Whispering Jack
Encyclopedia
Whispering Jack is the twelfth studio album by Australian adult contemporary pop
singer John Farnham
. It was produced by Ross Fraser, and released on 20 October 1986, which peaked at #1 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Album Charts. Whispering Jack has become the highest selling album in Australia; as of 2006, it was 24x platinum indicating sales of over 1.68 million copies sold. It spent 25 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Album Charts during 1986–1987, it was awarded the 1987 ARIA Award
for "Album of the Year", and was the best charting album in Australia for the decade of the 1980s in Australia. It was the first Australian-made album to be released on Compact Disc
within Australia. One of Farnham's biggest hits, "You're the Voice
" was issued as the lead single from this album and peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report Singles Charts.
Prior to this album, Farnham's career had stalled after being recruited and then leaving as lead singer of Australia's Little River Band
. Farnham's manager, Glenn Wheatley
, mortgaged his home to raise funds for the recording of this album. After initial reluctance by major Australian radio stations to play the lead single, "You're the Voice", public demand became overwhelming and they relented. The song became one of the standout Number One songs on the Australian Charts of the 1980s and still remains a staple of Australian Radio. Whispering Jack re-started Farnham's career and kept it rolling across two more decades. On 21 November 2006, Whispering Jack was re-released to celebrate its 20th Anniversary, which came with a bonus track, an extended studio version of "Pressure Down" and with a DVD of the edited 1987 Whispering Jack Live in Concert televised performance.
, who was bass guitar
ist of rock group The Masters Apprentices
, when both acts were managed
by Darryl Sambell. From the mid-1970s, Farnham had moved into television, stage and cabaret entertainment. Wheatley, who was already managing Little River Band
(LRB), signed Farnham to his company in 1980. They decided Farnham's comeback single would be a reworking of The Beatles
' "Help!
", which was produced by LRB's Graeham Goble
, it peaked at No. 8 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Singles Chart. Farnham was utilising a more adult contemporary pop
style and the associated album, Uncovered, was also produced by Goble, which peaked at No. 20 on the Kent Music Report Album Charts. The B-side of "Help" was Farnham's song writing effort, "Jillie's Song", co-written with Goble. In recording the album, Farnham's studio band included guitar
ist Tommy Emmanuel
(ex-Southern Star Band), keyboardist
Mal Logan (ex-Renée Geyer Band
, LRB), drummer
Derek Pellicci (LRB) and bass guitar
ist Barry Sullivan (ex-Chain
). They became his tour band until Logan and Pellicci returned to their LRB commitments and were replaced by Sam McNally and David Jones respectively. Three other solo singles followed in 1981 but none charted into the Top 50. In February 1982, after Glenn Shorrock
had departed Little River Band, Farnham became their lead vocalist with recommendations by Goble and Wheatley.
In 1985, Farnham had started collecting a songlist for a future solo album while still in Little River Band, he finished his vocals for their album, No Reins, and left the band late that year. Farnham's first solo performances since 1981 were live shows with the John Farnham Band consisting of Brett Garsed
on lead guitar, Sam See on guitar and Derek Pellicci, formerly of Little River Band, on drums. In early 1986, sound engineer
Ross Fraser suggested to Wheatley that it was time to start working on the solo album. Wheatley searched vainly for a producer and record label willing to work with Farnham, Fraser took on the producer
role and Wheatley provided financial support after mortgaging his house.
Whilst visiting a jazz club in the US, Farnham was mistakenly introduced as Jack Phantom, and when he subsequently provided a running commentary for a local pool game he named himself Whispering Jack Phantom after the Pot Black
commentator 'Whispering' Ted Lowe
. Farnham's work for the album, Whispering Jack, included expanding his song list with Fraser's advice. "A Touch of Paradise" was written by Gulliver Smith and Mondo Rock
's Ross Wilson, while "Pressure Down" was provided by Harry Bogdanovs. Two weeks before the album was due to be recorded a demo tape arrived from London with similar material to "Pressure Down", Farnham and Fraser listened to the demo of "You're the Voice
" and knew they had found a once-in-a-lifetime song. Another song on offer was "We Built This City
" but Farnham knocked it back, it was later recorded by US band Starship.
