The 1981 Listening Post - Little River Band - Time Exposure

 Little River Band - Time Exposure

#430

By John Harrington Bland

August 1981

Little River Band

Time Exposure

Genre: Yacht Rock

Allen’s Rating: 3.5 out of 5

John’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Highlights:

The Night Owls

Man on Your Mind

Take it Easy on Me

Love Will Survive

(I always approach these reviews with a bit of dread… which is probably why it takes me so long to write them. Should I do an in-depth history of the band in question? Compare and contrast this record with their previous ones? Note how their styles have -- or haven’t -- changed? Where does this album fit in the general zeitgeist of 1981? Or should I just take this one record at face value, disregarding everything else, and write my gut reaction to it?) 

That being said...

Things I discovered while researching this review:

Little River Band was originally formed by (among others) Graham Goble, Glenn Shorrock and Beeb Birtles. I think Beeb Birtles is an awesome name. 

There is actually a place called ‘Little River’ outside Melbourne, Australia. None of the band members are from there, or ever lived there. They just thought it would be a cool name for a band. 

Rick Springfield played in a very early incarnation of LRB.

George Martin produced this album. 

There have been about twelve million lineup changes over the years. None of the original members are still affiliated with the band. 

An incarnation of LRB is still on the road, and will very likely be playing a state fair, bowling alley, casino resort, suburban coffee shop or corporate event near you as soon as this pandemic is over (seriously, these guys will play anywhere).

An American bassist, Wayne Nelson, joined LRB for this album. He’s still on tour with them. He sings lead on the opening song, “The Night Owls”. 

“The Night Owls” was the very first music video I ever saw. 

More information can be found here here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_River_Band. Or here: https://reallittleriverband.com/eventstour/

Now, on to the review itself: 

Ah, Yacht Rock! An entire genre of music devoted to middle-aged white guys everywhere who love to spend their leisure time on fiberglass catamarans and in cozy faux-wood-paneled ski lodges. Jazzy electric pianos. Doobie rhythms. Wry lyrics (often about how said middle-aged white guy is a ‘fool’ for ‘letting the right one go’). The Little River Band didn’t invent it, nor did they perfect it, but they’re definitely of it. 

But it’s 1981 and Yacht Rock (or soft rock as it was known then) is kinda on a downward swing. And after six years and quite a few massive hits, so is Little River Band. 

As I said above, “The Night Owls” was the very first music video I remember seeing (back when HBO, to which we had just subscribed, had thirty-minute video blocks between crappy movies), so I’ve got a soft spot for it. Not a great song but it does fill me with nostalgia. 

“Man on Your Mind” isn’t too bad either. These days it would end up on a B-list of Yacht Rock essentials.  

“Take it Easy On Me” is Yacht Rock at it’s finest. Glenn Shorrock’s baritone is in great form here, rough and bluesy, and it fits in beautifully with Nelson’s soaring tenor and the harmonizing of Goble and Birtles. I can really listen to this song over and over again. 

It goes downhill from there. Like an out-of-control skier off a double-diamond run.  

“Ballerina” is quite possibly the purest expression of yacht rock ever recorded. I don’t mean that in a good way. Our skier’s headed for some trees. 

But he regains his balance -- briefly -- on “Love Will Survive” and manages to just miss getting gored by a pine branch. He might, just might, make it to the lodge for a snifter of Chivas before hitting a communal hot tub.  

But no! He’s plummeted over a cliff and rescue patrol says there isn’t enough of him left to formally identify. It’s that bad. 

“Full Circle” is an a capella-and-snare-drum pseudophilosophical pap. Like a bad tribute to The Association. Yacht Rock does NOT do philosophy. It’s saving grace is that it’s only 1:55 long. “Just Say That You Love Me” is awful. Just terrible. One of those ‘things were so much better back in the ‘60s’ numbers. It’s so out of place I nearly yanked my headphones off in fright the first time I heard it. Screeching vocals and feedback. Yacht Rock does NOT screech. Then we’ve got something called “Suicide Boulevard”. Yacht Rock does NOT do heavy; it kills the buzz. And then the Beatles-esque weirdo “Orbit Zero” for which I blame George Martin. Not a terrible song, but it doesn’t fit with the rest of them. Okay, it’s not terrible but it’s not good either. Yacht Rock does NOT do psychedelia.

