John Farnham nearly missed the launch party for his most successful album, Whispering Jack (1986) – he was stuck on a couch in a foetal position. He was under immense pressure. His three-year stint as lead singer of Little River Band (LRB) had left him saddled with some of LRB's existing debt. Whispering Jack was clearly his last chance to show the world the kind of artist he thought he could be. It wasn’t obvious that any record companies would distribute it, nor that any radio stations would bother broadcasting its singles. Farnham’s manager, the former Masters’ Apprentices bassist Glenn Wheatley, had mortgaged his home to finance the project. Farnham’s mental health was deteriorating. Everything was on the line.