Initially, public interest in the re-branded former teen-idol was difficult to cultivate, and radio stations refused to play Farnham's album. Things however started to change after Sydney
radio station 2Day FM
played its first single, "You're the Voice", which was released in September 1986. Henceforth, radio stations began receiving requests for the song. Its television debut was on Hey Hey Its Saturday with Skyhook
's Greg Macainsh providing bass guitar. "You're the Voice," peaked at No. 1 in Sweden and Australia, as well as being a Top Ten hit in some European countries: No. 3 in Switzerland, No. 6 in the UK, and No. 6 in Austria. The song was written by Andy Qunta (ex-Icehouse
), Keith Reid
(Procol Harum
), Maggie Ryder
and Chris Thompson (ex-Manfred Mann's Earth Band
).
Whispering Jack, released in October, became the highest-selling album by an Australian act in Australia, and peaked at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Album Charts for a total of 25 weeks. As of 2006, it was 24x platinum indicating sales of over 1.68 million units in Australia alone. The album was released internationally on RCA
/BMG
and peaked at No. 1 in Sweden, No. 3 in Austria, and Top 20 in Norway. In August 1988 it returned to the Australian Top Ten. Other Australian singles were December's "Pressure Down", which peaked at No. 4, March 1987's "Touch of Paradise" and October's "Reasons".
Farnham followed with Jack's Back Tour, an initial itinerary of eleven performances was thought to be enough considering they were up against tours by Michael Jackson
and Billy Joel
, but after high ticket sales, it was extended by eight more shows and use of larger venues. At that time, Jack's Back Tour was the highest grossing tour by an Australian act. John Farnham Band now consisted of Garsed on lead guitar, David Hirschfelder
on keyboards (ex-Little River Band), Macainsh on bass and Angus Burchill on drums. Farnham won six of the inaugural 1987
Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards
for 'Album of the Year', 'Single of the Year', 'Highest Selling Album', 'Highest Selling Single', 'Best Male Artist' and 'Best Adult Contemporary Album'. On 19 July 1987, TV series Countdown broadcast its last show, the 1986 Countdown Music and Video Awards with Farnham winning the 'Best Album Award' for Whispering Jack. In October 2010, Whispering Jack (1986) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
.
In 2011 Farnham announced a national tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Whispering Jack, including the album being performed in its entirety in track order.
Disc Two ("Whispering Jack Live in Concert" DVD)
Additional musicians
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
singer John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
. It was produced by Ross Fraser, and released on 20 October 1986, which peaked at #1 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Album Charts. Whispering Jack has become the highest selling album in Australia; as of 2006, it was 24x platinum indicating sales of over 1.68 million copies sold. It spent 25 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the Album Charts during 1986–1987, it was awarded the 1987 ARIA Award
ARIA Music Awards of 1987
The First Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 2 March 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Elton John as the host. Presenters of the 20 awards included, Slim Dusty, Basia Bonkowski and Donnie Sutherland, the ceremony was not televised...
for "Album of the Year", and was the best charting album in Australia for the decade of the 1980s in Australia. It was the first Australian-made album to be released on Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
within Australia. One of Farnham's biggest hits, "You're the Voice
You're the Voice
As a lead promotion for their first live album Rock the House Live! in 1991, US rock band Heart released their live version of "You're the Voice" as a single. It was captured during the US leg of their Brigade world tour in November 1990...
" was issued as the lead single from this album and peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report Singles Charts.
Prior to this album, Farnham's career had stalled after being recruited and then leaving as lead singer of Australia's Little River Band
Little River Band
Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...
. Farnham's manager, Glenn Wheatley
Glenn Wheatley
Glenn Dawson Wheatley is an Australian artist manager and entertainment industry executive.Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s and in the late 1960s became nationally famous as a member of leading pop-rock band The Masters Apprentices...
