John Farnham’s Whispering Jack album turns 40 — ABC News Australia

Australia marks 40 years since the release of singer John Farnham’s album Whispering Jack. The 1986 record topped the Australian charts for 25 weeks and returned the performer, whose career had previously been losing momentum, to the ranks of the country’s most popular artists, ABC News Australia reports.

The album’s key track was the song You’re The Voice, which became an unofficial anthem and is still played in pubs, stadiums and at festivals. The album’s success was also supported by the singles Pressure Down, A Touch of Paradise and Reasons.

A final attempt at a comeback

Farnham gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s under the name Johnny Farnham. His song Sadie (The Cleaning Lady) became the best-selling Australian single of the 1960s. Later, musical tastes changed and the performer’s commercial success declined. He worked in musical theatre and television and was also the frontman of Little River Band, but this period did not deliver the expected breakthrough.

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By 1985, many industry representatives believed that Farnham’s greatest successes were already behind him. His manager Glenn Wheatley disagreed and decided with the singer to release an album independently. The recording budget was about $150,000, and Wheatley, according to his recollections, mortgaged his house to finance the work.

Song search and international success

Concert sound engineer Ross Fraser was invited to produce the album. The team sent telex messages to publishers and record companies in different countries in search of material. Farnham said that he listened to about 2,000 songs. The final album included 10 tracks, and after a month of preparation, the musicians worked in the studio for more than two months, often for 18 hours a day.

You’re The Voice was the last song found for the record: a recording of it arrived from the United Kingdom. After its release, the team had to persistently seek radio airplay, but its success later helped the album rise to first place. Whispering Jack became the best-selling album in Australia by an Australian performer, reached sixth place in the United Kingdom and topped the chart in Sweden.