The lean production and sharp songwriting has allowed it to hold up better than 1986’s Fahrenheit, though it doesn’t have the multifaceted, progressive rock touches that show up on some of The Seventh One’s material.”
9. Stranger in Town
“Stranger In Town” is particularly notable is it has the heaviest new wave flavor to it. Stranger in Town’ is based on a true story from an English newspaper and it has the nice underplayed verse/exploding chorus structure that worked so well for ‘Africa’.”
8. How Does It Feel
“How does it feel?’ is a fine contributor to the library of tuneful Lukather power ballads. It’s almost as good as ‘I won’t hold you back’ on the previous album but doesn’t quite hit classic status.”
See more: Toto Albums Ranked
7. Isolation
“‘ISOLATION’ takes Toto fans both back to the hard rocking roots of “Hold the Line” while embracing their newfound status as studio musician Gods. Put simply, the tunes are reasonably straight ahead, hard rocking compositions with bland themes concerning love, girls, relationship angst which are then dressed up with all manner of studio wizardry, experimentation and finger bending arrangements.”
6. Change of Heart
“Toto’s most arena-oriented rock album in some respects. The lean production and sharp songwriting has allowed it to hold up better than 1986’s Fahrenheit, though it doesn’t have the multifaceted, progressive rock touches that show up on some of The Seventh One’s material.”
5. Holyanna
“A very upbeat album with tons of energy starting with the first song. I can’t say they are their best songs, but still pretty consistent throughout. An underrated album of Toto, and a favourite of mine. Overall good tracks, making it an enjoyable album.”
See more: Toto Songs Ranked
4. Mr. Friendly
“Toto’s real sleeper. Fergie Fredriksen sucks, but the talent behind him overcomes. Mr. Friendly kicks butt. Even Fergie’s screaming through Lion is tolerable. Fergie show off a more R&B style to his voice while “Mr. Friendly” is pure New Wave.”
3. Endless
“Most of Isolation is actually hard rock, and that is why I can’t say that I like it. On the other hand, there is a soft spot in my heart for the kind of ‘heavy ABBA’ that the chorus of “Endless” represents.”
2. Angel Don’t Cry
“Fergie Frederiksen is my preferred TOTO vocalist, so as this is his only album with the band it offers up a thousand ‘what ifs’. The fact that he is very different from Bobby Kimball shouldn’t matter in a band that had always used several vastly different vocalists in their albums”
1. Lion
“The fact is that “Lion” is a very potent example of new wave style funk. Now it’s not the mellower variety of R&B tune Toto had done before with Bobby Kimball but it’s a great change of pace for them.”
