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 Dec 1986 Dogs In Space Dogs In Space Golf Course The Green Dragon Rooms For The Memory - movie version 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 1988 Kick The Video Flick 1989 In Search Of Excellence Sep 1989 Max Q Sometimes - video/straight rock mix -Rock House ext. - dub The Way Of The World - 12" Ghost Of The Year Everything Concrete Zero-2-0 - Terry Todd Remix Soul Engine Buckethead Monday Night By Satellite Tight Ot-Ven-Rot b-sides Love Man Zero 2 0 Sept 1990 X Suicide Blonde - earth - devastation - milk - demolition - 7" nik - performance - video Disappear - 12" - live b-sides Everybody Wants You Tonight Middle Beast What You Need Cold Cut Force
Disappear alternates between being a ballad and the short driving chorus. It’s a basic love song, enjoyable but it doesn’t really hit me as anything special. Based on the earlier comments I guess I’m in the minority here.
Caught between a ballad and rocker - that's a great way to sum it up actually. Good observation! I think that may be what I like about it?
Like others here have stated, the ONLY thing Disappear needed that it didn't already have, was more guitar in the arrangement and mix. Thankfully, there are many live recordings found online where INXS included more of it (primarily on the '93-'94 Dirty Honeymoon & '97 Elegantly Wasted tours). Otherwise, it's a near-perfect song. Especially since it's got all the vocal hooks you could ever want and is generally catchy as hell. And of course, Michael exudes more vocal gymnastics, stretching his range in ways he probably hadn't before. Disappear is yet another quintessential INXS song. Middle Beast is another B-side that contains some semi-interesting elements, but doesn't quite hit the mark and is kind of forgettable. What You Need's Cold Cut Force mix has more of a hip-hop style incorporated into the arrangement. Somewhat cool but nothing that special. The Disappear Extended 12" mix is one of the better remixes INXS has released and is one of the few dance-oriented mixes I can tolerate and enjoy. And I'm glad they made a music video to go along with this particular mix.
I don't hear it either. Maybe Andrew was referring to their live rehearsal sessions but then they possibly changed it back to the original key once they hit the road? Because, as far as I know, Disappear has always been in the key of E major. And btw, I LOVE the crowd footage of this song from LBL. It's absolutely amazing seeing how the fans got off on Disappear live!
It’s silly and makes no logical sense but finding out in this thread that the “Suicide Blonde” harmonica thing was sampled leaves me really disappointed.
“Disappear” is the song that really got me into INXS when it hit the radio. I was aware of all the hits from Kick, but for whatever reason, I didn’t go all in on the band until I heard “Disappear.” Agree with other comments here about how it’s such a wonderful blast of sunshine. Interestingly, I don’t love it quite as much these days, but “Disappear” will always have a special place in my heart.
Disappear is “the bomb”. Top 5 career song for them. And I like ALL the albums from the original lineup. Somehow there is nothing else quite like Disappear.
I think that’s the key to how it hooks me too. It floats and pulsates with the synth bass, the conga sounds and the “doo doo’s” - but then it energizes in the choruses. It just takes off.
My brief opinions/memories on X: When "Suicide Blonde" came out as the first single, I was floored right away the first time radio played it. Like everybody else, I had been waiting almost 3 years for the followup to Kick and was eager for new material/album from the band. I went out literally the next day after hearing it and bought the cassingle to "Suicide Blonde". MTV then debuted the music video which I obsessively watched. Along with the style of constant camera zoom-ins and editing of the music video and the pure elation of the new song, I automatically thought that this song alone was better than anything off of Kick, raising my hopes for the parent album. Well, over a month later X came out and I obviously bought it on release day. My first thought upon hearing "Suicide Blonde" and "Disappear" (which again thought was also better than anything on Kick) back to back on the album gave me hope that the album was really going to take off. But then with "The Stairs", it felt like the freshness/energy was leveling off and the album then kinda morphed into a Kick Pt. 2. The album was solid overall ("Bitter Tears" was up a little in style/energy over the rest of Side B) but it finally felt like the band was repeating the formula of what came before if not writing/playing themselves into a corner. "Suicide Blonde" and "Disappear" quickly made it to my current mixtapes of the time but I rarely went back to listen to the complete album again as opposed to their earlier works which still get repeated plays from me to this day.
