Published on Jan 29, 1998
With all the hype in the last few months over the death of
Michael Hutchence, it would have been easy to pick up any of INXS’s
albums and declare them works of art – even if they might not have
been deserving of such words of praise.
Now that the hoopla has, for the most part, calmed down, I
decided to dust off one selection from their discography — their
1987 release
Kick. While INXS had made a name for themselves in the
States prior to the release of this album, it was
Kick that catapaulted them into superstardom — and over a
decade later, it’s still very tasty.
With Hutchence as the “pretty-boy” front man to the group and
brothers Andrew, Tim and John Farriss providing a good portion of
the musical backbone, INXS was poised to strike America by storm
after capturing our attention with
Listen Like Thieves. The effect the music had on our radio
waves and conscious selves was tremendous; of the twelve songs on
Kick, I count no less than six which still get significant
airplay.
“Devil Inside” is a quirky little ditty, but is hardly the best
song of the hits. That honor is shared among a few tracks – “New
Sensation” has the power to make you get up and dance with its
charmingly addictive guitar line and strong bass work provided by
Garry Gary Beers. “Need You Tonight” is another song whose rhythmic
beat locks you in and grabs you by the ears (though its counterpart
song “Mediate” shows a bit of a loss of originality). And the
clincher — “Never Tear Us Apart,” complete with slicing sax solo
by Kirk Pengilly.
Of the remaining hits, “Mystify” is a weak attempt to capture a
combination of doo-wop and light pop, though it is not a terrible
song by any stretch. On the other hand, I don’t understand what
people see in “Guns In The Sky,” a song that just fails to impress
me.
Just on the strength of these seven songs,
Kick is secured its place in the annals of rock history. But
the true shining moments come in the last three songs – that’s
right, the “non-hits”. The title track shows the most musical
creativity and variety on the album next to “Never Tear Us Apart,”
and could have been a hit in and of itself. “Calling All Nations”
is a solid effort that is just as enjoyable, while “Tiny Daggers”
is a fitting close to what could have been the best album of INXS’s
career.
It also proved to be the beginning of the end of the glory days
for the band; their follow-up release
X would only spawn one top 10 hit in “Suicide Blonde,” and
their fates continued to spiral downward from there — in some
cases, undeservedly so.
The only real weakness I can find in this album is INXS’s
reliance on one chord-progression themes. “Guns In The Sky” is a
prime example, as is “Need You Tonight” – for the most part, the
songs are the same licks repeated over and over again. Sure, I know
the Rolling Stones have made this a career — doesn’t make it
right. At times, I would have preferred to hear a little more
variety in the songs. However, I will concede that on tracks like
“Need You Tonight,” they use the effect to their advantage.
Of course, with Hutchence’s death at the end of 1997, it’s
impossible not to dwell a bit on his role in the band at this time.
Remember that the music video was still at the height of its
popularity, though it had hit its peak and was starting to decline
a bit. Hutchence’s boyish good looks and strong vocal performances
made him a natural for the cameras, as well as on the radio waves.
This, kids, could be why
Kick was the right album at the right time.
It’s truly a shame that INXS was never able to match the success
they enjoyed with
Kick — there’s a good reason why this album is considered
the best of their career, and is definitely worth investing in.