The intro, which oddly reappears halfway through the song, is a total throwback to their quirky early '80s sounding recordings. I dig up-tempo feel, the hybrid of industrial distorted / acoustic guitar riffs & slide guitar parts in most of the bridges and choruses, as well as Kirk's completely unexpected sax solo. Though, if the lyrics weren't kind of cheesy, it would've made Like It Or Not even better. However, it's a cool track.
Never Let You Go: We're going reggae and at first didn't care for it. However, on repeated listening, it's gelling with me. I like the laid back nature of it, but really doesn't feel like an INXS track. Like it or Not: Nice groove on this one and has that classic INXS feeling to it. Save for the lyrics, it's pretty enjoyable overall.
Us. The world is always changing, you can see it every day But in a tragic situation you just can't hide yourself away So try a little kindness cause it sure can't be that hard You're shining in the darkness when you open up your heart Your love is all we need to bring us together Don't leave it to me, nothing's for free, it comes down to us Hungry babies on television, can you feel the shame? We've got to keep on giving to one another, 'cause it's all gonna happen again Why don't you try a little kindness cause it sure can't be that hard Just think about what binds us and find a new place to start Your love is all we need to bring us together Don't leave it to me, nothing's for free, it comes down to us Your love is all we need to bring us together We're not indestructable, we're some kind of miracle Happens every day Songwriters: Guy Chambers / Andrew Farriss Us lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Ltd., Emi Music Publishing Ltd, Kobalt Music Services Ltd Kms Here we have a change up to an acoustic sounding track, and it opens up with the guitar and bass, keys in the background and a distant sound like a French horn? We ease into this song with the first verse setting the scene. This is a nice enough lyric about making the world a better place.... not sure I like the way its set up. The chorus gets a little odd.... Your love is all we need to bring us together, don't leave it to me, nothings for free it comes down to us.... I guess it's encouraging someone to join in the battle.... Hungry babies on television, can you feel the shame? .... well no actually, I didn't create the situation, and as much as I hate it, why on earth is it my shame to feel. Does it make me feel bad, and helpless, sure. Is it my shame to feel? No, not really... This is trying hard to be a song of great repair of the human spirit and the coming together of minds, in saving the world.... and it comes across as rather naive and I hate to say it, but preachy .... Musically it is nice. The way the drums kick in for the first chorus is cool, and the dynamic between the verse and chorus is good. We get a nice instrumental bridge. It sounds and feels pretty good, and for the most part I like this, but the lyrics don't work for me....
Us - 3.5/5. Like this one, besides the lyrics. A mix of mid-70s Stones and a slight touch of funk. The Stones would never cover it, but I could see Mick and the rowdy boys do a great version of this. This would be great live by kicking it up a few notches and losing the pristine production.
A song asking people to love and give, Us works much better than the previous track even though it’s got the same theme. It’s musically more compelling and the lyrics seem deeper.
Us is a nice little pop rock / soul song with some cool verse / chorus / interlude transitions. And while it's nothing spectacular, especially considering the lyrics are somewhat generic, it's a good listen and a worthy edition to the album...
