1983's
The Net saw fellow Australian
John Farnham replacing
Glenn Shorrock on vocals on the first of three albums before
Shorrock's return.
The Net marked the group's last two Top 40 singles, the first with "We Two" hitting number 22 and the second with "You're Driving Me out of My Mind," that peaked at number 35 three months later. The latter was heightened by some exuberant horn induction that led to it's dashing, jazzy feel, while the former was more akin to the
Little River Band's late-'70s/early-'80s sound. But even with these singles,
The Net failed to capture the same success they experienced with
Shorrock at the helm. The same type of soft rock fluidity and laid-back charm has been replaced with a sound that seems forced and somewhat strained on this album. The blame can't be put completely on
Farnham, though, as the market seemed to be changing in the early part of the decade, slowly shying away from the lucid, relaxed feel of
LRB's style of music ever so slightly. Actually,
Farnham puts some inspired effort into his singing, witnessed on tracks like "Mr. Socialite" and "Down on the Border." Suffering from a pop formula that seems a little too contrived for
LRB, this album, along with 1985's
Playing to Win and '86's
No Reins, are the band's weakest efforts. ~ Mike DeGagne