Reference guide The band's origins May 1980 Simple Simon / We Are The Vegetables Aug 1980 Live Paris Theatre, Sydney Oct 1980 Inxs (debut album) On A Bus Doctor Just Keep Walking - On TV Learn To Smile Jumping In Vain - live - interview Roller Skating - live Body Language Newsreel Babies Wishy Washy - live Just Keep Walking b-side Scratch Mar 1981 The Loved One/The Unloved One Sept 1981 Stay Young/Lacavocal Oct 1981 Underneath The Colours Stay Young Horizons Big Go Go Underneath The Colours Fair Weather Ahead Night Of Rebellion Follow Barbarian What Would You Do? Just To Learn Again Prehistoria - bside 1982 INXSive Live 8/12/1982 -Sydney Four Corners - Flavour Of The Month After Dark Interview Oct 1982 Shabooh Shoobah - Ad The One Thing - 12" - live - countdown To Look At You - 12" - live 84 Spy Of Love - live Soul Mistake - live Here Comes - live Black And White - live Golden Playpen - live Jan's Song - live Old World New World - live Don't Change b-sides Space Shuttle Phantim Of The Opera Sax Thing You Never Used To Cry Here Comes II Go West 1982 Freedom Soundtrack - with Don Walker Speed Kills Forest Theme Stop The Drop - live Feb 83 Inxs at LA Zoo
So Shabooh Shoobah ends up being a cornerstone for the band to build their career on, in my opinion. The way the band approaches albums, or seemed to from my observations, was based on getting a vibe for the album, or writing the songs and deciding on a vibe to the album, and each album, up to a certain point in time (I am still new to some of the later material, so I can't state one way or the other yet) has its own thing going on. I really enjoy the debut and Underneath The Colours, but Shabooh Shoobah is where it all comes together. The band has fully embraced their identity and direction. they are writing solid tracks and releasing them on albums like pros. This is a front to back, start to finish top class album, and it should be seen as such. I find it hard to comprehend folks thinking this has just a couple of good singles on it, each to their own obviously, that isn't a judgement call, because for me this album is solid top class writing, arranging, performing, and production. there is nothing about this album that is even slightly inconsistent, or poor. There may be a somewhat slightly lesser track here or there for everyone according to their own tastes, but there is nothing poor. There is no filler, it is just a very good band hitting the go line and getting it right. For me, from here I find it very hard to pick a favourite album, because frankly they are just strong albums...... The next album is going to be very interesting for me. It was huge in Australia ... I doubt anyone overseas could even begin to imagine how huge it was ..... It was like it was an album from an international band, and only an Australian can understand what I mean by that, but sometime next week, after an interesting EP released in the US, we will hit that album......
Don’t Change (the video) This song is hands down my favorite INXS song. No contest. So uplifting and such a positive burst of energy. This is also a remarkable video. One of the best “film the band playing the song” music videos ever done, in my opinion. Not only does it do a great job of showing all the band members (this is no mere three-piece! There’s a lot of guys here) but it shows them all in motion criss-crossing and interacting. But then there’s also the “plot” of the video. Consider these moments of interest: 0:00 fade in on the keyboard player - it takes a few seconds but then you realize he’s moving!? 0:14 the drummer is bored! And the rest of the band is all in a pickup truck backing into the hangar 0:25 the guitar riff starts and right on cue the drummer gets busy 0:35-0:40 we see the keyboards are being held vertically on a stand!? Never seen that before. 0:50 Hutchence starts singing and the very skinny microphone is seen for the first time 2:37 the drummer stashes his stick between the elbow and ribs of one of his mates standing next to him 3:20 nice moves by the drummer here, dramatically raising and crashing his arms down while keeping the beat 3:38 drummer looks right at the camera and makes a weird face with googly eyes 3:46 wait, now the band all starts to get back on the truck and leave? But the drummer has to stay. Yep, the band recedes into the distance and the drummer keeps going. 4:18 song ends, drummer stands up, throws his sticks away and walks off Thrilling. The first time I heard this song was also the first time viewing the video. Placing The One Thing and Don’t Change as the first and last songs on the album was a brilliant move in sequencing also. I’ve repeatedly mentioned how this album has such great “flow” when you listen to it, but imagine if Don’t Change had simply been the end of side 1 of the LP. It’d be a great album side - but you might be content to just quit there and not flip it over to hear side two. When I first heard the album, on the other hand, I already knew I liked the first and last songs so of course I listened to it all the way through. It can be difficult sometimes to get “into” an album but this was a great move to split the 4 singles evenly on the two sides and draw in the listener to hear the entire package. Shabooh Shoobah was a great intro to the band for me and many other Americans, but then the next album didn’t seem to make too big of an impression here. INXS changed up their sound a bit and and as a result, they sort of stayed “underground” until “What You Need” blasted out in 1985. But this had the effect of allowing people to rediscover The Swing a year after the fact. When I started college in 1985 though, “Don’t Change” was one of the best “secret songs” you could play in any situation to raise the energy level of the room and everyone seemed to like it even if they didn’t know it very well, if at all.
