The title track kicks right into high gear with a synth crescendo. But then it suddenly drops into the verse, with an incredible bass line. The rhythm is deceptively simple throughout, yet I bet it’s hard to keep that swing going. Another great sax solo creates some variety but fits in perfectly. There are very few bands that could pull this one off. I'm sounding like a broken record here, but his singing on the whole album is so, so good.
The Kick stop in Detroit in March 1988 was the 2nd concert I ever attended. My main memory is that they had a huge backdrop of the INXS/KICK block from the album cover but strangely only lit it when Michael sang the word "Kick," which only happened in the title track, "Devil Inside" and "Tiny Daggers." Anyone else remember this, or am I delusional? I don't see it in the Toronto footage posted above... EDIT: Okay, this Toronto footage is from the outdoor "Calling All Nations" tour later that summer. The setlist definitely seems to have been rejiggered for this leg, with "What You Need" as the opener.
Kick (the song) A rousing anthem of sorts, raising the philosophical question of whether ‘tis better to give or receive momentum from the tarsal region of human anatomy. A few years later Dire Straits is singing “sometimes you’re the windshield/sometimes you’re the bug”. Same general idea. I love this song’s bass line. Donald “Duck” Dunn of Booker T & the MG’s would be proud. And the horns: are those trumpets? They are literally a blast. INXS occasionally throws in an album track of pure energy and this is one of them. I love it. And while we’re on it, I want to recognize INXS for their title tracks: Underneath The Colours, The Swing, Listen Like Thieves, Kick, Full Moon Dirty Hearts, Elegantly Wasted - all great.
It was! Sort of. They issued it as a promo to radio stations to promote the Kick tour in the US and it got some airplay. INXS – Kick (1988, Vinyl)
Kick has one of the greatest intros of all time. I love how the increase in volume, speed & momentum kicks you right into the first verse and essentially comes out of nowhere. The combination of acoustic and electric guitar riffs / strums in the verses work because of how low the acoustic guitar is in the mix. Michael continues to exude far more confidence as a singer and is a virtual vocal gymnast here. However, Kirk is probably the superstar on this track, as his sax lines make the choruses and the short instrumental breaks work wonders. In fact, his playing carries the enjoyment beyond what would otherwise be just a good song into a great song. Kick is a fantastic album track.
Calling All Nations We open with a pretty powerful sounding layering of guitars. An interesting combination of power chords, and the clean funky guitar that is all over this album. Well you spent the whole day With your axe to the wheel Read the late paper it was full of bad news Excuse me but I think what I'm saying is true You've got to find some time and devote it to you So come on down To the party Callin' all nations To put it on the line So come on all you people with the stars in your hair You know what's going on There's no need to despair Take the chains from your mind Take the chains from your feet And do the sex dance 'cause it's necessary You don't have to be rich You don't have to be famous You just gotta have a little bit of patience Jump into your old car Or take a cab, train or boat The only thing that matters Is that ya gotta really go So come on down To the party Callin' all nations To put it on the line Come on down To the party Callin' all nations To put it on the line Well you spent the whole day With your axe to the wheel Read the late paper It was full of bad news Excuse me but I think What I'm saying is true You've got to spend some time And devote it to you So come on down To the party Callin' all nations To put it on the line Come on down To the party Callin' all nations To put it on the line Callin' all nations Callin' all nations Callin' all nations Callin' all nations Songwriters: Andrew Charles Farriss / Michael Kelland Hutchence Calling All Nations lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group With this track we have Michael doing a sort of rap vocal, and it isn't bad, but I think it would have been better if they had just decided to keep it as a straight vocal. Musically it is pretty good, I like the energy and the arrangement is good as always. I am not sure that I love this song really. It is pretty good, but it doesn't grab me the way a lot of the songs do..... having said that though, Kick isn't an album that I have listened to in the same way that I have listened to Shabooh Shoobah and The Swing. Also those two albums are the albums that I had in the day, and so all the songs are part of the experience for me. Whereas Kick and all the albums to come, are more recent purchases, and I am not connected to them the same way. To me this comes across as a pretty good - good album track, and perhaps if I had been connected to the album at the time I would like it more. So please give us your opinions on this track. Cheers Mark
Calling All Nations - 5/5. Again, another winner. The guitars crunch and bite. Again, the Stones would ape this style for future records such as Rain Falls Down. I don't mind Michael's vocals. Wasn't Mick doing the same with Satisfaction all those years ago? Shout out to Gary and Jon for the rhythm -- one of the best rhythm sections --- it shows here.
