She Is Rising Yet another excellent track. It's a shame side two begins with Girl On Fire given the strength of the rest of the album. There's a freshness to the sound on this song, it's clearly a band full of ideas. I'm still confused as to why the album received such poor reviews on release
Me too. For whatever reason Inxs seemed to be getting this bizarre kickback, from the media, and the market. Prior to the thread I had never heard Full Moon ... or this album, and they are both excellent albums in my opinion, yet the popular myth seems to be that they are poor albums that deservedly flopped.... It is completely bizarre to me.
She Is Rising Starts like maybe this is another generic grungy song, but it’s got some very nice dynamics and is anything but generic. I really like the “she.....is rising!” sections, and the Eastern-influenced guitar playing in parts. This is a fairly unique track for INXS - not sure I’ve heard this from them before. This album is proving to be “a tale of two halves”: side one is more pop-oriented, while side two’s bulk is heavier rock. Definitely an interesting turn of direction. I have enjoyed INXS’ forays into hard rock here on the back end of this album, but also with some of the more rock-oriented tracks they’ve recorded even through their “pop” period. Some of them got left off the albums, but I wish they had kept more of them in the mix.
Replace “Girl On Fire” with “Let It Ride” and play the tracklist. It works for me. Girl On Fire is too poppy for the rest of what follows on this album.
I think She Is Rising is about making large positive changes to our lives. The arrangement and vocals bring this one together (again those guitars make me think of Collective Soul), and the result is another strong song. I must agree with the earlier comments about side 1 versus side 2.
This is another odd one for me. “She Is Rising” doesn’t sound like an INXS song at all to me… but, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I do think for the longest time, this track might have been Exhibit A why this album never clicked with me in the past – because it didn’t sound like INXS. However, with the benefit of time (and this thread!), I hear it differently now. I’m still not as enthusiastic about it as others here seem to be, but what I now hear, is a band transitioning to more mature, interesting compositions. There’s a lot to like here, and while this might not be an essential track for me, it feels like a signpost of greater things to come. To jump the gun and sum up my current feelings toward Elegantly Wasted, it’s a much better album than what most people give it credit for, it’s much better than even I gave it credit for all these years, but it’s not their best – much like X. Still, I truly think this album shows all the signs that had there been a next album with Michael, it would have been something great and unique (even if it wasn’t commercially successful).
She Is Rising is cut from parts of the same cloth as STT. The superstars here are the dual rhythm guitar (semi-funk) riffs / melodies and Jon's polyrhythmic/syncopated beats. The short but sweet wah-wah pedal riff sets us up for the unexpected counter-melodic release in the instrumental interlude. This wonderfully segues seamlessly from the chorus into the bridge & eventually back into the verses. The expansional ad-lib instrumental components in the last set of choruses, greatly help to fill out the mood of the track before the fade. SIR is a fantastic deep album cut. And yet another song that probably worked well if INXS had played it live...
The first 7 tracks from EW were played live. Though, Show Me (Cherry Baby) & Everything weren't performed that often...
She is Rising: Another good one and does have some familiarity with the previous track, however this one has nice laid back groove. Great rhythm section, crunchy guitar, and a catchy chorus stand out here; I gotta say, I love it when Micheal does an airy, dreamy vocal delivery. Just a superb track all around.