Suicide Blonde: A fine album opener and a perfect lead off single that says' "We're back!". From the opening harmonica that leads into this stomping beat and the catchy pop hooks that makes this song a definite favorite. Disappear: Another favorite and a radio staple that I'll more than likely hear on a daily rotation. The song is atmospheric and Micheal's falsetto adds some dreaminess to it. I do recall the song being in the 1991 movie, Mystery Date. The song plays when Ethan Hawke and Teri Polo are riding in a blue DeSoto Firesweep across Vancouver's Lion's Gate Bridge. Thanks to that, I'll evoke that scene from time to time when I hear the song.
"The Stairs" Single by INXS from the album X Released November 1991 Recorded 1989-90 (album version), 1991 (live) Genre Alternative rock Length 4:56 Label Atlantic Songwriter(s) Michael Hutchence, Andrew Farriss Producer(s) Chris Thomas "The Stairs" is a song by Australian rock band INXS that was released on its 1990 studio album X. A live performance of "The Stairs" from the band's July 13, 1991 concert at Wembley Stadium[1] was released in the Netherlands as a limited edition single in November 1991.[2][1] Its release coincided with the release of the Live Baby Live album.[citation needed] The song was written by Andrew Farriss and Michael Hutchence.[1] Hutchence asserted that "The Stairs" was the most ambitious song he had ever written.[1] Farris spoke about the track in an interview with Spin in 1990, explaining that the song "deals with people in highly urbanized environments not communicating. We should have town squares like they used to have where people go to these little socially instituted environments where it's fashionable. Personally, I don't think fashion and trends are really going to solve the world's problems."[3] The song was used by CBS-TV over the closing credits at the end of their broadcast coverage of the 1994 Winter Olympics.[3] A re-recorded version of the song was released on the 2010 INXS album Original Sin with J.D. Fortune as lead singer.[4] The B-sides to the single are the studio version of "The Stairs" from the X album[2] and "The One Thing (Live)" from the Live Baby Live album.[citation needed] "The Stairs" (Live) "The Stairs" (LP Version) "The One Thing" -------------------------------------------- Well I was wondering about this one, because I had never heard this song as a single, and I was wondering what the story was, because most Inxs singles would get played in Aus, but if this came off the live album a bit later, that would explain why I didn't recall the single...... anyway. We open with a back and forth two chord piano thing, and the groove builds up under it, and gradually the two chords change, and the kick comes in as it changes back to the first two chords. The guitar gives us some very nice atmospheric type sounds, and the way the song develops really quite well. In a room above a busy street The echoes of a life The fragments and the accidents Separated by incidents Listen to by the walls We share the same spaces Repeated in the corridors Performing the same movements Storey to storey Building to building Street to street We pass each other on the stairs Storey to storey Building to building Street to street We pass each other on the stairs Listen to by the walls We share the same spaces Repeated in the corridors Performing the same movements The nature of your tragedy Is chained around your neck Do you lead or are you lead Are you sure that you don't care There are reasons here to give your life And follow in your way The passion lives to keep your faith Though all are different, all are great Climbing as we fall We dare to hold on to our fate And steal away our destiny To catch ourselves With quiet grace Story to story Building to building Street to street We pass each other on the stairs Listen to by the walls We share the same spaces Repeated in the corridors Performing the same movements Story to story Building to building Street to street We pass each other on the stairs Songwriters: Michael Hutchence / Andrew Farriss The Stairs lyrics © Chardonnay Investments Ltd., Warner Chappell Music France, Xl Publishing Pty. Ltd., Inxs Publishing Pty. Ltd., Wb Music Corp. O/b/o Muziekuitgeverij Artemis B.v., Chardonnay Investments Ltd I really like the lyrics. When I look through the lyrics, it seems that it shows the picture of lives that don't necessarily interact but each has their story, and their circumstances, and they are all important, but in different ways. We pass by each other everyday, often unnoticed, but the stories behind the empty faces are all important, and all weave into one in the big picture of life. I think this song is a lot better than my initial impression of it. The music isn't an amazing musical journey, with lots of chord changes and intricate passages. It is an atmospheric builder, that rests on the words. the music exists as a bed for the words, just as the stairs exist to carry the people walking upon them. Again Michael's vocal delivery here is what gives the songs its thrust and somewhat magnetic personality.... but again, like the people in the song, you need to look at them long enough to notice. The lead break isn't a scorcher, but it is effective in doing what it needs to. So this track has grown quite a lot, while I have been going through this material in the background. Not the greatest song of all time, but a very valuable track in the context of the album.... in my opinion.
I couldn't read the article, but saw Mystify and I understand in a 2 hour movie things will be cut, it seemed to me that inxs' importance was slashed at the expense of other items (more time was given to Kylie Minogue than Andrew Farriss) the point of Disappear seemed worse than it probably was when isolated out of the whole story..I don't think you can tell Michael's story leaving out inxs.. Inxs deserve an Anthology style series.
