I'm indifferent towards Get On The Inside. The lyrical & musical intro and verses are semi-generic and aren't intriguing enough to want to sink my teeth into the track. However, it's quite the opposite when the choruses hit, because they are well-constructed, with light funk stylings, horn parts and enhancing backing vocals. But then again, once we get to the bridge, it doesn't really fit the flow of the song and somewhat seems out of place. This track probably would've benefited from a more up-tempo arrangement instead. Having said that, I do like GOTI, just not that much...
Fear This song seems to bring to mind Jesus Jones .. not a bad thing, it just has some sounds and such that bring them to mind for me. We open with a guitar that has an interesting sound and we get these pulsing surging synth sounds, that embellish the song, and to me it is an effective collage of sounds. Tell me something I gotta know All your troubles I wanna own I'm not preaching 'cause I'm full of sin Nothing's secret that I have not done Alone with your situation Fear on the face you're saving Kiss the warm knives as they dig for your soul There in the corner of my dirty home Take the silver: I've paid that price Here's the scandal They don't let the truth get in the way Alone with your situation Fear on the face you're saving Don't you worry don't you run away There are some things that we know will never change Don't you worry don't you look away There are some things that we know we'll have to change Burning, teasing, searching, fever, twisting, Turning I'm the white truth dealer Alone with your situation Fear on the face you're saving Songwriters: Michael Hutchence / Andrew James Dalrymple Gill This is an interesting lyric, and could be approached a couple of ways. The first and most logical, is that Michael has a friend or acquaintance who is going through some problems, and he wants to be their for them. The encouragement is that "hey I have been here, and I am not without problems, but I'll be here for you if you want help" ... The layout seems to suggest that the person is facing the same ugly media scrutiny that Michael himself faced..... Which brings us to the other possible angle here .... This could be an inner dialogue alos... That is the other angle that one could probably take with this song. I think that these are some pretty good, and interesting lyrics ... A couple of lines I a little lost as far as what may be meant, for the most part the meat of the song makes perfect sense. We get a moderate nineties dance groove, and the bass pulses this along nicely. The guitars have a nice rhythmic edge and the wall of effect sounds work well in the general groove of the song. The chorus doesn't sound typical, and I think it is quite effective. We get a bridge of sorts, and it starts off in the same mold as the verse, but it changes up, and it needed to. I think this is a pretty good song. I would say a good album track.
Fear: 3.5/5. Good construction one could type, but, again, doesn't move me that much. Andy should have let it rip. I'm kinda let down by his lack of savagery.
Fear I agree with @Bluepicasso on this one: decent but it would’ve been nice to hear more from Andy Gill. The song just sort of floats by without making a strong impression.
Fear flows relatively well throughout the near entire track. But again, we have another semi-generic / light funk rock arrangement and unfortunately a bridge that segues well initially, but just doesn't have any pay-off & temporarily disrupts the flow of the song. However, lyrically, Michael continues to expand his palette and is creating more thought-provoking subjects. Overall, Fear is a good but not great song...
For anybody who doesn't have this, I can highly recommend it: https://www.discogs.com/INXS-Dekadance/release/804050 Super collectible release and wonderful mixes of these classic songs. There is also a more recent repressing available.
