Tea & Sympathy (20th Anniversary Edition - Remastered) Bernard Fanning

• 1 Thrill Is Gone 03:11
• 2 Wish You Well 02:31
• 3 Not Finished Just Yet 03:17
• 4 Songbird 02:36
• 5 Believe 03:08
• 6 Which Way Home? 03:20
• 7 Wash Me Clean 02:36
• 8 Hope And Validation 03:10
• 9 Sleeping Rough 04:35
• 10 The Strangest Thing 03:15
• 11 Further Down The Road 04:41
• 12 Down To The River 04:13
• 13 Yesterday's Gone 02:33
• 14 Watch Over Me 03:30
• 15 For You And I 02:57
• 16 Steady Job (Demo) 03:46
• 17 Watch Over Me 04:00
• 18 Songbird (Acoustic) 02:37
• 19 Believe 04:26
• 20 Weekend Of Mystery 03:24
• 21 Thrill Is Gone (Acoustic) 03:21
• 22 What A Fool I've Been 01:37
• 23 Songbird 03:04
• 24 Shelter For My Soul (2025) 04:17
• Total Runtime 01:20:05

Info for Tea & Sympathy (20th Anniversary Edition - Remastered)

Bernard Fanning’s landmark debut solo album Tea & Sympathy is set to return in style for its 20th anniversary, with the release of two brand-new reimagined recordings.

Melbourne favourites The Paper Kites have reworked Fanning’s Believe, while father-daughter duo Troy Cassar-Daley and Jem Cassar-Daley deliver a haunting new version of Songbird.

For Sam Bentley of The Paper Kites, Believe has always been more than just another song. “Bernie is an Australian icon. We’re sincere fans of his, and we were honoured to take part in celebrating 20 years of Tea & Sympathy. We had so much fun with this song and hope it adds to the legacy of such an adored and celebrated Australian artist,” he said.

The Kites’ treatment transforms the track with the cinematic folk textures that have become their trademark. Fanning himself praised the result, saying, “The Paper Kites have brought their typical quiet dignity to this song. I love how they’ve taken it into a ‘Jayhawksy’ space and added more warmth and depth to the sound of the original.”

Originally released on 31 October 2005, Tea & Sympathy debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, earned three ARIA Awards including Album of the Year, and saw Fanning collect APRA Songwriter of the Year in 2006. The record spawned career-defining songs including Wish You Well (which topped the triple j Hottest 100 of 2005), Songbird, Watch Over Me and Thrill Is Gone.

"Bernard Fanning is best known as the lead singer/songwriter of Australia's Powderfinger, but on his first solo album he's jettisoned his band's radio-friendly power pop for vintage country-folk, circa 1971. And "country-folk" really is the operative term here, not alt-country, Americana, or any other hip label that may have originated in the past 20 years, because Bernard Fanning's influences are strictly old school. Like a reprise of Stephen Stills' Manassas or Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection, Fanning's solo debut is awash in well-constructed pop songs that are dressed up with mandolins, Dobros, and fiddles. There's a country veneer, but scratch beneath the surface and you'll find some sturdy pop hooks and the kind of laid-back hippie sentiments that wouldn't sound out of place on early-'70s FM radio. Co-produced by Fanning and Tchad Blake (Tom Waits, Crowded House, Peter Gabriel), Tea & Sympathy's 14 songs span the classic country-folk spectrum. The opening "Thrill Is Gone" and later "Hope & Validation" both feature the kind of yearning, soaring vocals and infectious melodies that John tossed off regularly early in his career, while lead single "Wish You Well" and "Sleeping Rough" strongly recall Stills' work, both solo and with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. "Wash Me Clean" and closing track "Watch Over Me" show off Fanning's sensitive folkie side, all Jackson Browne earnestness and regret. Fanning is a fine, soulful singer, sounding at times remarkably like an Australian Stephen Stills, and his vocal presence alone merits attention. He also has an easy way with pop hooks. His songwriting is a little too nondescript to register deeply, though. "Thrill Is Gone," "Songbird," "Further Down the Road," and "Yesterday's Gone" all have to be in the running for Most Generic Song Title of All Time, and the sad-sack sentiments of most of these songs of loss and regret don't really improve the recognition factor. It all adds up to a pleasant, well-crafted, and somewhat slight effort." (Andy Whitman)

Bernard Fanning, guitars and vocals (UK sessions - Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9–14)
Jerry Marotta, drums and percussion (UK sessions - Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9–14)
Keith Duffy, bass (UK sessions - Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9–14)
John Bedggood, mandolin, fiddle, strings, keyboards and backing vocals (UK sessions - Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9–14)
Tchad Blake, lap steel guitar (UK sessions - Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9–14)
Ben Quinn, backing vocals (UK sessions - Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9–14)
Stu Miller, backing vocals (UK sessions - Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9–14)

Bernard Fanning, guitars and vocals (Australian sessions - Tracks 3, 5, 7 and 8)
Duane Billing, drums and percussion (Australian sessions - Tracks 3, 5, 7 and 8)
Matt Engelbrecht, bass and lead guitar (Australian sessions - Tracks 3, 5, 7 and 8)
Chris Bosley, bass (Australian sessions - Tracks 3, 5, 7 and 8)

Digitally remastered