Sony Music Australia

Release Date: May 19^th 2023

Reviewed by: Jonathan Andre

John Farnham – Finding The Voice (Music From The Feature Documentary) (JB Hi Fi)

Track Listing:

CD1

1. Lay Down Misère (David Hirschfelder)
2. Age Of Reason (Live In Melbourne)
3. In My Room
4. Dont You Know Its Magic
5. Youre The Voice (Live In Germany)
6. A Touch Of Paradise (Live In Melbourne)
7. Playing To Win (Live In Melbourne)
8. Burn For You (Live In Melbourne)
9. When Something Is Wrong With My Baby (Jimmy Barnes feat. John Farnham)
10. One
11. When The War Is Over (Live In Germany)
12. Help (Live In Melbourne)

CD2

1. Amazing Grace (Live In Melbourne)
2. Sadie The Cleaning Lady (Live In Melbourne)
3. Help Is On Its Way (Little River Band)
4. Pressure Down
5. Please Don’t Ask Me
6. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
7. As The Days Go By (Daryl Braithwaite)
8. Because I Love You (Masters Apprentices)
9. Going Going Gone
10. Youre The Voice
11. Finding The Voice (End Credit Suite David Hirschfelder)

‘…of all that John Farnham has undertaken in his career thus far, let me say this one thing- his influence is far greater than maybe he himself realises. For an artist to start off in the industry in the 1980s (as John Farnham) and in the 1960s (as Johnny Farnham), and still be active right now, is nothing short of miraculous and awe-inspiring. I’m not sure if there are any other Australians that have undertaken such a feat- Jimmy Barnes would have to be the next cab off the rank on this. For that observation alone, John’s music should be listened to, at least once. John has indeed worn his heart on his sleeve- a lot of his music has had meanings and messages we as people hear, and so if you want to hear a very universal and broad appeal, with songs having double or triple meanings, then John may not necessarily be your guy. What John sings about is the transientness of surface relationships, and the necessity to find something that lasts for longer than we often settle for. It is his boldness for messages that can often be deemed as ‘political’ (‘You’re the Voice’ is a good example of this), that will continue to create opportunities for influence both now and into the future. And while I still haven’t heard much of John’s albums in full- just standout radio songs here and there; this undertaking of this blog has made me appreciate much of John’s earlier music, far more than if I hadn’t undergone such a task.
John Farnham’s music has made me realise the importance and power of songs and music from the place in which you have grown up in. Being Australian myself, it wasn’t until this blog series where I’ve listened on a consistent basis to Australian artists and their music. People like Guy Sebastian, Delta Goodrem, Newsboys, for KING AND COUNTRY, Keith Urban, The McClymonts, Hillsong, Tina Arena, Natalie Imbruglia and Rebecca St. James have all carved out a career in music, and have all had varying degrees of success here in Australia and around the world. And it wasn’t until 2019 where I started to hear these artists, that I really became appreciative of music from Australia. Australian music is good; and is indeed criminally underrated. And all my life listening to music other than Australian…I’ve now come to realise that there’s a certain power and connection that comes with listening to music artists that are of the same nationality as you. It’s what has happened all the times before with Australian artists of the past, and John Farnham and his music, is no different. There’s some sort of kinship there- a connection that maybe is God-intended, dunno about that; but when I hear Australian music, especially John’s…well, let’s just say that it makes me proud to be Australian. John Farnham is the epitome of what Australian music is and should be like- each artist after John is probably trying to aspire to be him, and maybe even other artists around the world wish that they could be him. Regardless of whether you have heard much of John’s discography or even a little, there’s no denying his staying power in music, full stop. John’s presence in delivering quality music cannot be denied, and even if his music releases aren’t as frequent nowadays, his impact from albums from the 1980s onward, especially his albums Whispering Jack, Age of Reason and Chain Reaction; is something that we can see now in 2020, as evidence of John’s longevity in a music industry as short and fickle-minded as it is. John’s music is a treasure, and if you’re not sure, just listen to ‘You’re the Voice’ again. You’ll thank me later…’

