Toto, “Manuela Run” from Toto (1978): Toto Tuesdays

“Manuela Run” contains all the Toto factors already discussed in this series, and adds in lead vocals by writer David Paich. Interestingly, the song may be the weakest one on side one, yet “Manuela Run” is hardly weak.

Paich, my second favorite Toto vocalist (who’s my favorite? You’ll have to wait 5 more albums to get to him) has a quirky vocal affectation, almost in an anti-Michael McDonald style. His enunciation and diction are exaggerated to emphasize words and syllables. While David Paich’s range in not dramatically different than that of Steve Lukather’s, they differ in their vocal delivery.

<<< BACKWARD (“Georgy Porgy”) ||| ONWARD (“You are the Flower”) >>>

“Manuela Run” seems almost to be a conventional tale of the pursuit of love and success, adding in the element of the big city’s grind on poor little Manuela. Then again, maybe in pop music storytelling, this isn’t conventional — as Paich covers a lot a ground in in less than four minutes. Add into the mix a guitar-hero solo from Steve Lukather (on any other album, it would be a highlight but compared to his other work on this album, hardly gets a notice), effective drum fills and swirling synthesizer washes and perhaps “Manuela Run” has too much of a good thing in one song.

Then again perhaps the songs on Toto’s debut album are so good that a high bar can’t always be exceeded. Does the Bobby Kimball composition “You are the Flower” clear that bar? We will discuss that in two weeks.

Preston Frazier’s new Toto Tuesdays is a song-by-song feature that will explore the rich musical history of Toto. In 2015, the group returns with ‘Toto XIV,’ their first album since 2006.

Preston Frazier

One Comment

  1. Love this series Preston…you are taking me back. Love the screen door slam at the end of the song…nice touch.