John Farnham - Whispering Jack

1986 solo album for the ex-Little River Band vocalist and Australia's most successful solo artist, on stage and on record. 'Whispering Jack' is the first record to sell one million copies in Australia. Includes the hit singles, 'You're theVoice', 'Pressure Down' and 'A Touch of Paradise'. Standardjewel case. Album Description

 Standing the test of time
John Farnham has been a huge force in the Australian music scene for decades, though he's little known in the United States. After going the garage band and cabaret route in the 1960s, he joined the Little River Band as lead vocalist in the early '80s.

"Whispering Jack," first released in 1986, was his spectacular return to solo performing. There was a wonderful VHS from his "Jack's Back Tour" that everyone in New Zealand and Australia wore out at least once; the one heartbreak is that the most fabulous performance on the VHS was "Amazing Grace," which was NOT one of the tracks on the audio version. I'd give anything to see that performance again -- and if I were in Australia I COULD since "Whispering Jack (20th Anniversary CD / DVD Edition)" was released there in late 2006 -- but right now I can't play PAL format and that's all I've been able to find.

Still, the CD delights me, even without "Amazing Grace." Yes, I replaced the audio tape with the CD and still listen to it almost every week. The haunting and challenging "You're the Voice" is the showpiece, but "No One Comes Close" always rocks me ("Of all the lovers I've ever known, you stand alone / No one comes close to you"), as does "Touch of Paradise."

Farnham's vocals stand the test of time. As for the production, there's a hint of mid-'80s garage band flamboyance about it -- and why not? That's the reality of it. But every note, every chord of this CD is special to me still.

Linda Bulger, 2008 January 9, 2008

 Whispers of an Archangel of Music
This was John Farnham's first album in his solo career and this album really sold his kind of music to the worldwide public. Every song is a true gem. If I could give it more stars I would. These songs are truly his hit songs. Farnham's 'You're the Voice' and 'A Touch Of Paradise' are his two best songs he has ever created.
He truly is the Archangel of Australian pop music, the king of the pop genre here in Australia. Believe me, every song is great. This is truly a release that is more than a Whisper, it is a epiphany of musical magic February 17, 2005

 A Whisper is still TOO LOUD
Man, I must be the only person in Australia who dislikes this album.

Overblown, overproduced and overhyped, I really couldn't stand it in the eighties because of the eighties production values and it has not improved with age. I cannot understand the reverence with which it is held. It just sounds lame to me. I reckon all of Farnham's stuff is uniformally weak and this is no exception. Buy it if you will, but I can't stand a bar of it.

Cheers folks, nonetheless. March 31, 2004

 Glad I bought it!
Once upon a time there was a record store that so believed in certain newly released albumns, it guaranteed if you didn't like it you could return it for a full refund. Whispering Jack was one of those albumns, I bought it and you couldn't have paid me any sum of money to return it, it was that good! This albumn is one of my all time favorites and I am so glad it has been released on CD. Unlike most pop CDs which only have one, maybe three good songs on them, this CD is filled with good songs, memorable music and catchy lyrics. March 16, 2004

 An 80s classic album
This album was the making of John Farnham the solo artist, and almost succeeded in erasing the memories of his 60s hit "Sadie The Cleaning Lady". Full of powerful, superb songs which were cleverly orchestrated, the biggest advantage is that they show off his amazing voice. His most popular hit "You're The Voice" went on to top the charts for some time, and since then he has often been refered to simply as 'The Voice', which is a fitting tribute to his skills as a singer. Well loved in both Australia and New Zealand, he is relatively unknown in the US, which is a great pity - his brand of passionate rock should have been lapped up in the States if he had ever managed to get the right sort of publicity there, but it was not to be. As a live artist he is one of the most entertaining I have ever seen - cracking jokes with the audience and really creating a buzz amongst the crowd. If you must buy only one John Farnham album, make it this one - then you will probably want to follow it up with another (and that one should be 'Chain Reaction'). December 17, 2003

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