Michael Hutchence. Largely forgotten?*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Sondek, May 29, 2016.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Sondek

    Sondek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    It seems to me while the likes of Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse etc are often brought up, Michael Hutchence rarely gets a mention. Why?

    Why do you think it is it that the 'dead star' factor didn't even come into play with him (a rise in popularity or renewed interest after his death)?



     
    Last edited: May 29, 2016
  2. ranasakawa

    ranasakawa Forum Resident

    INXS stuffed up by constantly trying to replace Michael after he died. They failed to find anyone who came close.
     
    fer2, smokeverbs, goodiesguy and 15 others like this.
  3. elgoodo

    elgoodo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Jersey City, NJ
    His body of work doesn't come close to the other dead people you mentioned in terms of influence and importance.
     
    CaptainFeedback1, fer2, Jo B and 73 others like this.
  4. pghmusiclover

    pghmusiclover Senior Member

    I know I'm in the minority, but I'd take Michael Hutchence/INXS over Kurt Cobain/Nirvana any day! And the music he left behind with INXS, is certainly a legacy to appreciate much more than Amy Winehouse's paltry 2 albums (and barrel scraping compilations)...
     
  5. the sands

    the sands Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oslo, Norway
    One of those 80s bands that I had a little problem with. I just could not get into INXS.
     
  6. Sordel

    Sordel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Switzerland
    Hutchence may loom larger in the UK due his association with the family tragedy of Bob Geldof, Paula Yates and Peaches Geldof. He's still pretty well known here I'd say, although admittedly not for his music particularly.
     
  7. Sondek

    Sondek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    I thought that myself, although I remember INXS being huge around 1990. I think (I'm not sure on this) they were bigger in Australia and UK than the U.S. I still think it's odd he rarely gets mentioned though. He was a charismatic frontman with a good voice.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2016
    thnkgreen, 2141, willy and 6 others like this.
  8. 905

    905 Senior Member

    Location:
    Midwest USA
    I love INXS, but after X in 1990 they dropped off my radar. I consider the follow-up Welcome to Wherever You Are to be their best album, but I didn't even get it until years later after reading positive reviews here.
     
    Sluggy, scobb, Dodoz and 3 others like this.
  9. wilbur

    wilbur Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ
    INXS' heyday ended years before his death.

    Also - like the person above me stated - he was from an "'80s band." Most bands/singers from that era don't get a lot of love and especially didn't in the '90s when he passed away.
     
    scobb, CrazyCatz, Sneaky Pete and 8 others like this.
  10. hka

    hka Active Member

    While she was definitely talented, I wouldn't put Amy Winehouse anywhere near the level of influence of the others in the OP
     
    serj, garrincha, Boswell and 17 others like this.
  11. Sondek

    Sondek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    X was my favourite. Welcome to Wherever You Are was mostly just okay for me. But they dropped off my radar with Full Moon, Dirty Hearts. I didn't think that album was very good at all.
     
    905 likes this.
  12. Sondek

    Sondek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    She's still brought up more than Hutchence though.
     
    DavidD, saturdayboy and Bowieboy like this.
  13. peteham

    peteham Senior Member

    Location:
    Simcoe County
    Maybe internal band politics have prevented both the label and the surviving band from milking his legacy? I would've marked the 30th anniversary of 'Listen Like Thieves' and I hope the label does something next year for 'Kick'. Something far better than 'Kick 25'. People remember when they are reminded.
     
    pghmusiclover likes this.
  14. Siegmund

    Siegmund Vinyl Sceptic

    Location:
    Britain, Europe
    I can only recall one INXS track, off the top of my head. You need more than charisma to be remembered: you need serious and original talent, and I don't think M.H. had that, though I wouldn't say he was UNtalented.

    Amy Winehouse doesn't justify the 'martyr' tag, either: her music was OK-ish, but not great - and she really does pale beside someone like Billie Holliday, to whom she is frequently (and wrongly) compared. But she'd been a tabloid heroine for years before she died, so her demise was big news.
     
  15. Say It Right

    Say It Right Not for the Hearing Impaired

    Location:
    Niagara Falls
    INXS broke pretty big in the US. MTV pushed them quite heavily on the first 2 albums, when they were kind of New Wave-ish and not so well known.
     
    The MEZ, 2141, bzfgt and 3 others like this.
  16. Sondek

    Sondek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    They had quite a lot of well known tracks. Their Greatest Hits tracklist...
    1. "Mystify"
    2. "Suicide Blonde"
    3. "Taste It"
    4. "The Strangest Party (These Are the Times)"
    5. "Need You Tonight"
    6. "Original Sin"
    7. "Heaven Sent"
    8. "Disappear"
    9. "Never Tear Us Apart"
    10. "The Gift"
    11. "Devil Inside"
    12. "Beautiful Girl"
    13. "Deliver Me"
    14. "New Sensation"
    15. "What You Need"
    16. "Listen Like Thieves"
    17. "Bitter Tears"
    18. "Baby Don't Cry"
    Never Tear Us Apart is probably my favoruite of theirs.
     
  17. masterbucket

    masterbucket Senior Member

    Location:
    Georgia US
    I saw the band play at Chastain Park last time around with a different singer and they sounded fantastic.
    Of course without Mike and his strong stage presence it was a tad off but these guys were giving it 110 percent and with backup singers the songs were on time.
    I understand one of the guitarists got his hand mangled up in a marina accident as well not long after and lost a finger.
     
  18. Diego Lucas

    Diego Lucas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brazil
    Great band, i am surprise that i like many hits of them.
     
    GoodKitty and The MEZ like this.
  19. Malina

    Malina Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC
    Although not a fan, I will say the band was tight. 3 brothers I think? They were good players and deserving of respect, but most people don't care or even know about that kind of thing. They like angsty Kurt Cobain and his troubled soul - that sort of nonsense. The masses want a story.
     
  20. Whoopycat

    Whoopycat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Des Moines
    Hutchence was a fantastic, charismatic frontman. However he did not have any influence on the culture at large like those mentioned in the OP, including Amy Winehouse. I don't recall kids wearing Michael Hutchence t-shirts in the 80s-90s, and I was a kid then.
     
  21. Thwacko

    Thwacko Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peacham, Vermont
    Great vocalist, some good songs, and happy memories from my childhood. Still hard to believe he is gone.
     
    theMess, ARK, agundy and 3 others like this.
  22. JPJs Bass Guitar

    JPJs Bass Guitar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Glasgow, UK
    INXS were the first band I ever saw, in 1991.

    I certainly won't say he's in the Hendrix or Morrison league in terms of influence, but there's a strong body of work there no doubt.

    If he had died 10 years after he did, it would be a different story - social media plays a large part in canonising someone like Amy Winehouse without real merit (and I do like her material).

    A listen to their greatest hits, Listen Like Thieves, Kick, X or a number of others will say Michael is worth remembering.

    Unlike subsequent INXS vocalists ......
     
  23. Purple Jim

    Purple Jim Senior Member

    Location:
    Bretagne
    This.
    I thought INXS were an appalling band and the lead vocals were poor. He was good looking though.
     
    royzak2000, Pastafarian and Easy-E like this.
  24. Sondek

    Sondek Forum Resident Thread Starter

    No love for this one? I think it's one of their better albums....

     
  25. vamborules

    vamborules Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT
    No "Don't Change" or "The One Thing"? This thing is missing some big songs.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine