John Farnham: Finding the Voice

Last updated

John Farnham: Finding the Voice
John Farnham Finding The Voice.png
Theatrical film poster
Directed byPoppy Stockell
Written byPoppy Stockell
Produced by Mikael Borglund
Paul Clarke
Martin Fabinyi
Olivia Hoopmann
Elizabeth Daley
Starring John Farnham
CinematographyAaron Smith
Edited byScott Gray
Steven Robinson
Production
companies
Beyond Oz Pty Ltd
Finding the Voice Pty Ltd
Blink TV Pty Ltd
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing International
Release date
  • 18 May 2023 (2023-05-18)
Running time
96 mins
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

John Farnham: Finding the Voice is a 2023 Australian documentary film following recording artist John Farnham's career in an authorised biopic. [1] The film's trailer was released on 11 April 2023 whilst the film was released in Australian cinemas on 18 May 2023. [2] It was broadcast on the Seven Network on 24 July 2023. [3]

Contents

The film includes commentary from Jimmy Barnes, Daryl Braithwaite, Celine Dion, Tommy Emmanuel, Brett Garsed, Graeham Goble, Bev Harrell, Richard Marx, Olivia Newton-John, Robbie Williams and Glenn Wheatley. [2]

The film is the biggest theatrical Australian music documentary (excl. Imax), exceeding $2.57 million in its second weekend. [4]

The television premiere on 24 July 2023 had 866,000 viewers across the five city metro spread, and was the third most viewed program of the evening. [5]

At the 2023 ARIA Music Awards, the soundtrack won the ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album. [6]

At the 2024 AACTA Awards, the documentary won the ACCTA Award for Best Documentary. [7]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on twelve reviews. Reviewer Jim Schembri notes "A fitting, lovingly made tribute to a singer who evolved into the definitive Australian pop artist...a very good, richly detailed biographical documentary that chronicles Farnham's stellar, decidedly bumpy career." [8]

Sandra Hall from Sydney Morning Herald gave the film 4 out of 5 stars saying "Reality rarely produces biographies that fit neatly into three acts, but John Farnham's life so far is a stirring exception. Success came early to him, followed by a midlife slump and a triumphant comeback. It's a story with everything – laughter, tears, love and rock 'n' roll... [and the documentary] captures it all, with Farnham's large roster of friends taking an obvious delight in reminiscing about times spent with a man they both like and admire." [9]

Peter Gray from The AU Review gave the film 4 out of 5 stars saying "'Finding the Voice' finds the love for its subject and envelops his presence, and in a day and age where talent is fleeting and prominence is temporary, there's a warmth in being reminded of longevity and the facility behind it." [10]

David Michael Brown from Flicks said it "Traces the singer's life and career, his journey to find an artistic voice and become one of Australia's most beloved performers. It's an enthralling new doco that helps us try and understand 'The Voice' calling it "a must-see" for any Farnham fan". [11]

Graeham Goble, who produced Farnham's Uncovered album and recommended that Farnham replace Glenn Shorrock as lead singer of Little River Band, took issue with Wheatley's description in the film that managing Little River Band was like managing a war. Wheatley had been the manager of both Farnham and Little River Band. [12]

Soundtrack

John Farnham: Finding the Voice: Music from the Feature Documentary
Soundtrack album by
John Farnham and various artists
Released19 May 2023
Label Wheatley Records, Sony
John Farnham albums chronology
Friends for Christmas
(2016)
John Farnham: Finding the Voice: Music from the Feature Documentary
(2023)

A double-disc soundtrack was released on 19 May 2023. It features live tracks from Farnham's career, as well as music that had an impact on his career. Opening and closing compositions were written by music producer/director and former Farnham band keyboardist David Hirschfelder. [13] The album debuted at number 2 on the ARIA Charts with 2520 sales. [5]

Track listing

All songs performed by Farnham except where noted.

