I think that pretty much does it. And I'm sure you'll cover the Kick The Video Flick and In Search Of Excellence VHS releases before we move into the '90s...
Kick -- overall. Still behind Shabooh Shoobah and The Swing, above Listen Like Thieves and the first two. It did what it achieved to do. They were now stars.
INXS – Kick The Video Flick Label: PolyGram Music Video – CFV 07452 Format: Unknown, PAL Country: UK Released: 1988 Genre: Pop, Rock Style: Rock & Roll, Pop Rock 1 Devil Inside 2 Need You Tonight 3 Mediate 4 Never Tear Us Apart 5 New Sensation 6 Guns In The Sky ------------------------------------ The collection of videos was release on vhs, cd-v and laserdisc, and it isn't something that I would have been too bothered about really. I love concert videos, and if the music videos come with a good 5.1 mix these days, then I will likely get them, but just watching music videos has never really interested me. Having said that though the video age was very popular, so I assume many folks did really enjoy this release, and releases like it. Please give us your spin on this release. I can't find 1/4, but here are 2,3,4/4
I'd never seen that video for "Guns on the Sky" before - definitely a precursor to the video for "The Gift"!
I had their 1980-1990 collection back in the day. Videos were not their strong point tbh, but the girls did like Michael.
INXS' music videos are extremely important to recognize when assessing their commercial development, especially in 1988. Countdown in Australia, MTV and MuchMusic in Canada, etc., all played these videos in heavy rotation. And creatively speaking, their primary video director, Richard Lowenstein, created some of the most innovative and visually stunning music videos to appear on screen. And this collection, displays just how talented of a director Lowenstein is and Joel Schumacher (who directed Devil Inside) was. The only downsides to KTVF, is that the bonus footage isn't extensive, but then again there's plenty of it on the next VHS release. And that the Mystify video isn't included...but that's because it wasn't released until 1989.
In Australia we have a show called Rage, on the national broadcaster, the ABC. It runs more or less from 11pm til about 9am on Friday and Saturday nights. No real agenda, no host, same graphics since the year dot, usually just wall to wall clips, with the occasional guest programmer. Often on a saturday night they'd have a feature artist and play all of their clips from first to most recent. You'd set a VHS to record at double speed and you'd have an artists' whole video history, including some live cuts and interviews. I had all of INXS' stuff this way and was very aware of how important video was for them, and how much Hutchence particularly owned the medium. I liked a lot of their videos and we spent just as much of the 80s and 90s watching these videotapes as listening to the albums. Not sure if it's common knowledge, but Guns in the Sky was filmed at the same session as New Sensation, running downstairs while crew were setting up lighting etc for the main shoot up on the balcony. I really like that energy in the video, filmmaking 'on the run', just relying on the charisma of the performers.
INXS – In Search Of Excellence Label: Polygram Music Video – 081 199-3 Format: VHS, NTSC Country: US Released: 1989 Genre: Rock Style: Pop Rock Complete Tracks 1 New Sensation 2 Don't Change (Live) 3 Kiss The Dirt 4 What You Need 5 This Time 6 Listen Like Thieves 7 Devil Inside 8 Mystify 9 What You Need (Live) 10 Need You Tonight (Live) 11 Mediate (Live) Extracts From 12 Kick (Live) 13 Guns In The Sky 14 The Loved One (Live) 15 Never Tear Us Apart 16 Shine Like It Does Interviews, Archive TV, Back Stage and Rehearsal Footage ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a release I have never heard of to be honest. It was released on Vhs, cd-v and laserdisc. We get footage from the tour set to music and a few live tracks with some excerpts, interviews etc. It is interesting to me that so many of these videos haven't seemed to see the light of day in the dvd/bluray age. I found this on youtube as a tester for what is on it.
== Kind of goes hand in hand with all the b-sides that are collecting dust and not on a compilation. INXS must be a hard sell for executives. Sad, after all the money they made for them in the 80s and early 90s.
Hi guys, hope you don't mind the gatecrash, just wanted to pop in and say what a fantastic thread this is - best one on the forum (besides the Cold Chisel one of course). Such intelligent, thought provoking conversation and well written reviews. Also appreciate the inclusion of lyrics and that you guys actually take notice of them. I'm currently up to page 25 and felt compelled to quote for truth: Beautifully put. Johnson's Aeroplane is my standout track from that album and I think it may even be the track that kickstarted my obsession with bass. Fun bit of trivia: (and sorry if I'm repeating info you guys already know) Nile Rodgers was chatting with John Taylor a few months ago via Instagram - fascinating man, full of stories! - and was telling John about how absolutely in awe of INXS he was (this is some compliment!). He was desperate to take what he'd learned working with them to Duran Duran, which he did (with The Reflex as I recall?). Some of you thought the lyrics to Original Sin weren't too great, 'black girl, white boy'. According to Nile, the lyrics were originally 'white girl, white boy' and it was Nile's suggestion to change them. I certainly never knew that!
Listening to the Dogs In Space soundtrack now for the first time. Good article about the movie here at The Quietus: The Quietus | Film | Film Features | Films For Music: Dogs In Space Revisited I had not realized that director Richard Lowenstein had been involved in so many music videos for other artists, including U2 and Pete Townshend.
