INXS - The Album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by mark winstanley, Nov 19, 2020.

  1. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    The suits at the record company obviously thought “This Time” was a good single choice, but oh boy were they wrong about that: it didn’t even sniff the Top 40, peaking at #81. What the US public really wanted, apparently, from INXS was to hear the funk rock fusion of “What You Need”. Such a huge hit, and excellent for BLASTING at very high volume.
     
  2. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    This Time is a very good song, but essentially it just wouldn't have stood out on the US market at the time, so it blends into the undergrowth.
    What You Need, was, for me at least, very unique to Inxs, and particularly with the intro.... intros? ... I think there were a couple yea? .... it just grabbed the attention instantly.
     
  3. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    Listen Like Thieves is a real step forward for INXS. More consistency and great songwriting combine to make it their best album at that time. The years playing together really shows here, as they are really a band, playing better than most groups could dream of. And the sound quality is excellent too, allowing a listener to really hear every detail in the music. My song-by-song notes are very positive on this one.
     
  4. twicks

    twicks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    Of course I appreciate what Chris Murphy did for INXS but (how do I put this) he always came off as slightly hucksterish and a somewhat unlikeable character.
     
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  5. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I couldn't even guess. The only managers I am really very aware of are Tom Parker - evil piece of crap, and Peter Grant - quite dangerous lol
     
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  6. Bluepicasso

    Bluepicasso Android Confused

    Location:
    Arlington, Va
    Listen Like Thieves -- (the Album). Love the album then, love it now. I will go probably in the other direction than most here, but it was a step down from the growth of The Swing to me. Two of my favorite songs from the band are on here, but the consistency really lets up in the middle and by the end of the album. They had a long time to write and record the album, considering how they did the first four. It's good they stepped out of the box, but they put themselves in yet another box with the guitar songs here and in the future. One X One would be remade, yet again and again on future albums. There are highlights Kiss the Dirt and Shine Like It Does (my fav songs ever), and Same Direction. To me the best thing about What You Need is Kirk's sax, but I will get into those specifics later. It may seem I am picking on it, and I do still listen to on walks and exercising as it has great energy. They had one foot still in New Wave and one foot in rock now. Wish they would gone outside the box and made something just slightly with more edge.
     
  7. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    Good points. I think the album is less consistent than The Swing and Shabooh Shoobah, as there are a few tracks that don’t quite work with this leaner rock approach. I would’ve put “Do Wot You Do” on the album in place of at least one of them instead of farming it out to the soundtrack of Pretty In Pink - that song is better than maybe half the cuts here.

    And we agree about Kirk’s saxophone. The 80’s had lots of great sax in rock songs, and INXS definitely did their part in contributing to that didn’t they?
     
  8. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    I would agree with this. I loved that it was a bit more rock, but it seemed a little less vital, in some ways, and less consistent... from my perspective.

    It is really interesting the variance here in opinions on which albums were steps forward and which ones were steps back.... the albums later on that I am less, and on occasion, not even, familiar with, should be very interesting.
     
  9. Bluepicasso

    Bluepicasso Android Confused

    Location:
    Arlington, Va
    --
    Yes, you reminded me of a point that I was going to add but slipped my mind. I brought about five friends of mine to the concert in Seattle during this tour. They didn't have any opinion about them beforehand. As we left, they all became fans. One of the reasons was Kirk's sax. They played their arses off that night, and he must have been exhausted that night due to his sax playing.
     
  10. twicks

    twicks Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    Kirk was their secret weapon. When I finally saw them live in 1988 I was surprised how much of the lead guitar work he handled.
     
  11. DanP

    DanP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    I agree with your take on this, Mark, and on the Australian pop landscape at the time. Great take. It's only having thought about these two LPs back to back that I realise how much of a 'move to the centre' Listen Like Thieves was for them when compared to The Swing. As much as I loved LLT at the time, The Swing is a far more adventurous listen with hindsight.

    LLT stands up well, thought it's the album I reach for least now (despite being just the right age when it came out). The singles are very strong, though it's a couple of songs too long. Maybe that's why I don't reach for it - you hear the hits around the place and in the air. The 37 minute running time sounds shorter than the album feels.