All I'm Saying . You put your heart With trust into my hands I held so tight Kept you protected from things Did you ever think about it? Did you ever cry about it? Would you ever, ever doubt it? All I'm saying is come around Tell me 'bout the life you found I put my heart With trust into your hands One day, comes change Some pain and rain comes falling down Did you ever think about it? (Don't say it) Did you ever lie about it? (Don't say it) Could you ever live without it? All I'm saying is come around Tell me 'bout the life you found (Tell me 'bout the life you found) We search endlessly For answers to war and pain We love the nights Some days we laugh, feel like it's alright Did you ever think about it? (Don't say it) Did you ever cry about it? (Don't say it) Could you ever live without it? All I'm saying is come around Tell me 'bout the one you found All I'm saying is come around Tell me 'bout the one you found Songwriters: David Clayton / Michael Hutchence / Tim Simenon All I'm Saying lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Reservoir Media Management Inc, Music Sales Corporation I like the acoustic percussion that opens us up here. We have a nice low bass, and some atmospheric sounds in the background and then a guitar with a kind of melodic line instead of a chord pattern. In some ways this feels and sounds a little like something Peter Gabriel might do. This is a very obvious questioning of a relationship, and things aren't really going too well. It seems like there is a lack of appreciation going on. It also appears that one partner has moved on, and the other is reflecting on that. I really like the atmosphere created in this track.... The only thing about this track that seems a little not quite right is the vocal is mixed really low, and I think that was to enhance the atmosphere, but particularly at the start it is a little too low. I really like the way the guitar is used in this track. It manages to really create a nice wall of atmosphere. About three quarters of the way through we get a sort of instrumental break, and essentially it is just a hi hat break, with that crickets kind of hi hats sound ... I'm not sure about that bit, but essentially it works. I really enjoy this track, and it may be my favourite so far, and it has its own identity and is reasonably distinctive. But again, this is the first time I have heard any of these songs ... so this is all just first impressions.
All I'm Saying. 4/5. Agree. Definitively an improvement. These songs though all seem to be factory made, and I could all see them as being filler tracks on an INXS album. Should have tried flamenco jazz, synth-pop, or something with a dance beat for a solo excursion. I have the same problem with Mick Jagger's solo albums -- they are only lower-tier Stones albums. I can see why he held this album back during his lifetime, tbh.
All I'm Saying I really like this. Very understated but nuanced production and another meaningful lyric. I know i've mentioned it before but I think Hutchence could have had a similar solo career to Dave Gahan. This solo album and Paper Monsters by Gahan are cut from the same cloth IMO.
Hello fellow West Aussie, how is my beautiful Perth going? Yea, we did cover the dekadance set. The US version, and the Oz version. The Aus version certainly was pretty big. I knew folks that didn't like cassettes that bought it
All I’m Saying Nice production here: the whistle-synth line and the percussion have a cool sound. I see what @mark winstanley is saying about it resembling a Peter Gabriel production. This is a good track.
I didn't realize this, always figured it was intended for eventual release. You think it would have stayed buried if Michael had lived?
I don’t know of the exact timeline, so I’d appreciate someone clarifying it too. I know work on this album started in 1995, then MH died in 1997, some posthumous work was done on the album and then it was released in 1999. So that’s 3-4 years right there. Maybe the album didn’t get much of a promo push because it wasn’t “fresh”?
I think it was a combination of a lack of confidence coupled with his negative media portrayal at the time that caused him to abandon its release and return to the safety of INXS.
- Dunno, but the album doesn't have life to it. Possibly, a reflection of how he was then. Good question.
Yes the album is downbeat and dark but I disagree with it not having life to it. If the artists state of mind is downbeat and dark surely the art will reflect this. Thereby the art in itself is the very essence of life. Sorry if that sounds a bit highfalutin!
== I get where you are coming from. This album is like listening to traffic. Some beeps along the way but artificial.
All I'm Saying sets up an emotionally moving atmosphere from the very beginning and follows through until the end almost perfectly. Despite the relatively obvious Massive Attack influence again, virtually every compositional component works here. I really like how the verse & bridge segues just pour into the choruses, even without a tempo change. However, it does bug me that the choruses are short. Because I feel they should've been twice as long and are under-developed as a result. Overall, AIS is a great song...
I managed to score a NM/NM original copy on vinyl a few years ago, talk about a happy day. I am/was never a huge INXS fan but I really truly loved "The Swing".
