REPOST: Freedom - Soundtrack (1981)

(Australian 1981)
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Freedom is a 1982 film directed by Scott Hicks. The movie was shot in May to June 1981 in and around Adelaide.  The story line goes something like this: A disillusioned youth, obsessed by fantasies of material wealth, steals a Porsche and with his girlfriend in tow, leads the authorities on a cross-country chase. A local entry into the 'road movie' genre, with excellent stunt work, high-speed chases and an atmospheric soundtrack, which is the focus of this post today.

Don Walker composed the music for this film about a man's love for his Porsche. First released on vinyl in 1982, it was re-released in 1996 as a CD sporting a different cover design. It features musicians from Cold Chisel and INXS along with guest vocalists - Liz Watters and Jason Currie. A single was also released in 1982.  "Speed Kills" / "Fascist Sounds" (WEA  100201).

Don Walker (born 29 November 1951) is an Australian musician and songwriter best known for writing many of the hits for Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. He played piano and keyboard with the band from 1973 to 1983, when they disbanded. As a member of and main songwriter for Cold Chisel between 1973 and 1983 he wrote “Saturday Night”, “Cheap Wine”, “Standing on the Outside”, “Four Walls”, “Khe Sahn” along with many others, and co-wrote “Flame Trees”. He also wrote and produced the soundtrack for the Scott Hicks movie “Freedom” in 1981, featuring most of Cold Chisel and then unknown INXS singer Michael Hutchence. In 1989, after a break from music spent traveling, he released “Unlimited Address”, a set of songs under the band name Catfish, recorded with producer/guitar player Peter Walker and harmonica player David Blight. As a touring band Catfish also included guitar player Charlie Owen. In 1991 the second Catfish album, “Ruby”, was released, recorded with James Brown’s rhythm section of drummer Tony Cook and guitar player Ron Laster. The songs were more Australian in content. Slim Dusty had a hit with his version of “Charleville”, which he then invited Don to re-record as a duet.

He has since continued to record and tour, both solo and with Tex, Don and Charlie, and worked as a song-writer for others. In 2009, he released his first book “Shots”, published by Black Inc. I purchased a copy of this book recently, and am sorry to report that he probably should stick to writing songs (I found the book almost impossible to read - not my cup of tea I'm afraid).

Richard Clapton describes Walker as, "the most articulate Australian song writer there has ever been. Don just digs being a sort of Beat poet, who goes around observing, especially around the streets of Kings Cross. He soaks it up like a sponge and articulates it so well. Quite frankly, I think he's better than the rest of us."

Walker is considered to be one of Australia's best songwriters. In 2012 he was inducted into the Australian Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
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Interview with Scott Hicks (Film Director)
(5th August 1996, 7th September 1996)
by Peter Malone

Q. Retracing your film journey from Freedom to Shine, what are your memories of Freedom?

Freedom was a very mixed experience. On the one hand, it was heady and exciting and intoxicating to be making your first feature film but, on the other, there were difficulties in the way the production was organised. The writer, John Emery, and I were kept separate from each other. In retrospect this was a huge blunder because the film was never totally focused in its vision, and I think that's reflected a little in the sort of schizophrenic nature of the film.
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Scott Hicks - Director

Of course, it received very mixed reviews and it didn't do much at the box office. But there were elements about it of which I'm still extremely proud. And then there are things which, if we had worked this material better as writer and director together, we could have done something more substantial. So it was a mixed experience and a little scarifying in the end that it didn't work. And, you know, the director really cops it for good or ill.

Q. You mentioned the word `vision'. What was your vision of the film and what themes did you want to explore in the early '80s?

It's such a long time ago now. I think at the heart of it there was a character that I liked and that I recognised, someone with enormous frustration - not unintelligent, but obsessed with cars and in some ways constrained by the unemployment experience that was so rife then and indeed is, of course, now. So it was about someone trying to break free and trying to define himself. It had shades of Walter Mitty about it as well.