I wrote these above paragraphs in a blog I undertook in 2020, where I discussed John Farnham‘s impact and influence not only on Australian music, but on music as a whole throughout modern history- it was part of a larger series of blog posts were we as a site wrote about 100 impactful and influential artists that we saw as having a lasting stamp on music as we all know it- from artists like Guy Sebastian, Delta Goodrem, Train, Creed, Cimorelli, John Legend, PINK, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, to Carman, Newsboys, Casting Crowns, Kelly Clarkson, Lifehouse, Owl City and Martina McBride, to name a very select few. While the blog post series right now is currently on hiatus (I aim to start blogging again in the new year (January 2024), what I have learnt over the last 3+ years that we as a site have been undertaking this blogging ‘experiment’, is that music has the power to impact and change people’s lives, alter their trajectory, and move someone’s life around for the better. I’ve become more open to whatever the Lord may have in store for me in terms of music that I can be impacted by (and thoroughly enjoy in the process), and over the years, He’s shown me music that I may have never listened to, if it wasn’t for this ambitious (yet equally rewarding) blog series that has changed my outlook on music, forever. John Farnham had been one of the many artists I listened to throughout the last few years (initially because I was writing a blog about him, and then I was just listening to John’s music, because of the love of it!), and it’s been a privilege to write about someone who I believe and reckon, is considered to be one of the bedrocks of Australian music in modern history…period.

Sure it’s been quite some time between the publishing of my blog post (2020) and now (2023)- within that time frame, we saw John go through harrowing moments of despair and difficulty with a life-changing surgery in August 2022 to remove mouth cancer (and subsequent jaw reconstruction), as well as being hospitalised in March 2023 because of a respiratory infection. But all in all, even if John doesn’t perform ever again, his impact and influence on music is nevertheless still warranted, if only for the song ‘You’re the Voice’ alone. And since my blog post 3 years ago (in terms of music), John’s since released an album titled Finding The Voice (Music From The Feature Documentary), a companion to accompany a documentary that was created about John and his rise to fame because of his comeback 1986 song ‘You’re the Voice’. Released to theatres in May 2023, I haven’t seen it yet (I intend to purchase the DVD from JB Hi-Fi and maybe watch it before this year ends). Having said that, this album is the ‘soundtrack’ if you will, to the documentary, as it showcases a select few songs from John’s storied career, from this humble beginnings in the Little River Band, to his time as a solo artist, all up until now, where he’s become one of the country’s most recognisable voices, with his song ‘You’re The Voice’ in particular being embedded into Australian culture, full stop.

Even though I haven’t seen the documentary, I still find great value in this soundtrack. Comprised of 2 discs, these songs showcase the best of John and his vocals, and while this soundtrack doesn’t feel like a best-of project (nor should it, if you want a John Farnham best-of project, just listen to his double disc greatest hits album titled One Voice: The Greatest Hits), it does remind us of John’s calibre and charisma that has indeed captured the hearts of Australians over the years, myself included. Sure, there’s songs present on this double disc album that aren’t even John’s songs (case in point: ‘As The Days Go By’ by Daryl Braithwaite…maybe ‘As The Days Go By’ was initially pitched to John Farnham first?), but that’s neither here nor there. What this album does do, is remind us of the importance of Australian music, even though a lot of music that even we as Australians listen to, is American. This album, according to JB Hi Fi, ‘… not only features rare and live tracks from across John Farnham’s extensive catalogue, it includes music from artists and bands that had a profound impact on his career…’ An album that accompanies a documentary where we see the testimony that it is never too late to follow dreams, passions and goals (John Farnham himself was 38 when ‘You’re the Voice’ became a hit…much later than a lot of other artists and when they received fame); Finding The Voice: Music From The Feature Documentary is one of 2023’s most honest and compelling looks at a career that is very much unknown to the rest of the world (aside from Australia), but is a career that should be known much more than it currently is. An artist that’ll forever be remembered for ‘You’re The Voice’, this album (and subsequent documentary) is a must, if you enjoy all things John and his music, or if you just enjoy Aussie music period. Well done John for your music and craft for all these years. Here’s hoping that more people can experience this music in the upcoming weeks and months ahead!

5 songs to listen to: You’re the Voice, Pressure Down, Help Is On The Way, When Something is Wrong With My Baby, Age of Reason

Score: 4.5/5

RIYL: Jimmy Barnes, Natalie Imbruglia, Delta Goodrem, Daryl Braithwaithe, Guy Sebastian