Newsreel Babies Kirk: Michael wrote the words to that one. It was a reflection on all these different things happening around the world. I think they lyrics had two meanings. I think it was about all the different female newsreaders, like Barbie doll newsreaders. Just about every TV news thing had about ten different newsreaders, like they were testing them all out or something. Andrew: When we first started touring the US we'd often see billboards of entertainers or other famous people. Nowadays, you drive down Sunset in Los Angeles and you see billboards of newsreaders, where before there used to be an artiste. It's like they're trying to make newsreaders the new pop stars or something. Tim: Michael and Kylie Minogue when they were together were 'Newsreel Babies', you know what I mean? So it wasn't so much the readers, but the people who are the subjects of this newsreel footage, in terms of their popularity. But, I do remember musically with that song we were really into it at the time. It was a favorite one for the band to play, along with Learn To Smile.
Newsreel Babies' keyboard melody IS the song for me. But once again, there's too much ska influence rhythmically. The chorus works well but is oddly only performed once. And yet the bridge is awkwardly played multiple times and comes off as boring and definitely could've been developed better. The instrumental interlude fits and builds a crescendo that makes one think this is a set up for another chorus but it doesn't happen and there's no 'pay-off', so to speak. This tune is weird as hell but I dig it.
No idea, but I noticed this a few days ago. Not sure how long they've been gone, but I have playlists for all of the older albums, they just don't work. Quite irritating isn't it?
Yeah there are some songs available via the Anthology and Greatest Hits but just a few. Elegantly Wasted isn't available either.
Wishy Washy The opening of this track was very late seventies, early eighties Aussie pop/rock ... it could almost be the start of an Australian Crawl song. The song goes on to identify itself as Inxs pretty quickly, but that is the first thing that struck me this morning. I got a place with a view You can see the cars As they travel down the freeway To clubs and bars There's a woman downstairs With matt-grey hair An' she smiles when she tells me There's no room for me here They've got it in the city They've got it in the country But here in the suburbs It's all so wishy-washy It's all so wishy-washy I got another place This time with a fireplace An' a woman can come around Write poetry and feel safe I said it's good for me now But I'm not being fed I said it's good for me now But I'm not being fed Songwriters: Andrew Charles Farriss / Garry William Beers / Jon Farriss / Kirk Pengilly / Michael Hutchence / Timothy William Farriss Wishy Washy lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group It is funny thinking about it now, but one of the things that put me off getting this album for so many years was the name of the last track .... I don't know why, I just had an aversion to a track being called wishy washy lol .... anyway This is actually a pretty strong track, and it manages to avoid the seemingly contentious ska beat that hinders some folks from enjoying a lot of the songs on here. As to what exactly the lyrics are looking at I have no idea.... From my experience people have the capacity to complain about any particular place they live ... I never really understood the aversion to the suburbs, it was just somewhere to live in my world. I would have preferred the country, but if you talked to kids from the country, they said they wanted to live in the city or the suburbs .... Anyway, This track pumps along nicely. again the bass and drums are locked in tightly and drive this along. I suppose to an extent this song somewhat draws on the semi-punk kind of things that we got with We Are The Vegetables, but it is a little more refined, and structured around a pop/rock thing. I think the little keyboard sections work well, as do the guitar sections.... It kind of refers to what I was saying about the arrangements, the guys were really good at arranging their songs. This ends up being a good track to close out the album, and I reckon it is probably in the top half of the tracks on the album.
For me visiting the debut album for the first time was a real pleasure. The whole ska thing doesn't bug me at all, because I always liked ska anyway, and the band carries it off well, in my opinion. I think you can hear the personality of the band come through, and some of the musical ideas seem to be platforms from which the eventually fully developed Inxs sound was to be built on. I think that comes back to the days when bands were allowed to naturally and organically develop over a two of three album period, and grow into their sound and their audience. I think Inxs end up being a prime example of why that is an important part of band development. Obviously companies need to make money, but any product needs research and development, and a band willing to take their show on the road, and really pay attention to what is grabbing people about their natural styles and preferences is the best way to develop and grow a band. The album itself is much better than I expected it to be to be honest, and I can see it get many more spins in the future, and I always find it funny when I have, sort of, avoided an album for a long time, and when I finally get around to listening to it, I really like it. Certainly the band grow from here, and I think they really start to spread their wings and embrace who they are, and at this stage there is not really any kind of formula, just a bunch of guys trying to write and play music together, and their own quirks and personality traits are colouring in the picture nicely.
Wishy Washy Tim: It had kinda like had a punky vibe to it I suppose. Kirk: I think that was one of the songs we wrote in Perth. Garry: It was the one we used to finish up with. Andrew: Also Michael used to have a real thing about the suburbs. He used to really hate the suburbs. He was a big city boy. He really had a problem with the suburbs, just didn't like the atmosphere or the feeling, too relaxed for him, you know?