God's Top Ten. Romance is gone, he's drifting with the stars The lyric in his pocket, little girl in his heart When you hear his songs on the radio I don't need to tell you what you already know He's in God's top ten where heaven never ends You saw the world and the world saw you on the stage Wild, wild, wild colonial boy Roquefort le pont Your gypsy heart is free, pictures on the wall of your family He's on God's top ten where heaven never ends He's on God's top ten Baby's got mama's eyes, she was always beautiful When you hear his voice, feel his arms around you You remember momma smiling a daddy's little girl Bad weather, cold media storm He's on God's top ten where heaven never ends He's on God's top ten Written by Andrew Farriss Andrew wrote some lovely lyrics here. From the get go, there is no questioning what we are looking at here. The first line instantly tells us this is directly about Michael. The second line gives us certain attributes.... his lyrics have gone with him and his most precious earthly delight was his daughter. The second half of the verse gives us the connection we still have and then says He's in God's top ten..... I suppose in some ways the God's top ten is slightly corny, but I think the heartfelt first half of the verse softens that substantially, and it works. The second verse speaks to some of Michael's characteristics... The touring the world and the fame, a very Australian reference to the Wild Colonial Boy.... I am not sure what the Roquefort le pont reference is... A place in France ... is this where the lifechanging taxi incident occurred? The third verse is a comfort for Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily ... When you hear his voice feel his arms around you, is probably the most significant line in the whole song.... sure we lost the singer in a band we like/love, but she lost her daddy .... Bad weather, cold media storm is a distinct reminder of what trash the media are, and how they dealt with this situation in such a dishonest and heartless way, when we consider that this was a loved family man, not just some celebrity.... the empty void of celebrity has a lot to answer for and the leaches need to be burned off. We open with this pulsing kick sound, then a piano sound with an airy delay/reverb comes in with a suitably ghostly sound. A really effective, but low mixed feedback sound comes in, and an acoustic rolls through the chords, with a flanger/chorus on there softening it somewhat. Suzie McNeil opens the vocals, and I like her voice and delivery. She was one of the contestants on the rockstar show. JD takes the second verse and sings in a more natural and less affected vocal. The third verse has them both singing. We close out with a wall of atmosphere, and it is an appropriate way to close out the song and the album. This is among the best songs on the album, if not the best, and I think it is the genuineness of the song that wins me over here.
I have to be honest, and say that this album is a bit annoying to me.... It shows the band could well have gone on and made some great music, but it comes across as a corporate takeover here. The show? yea that is an influence in that feeling, but it is actually the team songwriters.... Andrew never needed the team to get his songs done.... and there is something calculated about many of these songs... it isn't that they are bad as such, they just sound in many instances to be calculated pop songs...... and I think it takes the organic element of Inxs out of the equation and it feels like any group of musicians could have been paid to put this together. With the last thought in mind it brings me to JD ... there is nothing wrong with this guys voice, and when he is singing as himself I can enjoy his singing, but too often for me, he is doing a Michael impersonation, and it is extremely off putting to me. Even the last song on the album, which is a beautiful heartfelt song from Andrew feels like a corporate formula calculation .... now don't get me wrong I like it, the heart of it shines through, but the Rockstar logo shines through in the way they chose to do it. Two of the stars of the show singing it, and each getting equal airtime .... Again don't get me wrong, they both do a good job on it, but it is all tainted for me by the business that has all the strings in their hands. So in the end this ends up being the most disappointing album by far for me..... and it leaves me feeling like the band should have just moved on. Inxs Rockstar, from my perspective was a really bad decision, and although they got some good results from it, I think that it has tainted the bands legacy in a very deep and real way, because too many people in the music buying world just weren't familiar with the band's music prior to Kick...... Kick was a heck of a pop album...... but X made it look like the band was a one trick pony to the broader public, and then the tragedy of Michael's death leading to Rockstar was pretty much the nail in the coffin..... It seems like the band have fallen off the face of the earth for the majority, and those factors seem to be the main contributors..... To give you an example .... We started this thread about eight months ago..... This is still the most recent addition of Inxs on the forum.... including sales in the classifieds.... I have never had that happen. Normally I will need to scroll to find the thread among the myriad of threads about a band..... We have a had a very good participation rate on this thread for an Australian band (and I thank you all very much) but for a band with one of the top selling albums of all time, not so much..... It makes me extremely sad that Inxs seem to have just about wiped themselves from the musical map in the majority of people's lives.... I hope one day the broader public will revisit the band and discover the music they made, because it is an excellent catalog of music, and we all know that they were more than just a cog in the corporate machine, but sadly the tv show seems to have alienated them from their rightful recognition.