, mortgaged his home to raise funds for the recording of this album. After initial reluctance by major Australian radio stations to play the lead single, "You're the Voice", public demand became overwhelming and they relented. The song became one of the standout Number One songs on the Australian Charts of the 1980s and still remains a staple of Australian Radio. Whispering Jack re-started Farnham's career and kept it rolling across two more decades. On 21 November 2006, Whispering Jack was re-released to celebrate its 20th Anniversary, which came with a bonus track, an extended studio version of "Pressure Down" and with a DVD of the edited 1987 Whispering Jack Live in Concert televised performance.
Background
John Farnham had been a teen pop idol during the 1960s and 1970s, he met Glenn WheatleyGlenn Wheatley
Glenn Dawson Wheatley is an Australian artist manager and entertainment industry executive.Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s and in the late 1960s became nationally famous as a member of leading pop-rock band The Masters Apprentices...
, who was bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist of rock group The Masters Apprentices
The Masters Apprentices
The Masters Apprentices were an Australian rock band fronted by mainstay Jim Keays on lead vocals, which formed in 1965 in Adelaide, South Australia, relocated to Melbourne in February 1967 and attempted to break into the United Kingdom market from 1970, before disbanding in 1972...
, when both acts were managed
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
by Darryl Sambell. From the mid-1970s, Farnham had moved into television, stage and cabaret entertainment. Wheatley, who was already managing Little River Band
Little River Band
Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...
(LRB), signed Farnham to his company in 1980. They decided Farnham's comeback single would be a reworking of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Help!
Help! (song)
"Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom....
", which was produced by LRB's Graeham Goble
Graeham Goble
Graeham George Goble is a musician, singer/songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of rock performers Little River Band ....
, it peaked at No. 8 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Singles Chart. Farnham was utilising a more adult contemporary pop
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
style and the associated album, Uncovered, was also produced by Goble, which peaked at No. 20 on the Kent Music Report Album Charts. The B-side of "Help" was Farnham's song writing effort, "Jillie's Song", co-written with Goble. In recording the album, Farnham's studio band included guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel
William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel AM is an Australian guitarist, best known for his complex fingerpicking style, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In the May 2008 and 2010 issues of Guitar Player Magazine, he was named as "Best Acoustic Guitarist" in their...
(ex-Southern Star Band), keyboardist
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Mal Logan (ex-Renée Geyer Band
Renée Geyer
Renée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and...
, LRB), drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Derek Pellicci (LRB) and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist Barry Sullivan (ex-Chain
Chain (band)
Chain are an Australian blues band formed in Melbourne as The Chain in late 1968 with a lineup including guitarist, vocalist Phil Manning; they are sometimes known as Matt Taylor's Chain after lead singer-songwriter and harmonica player, Matt Taylor...
). They became his tour band until Logan and Pellicci returned to their LRB commitments and were replaced by Sam McNally and David Jones respectively. Three other solo singles followed in 1981 but none charted into the Top 50. In February 1982, after Glenn Shorrock
Glenn Shorrock
Glenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of pop groups The Twilights, Axiom and Little River Band as well as being a solo performer....
had departed Little River Band, Farnham became their lead vocalist with recommendations by Goble and Wheatley.
In 1985, Farnham had started collecting a songlist for a future solo album while still in Little River Band, he finished his vocals for their album, No Reins, and left the band late that year. Farnham's first solo performances since 1981 were live shows with the John Farnham Band consisting of Brett Garsed
Brett Garsed
Brett Garsed is an Australian guitar player. He plays with, among others, John Farnham and T. J. Helmerich and is a former member of the band Nelson...
on lead guitar, Sam See on guitar and Derek Pellicci, formerly of Little River Band, on drums. In early 1986, sound engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Ross Fraser suggested to Wheatley that it was time to start working on the solo album. Wheatley searched vainly for a producer and record label willing to work with Farnham, Fraser took on the producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
role and Wheatley provided financial support after mortgaging his house.
