John Farnham’s landmark 1986 album Whispering Jack is receiving a special 40th-anniversary expanded release, pairing the original record with Whispering Jack Live In Concert. The reissue matters because the album remains Australia’s best-selling release by a local artist and helped transform Farnham’s career after a difficult period.

The limited edition, due to ship on 18 September, will include black-and-white vinyl individually numbered up to 2,500, plus a two-CD version and new merchandise. The live recording, captured in Melbourne in 1987, is appearing on vinyl for the first time; the original album spent 25 weeks at number one and sold more than one million copies, driven by songs including “You’re The Voice”, “Pressure Down” and “A Touch Of Paradise”.