God's Top Ten -- 5/5. The songs written alone by Andrew show INXS could have done a great album again by themselves without the corporate team. I find it so disheartening they went this route. I bought this when it came out, but I have only fully listened to it again here. Hungry, I would listen to here and then. Suicide/early death is one of life's worst tragedies. The problem is over for the person who does it, but more problems arise after -- for here, the band were lost, their families were in chaos, and all that hard work is left for people to ignore it seems. People only see the glitz, the glam, the luxury life of a rock star, well then, and people ignore the hours of rehearsal, the boredom of travel, leaving home, twats in the audience, finding a persona. Those are all extremely hard. Anyone working a normal job to be placed in that would run away after a few days. To have that fame evaporate must be disheartening to the guys in the band as they were still relatively young. At least they stopped after the album "Original Sin" which I never bought or even listened to. Perhaps more due to Tim's accident, I don't know in the inner workings.
Reference guide 1980 -1992 1992 Documentary 1993 Get Out Of The House EP Nov 1993 Full Moon Dirty Hearts Days Of Rust The Gift - video - ext. - bonus beat Make Your Peace Time - video - live I'm Only Looking - remix - video -Morales Please... - edit - club - dub - downtown - instr. - Letterman Full Moon, Dirty Hearts Freedom Deep - video -extended - live Kill The Pain - video Cut Your Roses Down - Sure Is Pure mix The Messenger Viking Juice - Butcher Mix Born To Be Wild alt tracklisting Promo tour clips MTV Asia interview Live in 1993 Oct 1994 The Greatest Hits The Strangest Party - live - remix Deliver Me - demo Sing Something (bside) Nov 1994 The Great Video Experience Keep The Peace 1995 Original Sin remixes Michael Soundtrack songs 95/96 Under My Thumb Baby Lets Play House The Passenger Spill the Wine Red Hill The Heads - The King Is Gone Apr 1997 Elegantly Wasted Show Me Elegantly Wasted - radio edit - Shagsonic - dub - Gforce - Aspen Everything - video - May 97 - Aspen - Jaxx club - Jaxx dub Don't Lose Your Head - Leadstation - Radio Edit - Tonight Show Searching - Arias - Leadstation main - Leadstation Radio - Reece - Campbell - Leadstation Funk, video I'm Just A Man - live Girl On Fire - mix We Are Thrown Together Shake The Tree She Is Rising Building Bridges Shine Let It Ride Never Tear Us Apart acoustic Need You Tonight Aspen Live 1997 Live In Aspen Tour Rehearsals Michael June 1999 Inxs with TTD Dec 1999 Michael Hutchence (the album) Let Me Show You Possibilities Get On The Inside Fear All I'm Saying A Straight Line Baby It's Alright Don't Save Me From Myself She Flirts For England Flesh and Blood Put The Pieces Back Together Breathe Slide Away b-side Standing On A Rooftop June 2001 Shine Like It Does Anthology Precious Heart - vs Tall Paul I'm So0 Crazy - vs Par-T-One June 2002 The Best Of Inxs Salvation Jane Tight - mix - mix 2 Oct 2002 Stay Young 1979-1982 Telefone Silent Night Breakaway Reckless Ways Pretzel Logic Feeling Good Miss Shapiro/You Really Got Me On A Bus Underneath the Colours ( Chicken Mix) The Farriss Brothers - Live at the Alley Cat Wine Bar 1979 Lucky Key Ring Jet Airliner/ Slipped My Disco Oct 2002 Definitive Dec 2002 The Years 79-97 cd and dvd Apr 2004 The Remixes Sept 2004 Original Sin The Collection Jul 2005 The TV Show Kick Deluxe and special editions 1989-2017 Mediate live in US Never Tear Us Apart live in US Kick live in US Jesus Was A Man The Trap Different World 7" and 12" Mystify Chicago demo Move On ( Guitar /version) Never Tear Us Apart (soul version) Need You Tonight (big bump mix) Calling All Nations ( kids on bridges mix) Sept 2005 Pretty Vegas Oct 2005 Live At Barker Hangar Communication Days Of Rust The Gift The Loved One Cut Your Roses Down Taste It Need You Tonight Mediate Full Moon Dirty Hearts Please Suicide Blonde I Send A Message All Around What You Need New Sensation Kick Devil Inside Heaven Sent Time The Messenger Nov 2005 Switch Pretty Vegas Devil's Party Afterglow Hot Girls Perfect strangers - video Remember Who's Your Man Hungry Never Let You Go - video Like It Or Not Us God's Top Ten
Yep. That pretty much sums up my feelings as well. The title of the song “Gods Top Ten” is a callback to the lyrics of “Here Comes” from Shabooh Shoobah, but unfortunately there’s nothing in common besides that.
