Far Corporation

Producer Frank Farian originated Far Corporation by gathering an assortment of German session musicians with several prominent rock performers, among them veterans from Toto. Farian, already established through his late-'70s and early-'80s work helming Boney M. and his subsequent association with Milli Vanilli, recruited players from his prior studio projects and initially called the ensemble Frank Farian Corporation before shortening the name for releases. Guitarist Steve Lukather, keyboardist David Paich, and vocalist Bobby Kimball—all recognized from Toto—joined drummer Simon Phillips, whose résumé included Jeff Beck and Pete Townshend, plus singer Robin McAuley. The resulting supergroup’s first album, Division One, appeared in spring 1986 and relied mainly on outside songs, among them a version of Free’s “Fire and Water.” Far Corporation’s rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” however, drew the project’s modest attention. That track secured the group a footnote in music trivia when it edged onto the lower reaches of the U.S. singles chart and momentarily reached the U.K. Top Ten, marking the classic’s first appearance on any chart because Led Zeppelin had never issued the song commercially. Nearly ten years passed before the collective returned with Solitude in 1994, an album that attracted scant notice beyond devoted followers of Toto’s skilled musicians.