Despite the dumb title, Wishy Washy is an overall excellent track. I dig everything about. There are so many hooks in this song! The intro, verses, bridge, chorus, guitar riff/melody, lyrics, bass lines, drum beats/fills & the instrumental interlude are all incredibly catchy and fit the song perfectly. It should've been a single. This track clearly shows, like with Just Keep Walking & In Vain, INXS were on their way... INXS ~ 3.45/5 On A Bus ~ 3.5/5 Doctor ~ 3/5 Just Keep Walking ~ 4.5/5 Learn To Smile ~ 3/5 Jumping ~ 3/5 In Vain ~ 4/5 Roller Skating ~ 3.5/5 Body Language ~ 3/5 Newsreel Babies ~ 3/5 Wishy Washy ~ 4/5
Wishy Washy It's got energy and attitude combined with some pretty innocent lyrics. A lot going on but it doesn't really grab me. This album was a big surprise and having only played the tracks I can say it deserves more attention. It is certainly interesting to see how the guys got started. Somehow you can hear they've played together a lot. Different styles make this one enjoyable.
Cool song, especially 1:29 riff that repeats later. They liked it enough to still play it 4 years later when they dropped most of this material.
INXS – The Loved One Label: Deluxe Records (4) – 103741 Format: Vinyl, 7", Single Country: Australia Released: Mar 1981 Genre: Rock, Pop Style: Pop Rock A The Loved One Written-By – Anderson*, Humphries*, Clyne*, Lynch*, Lovett* 3:07 B The Unloved One Written-By – INXS 3:54 "The Loved One" was recorded twice by INXS. The original studio version was issued as a stand-alone single in March 1981, in Australia only. It reached No. 20 on the national charts, and was later featured on their 1982 compilation album Inxsive. The band re-recorded the track (in a substantially different arrangement) for their 1987 international hit album Kick. INXS also frequently performed the song live, and one such version is featured on their 1991 live video, Live Baby Live. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interestingly this single is listed as charting at 20 in one place and 18 at another, but the Australian charts have been notoriously difficult to get correct info on. I believe there is a book available that actually lists all these things... actually I think it is a series, and it isn't cheap.... but anyway. This is a great song, originally recorded by The Loved Ones in 1966. I am not completely sure if there was any connection with Inxs, or if it is just a song that the band liked, but Inxs did a very good version of it. If anyone has more details regarding how this single came into being that would be cool .... @Moggio_4K_Ultra_HD , I kind of assume you may have info about this single. To me the real sell of this song is the dynamic between that wonderful bass line that drives the verses, and the excellent chorus.
The Unloved One This may well be the first time I have heard this song. I never had Inxsive and I never really seem to get around to buying many compiles, and I have never bought a single lol.... Anyway, We open up with an atmospheric swirl of and some sound effects. Over this we get some percussion and slowly an atmospheric jam builds up, with some bass holding it down, some volume swell guitar and some sax. This is interesting to me, because it is quite different from most of what Inxs would generally do. Aside from a bit of talking type drop in vocals, there isn't much in the way of a lyric, and it really probably gets classified as an instrumental. This certainly isn't a commercial track, and really it probably is a decent idea for a b-side in the sense that it presents something completely different, so anyone who did get it would probably realise that perhaps there was something more about this band than they previously may have thought. Interesting track.
Playing catch-up: Body Language: 3/5. -- more shuffling Newsreel Babies: 4/5 -- this song shows their future potential Wishy Washy 2.5/5. --- really blah to me. These songs are not bad though with my low scores -- the deviation is not much and just jars the listener. Glad they found their feet. The whole album is a curio, and I do listening to it every once in awhile. Loved one 3/5 --- this shows more strength and promise, and it shows the strength of what they would soon become.
The Loved One Most peculiar song to be picked for a new single, but then again crazier things have charted. Interesting to see the way Hutchence uses his voice here is almost a complete clone of Joe Jackson, it's obvious on this track. The track doesn't blow you away, but the bass line, chorus and changes are good.
wasn't sure you were doing song by song including b-sides chronologically because you skipped over "Scratch."
Yea. I will be trying to cover everything, but certainly if I miss anything please let me know cheers.... Also guys For the record. As it is the eighties, I will be trying to cover 12" versions, different mixes etc. So again, if I miss anything, please let us know.
Scratch Apologies for missing this guys. This track was the b-side to just keep walking. This again is the first time I have heard this song. I love this. This is a boisterous rollicking rick song with a lot of parts. The little digital breakdown before the vocals is really cool. We have some really nice soundscapes, and diverse also, that keep me interested. I reckon this could have been a good album track really.
They did a lot of b-sides and hardly any were ever on cd. There's a few early studio tracks that were unreleased until that Stay Young cd set came out that you may want to hear: Telephone, Silent Night, Breakaway.
Their Loved One cover is one of the few times I enjoyed a cover version. They made it like a new song but still kept some of the feel of the original version which sounds sort of like Van Morrison and Them. I think the later version they did on Kick was unnecessary and I know some people like it but I prefer this early pub rock style version. Unloved One is an interesting moody instrumental. It seems to fit well with a later b side called The Harbour.
The Loved One (non-album single) I never heard this until a few years ago. I was surprised to find they’d previously recorded this prior to the Kick album, and then very pleasantly surprised when it turned out I preferred this version by miles over the later one. I had never noticed the nonINXS songwriting credit on Kick and had always regarded The Loved One as a subpar album track on an otherwise great album. This earlier version, on the other hand, is subtle slinky mysterious and very well done - i.e. it has everything that the Kick version is missing. Totally agree with this.