    I'm actually surprised at some of the weaker tracks (usually the ones that don't have the Hutchence/A. Farriss songwriting credit) didn't get shelved given a) Chris Thomas' reputation as a disciplined producer unafraid of stepping on toes, and b) that the album was a deliberate push for that 'breakout' album. Still, songwriting credits are always politically complex and, by this stage, it may have been a legal agreement that all members got access to the (relatively) lucrative songwriting pie.

    I too am surprised that This Time led the campaign overseas: What You Need seems tailor made as a first-track-first-single statement of purpose. I really like What You Need but when I hear it now I'm always slightly disappointed it's not Need You Tonight.

    The 'INXS' on the top right hand of the front cover wasn't originally there and was only added for the US release. Still looks wrong to me! And why did they always butcher CD back covers? They never look as good as the vinyl sleeve!
     
  12. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Good points... I had forgotten about the cover too
     
  13. Moggio_4K_Ultra_HD

    Moggio_4K_Ultra_HD Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    INXS made a very smart decision when hiring Chris Thomas to produce Listen Like Thieves, as he was/is one of the best producers in the world. Chris knew what their strengths and weaknesses were. And what they needed at this stage in their career, was to make an album that incorporated their live sound. When he first met them in 1984, Chris pointed out to them that most of their other songs didn't take this approach. In fact, it should have been an obvious choice. So the necessary steps were taken & the songs were written. And as a result, LLT wound up not only sounding more live oriented, but it was also more rock oriented & essentially became the heaviest album they ever made (with FM,DH being a close second), with more punch to it, which was a relatively new approach for them. And compared to other albums from 1985, apart from a few exceptions, it doesn't really sound like a product of its time. INXS were shedding the new wave-ish feel from previous albums and were now continuing to chart new territory for themselves as a band. Surprisingly, they weren't heavily including funk rock stylings this time around. But that would soon change.

    Overall, Listen Like Thieves is a spectacular album. And despite not necessarily being a more adventurous album than SS or TS, I feel it betters the two, as their songwriting skills improved in leaps and bounds. Commercially speaking, their group image began to become more natural and original. And primarily thanks to What You Need being their first US Top 10 hit single, at this point, LLT tripled the sales of SS & TS in the US and was INXS' first Platinum selling album there...
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2021
  14. Robert Bone

    Robert Bone Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Australia
    I 'think' Listen like thieves was their first album recorded at Rhinoceros recording studios (which they either built or bought-I'm not not sure) it was room enough for them all to play live . See the good times clip Jon's drums have their own room
     
  15. Sconcho

    Sconcho Forum Resident

    Location:
    Australia
    Remind me not to get you to write the eulogy for my funeral the day after I kick the bucket.
     
  16. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    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 - Countdown
    b-sides
    Space Shuttle
    Phantim Of The Opera
    Sax Thing
    You Never Used To Cry
    Here Comes II
    Go West
    Long In Tooth

    1982 Freedom Soundtrack - with Don Walker
    Speed Kills
    Forest Theme

    Stop The Drop - live Feb 83

    Inxs at LA Zoo

    Mar 1983 Live At Perkins Palace

    May 1983 US Festival

    Sept 1983 Dekadance US
    Black And White 12"
    To Look At You 12"
    The One Thing 12"
    Here Come II new version

    Apr 1984 The Swing
    Original Sin - single - video
    Melting In The Sun - video
    I Send A Message - single - live - live - live
    Dancing On The Jetty - video
    The Swing - live
    Johnson's Aeroplane
    Love Is (What I Say) - video - videos
    Face The Change - live
    Burn For You - single mix - live
    All The Voices - video
    B-sides
    Jans Song/To Look At You (live)
    Mechanical
    The Harbour
    Johnson's Aeroplane alt.

