Toto, “Maiden Voyage / Butterfly” from ‘Through the Looking Glass’ (2002): Toto Tuesdays

Toto instrumentals are a rarified thing, yet always a delight. The band’s cover of Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” from his 1965 album of the same name is no exception.

The band’s arrangement does not differ too much from the original. Steve Lukather’s chorus effects on guitar replace the horns; Simon Phillips’ percussion programming is subtle yet enhances the mood. David Paich, always the master of subtlety, provides piano passages which are wholly fitting of the song.

Phillips’ combination of styles is equally effective. The Lukather and Paich solo sections are also dramatic in terms of their use of subtle textures and shades.

“Maiden Voyage / Butterfly” is one of the strongest covers on 2002’s Through the Looking Glass. Too bad the band didn’t consider an album of all-instrumental covers.

Toto Tuesdays is a multi-writer song-by-song feature that explores the band’s rich musical history. Click here for an archive of earlier entries.

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Preston Frazier

Preston M. Frazier is a bass-playing lawyer living in Atlanta. He is the author of the books 'Shade of Living Colour,' 'Toto: The Band, Not the Dog' and 'Yes Indeed: Tales of Yes Without Jon Anderson.' Frazier hosts the music-focused Slang of Ages Podcast and regularly writes about his favorite music on slangofages.com. He can be reached at [email protected]; follow him on Bluesky @slangofagespodcast@bsky and YouTube @slangofagespodcast.

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