Playing to Win

For the Outlaws album, see Playin' to Win.

1985 studio album by Little River Band

Playing to Win

Studio album by

Little River Band

Released| January 1985
Recorded| 1983–1984
Genre| Rock
Length| 46:47
Label| Capitol
Producer| Spencer Proffer
Little River Band chronology
| The Net
(1983)  | Playing to Win
(1985)  | No Reins
(1986)

|
|

Singles from  Playing to Win

1. "Playing to Win"
Released: November 1984
2. "Blind Eyes"
Released: 1985

Playing to Win is the eighth studio album by Australian group, Little River Band released on Capitol Records. This album is the second studio album with John Farnham as lead vocalist and the first to be recorded by the band in the United States.[citation needed] The album peaked at No. 38 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and at No. 75 on The Billboard 200.[1][2]

The title song, "Playing to Win", had been drafted by Farnham. By the time it had been through LRB production, every member of the band had a share. Band member Graham Goble analysed the lyrics to determine who contributed, and what percentage of royalties they deserved. Farnham eventually received 55.5% of the royalties.[3]

The first single from the album was "Playing to Win", which was released in November 1984 and reached No.59 on the Australian Singles Chart, No. 15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and No. 60 on The Billboard Hot 100.[4][2] Channel 7 used "Playing to Win" as its football promo for its VFL coverage in early 1985.[5] The second single, "Blind Eyes", failed to enter any chart.

The album was re-released on CD in March 1997 with bonus tracks.

## Track listing

[edit]

1. "Playing to Win" (J. Farnham, G. Goble, S. Proffer) - 3:00
2. "Reappear" (S. Housden, M. Wakeford, G. Goble) - 4:07
3. "Blind Eyes" (J. Farnham, D. Hirschfelder, R. Chapman) - 4:59
4. "Through Her Eyes" (S. Housden, M. Wakeford, G. Goble, S. Proffer) - 5:17
5. "When Cathedrals Were White" (G. Goble, D. Hirschfelder, S. Housden) - 4:25
6. "Relentless" (G. Goble, S. Proffer) - 5:29
7. "Piece of the Dream" (W. Nelson, D. Scheibner, S. Shepherd) - 4:12
8. "Don't Blame Me" (G. Goble) - 3:30
9. "One Shot in the Dark" (S. Housden, M. Wakeford, G. Goble, S. Proffer) - 3:34
10. "Count Me In" (W. Nelson, D. Scheibner) - 3:52

Bonus CD tracks

1. "D" (B. Birtles, G. Goble) - 3:13
2. "Playing to Win" (Extended Version) (J. Farnham, G. Goble, S. Proffer) - 4:25

## Personnel

[edit]

* John Farnham \- lead vocals
* Graham Goble \- guitar, vocals
* David Hirschfelder \- synthesizer, guitar, piano, keyboards, programming, vocals
* Stephen Housden \- guitar
* Wayne Nelson \- bass guitar, vocals, lead vocals on "Piece of the Dream" and "Count Me In"
* Steve Prestwich \- drums

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1985)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 38
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] | 18
United States (Billboard 200)  | 75

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Little River Band - Chart History (Playing to Win)". Billboard magazine. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
2. ^ a b "Playing to Win - Billboard albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
3. ^ "Playing to Win". The Music. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
4. ^ "Little River Band - Chart History ("Playing to Win")". Billboard magazine. Retrieved 21 January 2010.
5. ^ "Little River Band - Playing To Win (VFL Football version)". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 - via www.youtube.com.
6. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 179\. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
7. ^ "Charts.nz – Little River Band – Playing to Win". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 July 2021.

* v
* t
* e

Little River Band

* Wayne Nelson
* Chris Marion
* Ryan Ricks
* Colin Whinnery
* Bruce Wallace

* Graeham Goble
* Beeb Birtles
* Derek Pellicci
* Glenn Shorrock
* Roger McLachlan
* Graham Davidge
* Dave Orams
* Ric Formosa
* David Briggs
* George McArdle
* Geoff Cox
* Mal Logan
* Barry Sullivan
* Stephen Housden
* John Farnham
* David Hirschfelder
* Steve Prestwich
* Malcolm Wakeford
* James Roche
* Peter Beckett
* Tony Sciuto
* Richard Bryant
* Steve Wade
* Hal Tupea
* Paul Gildea
* Kevin Murphy
* Adrian Scott
* Glenn Reither
* Kip Raines
* Billy Thomas
* Mel Watts
* Greg Hind
* Rich Herring

