Far Corporation were a multi-national band created by German

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Frank Farian Frank Farian (born Franz Reuther; 18 July 1941) is a German record producer, musician, singer and songwriter, who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the Latin pop band No Mercy and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequently created voc ...

, who created the bands

Boney M. Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...

and

Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut album, ''All or Nothing'' in Europe, reconfigured as ''Girl You Know It's True'' in ...

. The name was shortened from "Frank Farian Corporation", which was originally put together to record a cover of the Paul Simon piece "

Mother and Child Reunion "Mother and Child Reunion" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was the lead single from his second studio album, ''Paul Simon'' (1972), released on Columbia Records. Background It was at the time one of the few songs by a ...

" as a charity record and reached the top 10 in several European countries. That group's lineup included members of Barclay James Harvest, Toto,

Boney M Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...

and Force Majeure. Far Corporation's primary claim to fame is their cover of " Stairway to Heaven". Contrary to public perception, Far Corporation was actually the first group to make the singles charts with this song as

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

had never released it as a single. In fact, it was the only version of the song that charted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching #89 in October 1986. Some of the musicians Farian assembled included vocalist

Robin McAuley Robin McAuley (born 20 January 1953) is an Irish singer. He is best known as the vocalist for the rock band McAuley Schenker Group from 1986 to 1993, which saw the band release three studio albums: '' Perfect Timing'', '' Save Yourself'', '' M.S ...

, vocalist Henry Gorman, drummers Curt Cress and Peter Bold, and three members of Toto: vocalist Bobby Kimball, keyboardist David Paich, and guitarist Steve Lukather. Far Corporation released its first album ''Division One'' in 1985 on IMP/ATCO Records and their cover of "Stairway to Heaven" reached #8 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It also reached #9 in Ireland and the following year peaked at #16 in South Africa and number 23 in Australia. Also included on the album was a cover of Free's "Fire and Water" (their second single). The band was promoted by a full playback performance at German tv

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

in the show "Rockpop". The show was also attended by Robert Plant, who backstage congratulated

for his great performance. Some rehearsal shots were used for Puma sportswear commercials underlyied by "

Live is Life "Live Is Life" is a 1984 song by Austrian pop rock band Opus. It was released as the first single from their first live album, ''Live Is Life'' (1984), and was also included on the US version of their fourth studio album, '' Up and Down'' (1984 ...

" hit of the Austrian band

Opus ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

making the impression of FAR Corporation performing the Opus hit. A second album, ''Advantage'' was completed for a 1987 release, heralded by the new single "One by One". Both this as well as the second single - a cover of

Cockney Rebel Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel are a British glam rock band from the early 1970s from London. Their music covers a range of styles from pop to progressive rock. Over the years they have had five albums in the UK Albums Chart and twelve singles in ...

's " Sebastian" - failed to reach the charts, and the album was eventually scrapped. Two years later, another complete track, "She's Back Again", appeared on the soundtrack to the German TV show "Blaues Blut" in 1989. Two of the album's lost recordings, "Make Believe" and "Big Brother", surfaced as Bobby Kimball duets on Farian artist Jayne (Collins)'s ''Ambush in the Night'' album (1989) and

's second album '' The Moment of Truth'' (1991). The rest, bar "One by One", were recycled along with a few new recordings on the group's second release, 1994's ''Solitude'' on MCI-BMG. This time they were joined by former

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...

and 21 Guns guitarist

Scott Gorham William Scott Gorham (born March 17, 1951) is an American guitarist and songwriter who is one of the "twin lead guitarists" for the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. Although not a founding member of Thin Lizzy, he served a continuous membership afte ...

; included on the album was a cover of the 21 Guns song "Just a Wish". Mostly assembled in honour of Farian's 25 years anniversary as a producer, the album failed to repeat the success of "Stairway to Heaven".

Discography

*''Division One'' (1985) #" Stairway to Heaven" (

cover) – 9:34 #"You Are the Woman" – 4:33 #"One of Your Lovers" – 3:44 #"Live Inside Your Dreams" – 3:32 #"Johnny, Don't Go the Distance" – 6:34 #"Fire and Water" ( Free cover) – 3:55 #"If You Could See You Through My Eyes" – 3:48 #"No One Else Will Do" – 3:30 #"Rock 'N' Roll Connection" – 3:36 *''Advantage'' (1987) - Unreleased album #"One by One" – 4:24 #" Sebastian" (

cover) – 6:03 #"You Never Have to Say You Love Me" – 3:40 #"She's Back Again" – 4:18 #"Make Believe" #"Big Brother" *''Solitude'' (1994) #"Rainy Days" – 4:40 #"She's Back Again" – 4:18 #"Solitude" – 4:52 #"You Never Have to Say You Love Me" – 3:21 #"Full Moon" – 4:05 #"

Rikki Don't Lose That Number "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" is a single released in 1974 by rock/jazz rock group Steely Dan and the opening track of their third album ''Pretzel Logic''. It was the most successful single of the group's career, peaking at number 4 on the ''B ...

" ( Steely Dan cover) – 4:10 #"Just a Wish" ( 21 Guns cover) – 4:15 #"Hole in the Air" – 3:38 #"Sebastian" (Cockney Rebel cover) – 6:03 #"You Change My Life" – 3:55 #"(Bonus Track) One of Your Lovers emix '94 – 3:49 #"(Bonus Track) Stairway to Heaven emix '94 – 8:46

References

External links

*
Far Corporation @ MusicMight
{{Authority control British rock music groups British supergroups Musical groups established in 1985 Musical groups disestablished in 1994 Rock music supergroups 1985 establishments in the United Kingdom