Freedom - CD Release

I used the word `schizophrenic' before. Freedom was a story that fell into two parts: one was about the whole environment, the whole milieu that Ron had grown up in; the second was about his hitting the road. When he tried to realise his dream, stole the Porsche, found the girl and did hit the road, it became another movie and I don't think those two elements were ever fully reconciled. So you had some people who loved the first half and hated the second and vice versa. When you have that happening with an audience, it's hard for it to jell.

This may be irrelevant, but I was looking for locations for Sebastian and the Sparrow; I drove across the Nullarbor and I stopped at various petrol stations along the way, and twice people said to me as they were pumping petrol into the car, `So, what are you doing?' I said, `I'm looking for locations for a film'. `What have you made before?' `I made this film called 'Freedom.' `Oh, my favourite film!' So there were people out there who really got something from it but, in broad terms, it simply didn't work. Sometimes that happens.
[extract from interviews conducted by Peter Malone]
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This post consists of freshly ripped FLACs from my crispy clean, almost 'mint' vinyl that I bought when the LP was first released, purely based on the Cold Chisel connection. Copies on eBay have fetched up to $200, so I think I might hold onto this little gem for just a little longer.
Full album artwork  for both LP & CD plus label scans are included, but no Porsche I'm afraid.
Overall the music on this album is pretty damn good for a Soundtrack and there are some killer tracks: namely the single "Speed Kills" on side A and the lengthy "Eleuptheria" opener on Side B.
Even if you're not a Cold Chisel / INXS fan, and you haven't heard this album before, you should do yourself a favour and grab a copy now.

    NEW IMPROVED RIP !
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Track Listing
01 - Port Adelaide
02 - Speed Kills
03 - Port Adelaide II
04 - Freedom Theme
05 - Sedan Hoot
06 - Eleuptheria
07 - Fascist Sounds
08 - Last Stretch
09 - Forest Theme

Artists:
Don Walker - Vocals, Harmonica, Keyborads
Peter Walker - Guitar
Phil Small - Bass
Ian Moss - Vocals, Guitar
Steven Prestwich - Drums
Michael Hutchence - Vocals
Billy Rodgers - Saxophone
Jason Currie - Vocals
Liz Watters - Vocals
Quito Ray - Vocals
David Blight - Harmonica
Mark Collins - Banjo
Kayellen Bee, Miranda Brown - Backing Vocals

Freedom Link (167Mb)

W.O.C.K On Vinyl: Flexi Discs - INXS / Mental As Anything

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Before things get too serious at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be considered to be either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.....
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This months W.O.C.K on vinyl features two Flexi Discs that were released by two popular Australian bands - namely INXS and Mental As Anything. These 'single track' flexi discs were released as promotional items by the well known Australian magazines "Countdown' and 'Dolly'.
Although the pressings are not top quality (what would you expect on a 1mm thick piece of  plastic) but they are certainly collector items, making them fit into the Obscure categorisation.

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INXS - Faith In Each Other (Live) 1991

(Flexi-disc, 7", Single Sided, Promo, 33 1/3 RPM, Blue)

Rare OZ  single sided flexi giveaway 45 released in 1991, through 'Dolly Magazine'.

INXS

With a career spanning 25 extraordinary years, INXS are undoubtedly one of the world's great bands.

With more than 30 million records sold worldwide, countless awards from their peers and fans, platinum certifications, and a history peppered with outstanding achievements, the band are arguably Australia's most successful rock export.

From their first gig as the Farriss Brothers in Sydney's Northern beaches in August 1977, Michael Hutchence, Kirk Pengilly, Garry Gary Beers, Tim Farriss, Andrew Farriss and Jon Farriss quickly won Australian then international acclaim.

In Australia INXS celebrated their first number one single with 'Original Sin' in December 1983, beginning a phenomenal run of 38 top 40 hits. The Swing in April the following year was the band's first Australian number one album, the first of seven to reach the top three, four of which charted at #1 (The Swing 1984, Listen Like Thieves 1985, Kick 1987, X 1990).

