THE SONGS OF MAURICE FRAWLEY – LONG GONE WHISTLE
Three CDs, beautifully packaged, lovingly recorded and wonderfully conceived. Forty-one tracks that encompass a career writing about the human condition and its associated frailties. Maurice Frawley first came to our attention when, playing with The Dots, he co-wrote Look So Fine Feel So Low with Paul Kelly. Three decades, hundreds of songs and thousands of gigs later Frawley lost a short battle with cancer. Much of Frawley’s work has gone unnoticed by many. Working with the Olympic Sideburms, The Working Class Ringos and finally The Yard Hands he was, unfortunately, the songwriters’ songwriter. Note the names that play tribute singing his tunes here; alongside Kelly we have Mick Thomas, Tim Rogers, Chrissy Amphlett, Kasey Chambers, Tex Perkins, Sarah Blasko, Don Walker, Renee Geyer… the list goes on. Packaged here are 21 originals on disc three, along with 21 tributes on the first two discs. There is not a missed beat on Long Gone Whistle, not even an average track. But perhaps the hint as to why Frawley has been so overlooked can be found in the standouts. While Rogers, Walker and Perkins give great performances as you would expect, it’s the chicks who rule here. Amphlett is perfectly anguished and confused with Happy Home, and Megan Washington leaves nothing behind in the hauntingly beautiful and fragile ode to, “The one I love” – Given Everything; but the killer track is Atalita’s Lonesome, echoing every syllable and sentiment with carefree ease and complete conviction. Maybe Maurice was just born with the wrong voice? Either way Long Gone Whistle will remain a classic of Australian songwriting long after you and I are gone, and the most fitting tribute that friends and colleagues could conceive.
**** 1/2
