“Full
Strength” Also recorded “Live” in the Blue Mountains
& produced by Pat Drummond’s Shoestring Records, “Full Strength” is an
Australian Historical narrative in verse. 8 original poems (plus one by Arthur
Green) that chart the country’s development from convict transportation to the
present day. These poems showcase “The Rhymer’s” love of research and writing
skills that combine together to produce some wonderfully evocative and stirring
verse.
CD Review
of “Full Strength”
CD review by John Williams
Graeme Johnson is a well
known poet who is based in
Sydney.
He has won many awards
for his poetry over the past few
years including the 2004 Banjo
Paterson Writing Award, The
John Dunmore Lang Poetry
Prize, the 2007 Henry Lawson
Written Poetry Award, The 2011
Tamworth Original Poetry Award
and has achieved many top ten
fi nishes in the Australian Bush
Poetry Championships.
In all he has received over
seventy awards for his poetry and
yarnspinning over the years.
Graeme has also been a judge
in poetry competitions and has
organized many poetry events.
I guess that covers his
credentials as a poet.
If you have seen Graeme
performing you will know exactly
what to expect from this CD.
If you haven’t you are in for a
treat.
Graeme is not afraid to use
his skills to cover any topic, even
controversial ones such as ‘Read
All About It’, which covers the
Schapelle Corby case.
Whatever your personal views
he sure makes you think.
His poem, ‘Juggernaut’
covers the Boxing Day Tsunami
from a unique and challenging
perspective.
Like all bush poets Graeme
listens, learns and promotes other
poets’ work. On this CD he does
a terrifi c version of Arthur Green’s
‘Like Thunder on the Plain’ about
Breaker Morant.
This CD offers an historical
perspective of events from our
history ranging from ‘Poles and
Wires’ about the Light Horse
Memorial to the convict era
poems such as ‘The Voyage’ and
‘Rust and Rivets’.
It also offers Graeme’s views
on contemporary events such
as technology and having it all in
‘A Good Way to Begin’ and the
patriotic ‘That’s Australia.
Bush poetry has moved into
the twenty first century and poets
like Graeme Johnson have been
in the forefront of this growth.
I enjoyed this CD and if you
are a fan of good Australian verse
then you will gain enjoyment from
this CD.
I can recommend it.
This product was added to our catalog on Sunday 08 May, 2011.