Whispering Jack

For the United States singer, see Whispering Jack Smith.

Whispering Jack
Studio album by
John Farnham
Released29 September 1986[1]
RecordedOctober 1985 – June 1986
Genre
Length41:14
Label
ProducerRoss Fraser
John Farnham chronology
The Best of John Farnham
(1980) 		Whispering Jack
(1986) 		Age of Reason
(1988)
Singles from Whispering Jack
  1. "You're the Voice"
    Released: 15 September 1986[2]
  2. "Pressure Down"
    Released: 1 December 1986[3]
  3. "A Touch of Paradise"
    Released: 2 March 1987[4]
  4. "Reasons"
    Released: 21 September 1987[5]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic

Whispering Jack is the twelfth studio album by Australian adult contemporary pop singer John Farnham.[6][7][8] It was produced by Ross Fraser[9] and released on 29 September 1986,[1] peaking at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart.[10] Whispering Jack became the second-best-selling album in Australia, behind only Meat Loaf's album Bat Out of Hell, and the highest-selling album in Australia by an Australian artist―24× platinum, indicating over 1.68 million copies sold; it remains the third-best-selling album of all time in Australia, as Shania Twain's Come On Over eventually eclipsed it.[11] It spent 25 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the albums chart during 1986–1987,[10] it was awarded the 1987 ARIA Award for Album of the Year,[12] and it was the best-charting album for the decade of the 1980s in Australia.[10] 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 the album and peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report singles chart.[10]

Prior to this album, Farnham's career had stalled after being recruited and then leaving as lead singer of Little River Band.[6] Farnham's manager, Glenn Wheatley, mortgaged his home to raise funds for the recording of this album.[7][8] 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 restarted Farnham's career, which sustained 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.

  1. ^ a b "Kent Music Report No 637 – 29 September 1986 > LP & Tape: New Releases". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via imgur.com.
  2. ^ "Kent Music Report No 635 – 15 September 1986 > Singles: New Releases". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via imgur.com.
  3. ^ "Kent Music Report No 646 – 1 December 1986 > Singles: New Releases". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via imgur.com.
  4. ^ "Kent Music Report No 658 – 2 March 1987 > Singles: New Releases". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via imgur.com.
  5. ^ "Kent Music Report No 687 – 21 September 1987 > Singles: New Releases". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 30 July 2023 – via imgur.com.
  6. ^ a b McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'John Farnham'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 29 August 2004.
  7. ^ a b Nimmervoll, Ed. "John Farnham". HowlSpace – The Living History of Our Music (Ed Nimmervoll). Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  8. ^ a b Duncan Kimball, ed. (2002). "John Farnham". MILESAGO: Australasian Music and Popular Culture 1964–1975. ICE Productions.
  9. ^ Holmgren, Magnus; Reboulet, Scott; Albury, Lyn; Birtles, Beeb; Warnqvist, Stefan; Medlin, Peter. "John Farnham". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  10. ^ a b c d Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  11. ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2006 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  12. ^ "Winners by Artist: John Farnham". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 13 February 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.