Yaffa Phillips
I grew up at a time when Rock was king, whether you loved Metal like early Metallica, Slayer, or Megadeth, or you loved early Alternative, like R.E.M., The Cult, The Cure, Psychedelic Furs….or a band like INXS. One of my “go to” love affair bands of all time is the Australian band that, at one point, rivaled U2 as the biggest band on the planet. Between 1988 and 1991, INXS sold a staggering 40 million albums world wide. INXS got their start in the 1970’s in Australia. They had an amazing group of Brothers in the band, the ‘Farriss’ Brothers, Jon, Andrew, and Tim. Those three brought their best friends into the band when they were in Junior High. Those three friends were Kirk Pengilly, Gary Gary Beers, and a skinny, awkward kid named Michael Hutchence.
These guys named themselves INXS early on, and they practiced like no other. Hours on end at the Farriss family garage. By the time they were in their late teens, they were playing the rough and tumble Australian club and bar scene, where the fans were brutally critical, drunk, and loud. By their early 20’s, they were bouncing around the entire Country, playing everywhere. They were instantly known for their live shows. Raw, intense, assertive, and just damn good. You could Rock out to them. You could dance to them. You could sing along with them. And, they started to be known as the good looking guys who could jam, and kick your ass with great live shows The gawky, skinny kid Michael Hutchence morphed into an amazing front man. Soulful, harmonic voice, and a Mick Jagger meets Jim Morrison on stage style. Michael dominated. Women loved him, guys wanted to be him. The band was tight, talented, and full of fire. And….they did something rare and unique, their sound blended multiple influences. Every album and song was different.
Their albums early on “Shabooh Shabah”, “The Swing”, and “Listen Like Thieves” blended Soul, Funk, Rock, New Wave, and elements of R&B into their own unique sound. Suddenly, they became a huge radio band. Songs like “What You Need”, and “The One Thing” dominated early on. Then, in 1987, they dropped the multi-platinum album, “Kick”, which went on to sell over 20 million copies world wide. Number one songs, “Need You Tonight”, and “New Sensation” exploded off the album. They, along with Guns N’ Roses, U2, and Michael Jackson, dominated MTV videos. We lost Michael Hutchence in 1997. A huge loss. This weekend, we will flashback, and celebrate music from INXS….as part of our Resurrection Weekend on the X! Cheers, Mate!
-Matt Bahan