I am blown away at how good this record is. I knew the singles and videos and got a tad burned out on them. I owned this on cassette and an old girlfriend cabbaged it. I never replaced it. I'm going to add this to my buy list. Great discussions and commentary here!
Calling All Nations almost sounds like it could be off The Swing. It’s a solid song but it isn’t quite at the level of the rest of the album. But I still really like it, and if this is the album's weakest track it speaks to how good Kick really is.
"Calling All Nations" might not be the best song on the album but it was always my favorite. Never fails to put me in a great mood. "You've got to spend some time and devote it to you."
Calling All Nations We began with the metallic rap of Guns In The Sky, and now we have this semi-rapped Calling All Nations in the penultimate slot of the tracklisting. Squint hard enough and you could almost see this as Prince tune, along the lines of “1999”. Squint harder and the vocoder/robot voice reminds me of “No Parking On The Dance Floor”. I like the robot voice! This is a likable song with good positive lyrics and a party atmosphere. I could see this as a single, even though it wasn’t. There is a remix of this song, the “Kids On Bridges” remix, unissued until the 30th anniversary. I have seen some references that this was considered for yet another single release but ruled out. I have also seen some references that this was remixed by Nile Rodgers (producer of Original Sin). What is the story here? Was it actually remixed by Rodgers and considered as a single? The remix is fairly straightforward and sounds to my ears like the mix got cleaned up a bit while aiming for radio play. I find both rumors believable at least.
If there's any criticism I have of "Calling All Nations," it's that it's sort of just a slightly-less-good version of stuff they'd already done on the album, musically. But when you're functioning at that high of a level like they were at that exact moment, it's not really something to complain about. Love that track.
I hadn't heard Calling all Nations for a long time. I was immediately transported to being a few friends in a car back in the day singing "Do the sex dance cos it's necessary'. Great lyric. Uber-Hutchence. Globe-straddling mega-hit albums don't happen by accident and I think record companies and acts definitely know their momentum and what's on the horizon: i wonder if Calling all Nations' inclusion is just as much about signalling their emerging worldwide success as it being just a cool song. Am I right in there being an initial Kick world tour, and then a second lap called 'Calling All Nations'? I could Google it, but would rather let my memories of my friends' tour T shirts be the judge. The title track is magic. Probably one of my favourites. It got a fair amount of radio play even though not a single; they really were everywhere in Australia at this time. Comments along the way have been spot on: Hutchence's vocals on this album are excellent throughout. Never Tear Us Apart is obviously top shelf. And the video seemed (and remains) otherworldly and beautiful. My only peeve with it is the clumsy crossfade edit between the intro strings with the pingy synth notes into the track as we know it. The tempo of the crossfade is OK but it doesn't follow the rhythm of the chord progression so there's an atonal shift that has always jarred to my ears. I'm probably one of the few find Mystify a bit meh. It's a high quality song, just sounded a bit light to my ears. Last weekend, after a few beers, my wife and I watched a whole bunch of INXS vids on Youtube. After New Sensation she said "You should do this song in your band!" No joke, 20 minutes later, my drummer messaged the band chat saying "Hey, how about some INXS? New Sensation" We're trying it at rehearsal today.
What strikes me about what holds Calling All Nations together so well, is how extremely rhythmic each instrument's role is and how well they all interact and gel together accordingly. I don't mind Michael's semi-rapping/singing, as it somewhat fits the song's framework. To be fair, the only downside to this track, stylistically speaking, is that Kirk's funk guitar riffs sound a little bit out of date. But then again, considering INXS' incredibly strong playing coupled with CT's production, that totally makes up for it because the whole track (and album for that matter) sounds very fresh - so much so, that it sounds like it could've been recorded yesterday. CAN is an excellent album track.
You're correct. The bulk of the dates, from Aug. '87-July '88, were referred to as, the Kick (or the Kick Off) tour. But the remaining dates, from Aug. '88-Nov. '88, were entitled, the Calling All Nations tour. I think this was done for a few reasons, as INXS were hitting several markets 2 or even 3 times by the summer of '88. And so they wanted a fresh title with new merchandise, not only for new fans who hadn't seen them live yet but also for some fans who were returning to see them again months later...