Disc 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lay Down Misère" (by David Hirschfelder)
     
    2."Age of Reason" (Live In Melbourne) 
    3."In My Room"
    • Farnham
     
    4."Don't You Know It's Magic" 
    5."You're 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)
    • Farnham
    • Ross Fraser
    • Phil Buckle
     
    9."When Something Is Wrong With My Baby" (with Jimmy Barnes) 
    10."One" 
    11."When the War Is Over" (Live in Germany) 
    12."Help" (Live in Melbourne) 
    Disc 2
    No.TitleWriter(s)Length
    1."Amazing Grace" (Live in Melbourne) 
    2."Sadie the Cleaning Lady" (Live In Melbourne) 
    3."Help Is on Its Way" (by Little River Band) 
    4."Pressure Down"
    • Harry Bogdanovs
     
    5."Please Don't Ask Me"
    • Goble
     
    6."Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" 
    7."As the Days Go By" (by Daryl Braithwaite) 
    8."Because I Love You" (by Masters Apprentices)
     
    9."Going Going Gone"
    • Farnham
    • Hirschfelder
    • Fraser
     
    10."You're the Voice"
    • Thompson
    • Ryder
    • Qunta
    • Reid
     
    11."Finding the Voice (End Credit Suite)" (by David Hirschfelder)
       

      Charts

      Weekly chart performance for John Farnham: Finding the Voice (Music from the Feature Documentary)
      Chart (2023)Peak
      position
      Australian Albums (ARIA) [14] 2

      Year-end charts

      2023 year-end chart performance for John Farnham: Finding the Voice (Music from the Feature Documentary)
      Chart (2023)Position
      Australian Artist Albums (ARIA) [15] 12

      Related Research Articles

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">John Farnham</span> Australian singer (born 1949)

      John Peter Farnham AO is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed until then as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist, although he replaced Glenn Shorrock as lead singer of Little River Band from 1982 to 1985.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Little River Band</span> Australian rock band

      Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the top 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart including Diamantina Cocktail and First Under the Wire, which both peaked at No. 2. Nine singles appeared in the top 20 on the related singles chart, with "Help Is on Its Way" (1977) as their only number-one hit. Ten singles reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Reminiscing" their highest, peaking at No. 3.

      The 18th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 17 October 2004 at the Sydney SuperDome within the Sydney Olympic Complex. The ceremony, hosted by Rove McManus and produced by Roving Enterprises for Network Ten, was held for the first time on a Sunday night and averaged 1.39 million viewers. The 2004 ARIA Fine Arts Awards had been presented at a ceremony weeks earlier.

      <i>John Farnham & Tom Jones – Together in Concert</i> 2005 live album by John Farnham and Tom Jones

      John Farnham and Tom Jones – Together in Concert is an Australian tour featuring John Farnham and Tom Jones performing together for ten concerts throughout the capital cities of Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. Jones sings his major hits, before Farnham performs his set including hits "One", "Pressure Down", "That's Freedom", "Heart's on Fire", "Playing to Win", "Everytime You Cry", "Man of the Hour", "Age of Reason" and "Burn for You". The pair then return to the stage together to perform four duets of soul classics: Sam and Dave's "Hold On I'm Coming", Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness", Ray Charles's "What'd I Say", Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music" and AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top ".

      Glenn Dawson Wheatley was an Australian musician, talent manager, tour promoter and radio entrepreneur. Wheatley was the founder and managing director of Talentworks

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Shorrock</span> Musical artist

      Glenn Barrie Shorrock is an English-born Australian singer-songwriter. He was a founding member of rock bands the Twilights, Axiom, Little River Band and post LRB spin-off trio Birtles Shorrock Goble, as well as being a solo performer.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Beeb Birtles</span> Musical artist

      Beeb Birtles is an Australian musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has been a member of various Australian groups including Zoot (1967–71), Mississippi (1972–74), Little River Band (1975–83) and Birtles Shorrock Goble (2002–07). He has also worked as a solo artist, including releasing an album, Driven by Dreams (2000). In 2004, Birtles and other members of the classic line-up of Little River Band were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">You're the Voice</span> Song by John Farnham

      "You're the Voice" is a song recorded by the Australian singer John Farnham released in 1986, which became an immediate hit in Australia as well as several European countries, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. It was released as a single in September 1986 ahead of his album Whispering Jack, and was written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder, and Chris Thompson.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Foster (singer)</span> Australian singer-songwriter and musician (1946–2018)

      Stephen Edward Foster was an Australian singer-songwriter and musician from Murray Bridge, South Australia.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Graeham Goble</span> Musical artist

      Graeham George Goble, is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of Australian rock group Little River Band and Birtles Shorrock Goble.

      <i>Whispering Jack</i> 1986 studio album by John Farnham

      Whispering Jack is the twelfth studio album by Australian adult contemporary pop singer John Farnham. It was produced by Ross Fraser and released on 29 September 1986, peaking at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart. 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. It spent 25 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the albums chart during 1986–1987, it was awarded the 1987 ARIA Award for Album of the Year, and it was the best-charting album 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 the album and peaked at No. 1 on the Kent Music Report singles chart.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Birtles Shorrock Goble</span>

      Birtles Shorrock Goble are an Australian pop/rock group composed of the three original singers and songwriters of Little River Band, namely Beeb Birtles, Glenn Shorrock and Graeham Goble. The members are known for their extensive writing and performance of hit songs and distinctive vocal harmonies. They are sometimes referred to by the initials BSG.

