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REVIEWS MUSIC

We take a studied gaze into the latest vinyl reissues available, in-store and online (while stocks last)!

following week].” Fortunately for Shannon, Pete was voted out before the work on the ‘Number Ones’ began — so he was then free to nail the track. Once he’d decided to also release it as his debut single, Shannon went back to his hometown of Condobolin in NSW to make the video, and the single was released on Australia Day 2004. It made chart history, becoming the first time a cover of an Australian number one had also hit number one. Shannon’s version also made it to number two in Ireland. Marcia Hines wasn’t responsible for the album title – it was all Nollsie During season one of Idol , there was one particular cast member with whom the phrase “That’s what I’m talking about” was associated: everyone’s fave judge, Marcia Hines. But Nollsie has always been adamant about its origins. “It’s a Shannon Noll original,” he’s insisted. “I used to say it all the time when I was with my band [Cypress]. Did you notice that every time Marcia said it, she was saying it to me?” That’s What I’m Talking About opens with a cracking track called Drive , which became the album’s second single. When Shannon’s record company played him the song’s demo, Shannon was a little perplexed. “[I said] ‘Geez, I know that singer.’ “And they said, ‘You’d wanna know, that’s Bryan Adams!’” The Canadian superstar wrote Drive with English songwriter Phil Thornalley. Adams later asked Noll to support him on his Australian tour in 2004, and the pair became friends. (Sony) Jeff Jenkins Shannon thought the singer of the Drive demo sounded strangely familiar…

Shannon Noll That’s What I’m Talking About (20th Anniversary Edition)

A nother Aussie 20th hits this month: Nollsie’s That’s What I’m Talking About . The singer might have come second in the first series of Australian Idol but soon he was on top - with debut single What About Me, and debut album That’s What I’m Talking About . When the album hit number one, going triple platinum in its first week, BMG’s then boss Ed St John said: “Today is the day that everyone gets the message - Shannon Noll is a certified Australian superstar.” With a vinyl reissue, a special anniversary edition of the album, and an anniversary tour ready to rock this month, we’re looking at three

things that you may not know about That’s What I’m Talking About . Shannon almost didn’t get to do his signature song When Nollsie made Idol’s Top 12, he was keen to sing What About Me , which had been a chart-topper for Moving Pictures in 1982 - when Shannon had just started primary school. The only problem was, another contestant - Peter Ryan, known as ‘Pete the Pig Farmer’ - beat him to it. “Pete the Pig Farmer had picked it for the 'Number Ones’ show,” Shannon has revealed, “while I’d pencilled it in for the ’80s show [the

Billy Joel vinyl reissues Cold Spring, Live at the Great American Music Hall 1975 Harbour, Streetlife Serenade,Turnstiles,The Stranger, 52nd Street, Songs In the Attic

T his month you’ll be able to grab the black vinyl reissues of seven timeless stonkers from Billy Joel, beginning with the Piano Man’s very first release. While 1971 debut Cold Spring Harbour introduced Joel’s folk rock knack, introspective lyrics and dynamic styles on the ol’ ivories, its follow-up Live at the Great American Music Hall 1975 - from the year of its title - captured the raw essence of the singer songwriter’s compositions, in a super energetic live performance at San Fran’s

hallowed performance venue. In 1974, Joel dropped

so-far captured, return to his home city, and record the entire album over again with his own touring band. It ended up a love letter to the city that never sleeps, in a mature and jazz-licked collection which put a spotlight on Joel’s memorable melodies. Global commercial and critical recognition arrived with 1977’s The Stranger (1977), which shot to number two and stayed there for six weeks, buoyed by several hits including Only the Good Die Young and Just the Way You Are . its production was

polished with a radio-friendly radiance, but it also proved that Joel’s storytelling prowess hadn’t peaked with 1973’s Piano Man . The fabulous 52nd Street leapt to the very top of the charts in 1978, delivering big band sophistication and complex arrangements that never appeared patched together, and its follow-up, Songs in the Attic (1981), offered reimagined versions of earlier hits recorded live across his 1980 US tour, providing a retrospective look at the evolution of Joel's sparkling career to that point.

Streetlife Serenade , which saw the NYC native jamming his thumbs into the pies of jazz and pop rock. It reflected a huge transition period for the star, as he began to refine his musical identity through experimentation with different genres. Initially recorded in Colorado with members of Elton John’s band, 1976’s Turnstiles instead became a celebration of New York City when Joel decided to dump everything he’d

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