FARNSEY BELTING OUT AN AC/DC COVER WAS ENOUGH TO BLOW SADIE THE CLEANING LADY OFF HER FEET

https://youtu.be/tNeZG-Ik1_Q?si=YeFVM5iVDXZdqiic

Australia`s very own John Farnham, affectionately known as Johnny Farnham or Farnsey, like Jimmy Barnes is known as Barnsey, still has trouble shaking the `Sadie the Cleaning Lady` image from his
young days in the early 70`s. 

The throwaway pop song of that name
became an unlikely hit on the Australian charts for a very young Farnham, and it gave him a base from which he carved out a workmanlike and rather unsuccessful career as a balladeer and pop crooner for the rest of that decade. 

His luck all changed in the early 80`s for the first time since the Sadie days when he was recruited to join The Little River Band to replace Glenn Shorrock. 

The song `Playing To Win` from 1985 was
the only major hit for the Farnham led LRB but a few minor hits were scored during this era of the band. 

Of course Farnsey would go on to record the legendary contemporary rock/pop album WHISPERING JACK in 1986 after leaving the
Little River Band, which contained a swag of classic pop rockers and a spine tingling cover of Ross Wilson`s lyrical masterpiece, `Touch of Paradise`. 

For all of Farnsey`s pop sensibilities and the production qualities of his recordings both solo and with the LRB, he never really had
ever `rocked out` as it were. He was a pop rocker not a hard rocker I guess. 

But in 1988 John Farnham surprised
everyone with a totally off the wall but thoroughly convincing recording of the AC/DC song IT`S A LONG WAY TO
THE TOP IF YOU WANT TO ROCK`N`ROLL from the early days. 

Farnsey always had the vocal range to make a good fist of belting out this rocker and putting his own signature on it, so much so that i have always much preferred Farnsey`s cover rather than the original. 

It was never my favourite Acca Dacca song, up against TNT and Dirty Deeds it was just too boring and repetitious.

 
But Farnsey got hold of this song vocally, Brett Garsed, who is listed as the guitarist for the AGE OF REASON album which this song comes off (on the CD version only), I take it is the man who done an excellent job of beefing up Malcolm Young`s rhythm guitar chops and making Farnsey sound like he was the lead singer of a heavy metal band for the very first time. 

Angus Burchall was obviously hyperactive on drums judging by the pounding he gave them for this most unlikely of covers. I love this song actually, I often played it in the 90`s when I still had a decent car stereo, fair dinkum, it rocks hard. 

I still cant believe Farnham had the song omitted from his most recent greatest hits compilation. The only excuse is that Farnsey doesn`t know how good the song is or AC/DC made sure that this underrated cover didn`t make it onto a Farnsey best of in case comparisons were made.