Tiny Daggers I like this song, but for me it comes across as a little generic. I hear Rod Stewart circa Tonight I'm Yours at the start, and the song moves along nicely, but it doesn't give me the same feeling as the songs on earlier albums had.... Now that sounds like a put down, but I don't mean it that way, it works well on the album, and I like the song, but the stretching and reaching that I heard on previous albums has somewhat been put on hold .... Ever stop to wonder Should I question Move a stone look under Should I judge How you have changed my friend You're not the same my friend Do you lose sleep at night Do you ever stop to think Where it went wrong for you Who turned your reds to blue Who put those tiny daggers in your heart Who put those tiny daggers in your heart Who put those tiny daggers in your heart Ever stop to wonder I should not question Move a stone look under I should not judge They say you're never lonely They say you're with the best But when they turn those lights out I bet you spin and turn And cry just like the rest And cry just like a baby Ever stop to wonder I should not question Move a stone look under I should not judge No need for desperation No need for sweet revenge Please try to remember The door is always there Don't you walk on by The door is always there All you want to do is kick it in All you got to do is walk right in Songwriters: Michael Hutchence / Andrew Farriss Tiny Daggers lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Universal Music Publishing Group so aside from what may be seen as criticism from me up there, this is a cool, punchy track. We open with a cool early eighties, new wave sounding keyboard.... it reminds me of Young Turks, but is probably very different, I didn't side to side them. I really like the arrangement of the vocals as we come in, with a variation on the call and response style. The song moves along at a rate of knots, and the changes comes fairly thick and fast. The guitars are nice and punchy, and we get a nice lead break section that changes up a bit be fore moving back into the main theme. I really like the last two lines of the song All you want to do is kick it in All you got to do is walk right in It says so much with few words and the musical arrangement and vocal phrasing set it off nicely. Not my favourite Inxs song, but it works well and serves its purpose.
Tiny Daggers Outside of Don’t Change this is probably my favorite INXS album-ender. I like the breakneck pace and the idea of Hutchence singing this to a friend who has hardened up against life. The “tiny daggers” might be little inner voices of the Devil Inside us, or they might just be the loss of one’s innocence due to life experience. I like the note of optimism in telling his friend that even though he’s changed he can always change back: “the door is always there/all you’ve got to do is walk right in”. The keyboards on this one remind me of Bruce Springsteen for some reason. Always have. I do hear the Rod Stewart songs in here that Mark hears too - curious. The bass line of this track is rock solid and I feel like The Trap (demo) is an early musical cousin of this song. They share a similarly fast pace and bassline even if the lyrics are not there yet.
Tiny Daggers 5/5. After numerous songs that really took us away from the standard INXS sound, we have a great return with this song. It's a joyous return. Great sequencing to me. Another contender for a single that should have been.
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 Merry Christmas (fan club) Oct 1985 Listen Like Thieves What You Need - 12" Listen Like thieves - 12" - video Kiss The Dirt - video - 12" Shine Like It Does - live Good + Bad Times Biting Bullets This Time Three Sisters Same Direction One X One Red Red Sun b-sides Sweet As Sin I'm Over You Different World Begotten Six Knots 1985 The Living Inxs 1985 Oz For Africa Feb 1986 Do What You Do - Pretty In Pink Jul 1987 Laying Down The Law - Lost Boys 1987 Australian Made 1987 Inxs and Jimmy Barnes Good Times - live Oct 1987 Kick Guns In The Sky - Kookaburra mix - Kick Ass Mix New Sensation - Nick's 12" mix Devil Inside - video - radio edit - 12" mix Need You Tonight - full video - Mendelsohn Mix - Ben Liebrand Mix - Andrew Farris Mediate The Loved One Wild Life Never Tear Us Apart - video - alt. Mystify - video - Chicago demo Kick Calling all Nations - Alt. mix Tiny Daggers b-sides On The Rocks I'm Coming (Home) Move On Aug 6th 1988 Toronto Live
There are some odd rhythmic and vocal oddities in Tiny Daggers, but it all serves the song. It’s a dark way to end the album (“who put those tiny daggers in your heart”) but it’s a great song. Yet again Michael gets into the lyrics and makes the listener feel them. And that’s it for a near-perfect album. Great music, great lyrics, great playing, great vocals, and every song being strong, with an amazing result. INXS deserved Kick deserved to make INXS superstars. It’s one of those ‘80s albums that were incredibly popular, and at the same time filled with really excellent music. Sometimes on this forum there’s a disdain for popularity (unless it’s the Beatles), but there are times when popularity and quality go hand in hand, and this is one of them.