Building Bridges We get this very dark electric piano, playing a chordal melody and getting accented by a nice sounding bass. We get this somewhat ominous sound for an inxs track. Then the smooth opening breaks and we get this staccato feel come in with some really nice gentle drums. It is a very effective opening. And where has innocence gone Do we know too much Are you comfortable in your skin When does the strip begin All the words we are fed And the need to belong Cause we can't get connected Baby try Where has our innocence gone We whisper and touch It's like we should start again When does the strip begin Some are taken some are given Building bridges for the living Some are taken some are given There's nothing if the truth won't survive Where has your innocence gone Do you just know too much Are you comfortable in your skin When does the strip begin Some are taken some are given Building bridges for a living Some are taken some are given There's nothing if the truth won't survive Some days I am everything I hate There's nothing if the truth won't survive Some days I am everything I hate There's nothing if the truth won't survive Some days I am everything I hate There's nothing if the truth won't survive Some are taken some are given Building bridges for a living Some are taken some are given There's nothing if the truth don't survive And where has innocence gone Do we know too much Are you comfortable in your skin When does the strip begin Songwriters: Andrew Charles Farriss / Michael Hutchence Building Bridges lyrics © Chardonnay Investments Ltd A really interesting lyric here that addresses a lot of things. We address the state of out innocence, and overloading with information, our need to belong (humans are social creatures, even those that suggest they aren't), the survival of truth .... To me the most poignant section, after all the questioning and observation is the " some days I am everything I hate, there's nothing if the truth won't survive" ... I have found it bizarre that we all seem to often act against ourselves, or act in a manner that we actually find unacceptable towards others .... and no matter what kind of facade we portray to the general public, and no matter how much we try and blunt our negative leanings, they always seem to surface, against our will.... We are interesting and complex creatures, full of contradictions ..... anyway ... The opening section of this song has a beautiful slow creep, that is just slightly funky. The way the lead lines of the guitar and the bass interact here are excellent. The keys and drums also. Just the way the whole band creates this music as a living organism feel here, works really we for me. Almost exactly halfway through the song we get this little pulsating section and then we burst into the rock reinforcement of the song. It is like we were reflecting and then we got angry about the results of our reflections. I think the way the chords lead the melody is really cool, and I also think the atmospheric change is quite brilliant, particularly in the context of this song as a whole. After we have been reactively angry for a minute and a bit, we drop back down to the reflective mode...... Then we move into a deeper reflection with the outro .... We end on the line "when does the strip begin" and although with Inxs the first thing that tends to come to mind is the sensual.... it seems in this context, from what I am seeing, we are talking about the stripping back of the masks and facades, our internal falsehoods etc etc... This is a really solid song to end the album on, and it has a lot to say, even if it is still in the cryptic manner in which they like to write. Excellent closer to the album, even though I am not sure if it is a natural closer.
Building Bridges: 5/5. Majestic rocker. Another in a string of wonderful tracks on side 2. The build up to "some days" is construction of the highest manner. Mean, moody, and magnificent. I had the international version, so Shine ends the album for me. I think it works better that way. Can't ask for anything more from INXS on this album. They released a damn fine album here. Shows that those who control the music industry control what the majority hears. Glad I have always ignored them to find good music.
I really need to find a domestic seller who has the Elegantly Wasted vinyl reissue. All I’m seeing online is overseas sellers with insane shipping costs.
Building Bridges Here we have some really intriguing lyrics. "There's nothing if the truth won't survive" sounds like a damning indictment of the British tabloids. What I find interesting about this album is the fact that Hutchence had the lyrics completed in advance of the recording sessions, whereas on previous albums he tended to make them up during recording. This would suggest there is more weight behind what he is singing.
Building Bridges “Are you comfortable in your skin?” The intro section of this song reminds me of something from the album Mind Bomb by The The. I haven’t quite placed it yet. Aside from “Viking Juice” INXS always have great closing tracks and this one is another. Bonus tracks aside, I think this is a great way to end the album: moody, contemplative, and rocky.
Despite the dynamic middle section, Building Bridges is all about Michael’s subdued delivery at the start and end of the song. It’s another bold closing song as he asks some difficult questions.
Building Bridges is an oddity, not only as an album closer but in their catalogue in general. In a way, primarily because of the lyrical content, the song seems to be dragging the instrumentation along together, but parts of it, sounds like it wants to be pulled in a completely different direction. The verses, bridges & choruses are almost indistinguishable and all seem to blend together as one, more or less. Emotionally & instrumentally, it's dark, positive (but only slightly), moody and edgy. BUT in some sort of quaint way, it works. Somehow. And this quality is part of what makes INXS so unpredictable, unique and enjoyable. BB is only a relatively solid album closer. But it was probably meant to be like this...
Building Bridges: Love the stripped down intro that reminds me of a gentle sway, thanks to Micheal's gentle voice as he delivers the insightful, thought provoking lyrics . So, as I settle into the song, it suddenly goes into a steady rocker that catches me off guard. Fantastic and why I love the band for being quirky. Overall, it's a pretty decent track to end the album on, which of course I have to remind myself of that fact...
Shine A stuttering bassline that sounds somewhat like a synth, is laid next to a stabbing rhythm guitar, then we get percussion come in and a synth swell and we break into a this kind of funky jam feel and Michael comes in of the vocals. Making up my life Killer in the night Rattling my brains Looking for that light Shine, shine Ah shine so bright, shine When does that thing I want to breathe her in Throw away my world If I could see that pearl Shine, shine, shine, shine Shine, shine, shine, shine The skin is deep But you're oh so weak Don't put your faith In the words they speak The skin is deep But your oh so weak Don't put your faith In the words they speak Gimme gimme reason for the things I do Silhouette I'm seeing in the shape of you Gimme gimme reason for the things I do Silhouette I'm seeing in the shape of you Shine, shine, shine Shine, shine When it does that thing Killer in the night Rattling my brains Looking for the light Shine, shine, shine, shine Shine, shine, so bright Gimme gimme reasons for the things I do The silhouette I'm seeing in the shape of you A somewhat oblique lyric that seems like a lust song from what I can tell. This track is a pulsating, funky bag of fun. It really just rolls along really well. Michael gives us a slightly affected vocal with accented delivery and whispering and the full bug really. The song just motors along nicely.
