"Almost Frantic" is the fifth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by Australian singer songwriter

Russell Morris Russell Norman Morris (born 31 July 1948) is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who had five Australian Top 10 singles during the late 1960s and early 1970s. On 1 July 2008, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) reco ...

. It was credited to ''Russell Morris and the Rubes''. The album was released in February 1981 and peaked at number 28 on the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

. Three singles were released from the album throughout 1980/82, with the track " Hush" peaking at number 14. In May 2014, the album was reissued on

Compact Disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

and

music download A music download is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a personal computer, portable media player, MP3 player or smartphone. This term encompasses both legal downloads ...

by Sandman Records. and

Background and Release

1979 had been busy for Russell Morris, with the release and promotion of the album '' Foot in the Door'', concluding on 4 November on the steps of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

in front of 100,000 people. In April 1980 Morris lost Joey Amenta and James Black from his band, but they were replaced with Max Chazan and Bruce Haymes. Chazan, Haymes and Rick Puchela has previously played in a band called "The Rubes", so 'The Russell Morris Band' became 'Russell Morris and the Rubes'. The band released a cover of the

Billy Joe Royal Billy Joe Royal (April 3, 1942 – October 6, 2015) was an American country soul singer. His most successful record was " Down in the Boondocks" in 1965. Life and career Born in Valdosta, Georgia, to Clarence and Mary Sue Smith Royal, and ra ...

song " Hush" in September 1980, which peaked at number 14 on the

. Morris had previously recorded the song with Somebody's Image in 1967, when it reached number 15. The album was promoted with the advertising tag "The album about to explode!" but peaked at number 28 on the

in early 1981. "The Roar of the Wild Torpedoes" and "So Tough" were released in 1981 but failed to chart. Following the release of the album, Russell Morris and the Rubes released "Get it Right" in 1982, before the band parted ways in 1983.

Reception

Reviewed at the time of release, Roadrunner said, "A lot of people are doubtless buying this album for the naff version of "Hush" it contains, but rest assured it's the lowpoint of the record. That marvellous, airy Morris voice, as capable as ever of delivering warmth and chill simultaneously, is placed up front in the mix."

Track listing

;1981 Vinyl/ Cassette ; 2014 Reissue # "So Tough" - 3:20 # "Radio Active" - 3:18 # "Walk Don't Run" - 2:54 # "The Roar Of The Torpedoes" - 3:12 # "Don't Want To Talk About It" - 3:26 # "Somebody's Watching The House" - 3:13 # "I Don't Like The Night" - 2:12 # "In The Heat Of The Night" - 3:42 # "Don't Look Over Your Shoulder" - 2:20 # "Hush" - 3:00 # "Just Another One" (Bonus Non-LP track) - 2:58 # "Get It Right" (Bonus Non-LP track) - 3:55 # "You Wanted Fame" (Bonus Non-LP track) - 2:55 # "I'll Stay With You" (Bonus Non-LP track) - 3:53 # "Turn To Stone" (Bonus Non-LP track) - 3:09

Charts

Release history

Credits

* The Rubes – Bruce Haymes, Graham Thompson, Max Chazan, Rick Puchala * Backing Vocals – Max Parker * Engineer – Ross Cockle (tracks: 1 to 11), Tim Kramer (tracks: 12, 13) * Saxophone – Wilbur Wilde

References

{{Authority control 1981 albums Russell Morris albums Mushroom Records albums