I see the songwriting credit include “J. Bushelman” in addition to Kirk and Andrew. Any idea who this is? INXS didn’t include very many outside song credits, so it’s curious that one turned up on a Bside.
Don't Change is the quintessential song from the early INXS catalogue, if there ever was one. It's the perfect straight-ahead rock song they needed at this stage, since they hadn't really written one with this level of energy before. It truly shows INXS bursting through, discovering themselves and becoming nearly completely confident in their abilities and exuding stylistic fearlessness. They would usually end their concerts with this track. And despite not technically being a hit in most parts of the world, apart from in Australia, DC represents one of many definitive moments in INXS' career. Go West is a decent B-side and in another era, may have fit SS. I'm glad Speed Kills & Forest Theme (which I haven't heard before) are included in this thread, as they kind of show you what Michael was capable of as solo artist at this point. Here's my ratings for the songs from SS: Shabooh Shoobah ~ 4.15/5 The One Thing ~ 4/5 To Look At You ~ 4/5 Spy Of Love ~ 4/5 Soul Mistake ~ 4.5/5 Here Comes ~ 4/5 Black And White ~ 4/5 Golden Playpen ~ 4/5 Jan's Song ~ 4/5 Old World New World ~ 4/5 Don't Change ~ 5/5
I hope everyone who celebrates it had a wonderful Christmas. I chose to stay away from the computer, except to rip a few new CDs. Here are my thoughts from the last couple of days. While it’s intriguing, Old World New World doesn’t quite come together for me. I think it’s trying to express the mysteries of ancient rites, but it doesn’t quite work and comes across as a fairly basic ‘80s rocker. The album ends with the anthemic Don’t Change. The melodic chorus makes the song work and it’s a good closing track. If this one doesn’t make your toes tap you don’t have a chance of enjoying INXS. It’s a shame that Shabooh Shobaah isn’t a better-known album because it’s a really good set of well-played, well-written songs. It’s clear that the years of playing hundreds of live shows have paid off, and they’re on the cusp of true greatness. I'm planning on giving The Swing a proper listen this evening, so I'm ready for it!
I’ve listened and relistened to a lot of INXS in the past month since this thread started, but one that I haven’t revisited yet is Kick. Gonna wait on that one so I can truly have some fresh ears. It’s been a long while. The Swing though - the 12” singles for that one are superb and I’ve never overexposed my ears to that album so it’s always fresh to me.
All I’ve found so far is this note on Facebook: “The b-side to 'Don't Change' in Australia & Japan was 'Go West'. It was written by Andrew Farriss, Kirk Pengilly & Jeff Bushelman. Jeff is the late husband of Michael's step-sister Tina.”