"It's incredible that a bunch of friends should end up such good players - never thrown anyone out, never needed help" vocalist Michael Hutchence marvelled around the time of the ten million selling Kick album. "We know each other so well. I find that rather frightening. Andrew and I may write most of the songs but this is a real band. It's not two writers and four dumb musicians; it's a very active, competitive, democratic group of people. We're a band that sounds very much like a band, a live band, that's who we are, where we came from. "

With each step of their path to the upper strata of international music carefully considered and deftly executed, they performed before gauchos in Buenos Aires, Royals in Melbourne and teens in Tokyo, on their way to number one American singles, headlining before 75,000 at Wembley Stadium - a show captured and released on DVD in the shape of Live Baby Live - , playing to 100,000 at Rock In Rio, seven MTV awards, three Grammy nominations, and albums which hit #1 all over the world.

[extract from A Day On The Green)

Performers – Andrew Farriss, Garry Gary Beers, Jon Farriss, Kirk Pengilly, Michael Hutchence, Tim Farriss

Recorded By, Mixed By – Mark Opitz

Written-By – J Farriss, M Hutchence

Recorded in London, 1990 (possibly London Arena, Nov 26th or London Wembley Arena, Nov 28th. Did not appear on their 'Live Baby Live' album released in 1991)

Mixed at Sarm Studios.

(Promotional use only - not for sale)

eBay prices attract @$25 

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MENTAL AS ANYTHING - Hold On (1984)

(Flexi-disc, 7", Single Sided, Promo, 45 RPM, Varying colours - Yellow [mine], Blue, Black, Green, Clear)

Taken From the US album, “Fundamental”.

Rare OZ Only 1 sided flexidisc, 'Rock Video Project' Promo by Gold Crest Muesli Bars/Countdown Magazine from Match, 1985. 

(A Mentals competition where the winners video clip idea would be made into a finished video in the Melbourne Countdown studios, plus the Mentals would play a gig in the winners home town)

Mental As Anything's music is characterised by poppy, accessible and well-crafted melodies and lyrics, and their work showcases an ironic, satirical and self-deprecating sense of humour.

The Mentals
The band formed in Sydney in 1976, initially playing to students at parties, pubs and uni dances, when they caught the attention of new independent Regular Records. The band sold out 1300 copies in a fortnight in late 1978 of the three track vinyl Mental As Anything Plays At Your Party with one track  "The Nips Are Getting Bigger".

All of the early members are visual artists and have had combined studio displays, some have had solo studio displays with Mombassa's artwork also used as designs by the Mambo clothing company. The majority of the group's record covers, posters and video clips have been designed and created by the band members or their art school contemporaries.

In 1985, they released 'Fundamental As Anything' – Platinum Best Selling Australian Album – Live It Up – Best Selling Australian Single – singles You’re So Strong( No. 8) / Date With Destiny (No. 18) – multi platinum Greatest Hits Vol I goes to No. 2 on the charts – Live It Up received Apra award for most performed work and Countdown award for best single and song writer.  "Hold On" was also taken from this album.

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Flexi Disc Link FLACs (50Mb) New Link 09/09/2024

REPOST: INXS - Inxsive 1980-82 (1982)

(Australian 1979 - 2012)
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INXS (pronounced "in excess", In-XS) were an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales.
Mainstays were Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar and keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar and saxophone.
For 20 years, INXS were fronted by Michael Hutchence on lead vocals, whose "sultry good looks" and magnetic stage presence made him the focal point of the band. Initially known for their New Wave/Ska/Pop style, they later developed a harder pub rock style, including funk and dance elements. [extract from wikipedia]

The INXS story didn't start in 1979, when the band finally agreed on a name and began working in earnest towards their first record deal, but rather eight years earlier. 1971 was the year Kirk Pengilly and his best friend at school, Tim Farriss, formed their first band.

