Let Your Hair Down, Take Your Clothes Off, and Let's Dance

My apologies.

Whenever I listen to INXS, I am automatically transported back to my wild life of the 80's. In the 80's, I spent a lot of time in dance clubs, grinding on the dance floor (with many gay men), while wearing outfits that would cause you to raise your eyebrow. Less was more. And then sometimes, more was more.

For you children not yet aware of music in the 80's (or you folks who stopped listening to anything new post 1977), INXS was (in my opinion) one of the greatest synth-pop/rock/dance groups that ever existed. The sexy, erotic vocals of Michael Hutchence, was like the icing on an incredibly tasty cake. You know how some groups either produce great musical arrangements or they have a charismatic front leader? Yep, INXS had both and I couldn't even imagine separating one from the other.

INXS, in case you didn't know, hail from Australia and was formed in 1977 by the brothers Farriss (Andrew, Jon, Tim), Michael (who went to high school with Andrew), Gary Beers, and Kirk Pengilly.

After playing the pub circuit in Sydney (betcha didn't know that was a great way to get discovered), they landed a recording contract with an Australian record label. In 1981, RCA picked them up but it wasn't until 1983 that they started to get recognized in the U.S. They had minor hits like Don't Change, Original Sin, and I Send A Message but the song that put them on the map was, What You Need from the impressive Listen Like Thieves cd.

What You Need was a success (IMHO) for two reasons. First, the musical arrangement was different compared to what was topping the charts. It wasn't just a one or two dimensional track - it had a stomping percussion sound, a charismatic saxophone, a grumbling bass, and grinding guitars. They all played as though alone but somehow, they fit together neatly like pieces of a puzzle. There seemed to be no unnecessary pieces either. When you hear the song, it totally captivates your attention from start to finish.

The second reason has to do with Michael Hutchence. He has a swaggering, almost bluesy-rock style that some compare to Mick Jaggar. And maybe, those "some" people know what they are talking about. What I know though is that he owns the song. He owns the dance floor people.

In 1987, with the help of producer Chris Thomas (Sex Pistols, Pink Floyd, The Pretenders), INXS came into their own with Kick. Still their best, single album to date, Kick was chock full of hits.

Devil Inside was the next release for the boys and 16 years later, it still plays as fresh and now timeless. The brush of the drum with the grind of the guitar gave way to the most sexiest voice of the time - Mr. Hutchence. Michael continued to dominate with his sexy ah ah ahhhhhhh's and his breathy, seductive vocals including devil inside devil inside. every single one of us, the devil inside. Amen brotha.

I was surprised by the breadth and depth of their first real ballad, Never Tear Us Apart. Using synthesizers to have the look and feel of strings was just downright brilliant. Their reverberating presence added almost a haunting quality next to Michael's dripping-with-pain vocals. The saxophone solo introduced in the middle of the song was a great bridge that lead into the almost-never-heard background vocals of the others (I think it was specifically Andrew Farriss but I can't be sure).

The INXS train seemed unstoppable. In 1990, they released their seventh album, X and it continued the synth-pop-rock-dance tradition established with Kick. Producer Chris Thomas signed on again, and they pumped out three singles - Suicide Blonde, Disappear, and Bitter Tears.

I was a certified fan by this time and although I enjoyed X, I thought that it didn't contain the originality that was on Kick. Suicide Blonde felt very Depeche Mode like with its throbbing bass line and Michael's deep, talk-like vocals. Bitter Tears was a very tame track compared to anything else they had put out there. It's main saving grace is that because you're not as impressed with the musical track, you might recognize that Michael has a bluesy voice that was certainly unappreciated and not showcased nearly enough.

After X, INXS seemed to lose a lot of momentum. Some of this could be blamed on the fickleness of the U.S. audience which had gone down the grunge path embracing the likes of Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots. The other issue was that they seemed to be struggling with their direction. Having conquered that whole dance world, they seemed to be bored with staying that course. The 1992 release of Welcome To Whatever You Are saw more of an emphasis on artistic rock than on synth-dance-pop. And since rock was really focused on grunge, this album got lost in the shuffle. Three tracks - Taste It, Heaven Sent, and Not Enough Time were released. On the rock charts, they performed decently, but the Top 40 people just weren't buying it anymore.

INXS released one more cd - Elegantly Wasted - before the suicide of Michael Hutchence.

Whew! are you still with me? Alright. You INXS fans know that there are multiple "best of"/"greatest" floating out there. What makes this one different?

First, you get remixes of Suicide Blonde and Devil Inside - both which are currently on the maxi-single versions but not on the original albums. I have these maxi-singles because of the remixes - that's how good they are!

Second, you get two songs that were previously unreleased - Tight and Salvation Jane. Both were written post-Kick and certainly don't contain the punch that you might crave but still, they're great bonuses for the fans.

The liner notes are thorough and chronicle the career of INXS through the death of Michael Hutchence. You won't find that in other "best" and "greatest".

Tracks
1. Need You Tonight
2. What You Need
3. By My Side
4. Taste It
5. New Sensation
6. The One Thing
7. Disappear
8. Never Tear Us Apart
9. Original Sin
10. Mystify
11. This Time
12. Suicide Blonde
13. Beautiful Girl
14. The Gift
15. Listen Like Thieves
16. Devil Inside
17. Bitter Tears
18. Not Enough Time
19. Salvation Jane
20. Tight
21. Don't Change