Mark covered my feelings well, both about God's Top Ten and the album. It's the best song on the album, and a rather powerful closing track. This is where I jumped off the INXS bandwagon. Switch simply wasn’t compelling enough for me to maintain an interest in the band. I’ve never heard its follow-up.
It's definitely a drag, but in many ways they're not alone. Not to bring up the dreaded comparisons yet again but many of INXS's contemporaries have dropped out of the general public's consciousness in a similar way. I think the bottom line is that you can only do so much to influence the trajectory of your legacy.
God's Top Ten is definitely the most emotionally compelling song from Switch. Instrumentally & lyrically, it truly pulls at the heartstrings more than any other track. I like idea of Suzie McNeil & JD Fortune singing dual lead vocals - a very nice touch. Whether it's the simple melodies, the acoustic guitar & piano accompaniments, etc., they all fit together seamlessly. My only complaint is that it feels like the song should've been longer, especially the fade out, partly because of its extremely emotional nature. Regardless, I think Michael Hutchence would've been proud of it. GTT is a perfect way to close out the album. Switch, more than any other INXS album, divides the fanbase. Not only because some fans didn't like INXS continuing on without MH, but also because they were utilizing several outside songwriters for the first time, something Andrew perhaps needed to do since he was so used to writing with MH (?), coupled with the fact that some of the material isn't necessarily as strong as most of their other output is. Considering that, these factors are all perfectly understandable anyway you slice it. And while I probably like Switch more than most here do (though, like I stated before, it took me awhile to get to that point), I partly agree with the sentiments expressed by many fans in this thread. Overall, Switch is at least, a competent INXS album. And at best, it's a mostly solid pop rock record, combining the most popular elements that made them a household name 15-20 years beforehand. Commercially, Switch was probably the most polarizing album of their career, greatly succeeding (especially the 2006-2007 Switched On tour - their 2nd highest grossing tour) but also failing in different parts of the world. But what INXS released next in 2010, was and still is, puzzling to me. But I'm sure we'll get to that album shortly... Here are my song ratings for Switch... Switch ~ 3.86/5 The Devil's Party ~ 4.5/5 Pretty Vegas ~ 4.5/5 Afterglow ~ 4.5/5 Hot Girls ~ 2/5 Perfect Strangers ~ 4/5 Remember Who's Your Man ~ 3.5/5 Hungry ~ 4/5 Never Let You Go ~ 4/5 Like It Or Not ~ 3.5/5 Us ~ 3.5/5 God's Top Ten ~ 4.5/5
Maybe they're not as forgotten as we think -- I see there's an INXS tribute band coming to a small nearby venue this fall.
God's Top Ten: This song is simply a beautiful, well written tribute to Micheal. It's definitely the highlight on the album. The music is great with its atmosphere that pairs nicely with the lyrics. Susie and JD's vocals add an emotional push to the song overall. If I have to nitpick, I would agree with Mark on the corporate/committee nature of the song. Despite that, I still find the song enjoyable and it's a fitting closer to the album. Switch (Revisited): After a few listens, still feeling pretty mixed about it. There are some good songs and some that could use more work. It did give me the impression that band was ready to move on; Just wished the album was put together more organically without the reality show involvement. Nonetheless, Switch is an okay listen that leaves me satisfied.