The band was called 'Guiness', laughs Kirk, 'and we basically had it for most of our high school years and about two years after we left. It was a band that meant a lot to me because I wrote all the songs and I was the singer as well. We actually auditioned Jon Farriss as drummer at one point but he was only nine years old so we kicked him out.'
'Guiness' eventually split up - but within a few months Tim Farriss contacted Kirk with an interesting idea: amalgamate the talents of Tim and Kirk with the best elements of his younger brother Andrew's band - Michael Hutchence, Carry Gary Beers and Andrew himself. The only factor needed to complete the line-up was a drummer, and although Jon was still very young - 16 by then - he was more successful at his second audition. In March 1977, the six-piece band that would become INXS was born.

'I absolutely believe that you create your own reality', says Kirk, 'but when look back on the way we came together it's just amazing. You know, Michael had been living in Hong Kong and LA for years and just happened to land in the same school class as Andrew. I'd moved from Melbourne, the Farriss brothers had moved from Perth. ....and we all just wound up in the same place like it was meant to happen.'

Michael Hutchence

In 1979, returning to Sydney, the group played their first inner city show as INXS, making their live debut on September, at the Oceanview Hotel, Toukley.

In May 1980, INXS released their debut single, "Simple Simon" on the independent record label 'Deluxe'. It was backed by "We Are The Vegetables". The single was only released in their native Australia and the song did not appear on their debut album 'INXS', except on the Australian version. The single was also released in France.
In October of the same year, their debut selftitled album 'INXS' was released in Australia, yielding the hit single, "Just Keep Walking". The group then toured the East Coast extensively (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane), often playing seven nights a week.

In 1981, their Cross-Country touring of the homeland began in earnest. Fear And Loathing Tour, The Campus Tour, Stay Young Tour, Tour with No Name - some 300 shows altogether.  In May of same year, "The Loved One" was released as a single in Australia, a cover of the No.1 hit by The Loved Ones, a popular Melbourne band from the 60's. (INXS recorded the same song again in 1987 for their Kick Album)

In October, 1981 they released their second album 'Underneath The Colours'. A commercial and critical success, the album reached the top #15 in the Australian charts and included the anthemic single "Stay Young".  In January 1982, INXS toured New Zealand for the first time. Upon return to Australia, the band recorded "The One Thing", produced by Mark Opitz.
In April, Andrew, Michael and Kirk embarked on a pilgrimage to England and America for some R&R. Recording of their third album began in June, again with Mark Opitz producing. INXS finally left Deluxe records, and signed to WEA records in July. "The One Thing" was released as a single, and got into the Top 15 in the Australian charts. The album 'Shabooh Shoobah' was released in Australia in October of 1981 and hit the top five, becoming INXS's third gold album DownUnder.

Due to INXS's popularity in New Zealand, and a contractual commitment to deliver a third album for Deluxe records, a compilation album with tracks taken from their first two albums plus some unavailable tracks was released in New Zealand (and eventually in Australia) in response to the band's new found success [extracts from INXS: The Official Inside Story Of A Band On Tour, 1992  p8, 74]

The album was a 14-track vinyl LP called 'Inxsive' (1980-82), and included six tracks previously unavailable on  album - namely: "Prehistoria", "We Are The Vegetables", "The Loved One", "The Unloved One", "Simple Simon", and "Lacovocal".
This post consists of a new FLAC rip of the album, taken from a CD release and includes full album artwork. (my vinyl has a few annoying jumps on several tracks).
The track "Lacovocal" sounds like it was recorded on a faulty tape unit but is in fact a bizarre instrumental remix of "Stay Young". This album is a great snap shot of where INXS came from before they made it big in both Australia and the States.

