Toto – Fahrenheit (Jewel Case CD)

FOR TOTO THERE has never been a dull moment. Having experienced huge success with their debut album, followed immediately by two great but lesser performing records, the band hit the motherload with ‘Toto IV’, a work that propelled them into the upper echelons of superstardom, selling over three million copies and winning an unprecedented six Grammy awards. Life looked sweet, but it all came crashing down with the departure of original lead vocalist Bobby Kimball. The band’s attempt to piece things back together resulted in a commercially underperforming follow up album, ‘Isolation’, featuring new singer Fergie Frederiksen. So, it was back to the drawing board for album #6, a record that saw the appointment of yet another replacement vocalist, Joseph Williams. One thing however did not change; Toto’s sound was very much cut from the same fine cloth, the members keen to protect their signature sound at all costs. ‘Fahrenheit’, originally released in 1986, is a strong, some might say jubilant, return to form, harnessing much of the style and sophistication that won them such a committed following in the first instance. Tracks such as ‘We Can Make It Tonight’, ‘Can’t Stand It Any Longer’ and the hit single ‘I’ll Be Over You’ demonstrate that the band had no intention of letting standards slip. Look out too for some remarkable guest performances from Miles Davis, Michael McDonald and Glen Frey.