Taste It: The Collection Compilation album by INXS Released 2006 Recorded 1990–97 Genre Rock Label Mercury Records Spectrum Music Producer Chris Thomas INXS Mark Opitz Bruce Fairbairn Andrew Farriss "Bitter Tears" "Faith in Each Other" "Who Pays the Price" "Hear That Sound" "Shining Star" "Taste It" "All Around" "Wishing Well" "Strange Desire" "Please (You Got That...)" (featuring Ray Charles) "Kill the Pain" "I'm Only Looking" "Cut Your Roses Down" "The Strangest Party (These Are the Times)" "Don't Lose Your Head" "Shake the Tree" "Girl on Fire" "We Are Thrown Together" --------------------------------------------------------------- This is a compilation of latter day Hutchence Inxs songs. It's a pretty good collection of tracks, but at this stage it feels like too many compilations have come out
INXS – Platinum: Greatest Hits Genre: Rock Style: Pop Rock Year: 2010 Suicide Blonde 3:52 Heaven Sent 3:18 By My Side 3:06 Bitter Tears 3:54 Mystify 3:18 Full Moon Dirty Hearts 3:54 Baby Don't Cry 4:45 Please (You Got That...) 3:11 The Loved One 3:36 Beautiful Girl 3:27 Never Tear Us Apart 3:06 Disappear 4:06 Not Enough Time 4:21 Devil Inside 5:13 Need You Tonight 3:04 New Sensation 3:39 2010 sees another compilation of latter day Inxs tracks I guess it was only available on a streaming or download basis or something, but there was an addition to this available called Seriously Live, with these tracks 17. “Burn for You” (Live) 18. “Faith in Each Other” (Live) 19. “Guns in the Sky” (Live) 20. “Communication” (Live) 21. “Mystify” (Live) 22. “Original Sin” (Live) 23. “One By One” (Live) 24. “Hear that Sound” (Live) 25. “I Send a Message” (Live) 26. “What You Need” (Live) 27. “Wild Life” (Live) 28. “The Stairs” (Live) 29. “This Time” (Live) 30. “I’m Just a Man” (Live) 31. “Searching” (Live) 32. “Bitter Tears” (Live) 33. “To Look at You” (Live) 34. “In Vain” (Live) 35. “Just Keep Walking” (Live) 36. “Spy of Love” (Live) 37. “Black and White” (Live) 38. “Jan’s Song” (Live) 39. “By My Side” (Live) 40. “The Loved One” (Live) 41. “Elegantly Wasted” (Live) 42. “New Sensation” (Live)
INXS – Six Pack Label: INXS – none, Ultrastar – none Format: CD, EP, Club Edition Country: US Released: Dec 2008 Genre: Rock, Pop Style: Pop Rock 1 Smoking Gun Written-By – J. Farriss* 4:14 2 Citizen Pain Written-By – G. Beers* 4:06 3 Humans Try Written-By – K. Pengilly* 5:10 4 Just An A Written-By – T. Farriss* 3:06 5 Before You Leave Written-By – A. Farriss* 3:19 6 Cigarettes & Cocaine Written-By – J.D. Fortune 2:37 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 2008 there was apparently this mini LP ... I can't say I have ever heard of it, but tomorrow we will start looking through these tracks and see what we have here. If you know the story behind this one, please fill us in on the details Cheers Mark
Very interesting that a compilation of ONLY 1990-1997 material exists. Lots of good songs on here, but it’s missing The Gift and Time.
Six Pack (fan club CD 2008) INXS send fans early Christmas present I’ve never heard it, but here’s a blurb from the link above: For JD Fortune fans, eager to hear his soon-to-be released album ‘The Death Of A Motivational Speaker’, the JD track is an acoustic version of ‘Cigarettes & Cocaine’ from the album. The Fortune song was the first song he wrote for his album. ‘Six Pack’ was for registered fans of the INXS fanclub and will not be released to the general public. It was late…3am. I was being honest. Hope you enjoy this early take demo of the track,” he said. So now I’m confused: is the JD Fortune track on this INXS CD a plug for his solo album?
It looks more like the Inxs gig was a convoluted way of introducing the singer to the pop world, standing back and looking at it... None of it makes much sense to me