Track Listing
01. Learn To Smile
02. Wishy Washy
03. Stay Young
04. Prehistoria
05. We Are The Vegetables
06. Underneath The Colours
07. The Loved One
08. The Unloved One
09. Simple Simon
10. Fairweather Ahead
11. In Vain
12. Big Go Go
13. Lacavocal
14. Just Keep Walking

Band Members:
Michael Hutchence (Vocals)
Kirk Pengilly (Guitars, sax and Vocals)
Garry Gary Beers (Bass)
Jon Farriss (Drums, Percussion)
Andrew Farriss (Keyboards)
Tim Farriss (Guitar)

Inxsive FLAC Link (334Mb) 

Various Artists - Wizards Of The Water (1981) Movie Soundtrack

(Various Australian Artists 1979-1981)
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'Wizards of the Water' is a film for surfers of the 80's, featuring the Best Surf and the Best Surfers in the world. And it just so happens that the Best in the world are Australians and the Best Beaches are the Beaches they surf. The film follows the Wizards of Australian Surf. World Champion Mark Richards from Newcastle, runner up to Mark, Cheyne Horan from Bondi, Surfabout and Bells Champion Simon Anderson to name but a few. Wizards of the Water sees these surfers in locations and conditions that have to be seen to be believed: The Easter of '81 Bells Beach competition in Victoria where competitors surfed the biggest surf in 20 years, The Big Wave spots of Hawaii - Waimea Bay and Pipeline and then on to Indonesia. Here the Producer of the Film Alan Rich, with his crew of surfers half the honour of being the first surf film makers ever to be invited by the Indonesian Government to explore the Island of Lombok in hope of discovering potential Surf Beaches. What they found was far beyond expectation.
Wizards of the Water take you with them on this unique adventure of discovery. For his film, Rich wanted music equivalent to the energy of the Australian surfers. He knew there was only one choice. His Soundtrack for Wizards of the Water had to be Australian. The music from the film represents the best Australia has to offer....Australian Surf, Australian Surfers an, Australian Music. The Best in the World. Wizards of the Water....an Australian Film. [Cover Linear Notes]

   
'Wizards Of The Water' was released on 14 December, 1981 at the Sydney Opera House Music Room . The movie was directed by Alan Rich and the cover art was done by Phil Meatchem.  It's a great example of that period in Australian surfing with the surfing of Mark Richards and Cheyne Horan featured heavily throughout.  

Mark Richards
Richards was thought of as unstoppable during his world title years. In 1979 he skipped four of the scheduled 13 events (two in South Africa, two in Florida), and was ranked fourth going into the World Cup in Hawaii, the final event of the year. In what would turn out to be the decade’s most thrilling title finish, the three front-runners faltered one after the other, and the 22-year-old Richards won both the World Cup and the championship. He won four of 10 events in 1980 to easily defend the title. The 1981 and 1982 seasons were closer, but without the drama of 1979. Australian Cheyne Horan was Richards’s main rival, finishing runner-up to the championship in 1979, 1981, and 1982.

A key to Richards’s world tour success was his re-fashioning of the twin-fin surfboard. He’d been shaping his own boards since age 15 (in 1977 he had a two-month-long shaping seminar with Hawaiian board-making guru Dick Brewer, whom Richards credits as having inspired his designs for twin-fin boards that could be ridden in larger surf), but was struggling to keep up with smaller, lighter pros when the waves dropped below three feet—which happened often on the world tour. Richards took note in 1976 when Hawaiian surfer Reno Abellira came to Australia with a wide, blunt-nosed 5’3? board with two fins; the following year Richards produced a longer and more streamlined version of the twin-fin, saying later that the boards were “fast and maneuverable,” and that he “felt like he could do anything on them.” Twin-fin fever swept through the surf world in the late ’70s and early ’80s, then was stopped cold by the 1981 introduction of the tri-fin surfboard (see picture above)

Richards retired from full-time competition surfing at the end of the 1982 season. He’d won Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach four times (1978–80, 1982), twice won the Stubbies Pro (1979 and 1981), twice won the Gunston 500 (1980 and 1982), been a four-time Duke Kahanamoku finalist (winning in 1979), and a four- time Pipeline Masters finalist (winning in 1980). In 1985 he entered and won the Billabong Pro, held at Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach, and in 1986 he defended his Billabong title—a competitive surfing career epilogue that has no equal. [extract from encyclopediaofsurfing.com]

