Awesome hits package!
It's truly a shame that the great Michael Hutchence is no longer with us. I was shocked when I heard of his death a few years ago, it was so hard to believe. I remember watching them on VH1's hard rock live just months before it happened. INXS was a cool group, and this is a very cool hits collection. I've owned this CD since it was released back in '94, and still remains a favorite in my collection. 16 stellar tracks, though my favs are the 80's songs from the 'What You Need' and 'Kick' albums. 'New Sensation' is my fav, 'Never Tear Us Apart' is a close 2nd. All the rest are a very close 3rd. Their style was unique, it blended different styles of music all together to make a new wave progressive rock sound. And who could forget all of their cool video's from back in the good ol' days of MTV in the late 80's. Great songs, great band. If you don't have it, you know the drill. ROCK ON!
Not a fitting greatest hits
Anyone who's followed INXS through the years should see right away that there are some huge holes in the song selection here. From the woefully represented "Welcome to Wherever You Are" album, the tracks Not Enough Time and Taste It are missing. And from the old days, the retro classic Don't Change isn't here either ! Is this a joke ? There are way too many easily forgettable tracks here in their place. Songs like Heaven Sent and The Stairs are hardly greatest hits worthy.Also the two "extra" songs on here are horrible and were probably collecting dust in someone's closet before being pulled out to fill up some cd space. This subpar collection was either put together with a blindfold, darts and a list of past songs, or the Atlantic records intern who got the job suffered a head injury shortly before.
Welcome to.........INXS
INXS's first Greatest Hits package is a good taste of what you can expect from the Aussie supergroup. A wide ranging look to where the band has been and how far it has come from the Australian beer barns. Although it does lean a little to the safe side, maybe for commercial reasons as this compilation was released at a time when the band's sales were sliding. The "usual suspects" are in this compilation including "New Sensation", "Never Tear Us Apart", "What You Need", "Suicide Blonde" and "Disappear". Highlights include "Shine Like it Does", "Original Sin", "The Stairs" and "Heaven Sent". Glaring omissions from this compilation are "The Gift", timeless "Don't Change", "Stay Young", "Mediate", the bone crunhing "Taste It" and "By My Side". Overall a "good" package for those who are curious. For the fans or those who want to hear more listen to: MAX Q (Michael Hutchence's solo project '89'), Welcome To Wherever You Are(their best studio album) and watch Live Baby Live on DVD.
Your moves are so raw..I've got to let you know............
The band INXS as we know it pretty much ended with Michael Hutchence's death. This band was a powerhouse in the 80's with the stellar albums What You Need and Kick. Thier style was a unique mixture of rock, new wave and even a little bit of punk. I Need You Tonight, New Sensation, Suicide Blond..there are all here in thier original splendid form.There are two great things about this album. It's mostly in chronological order from when it was relesed and the music stil sounds great today. Two, unless you are a hardcore INXS fan this will really be enough for you. I have this CD is my regular rotation of about 200 CD's and its always welcome when its number is called. The CD concludes with Beutiful Girl and then looses some steam with the last two songs but the hour preceding that is evenly strong.
Bottom Line: This is great album that most of the pre 20's crowd will find completely foreign. Trivia question: which band won best music video (MTV) of 1987....INXS - Need You Tonight.
Their third best collection.
First of all, everybody needs some INXS in their collection, and unless your a fanatic, a "Hits" album will probably due. However, the newer "Best of INXS" is far superior to this one. It has 21 tracks remastered, still on one disc, and includes "This Time", "Bitter Tears", "The Gift", "Not Enough Time", and "Dont Change", all of which are missing from this U.S. greatest hits. Plus others. It also drops the few tracks that didn't need to be on this one. Of course, what IS on the "Greatest Hits" cd is all good stuff. If you really need an INXS fix, look at the 2-cd "Anthology". That has everything on it. More money though. Whichever set you chose, you need something to stick between your "U2" and "Cure" cd's.
In the wake of Michael Hutchence's tragic death, INXS's Greatest Hits seems sadly ironic in that it is, in part, a fitting eulogy and biography. No doubt about it, Hutchence gave the band its charisma, its sensuality, and also its funk appeal. So what if he couldn't dance? His phrasing and sense of timing were more than half of the rhythm behind "Need You Tonight," "What You Need," and "New Sensation." He even gave Mick Jagger a run for his money with "Devil Inside" and "Suicide Blonde." As a band, INXS were a finely honed machine, even from the beginning new-wave horns of "The One Thing" to the more orchestral "Never Tear Us Apart." The collection also contains two unreleased tracks, but, interestingly enough, the transcending and powerful "Don't Change" is nowhere to be found. --Steve Gdula
