The Acoustic Chapel Sessions

Live album by John Farnham

Released

30 September 2011 (Australia)

Recorded

July 2011 at Chapel off Chapel

Pop, rock

Ross Fraser

John Farnham chronology

Jack
(2010)

The Acoustic Chapel Sessions
(2011)

Two Strong Hearts Live
(2015)

The Acoustic Chapel Sessions is a live album by Australian singer John Farnham. It was released as a CD/DVD package in September 2011 and peaked at number 10 in Australia.^[1]

The CD consists of eleven of John's classic songs stripped back and in acoustic mode. The DVD package includes eight songs plus interviews with John and the band and behind-the-scenes footage. ^[2]

Background

The release of The Acoustic Chapel Sessions coincides with the 25th Anniversary of “Whispering Jack”, Australia's highest selling and most successful album ever.^[3]

John Farnham said; "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, said; "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".

Tour and Promotion

Farnham toured the album nationally in October and November 2011 in intimate venues and smaller audiences ^[4] 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."^[5]

A video of "Pressure Down" was released to further promote the album. ^[6]

Review

Jon O'Brien of All Music 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. ^[7]

Track listing

Disc 1 CD

Pressure Down - 4:11
Reasons - 3:55
Chain Reaction - 3:09
Playing To Win - 3:01
You're the Voice - 4:00
That's Freedom - 4:18
Two Strong Hearts - 3:27
Age Of Reason - 4:59
Talk Of The Town - 3:51
A Simple Life - 4:04
Heart's On Fire - 4:47

Disc 2 DVD

Talk Of The Town
Chain Reaction
Two Strong Hearts
Pressure Down
Hearts On Fire
A Simple Life
Age Of Reason
Playing To Win

Chart positions

Weekly Charts

“The Acoustic Chapel Sessions” debuted and peaked on the week commencing 10 October 2011.^[8]

Chart (2011)	Rank
Australian Albums Chart	10
Australian Artist Albums Chart	3

Year-End Charts

Chart (2011)	Rank
Australian Artist Albums Chart^[9]	24

Credits

Acoustic Bass – Craig Newman
Acoustic Guitar – Brett Garsed, Stuart Fraser
Backing Vocals – Lindsay Field, Lisa Edwards, Rod Davies, Susie Ahern
Banjo – Brett Garsed
Drums – Angus Burchall
Electric Bass – Craig Newman
Electric Piano – Chong Lim
Engineer – Doug Brady
Harmonica – Steve Williams
Mixed By – Doug Brady
Piano – Chong Lim
Producer – Ross Fraser
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Williams
Vocals – John Farnham

^[10]

References

↑ "JOHN FARNHAM - THE ACOUSTIC CHAPEL SESSIONS (ALBUM)". http://australian-charts.com. Retrieved 18 July 2015. External link in |publisher= (help)
↑ "John Farnham prepares acoustic album and DVD". www.undercover.fm. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
↑ "John Farnham - The Acoustic Chapel Sessions". www.jbhifi.com.au. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
↑ "Whispering Jack is back". www.abc.net.au. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
↑ "Whispering Jacks back again and still magnificent". www.adelaidenow.com.au. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
↑ "John Farnham - Pressure Down". www.video.news.com.au. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
↑ "The Acoustic Chapel Session". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
↑ "The ARIA Report, Issue 1128" (PDF). www.ARIACharts.com.au. 10 October 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
↑ "ARIA Top 50 Australian Artists Albums 2011". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
↑ "John Farnham – The Acoustic Chapel Sessions". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 18 July 2015.

John Farnham

Studio albums	Sadie (1968) Everybody Oughta Sing a Song (1968) Looking Through a Tear (1970) Christmas Is... Johnny Farnham (1970) Johnny (1971) Together (1971) Johnny Farnham Sings the Shows (1972) Hits Magic & Rock 'N Roll (1973) Johnny Farnham Sings Hits from the Movies (1974) J.P. Farnham Sings (1975) Uncovered (1980) Whispering Jack (1986) Age of Reason (1988) Chain Reaction (1990) Then Again... (1993) Romeo's Heart (1996) 33⅓ (2000) The Last Time (2002) I Remember When I Was Young: Songs from the Great Australian Songbook (2005) Jack (2010)

Live albums	Johnny Farnham Sings the Big Hits of 1973 Live! (1973) Full House (1991) Live At The Regent Theatre (1999) Highlights from The Main Event (1999) John Farnham & Tom Jones – Together in Concert (2005) The Acoustic Chapel Sessions (2011) Two Strong Hearts Live (2015)

Compilation albums	The Best of Johnny Farnham (1971) Johnny Farnham's Greatest Hits (1976) The Best Of John Farnham (1980) The John Farnham Phenomenon (1987) Another Side of John Farnham (1987) Time Brings Change (1988) The Classic Gold Collection - Through The Years (1967-1985) (1995) Where Do I Begin (1995) Anthology 1: Greatest Hits 1986–1997 (1997) Anthology 2: Classic Hits 1967–1985 (Recorded Live) (1997) Anthology 3: Rarities (1997) Love Songs (2002) One Voice: The Greatest Hits (2003) Collections (2008) The Essential John Farnham (2009) Greatest Hits (2009) The Essential 3.0 (2009)