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This post consists of  FLAC files ripped  from my vinyl copy of this classic surf movie.  Not a pop or crackle to be heard here surfers - just pure, unadulterated 'Classic Aussie Music'.
Full album artwork is also included along with a selection of band photos from the era along with various promotional posters used for the movie.
So get ya wax out and unbolt ya board from ya roof rack surfers, cause' surfs up at Rock on Vinyl .......but careful you don't get caught in the rip!  LOL
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Track Listing

01 - Khe Sanh (Cold Chisel)
02 - We Can Get Together (Icehouse)
03 - DC10 (Mental As Anything)
04 - Just Keep Walking (INXS)
05 - Devil's Gate (The Angels)
06 - The Nips Are Getting Bigger (Mental As Anything)
07 - Standing On The Outside (Cold Chisel)
08 - Paradise Lost (Icehouse)
09 - In Vain (INXS)
10 - Into The Heat (The Angels)


Wizards of the Waters Link (254Mb) New Link 17/10/2015

Stop Press: Improved Rips Posted
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INXS - Kick It In Excess (Live in San Diego 1988) Ex SB

(Australian 1977 - Present)
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Noted for their blend of rock and funk, Australia's INXS is still composed of the same members who started the band in 1977 - Tim, Andrew, and Jon Farriss, Kirk Pengilly, and Garry Gary Beers (with the exception of Michael Hutchence who died in 1997) After struggling for years on the Australian pub scene, the group began to attract international attention in the early 1980s and had what Rob Tannenbaum labeled in Rolling Stone a "breakthrough hit" in the United States with 1986's "What You Need." This taste of fame was small, however, compared to the phenomenal popularity INXS experienced after the release of their 1987 album Kick. Aided by wide music video exposure on networks such as MTV, Kick's first single, "Need You Tonight," thrust INXS, and especially lead singer Hutchence, into the limelight. As critic Cathleen McGuigan announced in Newsweek, INXS has "a hard-driving, irresistibly danceable sound and a sexy, live-for-the-moment attitude--tempered with just a dash of social consciousness." She concluded that the band possessed "all the right ingredients for late '80s success."
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When Andrew Farriss first crossed Michael Hutchence, they were both high school students. They met when Andrew broke up a fight that Michael was involved in. The two became instant friends, and found that they shared a very strong interest in one thing - music. By the end of their high school days in 1977, they formed a band called "The Farriss Brothers" which was composed of Andrew, his two brothers Tim and Jon, Kirk Pengilly, Garry Gary Beers, and Michael. Within a couple of years, the sextet refined their sound and changed their name to INXS (pronounced IN EXCESS.) Little did the Perth, Australia-based band realize the magnitude of success that awaited them in the years to come.
Their first single, "Simple Simon" was heavily influenced by the declining punk scene and also found roots in ska and pop. With their initial single finished, the band began touring the Australian continent, and slowly began to establish a fan base in the pub touring scene. It is this initial dedication of INXS to touring that helped to establish their credentials and begin to create a solid fan base of support. It is estimated that they were playing nearly 360 shows a year in the sweaty pubs of Australia during their early years. It sure payed off....
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In 1980, the band released their first album, the self-titled "INXS" on Deluxe Records. The album featured their first major hit in Australia, "Just Keep Walking," and was quickly followed in 1981 by their second LP, "Underneath the Colours." These two albums, in conjunction with continual touring, helped refine their sound and style, and paved their way for the hugely successful "Shabooh Shoobah" album.
This legendary record, released in 1983, became the first INXS album released worldwide, and its impact was very strong. The album's major hit, "The One Thing" was a worldwide smash hit, and with the help of a worldwide tour, INXS began the road to world domination. The album is also important in that it is the first album to feature the trademark INXS style of dance rock. "The One Thing" was followed by a string of hits, including "Black and White" and "Don't Change," which is still many fans' favorite INXS song of all time.