The Stairs is a fantastic song, one of my favorites by INXS (or by any band). The extended instrumental introduction sets the mood. The lyrics are very thoughtful, making the listener wonder about all the people with whom we interact but don’t know. And the chorus seals the deal. The band shows real growth here, and the result is a total winner.
I remember Elton John praising "The Stairs" at the time and saying if it was released as a single it would be No1. I was a bit underwhelmed with X on its release - too much feels like 'phoning it in' and a LOT had changed in music the year before - but I loved "Disappear" and the associated remixes. They made groovy re-edited videos for the mixes too and they were one of the best things about this era. Luckily WTWYA wasn't too far away.
The Stairs Surely INXS’s best-ever deep album cut. I guess it was some sort of a limited single for the live album, but the singles weren’t hitting the top 10 at this point and I honestly never heard it on the radio. I heard it on a cassette that played seemingly every day I hung out in the student union bowling alley at my university. I hadn’t bought the album due to not being at all impressed by Suicide Blonde, but I had heard Disappear on the radio a few times and thought “now that’s a darn good song”. As the cassette played randomly most days over a period of at least a month I got to hear the rest of the album, in the low background ambience of the room. It was not loud enough to hear all the finer details of the 3rd song on the album, but it was enough for me to ascertain several things: 1) this song, unusually for INXS, has a very long buildup before vocals come in 2) when Hutchence begins singing, it’s a reverent hushed “in a room above a busy street” 3) the tension keeps building, crackling with those edgy guitar noises and crashing drums 4) Hutchence’s recitation of the lyrics ratchets up intensity yet maintains an almost robotic rhythm with the drumbeat except for when he gets to the emotional parts - this is a great performance. 5) what I could make out from the lyrics and songs dynamics seemed to hint that this was a “big” song, that it was a statement of some kind of importance. By the time I finally bought the album, this partially heard song had built up a bit of a mystique in my mind. Hearing it in full loud stereo was not a disappointment. It’s another of my all-time INXS faves. I am still fascinated by the lyrics to this day. They are enigmatic, but seem to set the scene of people living in urban societies, close in terms of physical distance, but actually far apart because of the walls between spaces (apartments, office rooms, etc) and our planned routine automatic behaviors that we follow every day even though we have free will and could actually behave quite random if we chose to. Despite the proximal distance to our neighbors we don’t socialize with the vast majority, let alone know their names but, as the lyric goes: “we pass each other on the stairs.” And then there’s also this bomb that MH drops into the mix: “Do you lead or are you led? Are you sure that you don't care?” Lyric-wise the entire song is one of the best INXS songs put to pen - so credit is due to MH who wrote them. Kick and X each focus on incisive tracks that typically last 3-3 1/2 minutes. They each have only one song that approaches the five minute mark: Devil Inside and The Stairs. Both are beautifully composed epic tracks.
That's an interesting and apt comparison between the two songs that I hadn't made. It's hard to call five-minute songs epic, but these ones qualify.
The Stairs 5/5. A poetic building of tension. The music perfectly reflects Michael's words. Here, lies the strength of INXS. They were as one while laying down the tracks. This song is the third of the 1-2-3 punch of this album. There are reasons why INXS has been in my collection for the past 40 years. This song is a highlight to me. As anyone who has sat down and tried to construct a song, the ending is always a tricky part. Here, they complete the ending with the poetic way it started. Love this track.
Love "The Stairs" -- this is definitely one of the songs where I think they surpassed the studio version live, especially at the Wembley show. If I recall correctly, this was the point of the show where Michael instructed friends to drop a tablet of something (E)? I believe there's one clearly visible in Kirk's mouth during the long intro, ha!
X was my first INXS album. I was 17 in 1990 and had a broad taste (still have) in music genres. I was heavily into Depeche Mode at that time, enjoying some House music, Led Zeppelin and still held a candle for Duran Duran. Duran’s 1990 album “Liberty” was a bit of a let-down and “X” took its place. I think it’s a fantastic album. There are one or two average songs but Suicide Blonde, The Stairs and Disappear. Big fan of Lately as well. I had the album on cassette and did not get round to buying it on CD until last year (only 30 years late!). I had forgotten how much I enjoyed and it’s had a lot of rotation over the past 12 months or so. Suicide Blonde: isn’t it about Kylie Minogue?
The Stairs was one that sort of passed me by...definitely going to reevaluate it now. Great thread by the way...it's finally made me replace my long defunct vinyl copy of Listen Like Thieves on CD and order SS and The Swing for the first time ever!