Videos & DVDs	Whispering Jack Live In Concert (1987) Classic Jack Live! (1989) Chain Reaction Live in Concert (1990) Talk of the Town Tour (1994) The Main Event (1999) Anthology - The Videos (1999) 33⅓ (2000) An Audience with John Farnham (2002) The Last Time (2002) One Voice: The Greatest Clips (2003) John Farnham & Tom Jones – Together in Concert (2005) Classic Jack Live! (2005) Chain Reaction Live in Concert (2005) With The Sydney Symphony Live at the Sydney Opera House (2006) Two Strong Hearts Live (2015)

EPs & Singles	"Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)" (1967) Johnny Farnham (EP) (1967) "Underneath the Arches" / "Friday Kind of Monday" (1968) "Jamie" / "I Don't Want To Love You" (1968) "Rose Coloured Glasses" (1968) "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (1968) "One" / "Mr Whippy" (1969) "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (1969) Number One (EP) (1970) "Comic Conversation" (1970) "Christmas Happy" (1970) "Acapulco Sun" (1971) "Baby Without You" (1971) "Walking the Floor On My Hands" (1971) "For Christ's Sake Help The Kids" (1972) "Rock Me Baby" (1972) "Charlie Girl" (1972) "Don't You Know It's Magic" (1972) "Everything Is Out of Season" (1973) "I Can't Dance to Your Music" (1973) "Shake a Hand" (1973) "Corner of the Sky" (1974) "One Minute Every Hour" (1974) "Things To Do" (1975) "Don't Rock the Boat" (1975) "You Love Me Back To Life Again" (1976) "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" (1977) "Help!" (1980) "She Says To Me" (1980) "She's Everywhere" (1980) "Please Don't Ask Me" (1981) "Too Much Too Soon" (1981) "That's No Way To Love Someone" (1981) "Justice For One" (1984) "Love (It's Just The Way It Goes)" (1985) "Break The Ice" (1986) "You're the Voice" (1986) "Pressure Down" (1986) "A Touch of Paradise" (1987) "Reasons" / "One Step Away" (1987) "Age Of Reason" (1988) "Two Strong Hearts" (1988) "Beyond The Call" (1988) "Communication" (1989) "Chain Reaction" (1990) "That's Freedom" (1990) "Burn For You" (1990) "In Days To Come" (1991) "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" (1991) "Please Don't Ask Me (Live)" (1991) "Help! (Live)" (1991) "You're the Voice (Live)" (1992) "Everything's Alright" (1992) "Angels" (1993) "Seemed Like A Good Idea (At The Time)" (1993) "Talk Of The Town" (1993) "Fight For Survival (EP)" (1994) "A Simple Life" (1996) "Heart's On Fire" (1996) "Have A Little Faith (In Us)" (1996) "Everytime You Cry" (1997) "Trying To Live My Life Without You" (2000) "Man Of The Hour" (2000) "You're The Only One" (2000) "Dare To Dream" (2000) "The Last Time" (2002) "Keep Talking" (2002) "No Ordinary World" (2002) "We Will Rock You" (2003) "Hold On I'm Coming (Live)" (2005) "Downhearted" (2005) "Even When I'm Sleeping" (2005) "Hit The Road Jack/Fever" (2010)

Soundtracks	Charlie Girl (1972) Pippin (1974) Savage Streets (1984) Voyage Of The Rock Aliens (1984) Fletch (1985) RAD (1986) The Sluggers Wife (1986) Beyond My Reach (1990) Jesus Christ Superstar: The Album - 1992 Australian Cast Recording Highlights (1992) The Real Macaw (1997) 102 Dalmatians (2000) Hot Rod (2007)

Tours & Major Concerts	John Farnham In Concert Tour (1987) Jack's Back Tour (1987-1988) World Expo '88 Concert (1988) Age Of Reason Tour (1988-1989) Summer Tour (1989) Chain Reaction Tour (1990-1991) Talk Of The Town Tour (1994) The Concert For Rwanda (1994) Jack of Hearts Tour (1996) The Main Event (1998, 2001) I Can't Believe He's 50 Tour (1999) 50th Birthday Concert (1999) Tour of Duty Concert (1999) 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony (2000) Man Of The Hour Tour (2000) The Last Time Tour (2002-2003) John Farnham & Tom Jones - Together In Concert Tour (2005) John Farnham Symphony Tour (2006) John Farnham & Stevie Nicks Tour (2006) 2006 Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony (2006) Sound Relief Concert (2009) Live By Demand Tour (2009) John Farnham Live! (2010) Whispering Jack 25 Years On (2011) Lionel Richie & John Farnham (2014) Two Strong Hearts Live(2015)

Related articles	Discography Awards Little River Band Glenn Wheatley

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