      David Hirschfelder is an Australian musician, film score composer and performer. As a musician he has been a member of Little River Band and John Farnham Band. He has composed film scores for many films, including Strictly Ballroom, Australia, The Railway Man, The Water Diviner and The Dressmaker. He was nominated for Academy Awards for his scores for Shine and Elizabeth.

      <i>Monsoon</i> (Little River Band album) 1988 studio album by Little River Band

      Monsoon is the tenth studio album by Australian group, Little River Band, with Glenn Shorrock returning as lead singer after John Farnham left the group to release his solo album Whispering Jack. The album was released in May 1988 and peaked at number nine on the Kent Music Report albums chart.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Reminiscing</span> 1978 single by Little River Band

      "Reminiscing" is a song by Australian soft rock music group Little River Band, released in June 1978 as the second single from their fourth studio album Sleeper Catcher. The song was written by the band's rhythm guitarist Graeham Goble, and sung by their lead singer Glenn Shorrock. "Reminiscing" peaked at number 35 on the Australian Kent Music Report and at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

      <i>Full House</i> (John Farnham album) 1991 live album by John Farnham

      Full House is a live album by Australian singer John Farnham. The album was released in Australia on 4 November 1991, and is the first live album by Farnham since his comeback via the 1986 release of Whispering Jack. It peaked at No.2 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

      <i>Uncovered</i> (John Farnham album) 1980 studio album by John Farnham

      Uncovered is a solo studio album by British-born Australian singer John Farnham, produced by Little River Band's Graeham Goble, and released on 3 July 1980, which peaked at No. 20 on the Australian Kent Music Report album chart and was certified gold in 1981.

      <span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Pellicci</span> Musical artist

      Derek Allan Pellicci is an English-born Australian drummer. He is best known as a founding member of Little River Band. Pellicci lives in Melbourne with his wife, Anne and a son.

      <i>We Two Pty Ltd v Shorrock</i> (2002) 2002 Federal Court of Australia decision

      We Two Pty Ltd v Shorrock (2002) was presided by Justice Raymond Finkelstein of the Federal Court of Australia, Melbourne to determine the ownership of the name, Little River Band, its trademarks, logos and associated assets. We Two Pty Ltd, the applicant, was established in 1987 and had been solely owned by Stephen Housden of the music group, Little River Band since 1998. The respondents, Glenn Shorrock, Gerard Bertelkamp and Graeham Goble, were all founding members of the same group, in 1975. Housden had joined them in 1981.

      References

      1. Mary Varvaris (11 April 2023). "John Farnham Feature Documentary 'Finding The Voice' Coming To Cinemas Next Month". The Music . Retrieved 9 May 2023.
      2. 1 2 "Watch the trailer for John Farnham documentary film 'Finding The Voice'". NME . 11 April 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
      3. Mediaweek (10 July 2023). "Seven announces premiere date for John Farnham: Finding The Voice documentary". Mediaweek. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
      4. "'John Farnham: Finding the Voice' Becomes Biggest Australian Music Doco". The Music Network. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
      5. 1 2 "John Farnham Finding The Voice Scores 866,000 Viewers For the Seven Network". noise11. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
      6. "Nominees Announced for 2023 ARIA Awards". Music Feeds . 21 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
      7. Australian Film Institute (12 February 2024). "AACTA Awards Winners and Nominees". AACTA Awards. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
      8. "John Farnham: Finding the Voice - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
      9. "John Farnham doco Finding the Voice is a tribute to singer's incredible talent". Sydney Morning Herald . 15 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
      10. "Film Review: John Farnham: Finding the Voice is a warm reminder of one of Australia's leading talents". The AU Review. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
      11. "For any John Farnham fan, doco Finding the Voice is a must-see". Flicks. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
      12. Varvaris, Mary. "Little River Band's Graeham Goble Claims John Farnham Doco Is Untruthful & 'Dramatic'". themusic.com.au. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
      13. "John Farnham Finding The Voice". Sanity (music store) . Retrieved 9 May 2023.
      14. "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
      15. "ARIA Top 50 Australian Artist Album Chart for 2023". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 14 January 2024.