Liberty (Greg Johnson) (LP 2891 - 2895)

Greg Johnson Set  Everyday Distortions (CD, Pagan Records, 1993) ***  

Greg Johnson  Chinese Whispers (CD, EMI Records, 1997) ***  

Greg Johnson  Sea Breeze Motel (CD, EMI Records, 2000) ***

Greg Johnson  Here Comes The Caviar (CD, EMI Records, 2004) ***  

Greg Johnson  Anyone Can Say Goodbye (CD, EMI Records, 2006) ***  

Genre: NZ Music, pop 

Places I remember: Slow Boat Records, Roger Marbeck for Sea Breeze Motel, Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Hibiscus Song

Gear costume: Liberty, Isabelle

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Active compensatory factors: Greg Johnson, a talented musician (keyboards), writer and singer, is a fellow Aucklander.

His career can roughly be split into the NZ residence albums and then stuff he released after moving to the United States in 2002 (two of the above are from that period).

Second album Everyday Distortions sounds great. The musicians include Trevor Reekie on guitar and the band create a very commercial set of songs. Isabelle was the big single from this album. The rest of the album has some pleasant songs but there is also a sameness that creeps into the sounds.

Although Trevor Reekie was still involved on his fourth album, Chinese Whispers, GJ dispensed with the band idea and just presented himself as a solo artist.

The music is more mature sounding on Chinese Whispers, but the same criticism about the sameness of songs can apply to this one as well. Liberty stands out as Isabelle did on the previous album. 

Sea Breeze Motel was the first album I heard by Greg Johnson. Roger gave me a promo copy and I was an instant fan. There is that voice for a start - very smooth, polished, confident.

The songs on Sea Breeze Motel are much better generally. Beautiful Storm kicks off the album and signals the intent - more songs with catchy hooks! By fifth song - Hibiscus Song, a clear standout, I am sold!

Even his voice sounds more varied on Sea Breeze Motel, and more in the mix. His albums all seem to peak on side one, though, and taper off in quality towards the end. Unfortunately, SBM is not an exception. 

Before Here Comes The Caviar and Anyone Can Say Goodbye, Greg had relocated from NZ to Los Angeles. It was a good time to release a compilation of material up to this point and The Best Yet is a good summation of things.

Both of the American albums continue the familiar Greg Johnson sound. Save Yourself (HCTC) and Now The Sun Is Out (ACSG) were mildly successful singles.

Anyone Can Say Goodbye gets special kudos for limiting itself to 10 songs of good quality and it doesn't flag on side 2!

Where do they all belong? I would snap up his other albums if I came across them, but I'm not actively pursuing them. I think he's an under-appreciated talent in Nu Zild. Maybe he's more appreciated in America? Best place to start would be his The Best Yet compilation from 2001 for the early stuff (and the hits).