James Reyne (album)

James Reyne is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter James Reyne, released in September 1987. It was the singer's first solo venture since the break-up of the band Australian Crawl in 1986.

James Reyne
Studio album by James Reyne
Released	September 1987
Recorded	1987
Genre	Rock
Length	50:39
Label	Capitol, EMI
Producer	Davitt Sigerson
James Reyne chronology
James Reyne (1987) Hard Reyne (1989)
Singles from James Reyne
"Fall of Rome" Released: July 1987 "Hammerhead" Released: September 1987 "Rip It Up" Released: December 1987 "Heaven on a Stick" Released: February 1988 "Motor's Too Fast" Released: June 1988 "Always the Way" Released: November 1988

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Six singles were released from the album: "Fall of Rome", "Hammerhead", "Rip it Up", "Heaven on a Stick", "Motor's Too Fast" and "Always The Way".

The album was re-released on vinyl in January 2017 to celebrate its 30th anniversary.^[2]

Review

Tomas Mureika of AllMusic said, "Reyne uses his voice as an instrument, leaping wildly across complex melody lines littered with irresistable [sic] hooks" adding the album is "one of the most striking albums of the late-eighties".^[3]

In a Cash Box review, they said "Australian musician's American debut showcasing accessible and intelligent pop/rock and should garner healthy AOR attention immediately."^[4]

Track listing

1. "Fall of Rome" (Reyne) – 4:57
2. "Hammerhead" (Reyne / Hussey) – 4:46
3. "Mr. Sandman" (Reyne / Hussey) – 4:25
4. "Counting on Me" (Reyne / Sigerson) – 4:29
5. "Always the Way" (Reyne / Hussey) – 7:23
6. "Land of Hope and Glory" (Reyne) – 4:18
7. "Heaven on a Stick" (Reyne / Hussey) – 3:24
8. "Motor's Too Fast" (Reyne / Hussey) – 4:13 (US & European release and 1988 Australian re-release)
9. "Rip it Up" (Reyne / Scott / Sigerson) – 5:42
10. "Burning Wood" (Reyne) – 2:43
11. "The Traveller" (Reyne / Scott / Sigerson) – 4:18
12. "Coin in a Plate" (Reyne / Hussey) (1987 Australian release only) – 4:14

Personnel

• James Reyne – vocals, guitar
• Jef Scott – guitars, bass, vocals
• Davey Faragher – bass
• John Watson – drums and percussion

Guests

• Phil Shenale – keyboards
• David Baerwald – guitar
• David Lindley – lap steel and Hawaiian guitars
• Paulinho Da Costa – percussion
• Olivia Newton-John – backing vocals on "Hammerhead"
• Bill Payne – piano
• David Ricketts – guitar, keyboards
• Peter Snell – guitar
• Lee Curreri – keyboards
• Bob Thiele – keyboards

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Australian Music Report)	4

Year-end charts

Chart (1987)	Position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)	25

Certification

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[5]	2× Platinum	140,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of Top 25 albums for 1987 in Australia