Back in the early '90s, when I first started getting into INXS, I used to rent In Search Of Excellent multiple times from a local video rental store. This is a very good compilation of studio audio, as well as footage, live material & interviews from the Kick tour. Too bad the shorter version is currently the only available version on youtube. And yet another title that desperately needs a DVD/BR release...
Just as a slight back track. Dogs in Space Original 1986 theatrical poster Directed by Richard Lowenstein Produced by Glenys Rowe Written by Richard Lowenstein Starring Michael Hutchence Saskia Post Nique Needles Chris Haywood Deanna Bond Tony Helou Laura Swanson Emma de Clario Music by Ollie Olsen, Michael Hutchence Cinematography Andrew de Groot Edited by Jill Bilcock Distributed by Hoyts (Australia) Columbia TriStar Home Video Umbrella Entertainment Release date 18 December 1986 (Australia) Running time 103 minutes Country Australia Language English Dogs in Space is a 1986 Australian film set in Melbourne's "Little Band" post-punk music scene in 1978. It was directed by Richard Lowenstein and starred Michael Hutchence as Sam, the drug-addled frontman of the fictitious band from which the film takes its name. Dogs in Space centres on a group of young music fans sharing a house in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond. Sam (Michael Hutchence) and Tim (Nique Needles) are the key members of a band called Dogs in Space, and share a house with a variety of social misfits, including Sam's girlfriend Anna (Saskia Post), a university student called Luchio (Tony Helou) and a transient and apparently nameless teenager known only as The Girl (Deanna Bond).[3] The film's minimal plot traces the day-to-day existence of the characters, particularly the relationship between Sam and Anna, and is largely made up of a sequence of party scenes involving live music and drug use. In between, there are trips to Ballarat (at the time, the closest town to Melbourne with a 24-hour convenience store) and humorous encounters with an aggressive neighbour (Joe Camilleri) and one character's fast-talking, chainsaw-wielding uncle (Chris Haywood), who simply turns up one afternoon with his family (the baby in this scene is Lowenstein's niece Robyn). There is also a minor incident in which the characters burn some rubbish in a plan to claim it as a piece of Skylab for a local radio station. In the end, the group's dysfunctional and hedonistic lifestyle claims a victim when Anna dies from a heroin overdose. Footage of Sputnik 2 is intercut with the narrative, focused largely on Laika (the first dog in space), and can also be seen on television in the background of several scenes. The soundtrack album was released on Chase Records in February 1987 (CLPX14), featuring several tracks from reformed "little bands" and other contemporary tracks of the time. The album came in two versions: a censored version in a white sleeve with the band name "Thrush & the ****s" bowdlerised to "Thrush and the C**ts" and possibly-offensive song vocal tracks removed, and an "R"-rated version in a black sleeve with all band names in full, movie dialogue between the songs, and all vocal tracks in full. The album's liner notes were written by Clinton Walker. Chase Records went out of business soon after and, despite much effort, the record has never been reissued and has remained unavailable since. It is now a collector's item, commanding high prices. It was only available on LP and cassette and was issued on CD – at least the censored version appeared on discount bins in shopping malls in Lisbon, Portugal, somewhere around 1996–1997. The Hutchence tracks were his second official solo recordings, after releasing a single in 1982 titled "Speed Kills" from the soundtrack to the film Freedom, and his first with Ollie Olsen. They would later collaborate on the Max Q recordings. Side One: "Dog Food" (Iggy Pop) "Dogs In Space" (Michael Hutchence) "Win/Lose" (Ollie Olsen) "Anthrax" (Gang of Four) "Skysaw" (Brian Eno) "True Love" (Marching Girls) "Shivers" (Boys Next Door) Side Two: "Diseases" (Thrush & the ****s) "Pumping Ugly Muscle" (The Primitive Calculators) "Golf Course" (Michael Hutchence) "The Green Dragon" (Michael Hutchence) "Shivers" (Marie Hoy and friends) "Endless Sea" (Iggy Pop) "Rooms For The Memory" (Michael Hutchence) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- My apologies for missing this, but in doing a little research setting up Max Q this morning, it seems this is somewhat of an important link in the chain. I had forgotten all about this movie, and I don't think I ever saw it anyway, but in our link along the chain of the Inxs/ Michael Hutchence story, it seems to be an important link, because it would seem to the best of my ability to figure out, that this movie and soundtrack is likely to have been the link that got Hutchence and Ollie Olsen to work together and therefor lead to the great Max Q album we are about to look at. I honestly had no idea that Hutchence sang four songs on here, and it seems we should probably look at those also. Dogs In Space Here we have this somewhat punk, somewhat goth type track. We have a sort of power punk type thing going on, and some fairly interesting sound effects that actually give this a pretty interesting sound. Might explode, out come dark, facing off into space Dogs out there, floatin' 'round, it's rattling the human race Dogs in space Planet opens, out come dark, facing off into space Underneath the eye of God, angels in the sham of dogs Dogs in space, dogs in space, dogs in space, dogs in space Warming coat, coats of gleam, threw up stars, charged and still We are tough from an open can, dark flash in, can it be real? Dogs in space, arf! arf! No offenses, we are cats, they know cats, then we'd be mice Master plan, massive dogs, run for cover, you don't look twice Dogs in space, dogs in space, dogs in space, dogs in space We're lost, we're lost...Ahhhhh... This isn't very Inxs, but is actually a pretty decent punk-style track. Probably a little more produced than most early punk, but effective nonetheless.
