The Acoustic Chapel Sessions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Live album by | ||||
Released | 30 September 2011 (Australia) | |||
Recorded | July 2011 at Chapel off Chapel | |||
Genre | Pop, rock | |||
Label | Sony BMG | |||
Producer | Ross Fraser | |||
John Farnham chronology | ||||
|
The Acoustic Chapel Sessions is an album by Australian singer, John Farnham. It was released through Sony BMG, as a CD + DVD package in September 2011 and the album peaked at number 10 on the ARIA Charts.
The CD, recorded at Chapel off Chapel in July of that year, consists of eleven of Farnham's greatest hits reworked as stripped-back acoustic compositions. The DVD package includes eight of the songs ('Two Strong Hearts' being an alternate take) as well as interviews with John and the band, in addition to behind-the-scenes footage. [1]
The release of The Acoustic Chapel Sessions coincides with the 25th anniversary of Whispering Jack , Australia's highest-selling and most successful album ever. [2]
John Farnham explained, "We wanted to rework some of the songs that we have been doing on stage for the last 25 years. It's always difficult to rework something that people are very used to, having said that we have had a lot of fun doing it'. Farnham's manager, Glenn Wheatley, added, "This recording has just given me goose bumps; it's amazing seeing the songs stripped right back and all acoustic. I wonder why we didn't think about doing this earlier".
Farnham toured the album nationally in October and November 2011 in intimate venues with smaller audiences than his large stadium shows. [3] Patrick McDonald of Adelaide Now said of the tour, "Magic was the right word. For all the flack he cops about endless comebacks, it would truly be a crime if 'The Voice' was ever silenced." [4]
A music video of "Pressure Down" taken from the DVD was released to further promote the album. [5]
Jon O'Brien of AllMusic gave the album 3 out of 5. He said that the majority of the album adheres to the "if it ain't broke.." approach but complimented the conviction on "Pressure Down" which abandons its synth-heavy AOR sound in favor of a subtle and soulful gospel vibe, and "Two Strong Hearts", which transforms the impassioned MOR staple into a seductive slice of lounge-pop. O'Brien did comment that the acoustic setting meant some of his bigger/bolder tracks lost their anthemic appeal, in particular "Age of Reason" and "You're the Voice" which removes the bagpipe solo that made it so memorable. [6]
CD
DVD
The Acoustic Chapel Sessions debuted and peaked on the week commencing 10 October 2011. [7]
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [8] | 10 |
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.
Sevendust is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vince Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and rhythm guitarist John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon and lead guitarist Clint Lowery joined the group. Following a few name changes, the members settled on the name Sevendust and released their self-titled debut album on April 15, 1997, which sold only 310 copies in its first week but ultimately achieved gold certification through touring and support from their label, TVT Records.
The Captain and Me is the third studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on March 2, 1973, by Warner Bros. Records. It features some of their most popular hits including "Long Train Runnin'", "China Grove" and "Without You". The album is certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA.
Hillsong Music is Christian music produced by Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia as well as offshoot churches, Hillsong London, and Hillsong Kiev. Hillsong albums are released and distributed by Hillsong Music. The main groups are Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, Hillsong Young & Free, and Hillsong Kids.
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 ".
One Voice: The Greatest Hits is a 2 disc greatest hits compilation album by Australian singer John Farnham. The album was released in Australia on 20 October 2003, and was accompanied by a DVD of music videos titled One Voice: The Greatest Clips. It was released to celebrate 35 years of John Farnham's career.
"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.
Age of Reason is the thirteenth studio album by Australian pop singer John Farnham. It was released through BMG in Australia on 25 July 1988 and debuted at No. 1 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Albums Chart in August and remained on top for eight weeks. It was the follow-up to his previous No. 1 album, Whispering Jack, and was the highest-selling album in Australia in 1988. As of 1997, it was eight times platinum, indicating sales of over 560,000 units. It is also critically considered one of Farnham's best albums, with the title track "Age of Reason" and "Beyond the Call" being about the urgency for the world to wake up and solve its problems.
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.
Queen Rock Montreal is a live album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 29 October 2007 as a double CD, Blu-ray, DVD, and triple vinyl in the UK and the following day in the US.
John Farnham, billed under stage name Johnny Farnham from 1964 until 1979, is a British-born Australian pop singer who has released 21 studio albums, 6 live albums, 3 soundtracks, 19 compilation albums, 13 video albums, 3 extended plays and 74 singles.
Chain Reaction is the 14th studio album by Australian singer John Farnham. It was released in Australia on 24 September 1990, becoming the highest selling album in Australia for that year, which debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA albums chart. By the end of the following year it was accredited 7× platinum by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipment of 490,000 units.
The Essential John Farnham is a compilation album by John Farnham, released as a 3-CD set on 21 August 2009, as a part of "The Essential" series. This compilation was released to promote the "John Farnham – Live by Demand" tour.
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.
The Last Time is a studio album by Australian singer John Farnham. The album was released in Australia on 7 October 2002 and reached No. 1 in the ARIA charts with triple platinum status. The album featured one single "Keep Talking" and two promotional singles
Chain Reaction Live in Concert is a DVD release by Australian singer John Farnham. The DVD was released in Australia on 13 November 2005 in conjunction with Classic Jack Live!.
Once in a While is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on May 23, 1988, by Columbia Records and found him returning to the practice of covering contemporary hits but also mixing in lesser-known songs already recorded by other artists along with a few new ones.
Two Strong Hearts Live is a live album by John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John recorded in Melbourne with Philharmonia Australia in April 2015. The live album was released on 16 June 2015 with the live DVD being released on 21 August 2015.
Friends for Christmas is a collaborative Christmas album by John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John. It was recorded at Playback Recording Studio in Santa Barbara, California, produced by Farnham's long-time music director Chong Lim, and released through Sony Music Australia on 11 November 2016 on CD and digital download. The album features well-known traditional holiday standards, by mostly American composers. It was re-released in 2017 with three additional tracks. Friends for Christmas was the final studio album released during Olivia Newton-John's lifetime.
"Pressure Down" is a song written by Harry Bogdanovs, recorded by Australian singer John Farnham. The song was released as the second single from his 1986 album Whispering Jack.