Long in Tooth wasn't talked about but it's my favorite INXS b-side. I like the chorus and the fantastical sounding guitar at the one minute mark. More Caribbean influenced sounds on the keyboard that somehow fit with a lot of these songs. Out of all the b-sides from this era this is the only one I think that could've fit in with the album material. It appears on the Dance EP and was a b-side of Don't Change, written by Andrew Farriss
I think you’re right. It’s really the only Bside here other than Space Shuttle that is sung by Hutchence, so that alone makes it blend in with the Shabooh Shoobah album material. edit: is that Hutchence I am hearing? I admit I am not so sure now.
Long In Tooth is one of the few stronger B-sides from this era. In fact, I think it could be considered a precursor to the more funk rock stylings that INXS finally started prominently incorporating into their sound with The Swing.
Space Shuttle has a similar guitar sustain at the beginning which might be my favorite part of it. Yes
Dekadance EP by INXS Released September 1983 Recorded 1982, 1983 Genre Rock, dance Length 21:11 Label ATCO, US - 90115-1 Producer Mark Opitz Dekadance is the title of two different collections of remixes by Australian rock group INXS: a 1983 four-track 12" and cassette EP released in the United States of songs from Shabooh Shoobah; and a 1985 seven-track cassette released in Australia of songs from The Swing.[1][2] The latter included a cover version of "Jackson" as a duet by INXS' Michael Hutchence with Jenny Morris, their backing singer.[2] This compilation peaked at No. 2 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in April 1985.[3] 12": ATCO 90115-1 (US)[edit] Tracks are written by Andrew Farriss, mostly with Michael Hutchence.[4] "Black and White" (extended version) – 4:54 "To Look at You" (extended version) – 6:26 "The One Thing" (extended version) – 6:06 "Here Comes II" (new version) – 3:27 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is an interesting one to me, because prior to this thread I had never heard of it to be honest. The '85 Aus release of the Swing 12" mixes was huge, and just maintained the momentum that The Swing built up for the band, and at that stage they were an unstoppable force in Australian music. We have looked at most of the 12' mixes, but we will have a re-post of them here for the purposes of self containing this section here. Essentially a 12' single, or double a-side that was probably designed to try and get a little more interest in the band, after getting some good initial responses from the US market, as to how well it did I have no idea. Black And White Extended version It's interesting listening to this, because it feels like there is another mix of Black and White that I have heard. This is a good remix, and I think it retains the original idea of the song, and fleshes out some interesting ideas that work pretty well.
To Look at You This is a great song, and listening to the extended mix is cool, because that nice eerie opening gets some nice fleshing out.
Here Comes II new version I think this is a little different to the other version, but I am a little stuck for time at the moment so I can't cross reference it for now. Either way, I do really like this alternate version. I like the album version, I feel some folks thought I was knocking it or something, that wasn't meant to be what I was trying to get across. Anyway this is a solid version of the song, but I would have liked that keyboard chord bend to a resolve during the chorus.
So for me, this is a solid mini lp, or 12" single, or whatever we are going to classify it as..... but I think that the 1985 Australian release is a step up again. It is a terrible shame that it never had a cd release.
Dekadance -- I actually had this on cassette at one point in my life. God knows where some of these have ended-up. I really liked it. Again, they needed a 3-cd set of b-sides, outtakes, and rarities. Should badger Andrew on his FB page. He's a grand dude. He may listen and attempt.
Black And White's extended mix is in part unique because the most of the guitar parts are eliminated but despite that, I still dig the track and I like the emphasis of Garry's bass / Andrew's synth lines. In contrast, there are some additional guitar arrangements in To Look At You's extended mix that aren't in the original. And I also find much of Michael's vocals are drier in the mix. The One Thing's extended mix's intro sets up the verses nicely. And Tim's guitar riff rings out clearer than in the original mix. Here Comes II (new version) is my favourite remix/alternate version from Dekadance and I like said earlier in this thread, it should've been included somewhere on SS. What fantastic rendition! In the US, Dekadance charted in the Billboard Top 200 for only 6 weeks, peaking at #148 and sold a fraction of what SS did.