    April 1984 Dekadance
    Original Sin - Dance Mix
    I Send A Message - ext
    Burn for You - ext
    Dancing On The Jetty - remix
    Melting In The Sun - remix
    Love Is ( What I Say) - remix
    Jackson

    1985 The Swing And Other Stories (video)
    The video

    Oct 1985 Listen Like Thieves
     
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  17. statcat

    statcat Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    I'm sure he'd agreed. I've seen videos where he even said he was an *******. Maybe this approach was good though because Kick might not have been released without it.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2021
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  18. footprintsinthesand

    footprintsinthesand Reasons to be cheerful part 1

    Location:
    Dutch mountains
    Listen Like Thieves
    Same here.
    After Original Sin had done pretty well over here, selling the album along with it, this next album strengthened their march. Every dj had been eager to explain how to pronounce/spell the band's name, so that even helped plenty.
    I saw INXS in 1986 at the free Parkpop festival in The Hague. My friends and I didn't make it there in time to see Madness, but we saw The Bangles, Gill Scott-Heron and main act INXS.
    The band kicked $ and convinced everyone they delivered on stage.
    I'm not sure but I think I got the vinyl album in '86 to prepare for the show or maybe as a great reminder. I remember it as a solid album and at least three singles were played regularly on Dutch radio stations. Got the album on Mercury cd last year. INXS for some reason have never been a band whose music I played a lot, except for the New Sensation 7", but they never disappointed.
    I look forward to playing this album again.
     
  19. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    Good album, but I remember hearing the three hits a lot at the time of their releases and having mixed reactions. What You Need was quite good, but the title track was merely solid, and I actively disliked This Time. My opinions of all three remain unchanged.
     
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  20. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    It is interesting that Pitchfork revisited this album just a few months ago. They give it an 8.0/10:

    INXS: Listen Like Thieves
     
  21. statcat

    statcat Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    The only track skipped so far other than demos was this fan club only song for Christmas so I figured I'd post it since this thread is trying to be comprehensive.

     
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  22. DanP

    DanP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    A whole mythology awaits you there, my friend! Often very complex characters and often worth their own biographies. I often wonder what it is that takes similar sets of motivations than those that drive musos but instead leads them toward management. Obviously not playing an instrument (as is often the case), but I wonder what fundamental needs are being met by entering such a fraught role.

    Stories are legion about the shysters and swindlers but, when done by the right person, they can be very important and trusted roles. Paul McGuinness was essentially U2's fifth member who, I think, only retired because he was tired of the life in general. (Whether or not their records becoming less vital at a similar time is a coincidence, who knows.) Chris Murphy was like a bulldog for INXS and much of his being seen as 'difficult' was ultimately a testament of loyalty to and love for the band. (Although he did seem to jump ship pretty quickly once their international profile started t0 wane?). Gary Morris had a similar relationship with Midnight Oil - fiercely protective and didn't suffer fools. Both Joe Moss with Johnny Marr and Jon Landau with Bruce Springsteen seem to be defacto fathers to their charges; Brian Epstein's managerial role was the only way he could profess his love for John Lennon that dared not speak its name.

    Lots of fascinating characters.
     
  23. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product Thread Starter

    Thank
    Thank You sir
     
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  24. Moggio_4K_Ultra_HD

    Moggio_4K_Ultra_HD Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, BC
    Meh...

    Chris Murphy primarily stopped managing INXS in 1995 (despite returning in 2008) because the band reduced his percentage from 20% to 14.28%, so it could be split evenly amongst all 6 band members and Chris. This was done for a few reasons. First of all, before this era, when you do the arithmetic, Chris was actually making more $$$ than 3 or 4 other band members. And secondly, he was starting to manage other artists and was creating new labels, etc. So INXS figured since Chris now had other revenue streams active, it was a better deal for them, as they were hitting their 'lean' years during the mid-'90s. This is confirmed and re-enacted in the 2014 Never Tear Us Apart mini-series. And Chris discusses this in his excellent 2013 auto-bio...
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2021
  25. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    It’s an “ok” effort at a Christmas song. Every band gets at least a free shot at it, right?

    However, fair or not, to my ears the one thing lacking on a lot of the INXS Bsides and non-album tracks such as this one is the voice of Michael Hutchence. If INXS had been a band that shared lead vocals then I might have a different perspective but since he apparently sang lead on every album track I can think of then thing just don’t sound right without his voice.
     
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