Michael Hutchence – A Straight Line Genre: Electronic, Rock, Funk / Soul Style: Rhythm & Blues, Pop Rock, Funk Year: 1999 This was the single off the album, we open with a swirl off effects and the launch into a pretty cool guitar riff, with a snare led beat. Then we break into a groove, with the somewhat typical kind of instrumentation and arrangement that we would get from an Inxs song. Yeah we're just watching history Now that the dogs are barking Take a picture for your children Make it real in FujiColor Life in the junkyard's hard Even when the dogs are sleeping But if you win you lose the next spin Madame, monsieur's, rien ne va plus I watch the black and white bleeding Don't you know the pain I'm in I've been working all week I've been thinking on my feet And I've come to the end of my losing streak Take a straight line Take a straight line Take a straight line Take a straight line Wave goodbye to your innocence Sell it to the highest bidder In a tight spot call for assistance Is that American Express? Get me out of here I watch the black and white bleeding Don't you know the pain I'm in I've been working all week I've been thinking on my feet And I've come to the end of my losing streak Take a straight line Take a straight line Take a straight line Take a straight line I'm up the top, looking down Everybody looks just like ants It would be so easy Lyrically we are looking at problems, the myriad of problems in life, and the chorus tells us to take a straight line.... I figure the idea being that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and that the journey from the problems to relief will be shorter in that way? This is a pretty good song, and we get some nice modulations and some solid backing vocals giving this a good feel. I reckon after a few listens this might grow on me. It's awkward coming to these songs cold, with no previous exposure.
Standing On A Rooftop. This is one of the b-sides, and it starts off with a more appealing groove to me. We have some sound effect kind of synth sounds that are creating a pretty good atmosphere. Glad to make me happy With your friends down the low Think they got the picture But they don't really know, oh, oh I'm reading all about sin There's a chapter I'm in Do I have to wait, oh, do I have to wait I'm standing on the rooftop Waiting for the lightning Do you have that now? I'm standing on the rooftop Waiting for the lightning Gonna bring me down Glad to make me happy With your friends up the block Think they got the picture But they don't really know, oh oh I'm reading all about sin There's the porch light on me (Oh oh oh oh) Do I have to wait? (Oh, do I have to wait) Oh, do I have to wait? I'm standing on the rooftop Waiting for the lightning Gonna bring right in I'm standing on the rooftop I'm waiting for the lightning Don't you want the thing? Ah ah I need the words to begin (I need the words to begin) I need the cease to be part of the mess I'm in I need the words to begin (I need the words to begin) I need the stars to be part of the mess I'm in I'm reading all about sin There's a chapter I’m in (Oh oh oh oh) Do I have to wait? (Oh, do I have to wait) Oh, do I have to wait? I'm standing on the rooftop Waiting for the lightning Do you have that now? I'm standing on the rooftop Waiting for the lightning (Oh, do I have to wait?) I'm standing on the rooftop Waiting for the lightning Do you have that now? I'm standing on the rooftop Waiting for the lightning Gonna bring me down (I'm standing on the rooftop) oh oh Waiting for the lightning Oh waiting for the lightning (I'm standing on the rooftop) I'm standing on the rooftop Waiting for the lightning This track is a slowish dirty bass and drum groove with a swarming, pulsating series of synth effects creating the musical backdrop. I actually quite like it. It has a bit more of its own personality.
The Passenger This is the other b-side. Here we open with a nice bassline with a synth backing. The atmospheric opening works well, and it makes me wonder where we are going. We move into a punchy industrial rock groove, with a distorted bass coming in. This is the Iggy Pop song.... I'm pretty sure that we looked at this song earlier.... I'm running a little late this morning so I'm afraid memory will have to do. I think this is a different version though. This has a sort of techno industrial sound about it, and Michael gives us a sort of dead pan delivery that fits in with the musical arrangement well.
A Straight Line An upbeat spark of life here! This is a nice single and I think it is indeed about urging to "take a straight line" and follow the shortest most sensible path through our problems when they crop up. This is the first track here that I might actually envision as an INXS song. Standing On A Rooftop [Bside] Interesting soundscape here. I think the chorus is not all that great though, so it doesn't add up to a great song. The Passenger [Bside] Yup - this is the same as the version from that Batman movie. Sonically it fits right in with this album though, and truth be told its one of my favorite MH solo tracks.
A Straight Line. 3/5. I hate to read like a broken record, but, again, I’m not moved. The same with the b-sides. It’s like a computer designed these and put them to disc. Intricately made but lacking human soul.