Playing it by heart (John Hanlon) (LP 2695 - 2697)

John Hanlon  Garden Fresh (Vinyl, Family Label Records, 1974) ***** 

John Hanlon  Higher Trails (Vinyl, Family Label Records, 1975) *****  

John Hanlon  Just Quietly (CD, Family Label Records, 2009) *** 

Genre: NZ music, pop/ rock

Places I remember: the records came from Denton's Records in 246 Queen Street, Auckland - loooong gone!  I bought my first records there when I was a youngun/padowan. Just Quietly is from JB Hi Fi.

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:  Higher Trails

Gear costume: Damn The Dam, On A Hillside In The Rain (Garden Fresh)

Active compensatory factors: I've written about my admiration for John Hanlon elsewhere on this blog (here frinstance), and I can add he's a lovely guy who returns emails from fans like me!

Garden Fresh was a revelation to me in 1974 - a Kiwi singer songwriter that spoke to me! That was a first. 

As a nation, we watched him on TV during New Faces/ Studio One style Opportunity Knocks/X Factor type programmes and I loved everything he did.

His second and third albums are great - Higher Trails is a little more confident, but I kind of think of these as Vol 1 and 2. His first album (Floating) is quite a tentative debut.

Just Quietly is well named. It's quite introspective and doesn't employ any pop or rock moments. As such it's nice to hear but not the one I come back to if I'm in the mood.

Where do they all belong? The compilation After The Dam Broke gives an excellent overview. He's a national treasure!