Customer Reviews

Fahrenheit

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fahrenheit is a beautiful Toto album. And that's really saying a lot. Another Amazon reviewer summed up Fahrenheit perfectly: "Summer and romance" - that really says everything you need to know. There's a certain romantic mystique, a kind of autumn-like, gorgeous ethereal quality to this album that I really only find on this album and to a certain extent "The Seventh One". It really encapsulates the late 80's with beautiful ambiance, perfect instrument dynamics, incredible grooves that turns on a dime. There's also an hint of sadness in the romance, listen to I'll be over you, listen to Somewhere, tonight...it's there - the classic sweet sorrow. Some parts are so ambient and soulful it almost makes you cry - listen to the end of "Lea" with those gorgeous Don Henley backing vocals at the end. Listen to "Could this be love", with those amazing dead-on chorus backing vocals, and gorgeous ending modulations - and feel yourself recapture that youthful first love, that first crush, those first sensations you perhaps never knew you had, or thought you had forgotten. The summer side of the album is equally timeless even though it captures the era perfectly - the title track is classic 1980's and you picture yourself cruising down the street in some empty town with the head rising from the pavement. Listen to "We can make it Tonight" and feel yourself transported back to those halcyon summer nights with a (real or imagined) first love, the innocence that faded long ago. It's all right there, in those blistering, emotional tracks. However, as always with Toto, don't mistake happiness and hopefulness with shallowness - there's always that undercurrent of thoughtfulness and restraint, a perfectionist's attention to taste and penchant for balance. This is mature pop/rock by unparalleled master musicians, evoking images and feelings you never knew you had - or thought you hade lost long ago. Part of the magic is of course in no small part due to the soulful huskiness and emotion of then new vocalist Joseph Williams, as well as the ambient and somewhat restrained playing of Steve Lukather. Part of it is also the organic quality of the added percussion and layered keys. And in the big picture it all works. Everything just works perfectly and flows from start to finish, in a very organic, spiritual and cohesive way - from the opening Jeff Porcaro snare crack to the final Miles Davis saxophone trails. Yes, Fahrenheit is that good. If you want the perfect album to pop into your car's CD player as you drive out on the road this summer, or any summer - Fahrenheit has it all. Or, to put it another way: You may love Isolation or The Seventh One, but you'll fall in love with Fahrenheit.

This was truly a change in direction for this remarkable band. Gone were many of the guitars on the previous album, the also-underrated "Isolation". Present was much more keyboard and a general pop focus. While I slightly prefer the rock side of Toto, the bottom line is that the musicianship here is still excellent. "I'll Be Over You" is one of many fantastic Steve Lukather-sung ballads that was a reasonably big hit. "Without Your Love" was a minor hit but is a smooth, nice song. "Till The End" is a catchy leadoff to the album, and "Could This Be Love" is also quite catchy. Other reviewers have talked about the jazzy instrumental "Don't Stop Me Now", which I agree is a unique classy ending to the album. The only song that I find a little flat is the slow ballad "Lea", but it still isn't bad. All in all, a very fine pop album that is a worthy addition to any Toto fan's collection.

Although I still give this album 5 stars, as far as TOTO standards go it really only deserves 4. This is not because there are any poor tracks, but simply because the diversity of styles that the band members are capable of are not sufficiently explored here, and the album is practically drowning in ballads.

On an album with 10 tracks there are only three that could be considered uptempo which means the album is missing some of the vitality that makes TOTO the best band around. That's not to say that the ballads aren't good, in fact they are uniformly excellent. It's just a shame there are so many of them. Still, if you know TOTO primarily for their ballads, and like that then this is an excellent album to have in your collection.

Joesph Williams makes his debut as lead vocalist here, and does a fine job, although personally (and I acknowledge I'm in the minority) I prefer his predecessor Fergie Frederiksen (who, surprisingly, contributes backing vocals to one of the best cuts "Could This Be Love"). The musicianship of the other band members is flawless as ever, and they are joined by an array of guests ranging from Michael McDonald and Don Henley to David Sanborn and Miles Davis.

This really is a very good album, but TOTO are at their best when they rock out, and that does not happen here.

Toto's "Fahrenheit" is NOT a bad album, not at all! It's very melodic, and if you ask me, the album where Steve Porcaro gets to perform a lot. Well, actually, this is their album where all three of the Porcaro brothers gets to play to the limit. This is also the new singer Joseph William's first album out of two and he does a wonderul job! I can see my self in an 80's bar listening to this stuff on the radio, it's that kind of music if you ask me. Steve P makes this CD just like any other music from the 80's - SYNTH! "We can make it Tonight" and "Fahrenheit" is very harmonic and is summermusic, you know this special music from the 80's that fits SO good to the summer, just like taken from the movie Beverly Hills Cop, doesn't it?! Fahrenheit is a mixture of romance and summer. On the romance side we've got "Could this be Love", "I'll be over you" and "Lea" amongst others, and we've already gone through the summerside. The lyrics on this cd really makes you think. It's not very deep, but spelled out. We have all been in his situation in "Could this be love" - you're in love with someone that already has a boy- och girlfriend. There is also an instrumental track - "Don't stop me now", which has turned out great a couple of years later with bridge-lyrics. What else, let's see...it's hard, it's a great CD with good vibes but with bad reviews and credit. The only song that sounds a bit of the same all the time is "Without your Love", where Mike Porcaro has the main responsability. Wanna know the fun thing? This is Toto's worst album, but it is still a WONDERFUL and BEAUTIFUL album! That says a lot about Toto, I think. Released in 1986, it STILL rocks!

Toto's best album ever with super track "Till the End" and beautiful ballad "I'll Be Over You". I'm proud to have this CD. I love it.

Like all ToTo albums, this one is a GREAT one. Be careful, there's real music inside.

"Who cares, what the cynics say", the ballad "Lea" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

After the departures of Bobby Kimball and Fergie Fredriksen, Toto was hard up for a lead singer. Enter Joe Williams, son of legendary composer John Williams. Joe's smooth lyrical ability and distinct sound (almost a combination of the previous two) gives Fahrenheit a very unique sound, but definitely in a good way. Definitely worth a listen!

Toto's musical fame was too short lived for me. They got alot of exposure from MTV, when albums were still selling. But alot of their terriffic music never got played. I realized I missed their sound. So I did a search on Amazon. Well I found what I was looking for. Great CD, alone or combine on playlist with Billy Ocean, Sade, Cars, and alike.
Dave

This was the 2nd Toto album I purchased (IV). For me it demonstrates a commitment to a fantastic album thathas only been reproduced n their latest effort, Falling In Between (a must have). Fahrenheit, though, has paich and S. Porcaro at their perfect best on the boards. The complex yet not overbearing keyboard parts are accents to incredibly strong Williams vocals and Lukather guitars. As always Porcaro on bass and the late Jeff on drums continue to amaze and make this an album that makes you hit "repeat" on the CD player. Williams is even better here than on 7th. This album has a fuller feel than the others with more variations, from a very soft Lea to a jazzy / fusion effort on Till the End and Somewhere Tonight. Without Your Love and I can't Stand It Any Longer are very strong and infectious.

Get this CD, turn the lights down and listen twice. A complete effort from the best band in the world.

After listening to this album a few times in my car, I was asking for more. It made me want to get out there and see what jazz was all about. A great album if you drop your expectations and just listen to it a few times. I first heard this album on a friends tape and had no idea who the band was. I started asking around and finally found out. I suspected it was Toto. Before the internet became a thing, finding tune info was not that easy.