Golf Course Long ago when I was not much younger than a day Daddy used to take me there to watch him as he played Golf course do you remember of course you do Golf course when I was young I did not envy you Now the days have turned to years and I'll become a man I bought myself a set of clubs and I tried the best I can Here comes the early morning light revealing you Golf course without you there's not much a man can do Ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh Ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh Ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh Ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh, ooh ooh Golf course do you remember of course you do Golf course when I was young I did not envy you A world's a scene in my head willing me to play I'm alive, so much alive, well, what more can I say? Ask me what I get it done than where the future lies I tap my clubs and smile and say I'll stay here 'til I die Here comes the early morning light revealing you Golf course without you there's not much a man can do Golf course do you remember of course you do Golf course when I was young I did not envy you Here we get another punk style track. I think it is slightly less successful than the first track up there, but it is also probably a little more in line with that raw punk sound. Also in context with the movie, I don't know how good the band was supposed to be, and it strikes me that would be an important thing to know for context. I know nothing about these tracks, so if any of you have more details, who wrote the songs, the movie context etc, please fill us in.
The Green Dragon. Once upon a time there was a green monster and he ate a whole train full of obnoxious people. Of course he got a very bad case of indigestion that lasted for many weeks and so he eventually decided he needed some medicine. He strolled on his many legs to the nearest pharmacist and said “I have indigestion and nausea”. “What from?” asked the chemist. “Oh just all the obnoxious people in this world” said the dragon and the chemist after carefully considering the monsters problem gave him some milk of magnesia. In two days the monster was feeling better again so he ate another train full of the same sort of people. He felt worse than before and after weeks of suffering he went back to the chemist. “Please help me Mr Chemist”, he said.” All the false people in this world make me terribly sick.” The pharmacist replied, “You must get over this terrible objection to the people in this world but I'll give you some milk of magnesia anyway.” The green monster who was much fatter now, he had--as he had eaten two trains recovered in a few days. He was lying by the railway tracks when a train stopped right in front of him. He looked at it with his big brown eyes watching the people laughing long at their own jokes and posing around being completely false. He tried to control himself but he loathed these sort of people so he lumbered over to the train and ate it [chomp] which he almost completely digested due to his extremely strong digestive juices Amongst the pieces lay an old man who had just been in and out of a monsters stomach and stood there shaking his head in disbelief. “Hello” he said so sincerely that it nearly made one of the monsters legs drop off. The monster looked back in disbelief.” “Hello with such sincerity?” “Well” said the man. “We obviously don't believe the other exists, so let's have a party. This isn't really a song, but it is on the soundtrack. essentially it is Hutchence reciting a little story.... I am not sure if the words up there are correct or not, so forgive me if they are wrong.
Rooms For The Memory This actually sounds like the prototype for the Max Q project. We have a landscape of sounds, that have some electronic tracks, and some layering of instruments. I actually remember this track, and I think it is actually a good track. Apparently it did pretty well in Aus, charting at number 11. Be there, ow! There’s a corner to this room Where there’s nothing left to remember There’s time the clocks on the wall But there’s nothing left to remember A thought or two ligers on In memoriam the plaques on the wall and time stands still Rooms for the memory, rooms for the memory Rooms for the memory, rooms for the memory There’s time the clocks on the wall But time stands still remember But there’s nothing left at all But time stands still A thought or two lingers on In memoriam the plaques on the wall and time stands still Rooms for the memory, rooms for the memory Rooms for the memory, rooms for the memory Oh oh, oh oh oh There’s a corner to this room A telephone, a chair, a memory But there’s nothing left to this gloom When time stands still remember A thought or two lingers on In memoriam the plaques on the wall and time stands still Rooms for the memory, rooms for the memory Rooms for the memory, rooms for the memory Remember, remember Remember, remember Rooms for the memory Ah, ooh Uh yeah Oh, oh Oh Oh, oh Oh, oh Oh, oh Remember oh remember The youtube link seems to need a little more bass, but this is such a distant memory that I can't remember what the track sounded like at the time. I just recognise the chorus hook. This was a nice recollection of a song that I had completely forgotten about.
I guess that is a little bit to absorb this morning, particularly if folks aren't familiar with, or aware of this stuff. If you want me to hold off posting tomorrow, so you can check this out, please let me know.
Except for the spoken track, I rate these rather highly. Appreciate the punk songs very much, INXS should have put the edge of these songs into a few songs on X or Kick to change the sound up a bit. Rooms for the Memory is 5/5 to me. Rather enjoy the pulse and keys. Max Q didn't do much for me as I had the cassette back in the day. Been listening to You Tube on a few songs, and they haven't been moving me at all. Much about that later, but I dig this song.