I am going to cover the deluxe edition stuff later, when it comes around, but is there anything we missed off this guys. Cheers
Despite the semi-generic quality of the arrangements, Tiny Daggers has some excellent qualities. The verses, choruses & bridge are as melodic & catchy as they need to be. Vocally, Michael continues to thoroughly impress. And my favourite part of the song, is Kirk's guitar solo. Also, Jon's last drum fill before the track fades is very clever in its syncopation. TD is a strong song and a good album closer. What can I say? Kick is one of the strongest pop rock albums of all time, if not the strongest. The apparent strategy was to seamlessly blend much of the qualities and styles that comprised the previous 5 albums and some elements they hadn't included before, instead of just concentrating on a handful of styles, like each title beforehand. Pop, rock, hard rock, r&b/soul, funk, blues, ambient/electronic, etc., Kick has a little bit of something for everyone. INXS were now completely confident in their abilities as songwriters, players & performers. They balanced these elements probably better than they ever had up until this point. And apart from the songs being so well written, I think that's partly why Kick was so successful. That, plus 10-11 years of extremely hard work. Whether it was writing, playing live non stop, developing, growing, and even making the mistakes they made from time to time (which I think they learned from), contributed to their stunning achievements. INXS deserved all the accolades and acclaim they received. And they were now a household name. Kick was one of the top 5 biggest selling albums of 1988. And while it's not my favourite INXS album (that's WTWYA)...there's no doubt it's an excellent album and they definitely made their mark on the music world. But they weren't even remotely close to being done yet... Here are my song ratings for Kick... Kick ~ 4.58/5 Guns In The Sky ~ 4.5/5 New Sensation ~ 5/5 Devil Inside ~ 5/5 Need You Tonight ~ 5/5 Mediate ~ 4.5/5 The Loved One ~ 4.5/5 Wild Life ~ 4.5/5 Never Tear Us Apart ~ 5/5 Mystify ~ 4.5/5 Kick ~ 4.5/5 Calling All Nations ~ 4/5 Tiny Daggers ~ 4/5
Well based on nobody pulling out of the woodwork that I missed. Kick is an excellent album. Some of the songs on here are favourites. Interestingly, I still prefer Shabooh Shoobah and the Swing.... and i can't really put my finger on it, but anyway. Need you tonight Never tear us apart Mystify Kick Would be my top 4 tracks on here New Sensation Devil inside Tiny daggers Would sit just under those. That's about the best my rating system works
Listened to Kick again today and realized there are barely any bridges in these songs! "Mystify" might have the only one. Probably a reason the songs are so punchy and concise.
Kick (the album) They really pulled out all the stops for this one and issued a real diverse grab bag of songs. As advertised, just about every track on here could have been a single. INXS aimed high and hit their targets. An album reaching the level of mega-sales and iconic status is a matter of right time-right place, as much as anything else, but they also earned it by building up and touring for the whole decade. Kick was the right album for the zeitgeist of that moment in the mid-late 80’s: politically aware but not preachy, danceable without resorting too much to 80’s production cliches, serious but also fun, and “cool”. INXS were cool. Things began to shift and they had a harder time maintaining “cool status” after this one, and it’s a shame because a lot of their future work is brilliant as well. Kick has been reissued many times, but yet the rest of their catalog seemingly gets no love or respect in this regard - other than the 2002 reissues that seemed to gather up a few random demos and outtakes, but hardly any of the Bsides or remixes. No real “deep cuts” here because pretty much every track got played. “Tiny Daggers” and the Bside “Move On” are maybe the two non-hits from this time period that deserve more listens than they’ve received. So few of their Bsides ever sounded like finished & polished band songs, but yet “Move On” is both. I have a pet theory that “Move On” was slated for the album but they couldn’t fit it into the flow of the tracklisting so they went with the re-recorded “The Loved One” instead as it fit better.