“Don’t Let the Needle Win” may be the jauntiest, jangliest, finger-snapping anthem about heroin addiction I’ve ever heard. Yacht Rock does NOT do social commentary. 

“Guiding Light” is a ballad. 

In closing, “Long Jumping Jeweller” is an upbeat, boogie-woogie tune with lyrics that make absolutely no sense. Must be an Australian thing. 

I must admit I had higher hopes for this one. These guys harmonize about as good as any band in rock history. “Take it Easy On Me” belongs in the Yacht Rock Hall of Fame (a genre which, despite my mockery, I adore unrepentantly). 

But the rest should be tossed overboard with the chum. 

https://open.spotify.com/album/76BubGTTioRfDDSyzPpnVM?si=jcjSGN9cSU-IbMRV4vfv4w

The 1986 Listening Post - John Farnham - Whispering Jack

John Farnham - Whispering Jack

#442/2121 LISTENING POST DISCOVERY

October 20 1986

John Farnham

Whispering Jack

Genre: Much better than John Parr but not wholly dissimilar

4.5 out of 5

Highlights:

Pressure Down

You’re the Voice (written by a guy I sold an air conditioner unit to)

Trouble

Every country has one or two of these acts. A pop idol that can not cross over to America but remains an icon in their home country. 

Cliff Richard. 

Tragically Hip. 

I’m sure there are others but my brain is jello right now. 

That isn’t to say they aren’t any good. Quite the opposite. 

But, who has ever heard of John Farnham? Did you know this was his 12th record? 

Nope. Not me. 

Did you know that, for a while, he was the lead singer on Little River Band? 

Nope. But that begs the question, why is this so much better than any LRB stuff he was involved with???

That said, it’s big and assured and, at times, quite excellent entry into the pantheon of 80s big vocals rock. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/whispering-jack/270340388

The 1986 Listening Post - Little River Band - No Reins

Little River Band - No Reins

#317/1997

1986 Housekeeping

Little River Band

No Reins

Genre: Rock

2.5 out of 5

I’ve said this before, I will say it over and over until they stop: I always think Little River Band is a country outfit ala Alabama and .38 Special. But they aren’t. They surely aren’t. I mean, they would probably put out a C&W album if they thought it would move units. But there are tons of bands who would do that, right?

This is just another in a long series of LRB albums that are merely ok. Standard late 70s, early 80s rock stuff. Just a touch of rhythm to overwhelm the “rawk”, of which there is almost none. 

The title track is the best thing here and it’s not that great. Faux white boy R&B influenced wanna be mid temp rock.

You can listen to this record while making breakfast for your kid and listen to him ramble on about some mysterious secret he and his best friend have while your wife is blow drying her hair and not miss a thing.

I know. I did. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/no-reins-remastered/721665631

The 1985 Listening Post - Little River Band - Playing to Win

Little River Band - Playing to Win

#26

January 1985

Little River Band

Playing to Win

3.75 out of 5

Highlights:

Playing to Win

When Cathedrals Were White

I always think LRB is a country rock band because their name screams that. But, they aren’t, are they? Certainly not here, where each subsequent track sounds like they listened to Styx’s Kilgore and a LOT of latter day Yes and then, in a fever sweat, got in the studio. 

This isn’t hard to do but…this is better than The Net. 

There might be something wrong with me cuz, I actually like this album. They’ve abandoned their worst tendencies (that abysmal photo-funk of the last album) and moved heavily into Prog and, for me it works. In a way, songs like “Piece of the Dream” give a good indication of what prog would sound like in Billy Joel’s hands. 

Make of that what you will.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/playing-to-win-remastered/722225928

The 1983 Listening Post - Little River Band - The Net

Little River Band - The Net

#92
May 1983
Little River Band
The Net
2 out of 5

The Australian invasion continues!
The album opens with…some kind of funky R&B disco track that is wholly unexpected. Like they listened to Queen’s Staying Power and said, “yeah, that’s the way to go, fellas. Let’s get down with some funky white boy disco and horns! Lots of horns!” This is bad corporate rock by a band that’s still around. However, it should be noted, not one person playing in Little River Band today was in the original lineup or with the band in their heyday. Sometimes, at times like this, I hate this project.