Whilst visiting a jazz club in the US, Farnham was mistakenly introduced as Jack Phantom, and when he subsequently provided a running commentary for a local pool game he named himself Whispering Jack Phantom after the Pot Black
Pot Black
Pot Black was a British series of snooker tournaments televised by BBC, that played a large part in the popularisation of the modern game, from 1969 to 1986. The event was revived in the form of several one-off tournaments throughout the 1990s and up to 2007...
commentator 'Whispering' Ted Lowe
Ted Lowe
Edwin Charles Ernest Lowe, MBE , known as Ted Lowe, was an English snooker commentator for the BBC. His unmistakably husky, hushed tones earned him the nickname "Whispering Ted".-Life and career:...
. Farnham's work for the album, Whispering Jack, included expanding his song list with Fraser's advice. "A Touch of Paradise" was written by Gulliver Smith and Mondo Rock
Mondo Rock
Mondo Rock is a rock band from Melbourne, Australia, most prominent in the early 1980s. The band was formed in late 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Ross Wilson.-Early years: 1976–1979:...
's Ross Wilson, while "Pressure Down" was provided by Harry Bogdanovs. Two weeks before the album was due to be recorded a demo tape arrived from London with similar material to "Pressure Down", Farnham and Fraser listened to the demo of "You're the Voice
You're the Voice
As a lead promotion for their first live album Rock the House Live! in 1991, US rock band Heart released their live version of "You're the Voice" as a single. It was captured during the US leg of their Brigade world tour in November 1990...
" and knew they had found a once-in-a-lifetime song. Another song on offer was "We Built This City
We Built This City
"We Built This City" is the title of a song written by Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert, and Peter Wolf, and originally recorded by the American pop rock group Starship and released as its debut single on August 1, 1985....
" but Farnham knocked it back, it was later recorded by US band Starship.
Initially, public interest in the re-branded former teen-idol was difficult to cultivate, and radio stations refused to play Farnham's album. Things however started to change after Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
radio station 2Day FM
2Day FM
Not to be mixed up with Today FM in Ireland.2Day FM is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia, on a frequency of 104.1 MHz, and part of Austereo's Today Network.- Transmission :...
played its first single, "You're the Voice", which was released in September 1986. Henceforth, radio stations began receiving requests for the song. Its television debut was on Hey Hey Its Saturday with Skyhook
Skyhook
Skyhook or sky hook may refer to:- Technology :* Skyhook , explanation of design complexity in the universe that does not build on lower, simpler layers* Skyhook , "hook" used to lift an object on a long cable hanging from the sky...
's Greg Macainsh providing bass guitar. "You're the Voice," peaked at No. 1 in Sweden and Australia, as well as being a Top Ten hit in some European countries: No. 3 in Switzerland, No. 6 in the UK, and No. 6 in Austria. The song was written by Andy Qunta (ex-Icehouse
Icehouse (band)
Icehouse is an Australian rock band, formed as Flowers in 1977 in Sydney. Initially known in Australia for their pub rock style, they later achieved mainstream success playing new wave and synthpop style music and attained Top Ten singles chart success in both Europe and the U.S...
), Keith Reid
Keith Reid
Keith Reid is a songwriter who wrote the lyrics of every Procol Harum song that is not a cover...
(Procol Harum
Procol Harum
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale"...
), Maggie Ryder
Maggie Ryder
Maggie Ryder is an English singer, principally known as a backing singer for bands such as Eurythmics and Queen.Ryder had a solo record deal with Polydor Records in the 1970s and released a self-titled album in 1978. She worked as a backing singer and songwriter through the Eighties...
and Chris Thompson (ex-Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Manfred Mann's Earth Band is a British progressive rock group formed in 1971 by Manfred Mann.-Formation:Having started in the 1960s with a British band that had such hits as "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and "The Mighty Quinn", then moving on to Jazz Fusion with Manfred Mann's Chapter Three, Manfred's third...
).
