Mindfields is the tenth studio album (though counted as the 11th album overall — see Toto XIV) by the American rock band Toto. It was released in Europe and Japan in March 1999, followed by a US release on November 16, 1999. Mindfields saw the return of vocalist Bobby Kimball, who had departed the band in 1984 during recording sessions for the Isolation album.
Recording
The band began recording the album on August 10, 1998[4]. This came after a reunion tour with former lead singers Bobby Kimball and Joseph Williams earlier that year to celebrate their 20th anniversary and Toto XX album. Although the band decided on Kimball, Williams did contribute as co-writer of the song "Mad About You". As of December 3, 1998, the album was being mixed and the cover art was being designed.[4] Release dates were also set but pushed back as they grew closer. The album was eventually released across Europe beginning the first week of March 1999.[5]
The album received mixed reviews from critics. Michael Gallucci of AllMusic wrote: "Overlong, overwrought, and devoid of personality, this incredibly dull world-view update of Toto's crassly professional sound manages to pillage several cultures at once without contributing a single song worth remembering. The playing is tight—as you would expect from a bunch of studio session musicians—but all the skills in the world can't liven these 14 plodding tracks."[6]
3 Track 1 ("Cruel") and 12 ("After You've Gone") switched places 4 Track 13 ("Better World") was originally titled "Better World (Parts I, II and III)" 5 Track 14 ("Spanish Steps") was originally titled "Spanish Steps of Rome"
↑"Official Toto News Archive". Archived from the original on December 6, 1998. Retrieved December 22, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
12Petra + Mark Regemann, e-mail: ninetynine@toto99.com. "TOTO Hot News". www.toto99.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 1998. Retrieved December 22, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
↑Petra + Mark Regemann, e-mail: ninetynine@toto99.com. "TOTO Hot News". www.toto99.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 1999. Retrieved December 22, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)