INXS is a name instantly recognizable by anyone over the age of 18. However, for those born after 2000, INXS has become largely forgotten despite its run as one of the best bands of the 1980s. Most people have heard an INXS song before without even realizing it. The band was originally formed in 1977 consisting of teenage founding members Tim, John, and Andrew Farriss, Kirk Pengilly, Garry Gary Beers, and Michael Hutchence. The Australian band made its first debut the same year at Whale Beach in Sydney, although INXS was originally called The Vegetables, which they would record demos under. Its demos got some attention in the Australian music scene, with popular band, Midnight Oil’s manager Gary Morris approached the band, helping them get exposure by having it open for Midnight Oil and other bands. Morris also encouraged the band to change its name. The name INXS is a play on “in excess” inspired by other bands’ names like XTC and IXL. INXS made its first appearance under its new name in 1979.
INXS released its first self-titled album in 1980. The album highlighted the popular new-wave style of the late 70s and 80s as well as a Jamaican musical style called ska. The band became insanely popular in the 80s, releasing nine albums between 1981 and 1997, really hitting its stride with its 1987 album called Kick. Unfortunately in 1997, INXS’s success was flipped upside down with the self-inflicted death of their lead singer, thirty-seven-year-old Michael Hutchence. The death of Hutchence would send the band on a year-long hiatus. In 2002, the former lead singer of Noiseworks, Jon Stevens joined INXS as its lead singer however he would leave a year later to pursue his solo career. INXS made not only musical history but also television history in 2004 when the band was the focus of a reality television show called Rock Star: INXS, where fifteen contestants battled it out for the position of lead singer. J.D. Fortune won the competition and became INXS’s new lead singer.
INXS would record two albums with J.D. Fortune as the lead singer, including one called Original Sin which was dedicated to Hutchence, In 2012, INXS officially broke up although multiple films and series have been made about the band since its break up such as INXS: Never Tear Us Apart and Mistify.
Kick ( 1987 ):
Kick is INXS’s sixth album released in 1987 and is one of the band’s most popular, being certified platinum six times and having four top ten singles in the US, the three songs featured in this list are all part of those top ten singles. The album was also the band’s breakthrough in the United States. Kick is a heavy mix of funk and rock mixed, the album overlays the two different genres together to create an extremely unique sound. The album fits the overall vibe of the 80s, a true record of its time. Although Kick wasn’t one of the most famous records to come out of the 1980s, it contributed massively to future music of the 90s and early 2000s.
New Sensation:
The sound and lyrics of “New Sensation” give off two completely different vibes. The sound is loud, like a party going on in your ears, and it also includes a bit of jazz with a sax-guitar solo and some crazy guitar riffs. The lyrics however tell a different story, how humans change over and how we deal with said change. It’s a song about celebrating life, although the lyrics take more of a somber note, the ecstatic sounds of the heavy beats make for a unique listen.
Need you Tonight:
The riff behind “Need You Tonight” has an interesting history of its own. Band member Andrew Farriss said that he thought of the riff while waiting in a cab to catch a flight to Hong Kong, he told the driver to wait a couple of minutes before leaving. Those minutes turned into an hour, and much to the driver’s dismay, Farriss returned with the riff recorded on the tape. The riff is a unique play on Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”. The song is by far one of the band’s most lustful and seductive tapes, the catchy lyrics and darker sound make the track sound like something out of a romantic vampire film.
Never Tear Us Apart:
“Never Tear Us Apart” is one of INXS’s greatest power ballads. The song was dedicated to Michele Bennett, the girlfriend of lead singer Michael Hutchence from 1982 to 1987. Its tempo is based on a modern Viennese Waltz, layered with electronic noises produced using synthesizers. The song feels like love at first sight, like Hutchence wanted to capture his love for Bennett through his music. The song haunted Hutchence throughout his life as one of his most popular hits, but also during his death in 1997, as his coffin was carried out of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, the track played in the background.
INXS was a defining band of the 1980s who for many of the newer generations have fallen into the territory of the unknown, a song that you might recognize on the radio, but can’t place your finger on who’s the artist, however, INXS’s contributions to the music world will never be forgotten.