Whispering Jack, released in October, became the highest-selling album by an Australian act in Australia, and peaked at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
Album Charts for a total of 25 weeks. As of 2006, it was 24x platinum indicating sales of over 1.68 million units in Australia alone. The album was released internationally on RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
/BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
and peaked at No. 1 in Sweden, No. 3 in Austria, and Top 20 in Norway. In August 1988 it returned to the Australian Top Ten. Other Australian singles were December's "Pressure Down", which peaked at No. 4, March 1987's "Touch of Paradise" and October's "Reasons".
Farnham followed with Jack's Back Tour, an initial itinerary of eleven performances was thought to be enough considering they were up against tours by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, but after high ticket sales, it was extended by eight more shows and use of larger venues. At that time, Jack's Back Tour was the highest grossing tour by an Australian act. John Farnham Band now consisted of Garsed on lead guitar, David Hirschfelder
David Hirschfelder
David Hirschfelder is an Australian film score composer and performer.Hirschfelder was born and raised in Ballarat, Victoria....
on keyboards (ex-Little River Band), Macainsh on bass and Angus Burchill on drums. Farnham won six of the inaugural 1987
ARIA Music Awards of 1987
The First Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards was held on 2 March 1987 at the Sheraton Wentworth Hotel in Sydney with Elton John as the host. Presenters of the 20 awards included, Slim Dusty, Basia Bonkowski and Donnie Sutherland, the ceremony was not televised...
Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
for 'Album of the Year', 'Single of the Year', 'Highest Selling Album', 'Highest Selling Single', 'Best Male Artist' and 'Best Adult Contemporary Album'. On 19 July 1987, TV series Countdown broadcast its last show, the 1986 Countdown Music and Video Awards with Farnham winning the 'Best Album Award' for Whispering Jack. In October 2010, Whispering Jack (1986) was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums is a compendium of rock and pop albums of the past 50 years as compiled by music journalists Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell. The book was published on 25 October 2010 by Hardie Grant Books...
.
In 2011 Farnham announced a national tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Whispering Jack, including the album being performed in its entirety in track order.
Track listing
- "Pressure Down" (Harry Bogdanovs) – 3:50
- "You're the VoiceYou're the VoiceAs a lead promotion for their first live album Rock the House Live! in 1991, US rock band Heart released their live version of "You're the Voice" as a single. It was captured during the US leg of their Brigade world tour in November 1990...
" (Andy Qunta, Keith ReidKeith ReidKeith Reid is a songwriter who wrote the lyrics of every Procol Harum song that is not a cover...
, Maggie RyderMaggie RyderMaggie Ryder is an English singer, principally known as a backing singer for bands such as Eurythmics and Queen.Ryder had a solo record deal with Polydor Records in the 1970s and released a self-titled album in 1978. She worked as a backing singer and songwriter through the Eighties...
, Chris Thompson) – 5:04 - "One Step Away" (J Kennett, D Skinner) – 3:36
- "Reasons" (Sam See) – 4:26
- "Going, Going, Gone" (John Farnham, David HirschfelderDavid HirschfelderDavid Hirschfelder is an Australian film score composer and performer.Hirschfelder was born and raised in Ballarat, Victoria....
, Ross Fraser) – 3:33 - "No One Comes Close" (Eric McCusker) – 4:09
- "Love to Shine" (Bogdanovs, K Dee) – 4:01
- "Trouble" (D East) – 3:25
- "A Touch of Paradise" (Ross Wilson, Gulliver Smith) – 4:48
- "Let Me Out" (Farnham) – 4:22
Alternate track listing
- "Pressure Down (remix)" (Bogdanovs) – 3:45
- "You're the Voice (remix)" (Qunta, Reid, Ryder, Thompson) – 5:35
- "A Touch of Paradise (remix)" (Wilson, Smith) – 4:39
- "One Step Away" (Kennett, Skinner) – 3:36
- "Reasons" (See) – 4:26
- "No One Comes Close" (McCusker) – 4:09
- "Love to Shine" (Bogdanovs, Dee) – 4:01
- "Trouble" (East) – 3:25
- "Let Me Out" (Farnham) – 4:22
- "Going, Going, Gone" (Farnham, Hirschfelder, Fraser) – 3:33
20th Anniversary Edition Track listing
Disc One (CD)- "Pressure Down" (Bogdanovs) - 3:50
- "You're the VoiceYou're the VoiceAs a lead promotion for their first live album Rock the House Live! in 1991, US rock band Heart released their live version of "You're the Voice" as a single. It was captured during the US leg of their Brigade world tour in November 1990...
