The Berlin Trilogy (And Other Collaborations) - John Kennedy: (I-94 Bar Records)
This album marks a watershed in John Kennedy’s life and musical journey. It represents a special time, with him surviving a stroke a year ago, making a move overseas to become a grey nomad with life partner Anja before settlement in sunny Spain where this record tookshape.
Early discussions with former bandmate Moe Jakschin Berlin produced three songs (“The Rocking Chair Studio sessions”). Further collaborations with an international cast of talented players (see Album Credits) morphed to produce this interesting and sensitive album of 12 songs. In collaborator Moe Jaksckin’s own words a departure and “not the same old Kennedy shit”.
Before we delve into the new release, it’s worth noting what John has done in his prolific career. Working as an architect in Brisbane and Sydney, he’s has been a player in the alternative Urban and Western music space in Australia since the mid-‘80s. With various band projects - the Cuban Crisis, Love Gone Wrong and more - recently collaborating with Phil Hall (Drop Bears, Lime Spiders), Red Wiggle Murray Cook (Soul Movers) , and Peter Timmerman (recently The Smoking Ruins) to form The New Originals.
The same supergroup (with gun for hire, Matt Galvin) produced two wonderful indie cover releases as the ’68 Comeback Special, the two volumes of “Raining Treasures”. It’s noteworthy that John crowd-funded those and the latest project, engaging fans who were asked to invest in releases. A clever way of controlling and owning the music production and distribution process. In these tough times it shows that experience and wisdom counts.
A look at the tracklist for “The Berlin Trilogy (And Other Collaborations)” shows an introspective and thoughtful John Kennedy, reflecting a longing for love, and sharing of wisdom and reflection.
John has stripped back the sound and this allows his mellow and deep vocal to shine. He channels the best of past crooners and this produces some lovely slow ballads backed with gorgeous twangy guitar - aka the recently departed Ron S Peno and Cam Butler from The Superstitions.
With this release marking 40 odd years of work, it places JFK in the same bracket as other stayers of the local industry. People like Steve Kilbey, Paul Kelly, Robert Forster and even Dave Graney, all of who have been prolific in their output. True to his Urban and Western roots, “The Berlin Trilogy (and Other Collaborations)” is very easy to listen to and enjoy.
The standouts for me are songs “Sweet Thing” which features some fine harmonica and a nice dreamy arrangement, and “I’ll Wait For You” with its beautiful twangy guitar and spacious introduction. This one takes fans down memory lane via a music trail of past Sydney venues like The Manzil Room, Springfield Avenue and Khardomah Cafe. There's a singalong chorus and perhaps the song hints at romantic times for JFK. Why not? We were along for the ride as well!
“(I Won’t Be) The First To Leave” is an upbeat anthem for us all that shows when love goes wrong in youth, the wisdom shines through. It recalls The Mentals’ quirky “If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too”.
“Ohh, Woollongabba” with John’s wonderful deep vocal is instantly captivating. It’s an ode to Brisbane (the city of Kennedy’s youth) and its surrounds like Coolangatta and its teen dreams and beer gardens that’s nostalgic but not syrupy!
At nearly 10 minites long, “Red Dust Rider” is an instant classic, a spacey spoken word story filled with dreams and wishes. This is such a departure from regular JFK stuff that I had to hear it again immediately to be sure it was the same John Kennedy and not a Presidential impostor! Evocative, compelling and moody. Cinematic and complete with tragedy the protagonist is too late for the rendezvous. It’s worth investing in this LP, IMHO for this track alone!
The other tracks offer plenty more; “Come Into The Light”, “Time to Leave Berlin” and “Long Time John” reveal many a recurring theme to be found in the thoughtful lyrics.
This is a fresh sounding album that’s aged well (along with JFK.) Raw at times, it’s a very personal release with loads of positivity. And don’t we all need that in these troubled times.
Ironically, there is little or no Bowie in the songs or music and I guess that’s the whimsical part of the release. The cover shot of a drab John in his Stetson, posing like Bowie, is priceless!
John Frances Kennedy is touring the Australian East Coast during November and December ’26. John hasn’t been idle off-stage and there’s a memoir, “Have Songs Will Travel”, being published to coincide. - John Ventoura
John Kennedy
Australian Tour
20 November - Marrickville Bowling Club, Sydney
5 December - Yorkshire Stingo Hotel, Melbourne
12 December - Smith’s Alternative, Canberra
19 December - Side B, Blackheath (Solo)
9 January - The Cave Inn, Brisbane
These days, when I hear the little box of CDs clunk into the mailbox, I react with a sense of awe. What, more people out there pouring their hearts and souls into a couple of handfuls of songs, putting them out in a physical format and launching them out into the world like coracles attempting an Atlantic Crossing?
How can this be? How can they be so determined, so optimistic?
Yeah, well. This time, I'm looking at the new release by a legendary Sydney “urban cowboy”, an architect/musician who just won't be forced off of the stage. Apparently, apart from a brief stint in Berlin (hence the title), he's putting his socks over the hearth in Spain these days.
