John Farnham: Finding the Voice

John Farnham is a living legend of Aussie rock and this is a solid documentary that traces his early career with a focus on his creative comeback from the Whispering Jack era. It suffers a little from not including any conversations with the man himself. Gaynor Wheatley figured prominently and the friendship between John and Glenn Wheatley is well documented. The ill-fated period fronting for The Little River Band is covered well including the creative differences between Farnham and Graham Goble. If you're a John Farnham fan you've probably already seen it but it will engage anyone interested in the history of Australian music. For those who want more in depth analysis of the Whispering Jack album try the He's the Voice podcast hosted by uber fans Adam and Nigel.

I don't write reviews but I felt compelled to review this movie.

I went along for my husband because he likes Aussie music. But I am not a big fan.

I was drawn into the story and the background to how John Farnham became the legend he is. The earlier years were such a hard slog with very little recognition. It was only as he neared his 40s that his belief in himself as well as his manager and friend's belief that things changed.

So really this story is about his struggle to be seen as a great singer and musician. It is also about the enduring friendship between him and Glenn Wheatley.

By the end I was tearing up thinking of his struggle and realising how good his music is. Which is more poignant now because of the loss of Glenn and Olivia Newton John last year. Then came throat cancer and the realisation that he will never sing again.

A very emotional tribute that is well worth watching. It also made me realise that we should be supporting our local bands at the pub or any venue.

This may very well be the best music documentary of 2023. Farnsy has been a household name in Australia for decades, and rightly so. I never knew much about him, but everyone knows his iconic voice by sound. Exploring his upbringing, childhood, and the struggles he faced to get where he is today is a very emotional roller-coaster from start to finish. The friends he made along the way, the people who stuck by him, and those who didn't, it's all here in this amazingly produced film detailing the personal life of John Farnham - Australia's voice. If you're a fan of his work, either casually or dedicated, I implore you to see this documentary.

This is an excellent doco about a very powerful singer with quite the journey. Rather than repeat what others have said I'll focus on a couple of differences.

It was poignant that the story was told by those who were part of it, especially those who did not survive to witness the release of this documentary. There were however, quite a few grabs that were low level in volume. One late in the piece by Jimmy Barnes comes to mind. I don't know if the version I saw on free to air television was any different than the one in cinemas and dvd but it seems highly unlikely. The audio levels were not consistent throughout which is unheard of really in a production, especially one this important. It should not have happened.

I would have liked to known something about his siblings. We saw a brief shot of a sister in the sixties footage with his family but no mention afterwards. Surely worthy of one. And what of his parents? Did they survive long enough to witness his huge eighties success? The focus is mostly on the music but a mention or two of family is important in John's story and a human interest one for the audience. When did they pass? What impact did it have on his career and life?

I was a teenager in the eighties so was a big fan of Whispering Jack and the following two albums. To my memory, W. J. was the first Australian produced CD by an Australian artist. A mention would have been good. It's quite significant. A piece of music history.

It was surprising to me that so many of the songs on W. J. and Age of Reason were written by others. One from each album was written by Ross Wilson. His own version of A Touch of Paradise can be found on an earlier Mondo Rock album, Nuovo Mondo. It's very good too. I thought a mention or even interview of Ross would have been worthy. A legend in his own right. There was obviously some sort of relationship there for John to have two of Ross' songs over two albums.

It's interesting because so many of the songs for the follow-up album, Chain Reaction in 1990 were written by John and associates. Some of his best including In Days to Come, See the Banners Fall and most importantly, I Can Do Anything. This last track features some very poignant lyrics that speak to the man. 'So, what do you see. Just an ordinary man. What sets us apart, is this fire in my heart. That says I can do anything.'

Much was made of Burn for You, another great track, but I think a mention of this song was also very important. It says everything really about John Farnham as a person and his entire career. Again, an oversight.

For the casual listener, these things would not have been noticeable. For me, I loved the whole documentary. I just wanted a bit more in certain places. Such as his regular appearances on Hey Hey it's Saturday, which I also remember. It spoke to the humour of the man and his relaxed, casual nature. Again, that 'ordinary' quality juxtaposed with his huge talent. A brief mention again, would have added more depth.

It was great to see the inclusions of Amazing Grace, his song with Jimmy Barnes, his work with Daryl Braithwaite (whose own solo album is brilliant), his later live performance of that song, Sadie and many other clips unseen to most, like his mid-seventies gigs.

Most importantly, it worked on an emotional level. To think of those three individuals, Olivia, Glenn and John, whose careers lasted over 50 years to be all struck down in less than 12 months, is deeply sad. John survived of course, and we can only hope that he recovers enough to have a quality of life again and that he's around for much longer to come, whether he sings again or not.

What a talent. Huge respect. Thank you for some wonderful memories in the eighties in particular and excellent, timeless music. Australia's greatest talent.

I have been a fan of John Farnham for many years. This was a wonderful and well made documentary that gave an intimate and in-depth look at John and his journey. We see how John started with simple beginnings and how he found his voice and achieved the fame and glory he deserved. I learnt more about the iconic song, You're the Voice' and other great songs he performed. It was so interesting to see how he became a young sensation with 'Sadie The Cleaning Lady' but this sadly held him back for almost two decades. People have long memories in the music business. It was beautiful seeing the strong enduring friendships he made that helped him succeed. It was also wonderful seeing the historical context and other greats who featured during his journey. A well made documentary, would definitely recommend.