" (Qunta, Reid, Ryder, Thompson) - 5:04 - "One Step Away" (Kennett, Skinner) - 3:36
- "Reasons" (See) - 4:26
- "Going, Going, Gone" (Farnham, Hirschfelder, Fraser) - 3:33
- "No One Comes Close" (McCusker) - 4:09
- "Love to Shine" (Bogdanovs, Dee) - 4:01
- "Trouble" (East) - 3:25
- "A Touch of Paradise" (Wilson, Smith) - 4:48
- "Let Me Out" (Farnham) - 4:22
- "Pressure Down [Extended Version]" (Bogdanovs) - 5:55
Disc Two ("Whispering Jack Live in Concert" DVD)
- "Pressure Down [Live]" (Bogdanovs) - 4:19
- "One Step Away [Live]" (Kennett, Skinner) - 3:35
- "Going, Going, Gone [Live]" (Farnham, Hirschfelder, Fraser) - 3:47
- "Let Me Out [Live]" (Farnham) - 4:21
- "A Touch of Paradise [Live]" (Wilson, Smith) - 5:29
- "When the War Is Over [Live]" (Steve PrestwichSteve Prestwich-External links:* *...
) - 5:33 - "Amazing Grace" [Live](Traditional) - 4:39
- "Reasons [Live]" (See) - 5:14
- "No One Comes Close [Live]" (McCusker) - 4:26
- "Love to Shine [Live]" (Bogdanovs, Dee) - 4:23
- "One [Live]" (H Nilsson) - 5:47
- "Playing to Win [Live]" (Graham Goble, Farnham, Hirschfelder, Stephen Housden, Spencer Proffer, Wayne NelsonWayne NelsonWayne Nelson is an American musician best known for being a member of the famed Australian rock band, Little River Band....
, Prestwich) - 3:08 - "Help!Help! (song)"Help!" is a song by The Beatles that served as the title song for both the 1965 film and its soundtrack album. It was also released as a single, and was number one for three weeks in both the United States and the United Kingdom....
[Live]" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) - 4:58 - "You're the VoiceYou're the VoiceAs a lead promotion for their first live album Rock the House Live! in 1991, US rock band Heart released their live version of "You're the Voice" as a single. It was captured during the US leg of their Brigade world tour in November 1990...
[Live]" (Qunta, Reid, Ryder, Thompson) - 6:13 - "Credits" - 2:06
Personnel
John Farnham band- John FarnhamJohn FarnhamJohn Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
– vocals, drum programs, snappy fingers - Brett GarsedBrett GarsedBrett Garsed is an Australian guitar player. He plays with, among others, John Farnham and T. J. Helmerich and is a former member of the band Nelson...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - David HirschfelderDavid HirschfelderDavid Hirschfelder is an Australian film score composer and performer.Hirschfelder was born and raised in Ballarat, Victoria....
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, drum programs, snappy fingers
Additional musicians
- Rozzi Bazzani – backing vocals
- Sandy Weeks – backing vocals
- Helen Cornish – backing vocals
- Penny Dyer – backing vocals
- Colin Setches – backing vocals
- Mal Stainton – backing vocals
- Nikki Nicholls - backing vocals
- Ross Fraser – drum programs, snappy fingers
- Wickow – snappy fingers
- Dougie – low moans
Chart positions
| Chart (1986–1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
1 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 2 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
12 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 3 |