Who, you ask? Why, John Kennedy, I reply. Ain't you ever heard of him? Uh-oh. Yeah, that's a bit of an issue, isn't it? Especially in these days of excessively lengthy instant search results, almost all displaying results for the wrong fucking bloke.
Okay, it takes a bit of whittling. No, he's not the American bloke who got shot because some other septics wanted a war in South-East Asia and he didn't. Nor is he the other American singer-songwriter who grew up in Nashville (unless the bugger was cloned whilst young). And, as you can imagine, there are innumerable characters who also apparently merit our attention, including a much-loved DJ, and I expect there's also an interminable list of portly housecats and slipper-chewing rug-soiling hounds who answer to the name "John Kennedy" or "JFK".
If I am ever gonna interview this chap, that'll the first question: Why the everloving fuck didn't you change your fucking name to something else? Surely "Arnold Snodgrass" would've stood out more? "Bertie Hurdygurdy"? "Bill Sniffling"? Hell, "Iggy Squeezevomit"?
Oh, well,. I suppose sharing the name with a US president whose head got famously splattered like a dropped punkin’ filled with grey and red goo would cause a certain amount of infamy - and therefore attention. Perhaps that was the reason. I mean, JFK & the Cuban Crisis was a band name that really would have been fairly confronting (or, decadently amusing).
I mean, you'll recall that, in the USA, The Dead Kennedys copped rather a lot more than media attention. JFK & the Cuban Crisis appeared less than 20 years since the rather more-famous JFK had been shot; imagine if some japester band were to call themselves 'The Bali Bombers' today. Or, perhaps, 'The TISM Killers', or 'Pauline's Pogrom', or 'The Cronulla Nullas'.
And, back in the early '80s, pop was stuffing all manner of influences into the blender; as I'm sure you also know, punk and new wave caused an extraordinary explosion of innovation and talent to walk the earth. Must've been an interesting, rather busy time for the man - particularly as I understand he had a day job - an architect. Useful, as I assume his work kept him in strings, amps, a crappy touring van and petrol.
If there's a style which folk like to hang around Kennedy's neck, it's "Urban and Western", but really ... despite all the US country-tinge, I find his songs more reminiscent of laid-back pop best suited to chillin' on the balcony with a few mates and a hearty supply of coldies. A classic example might be "Strangers Kiss", from the John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong LP "Always the Bridegroom".
Anyway, I'm sure the readers in Sydney are all familiar with John Kennedy by now: he's released records and CDs under his own name, but with other bands too, John Kennedy's Love Gone Wrong, John Kennedy and the Honeymooners, John Kennedy and the Lone Gunmen, John Kennedy's '68 Comeback Special and more lately John Kennedy and the New Originals; the bands play his own songs but he's released at least three collections of covers ... and ... here we are today.
I suspect he's something of a culture junkie, as the Community Broadcasting Association describe him as "living, performing and recording in LA, Berlin, Hong Kong, Holland and London" for ten years before returning to Sydney "in the 2000's".
The record company's Bandcamp page explains that Kennedy had a stroke in 2025 before relocating first to Berlin - and then Spain. That this record exists at all indicates that not only is Australia's John F. Kennedy somewhat harder to kill off, in typical Australian tradition, he's clearly something of a determined bugger, if not a stubborn old sod.
The Bandcamp page further explains; "former bandmate Moe Jaksch challenged him to leave his familiar pop-rock territory behind ... the result is a fresh, contemporary take on Kennedy’s distinctive Urban and Western sound — adventurous, collaborative and, in [Jaksch's] words, “not the same old Kennedy shit”.".
"The Berlin Trilogy" was produced by Kennedy himself, and mastered by the increasingly infamous Ernie Oppenheimer, and features Moe Jaksch, Peter Loveday, Paco Peneranda, Frank Kearns, Paul Scott, Hybride Goldking, Peter O’Doherty and Hunting At Dawn.
There's a lot of languid, gently exploratory beauty here - "The Berlin Trilogy (And Other Collaborations)" is an LP for (older) lovers. Call it groovy, laid-back pop if you like, but essentially the man has sewn his heart onto his cowboy hat. If these songs are any indication, he's found love (again), which means the LP is positive, upbeat yet sensitive and ... yeah, where were we on the balcony? Ah, yes, someone special and a chilled light red.
For a stubborn old sod, "The Berlin Trilogy" is deceptive: on the surface it might feel light, but as you listen and as the songs get beneath your epidermis, you find there's real weight, strength and value to them. The tunes tend to grow on you, too; I found myself humming "I'll Wait For You" or "(I Won't Be) The First To Leave" at several inappropriate moments (the doctor was curious enough to pause mid-injection). Don't ask.
John Kennedy's memoir, "Have Songs, Will Travel", will be out soon, so he'll be playing a few select dates on the East Coast, starting in November. - Robert Brokenmouth
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