So really from my perspective Elegantly Wasted is a really solid album ... even the bonus track is a strong track, and the myth about this album being some kind of failure, and the band were done is exploded right here I reckon. From Shabooh Shoobah to Elegantly Wasted, the only album that leaves me a little underwhelmed is X, and I don't hate it, I just don't think it is a great album, and more particularly it just isn't the album they needed at the time.
Shine: 5/5. The slinky funky rock. This song was my album closer. To me ears, the better closing as it was a bit more up. The backing vocals are hip, cool, and add to the song. Trippy, fun, and sexy, this song is a great example of that INXS style. The vocal ending is nothing but class. Elegantly Wasted: 4/5. Doesn't deserve the reputation it had at the time, and with Michael's passing as it happened, it didn't stand a chance. Much better than Full Moon and X. It ranks rather high on list. It does make me wonder -- if Michael didn't pass, I still think they would have come back in the early 2000s not unlike their peers, U2 and Duran (reunion album). My rankings at this point: Shabooh Shoobah The Swing Welcome To Wherever You Are Elegantly Wasted Listen Like Thieves Kick X Underneath the Colors INXS Full Moon/Dirty Hearts
Reference guide 1980 -1992 1992 Documentary 1993 Get Out Of The House EP Nov 1993 Full Moon Dirty Hearts Days Of Rust The Gift - video - ext. - bonus beat Make Your Peace Time - video - live I'm Only Looking - remix - video -Morales Please... - edit - club - dub - downtown - instr. - Letterman Full Moon, Dirty Hearts Freedom Deep - video -extended - live Kill The Pain - video Cut Your Roses Down - Sure Is Pure mix The Messenger Viking Juice - Butcher Mix Born To Be Wild alt tracklisting Promo tour clips MTV Asia interview Live in 1993 Oct 1994 The Greatest Hits The Strangest Party - live - remix Deliver Me - demo Sing Something (bside) Nov 1994 The Great Video Experience Keep The Peace 1995 Original Sin remixes Michael Soundtrack songs 95/96 Under My Thumb Baby Lets Play House The Passenger Spill the Wine Red Hill The Heads - The King Is Gone Apr 1997 Elegantly Wasted Show Me Elegantly Wasted - radio edit - Shagsonic - dub - Gforce - Aspen Everything - video - May 97 - Aspen - Jaxx club - Jaxx dub Don't Lose Your Head - Leadstation - Radio Edit - Tonight Show Searching - Arias - Leadstation main - Leadstation Radio - Reece - Campbell - Leadstation Funk I'm Just A Man - live Girl On Fire - mix We Are Thrown Together Shake The Tree She Is Rising Building Bridges Shine Let It Ride Never Tear Us Apart acoustic Need You Tonight Aspen Live 1997
Shine (bonus track) This is a cool enough song to be on the album, it just seems out of place coming after the true closer “Building Bridges”. It ends just like the previous song, with the music stopping while MH’s vocals still continue, so hearing those two songs in a row end the same way is a little odd. Elegantly Wasted (album recap) Elegantly Wasted is certainly an absolutely good album. It may have tanked on release, but not because it sucked. The first half is somewhat typical for the band, with some funk exercises, some rock thrown in, and a slow song or two. The second half of the album rocks hard and laid the groundwork for them perhaps taking an interesting new path after this. Is this the only album of theirs since the first couple in which NONE of the songs seque into each other? Unusual for INXS, they actually had some legit completed songs here that got used as Bsides and bonus tracks, as opposed to their various solo band member demos and experiments. “Let It Ride” fits great on the album if I replace “Girl On Fire” in a straight swap and change nothing else. My “further listening” folder for this album’s time period includes some very good material. This is a nice little playlist of extras: Bang The Drum (from a posthumous EP in 2004) Shine Girl On Fire Searching (Leadstation remix) Don’t Lose Your Head (Leadstation remix) I’m Just A Man (2 Meter Sessies live session) All the other various live tracks can be thrown into that mix too. The only remixes I’ll want to revisit from this album are the Leadstation remixes that add some smooth soul and R&B elements into the song.