1984 saw the band release "The Swing." The Swing continued to push INXS toward the top of rockdom, with such classic singles as "Original Sin," "Burn For You," and "Melting in the Sun." Original Sin, the lead single from the album, established what the band had always tried to do with the help of Nile Rodgers - namely, allow rock music to still be danceable. The controversial single dealing with interracial relationships was banned in several countries, including the United States. "Burn For You" began the creative relationship between INXS and filmmaker Richard Lowenstein. Lowenstein created the video for the song, and has since served as video director for most subsequent INXS singles. The album, "The Swing," did phenomenally well around the world, and became one of the five biggest selling albums in Australian music history.
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Though INXS had become well-known around the world, it was not until 1985' "Listen Like Thieves" that they became house-hold names. The album was the first to go platinum (1 million units sold) in the US, and featured their first US Top 10 single, "What You Need." Behind their growing popularity were two things - their unique style of rock rhythms and their continual touring of the world. The album features such singles as "This Time," "What You Need," "Listen Like Thieves," and "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)."
In the interim between "Listen Like Thieves" and their next record, the band continued to branch out and diversify. Michael Hutchence entered the world of acting with his memorable performance in Lowenstein's "Dogs in Space," featuring the Australian hit song, "Rooms for the Memory." The band also contributed songs to various soundtracks, including "American Anthem," "Crocodile Dundee," "Pretty in Pink," and most notably, "The Lost Boys."

KICK Tour Advert - Juke Magazine 1988 (#697)

1987 saw INXS explode into one of the most famous bands in the world... ever. "Kick" not only sold 4 million copies in the US, but 10 million worldwide, and still stands today as one of the most famous albums of all time. "Need You Tonight," the lead single, hit #1 in the US and many other countries, and went on to win 5 awards at the MTV Video Music Awards show in 1988. The string of hits on the album is near legendary: "Devil Inside," "New Sensation," "Never Tear Us Apart," and "Guns in the Sky." The album featured killer hooks and rhythms, great melodies, well-written lyrics, and more. With two successful stadium tours INXS had finally scaled the world [extracts from biography by Neil Kothari]
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On 22 November 1997, Hutchence was found dead in his Sydney Ritz-Carlton hotel room. On 6 February 1998, after an autopsy and coronial inquest, New South Wales State Coroner, Derrick Hand, presented his report which ruled that Hutchence's death was a suicide while depressed and under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Despite the official coroner's report, fans and relatives considered his death accidental. After Hutchence's death, INXS did not perform publicly for almost a year and then only made a few one-off performances with different guest singers until 2000.
Former lead singer of Australian band Noiseworks, Jon Stevens began singing with INXS in May 2000 and fronted the band until late 2003. In 2005, Jason Fortune won the right to front the band via a reality T.V show / competition held in the states and stayed with INXS until 2009.
The band is still looking for a replacement - any takers ?
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Live In San Diego was a recording on the 31st March in 1988 during INXS's World Tour to promote their highly successful album "Kick" which reached #1 in Australia.
Tracks from this concert span back to their first hit 'The Loved One', with a majority of them taken from "Swing", "Listen Like Thieves" and of course "Kick". The sound quality is excellent and it is a fantastic snapshot of INXS performing at the peak of their career. This posting is a 320kps rip from a CD (originally taken from a soundboard tape recording) and includes full album work, along with select photos of the band. This posting is a must have for any INXS fan or the uninitiated wanting to hear what all this XS is about!
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Track Listing
01. Kick
02. Guns In The Sky
03. Tiny Daggers
04. The Loved One
05. Original Sin
06. Shine Like It Does
07. Listen Like Thieves
08. New Sensation
09. Soul Mistake
10. Kiss The Dirt ( Falling Down The Mountain)
11. Need You Tonight
12. Mediate
13. Devil Inside
14. This Time
15. The One Thing
16. What You Need
17. Good Times
18. Don't Change
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Band Members:
Michael Hutchence - Vocals
Andrew Farriss - Keyboards and Guitars
Kirk Pengilly - Guitars, Sax and Vocals
Tim Farriss - Guitars
Garry Gary Beers - Basses
Jon Farriss - Drum and Percussions
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INXS Live Link (161Mb) New Link 05/04/2017
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