Studio albums|

* Little River Band
* After Hours
* Diamantina Cocktail
* Sleeper Catcher
* First Under the Wire
* Time Exposure
* The Net
* Playing to Win
* No Reins
* Monsoon
* Get Lucky

Live albums|

* Backstage Pass
* Live in America
* Live Classics

Compilation albums|

* It's a Long Way There (Greatest Hits)
* Greatest Hits
* Too Late to Load
* Worldwide Love
* The Classic Collection
* The Definitive Collection
* Ultimate Hits
* Masterpieces

Videos & DVDs|

* Live Exposure

Singles|

* "Curiosity (Killed the Cat)"
* "Emma"
* "Everyday of My Life"
* "It's a Long Way There"
* "I'll Always Call Your Name"
* "Help Is on Its Way"
* "Witchery"
* "Home on Monday"
* "Happy Anniversary"
* "Shut Down Turn Off"
* "Reminiscing"
* "Lady"
* "Lonesome Loser"
* "Cool Change"
* "The Night Owls"
* "Man on Your Mind"
* "Take It Easy on Me"
* "Down on the Border"
* "St. Louis"
* "The Other Guy"
* "When the War Is Over"
* "Love Is a Bridge"
* "When Will I Be Loved"
* "Forever Blue"

Related articles|

* Members
* Discography
* Awards
* Birtles Shorrock Goble
* Birtles & Goble
* Mississippi
* We Two Pty Ltd v Shorrock (2002)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

John Farnham

Studio albums|

* Sadie
* Everybody Oughta Sing a Song
* Looking Through a Tear
* Christmas Is... Johnny Farnham
* Johnny
* Together
* Johnny Farnham Sings the Shows
* Hits Magic & Rock 'N Roll
* Johnny Farnham Sings Hits from the Movies
* J.P. Farnham Sings
* Uncovered
* Whispering Jack
* Age of Reason
* Chain Reaction
* Then Again...
* Romeo's Heart
* 33⅓
* The Last Time
* I Remember When I Was Young: Songs from the Great Australian Songbook
* Jack
* Friends for Christmas

Live albums|

* Johnny Farnham Sings the Big Hits of '73 Live!
* Full House
* Live at the Regent Theatre
* Highlights from The Main Event
* John Farnham & Tom Jones – Together in Concert
* The Acoustic Chapel Sessions
* Two Strong Hearts Live

Compilation albums|

* The Best of Johnny Farnham
* Johnny Farnham's Greatest Hits
* Anthology 1: Greatest Hits 1986–1997
* Anthology 2: Classic Hits 1967–1985 (Recorded Live)
* Anthology 3: Rarities
* Love Songs
* One Voice: The Greatest Hits
* The Essential
* The Essential 3.0

Videos and DVDs|

* The Main Event
* Anthology 1 - The Videos
* An Audience with John Farnham
* The Last Time
* One Voice: The Greatest Clips
* John Farnham & Tom Jones – Together in Concert
* Classic Jack Live!
* Chain Reaction Live in Concert
* With The Sydney Symphony Live at the Sydney Opera House
* Two Strong Hearts Live

Singles|

* "Sadie (The Cleaning Lady)"
* "Underneath the Arches"
* "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"
* "One"
* "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head"
* "Corner of the Sky"
* "Help!"
* "You're the Voice"
* "Pressure Down"
* "A Touch of Paradise"
* "Reasons"
* "Age of Reason"
* "Two Strong Hearts"
* "Beyond the Call"
* "Communication"
* "Chain Reaction"
* "That's Freedom"
* "Burn for You"
* "When Something Is Wrong with My Baby"
* "Everything's Alright"
* "Have a Little Faith (In Us)"
* "Everytime You Cry"
* "Trying to Live My Life Without You
* "The Last Time"
* "We Will Rock You"
* "Downhearted"
* "Even When I'm Sleeping"

Other songs|

* "Chains Around the Heart"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Awards
* Little River Band
* Darryl Sambell
* Glenn Wheatley
* Finding the Voice (2023)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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