AC/DC ~ Rock Or Bust (album review) ... Stripped down house rockin'!

Style: heavy metal, blues-rock
Label: Columbia
Year: 2014
Home: Australia

Members: Angus Young ~ lead guitar
Brian Johnson ~ lead vocals
Stevie Young ~ rhythm guitar/b. vocals
Cliff Williams ~ bass/b. vocals
Phil Rudd ~ drums

The title track opens the album with a simple guitar riff lasting a couple bars. Its nothing crazy, or interesting like "Thunderstuck" or "Hell's Bells." Just a basic groove soon joined by bass, drums, vocals. Lead guitar lines are thrown in sparsely until a frantic solo closes the song at 3 minutes. Its stripped back & bare bones. Its AC/DC like you haven't heard in years. Being a lean blues-rock machine is the name of the game here. Its their shortest album of 35 minutes, but its a solid 35 minutes that holds up as well as any other album. This is their 15th album, yet somehow take the very basic blues-rock template which they've done without variation & make it feel fresh. They strip it down, simplify it & had me hooked from start to finish. There's a lot of breathing room on the album. Its hard to really describe, other than saying its the opposite of the commercial The Razor's Edge. That's my fave album, but sounds so slick & stuffed compared to this. Check out the gritty blues of "Hard Times" & the bluesy swagger of "Got Some Rock'n'Roll Thunder." I can't remember them have such bluesy grit in awhile, just pure traditional blues. I have to mention "Rock The Blues Away" which sounded like AC/DC does country music a la Kansas. Not what I was expecting. Since originally drafting this a month ago I've come back to this album to listen again & recommended it to a few. I'm pretty much calling it my second fave album & its a must hear. I'd even recommend this over Power Up!.

AC/DC ~ Power Up (album review) ... With as much power as ever!

Style: heavy metal, blues-rock
Label: Columbia
Year: 2020
Home: Australia

Members: Angus Young ~ lead guitar
Brian Johnson ~ vocals
Stevie Young ~ rhythm guitar/b. vocals
Cliff Williams ~ bass/b. vocals
Phil Rudd ~ drums

If AC/DC had closed their legacy with Rock Or Bust many fans felt it would have ended on a satisfactory note, something I agree with. Yet, much to everyone's surprise they returned with more new music in Power Up. What can one say about AC/DC other than they have one sound that they have never strayed far from? After multiple decades the sound should have worn thin or lost its spark, as that's what has happened to every single one of their peers, but somehow every album is welcomed joyously, even though fans know what to expect with the first notes. Perhaps its the fact they have never tried to do anything other than what they know they do well. Every other band with a recognizable sound has tried to experiment with good & bad results. AC/DC have slimmed down or fluffed up, but have essentially kept to the same sound. They've never brought in keyboards or tried a new approach. Perhaps its the fact that their blues-rock always verged on not being trendy, so why not just do what they always do & when success comes it comes. Yet, its also easy to forget that while today their albums might be instant chart-toppers, they have not all been & there have been some albums with lots of forgettable filler. The answer to why AC/DC is successful is an enigma that defies logic & comparison. They just are. Maybe that mystery is what keeps drawing people in. While pondering the above thoughts I thought of Krishna's flute. Krishna is the Supreme Being who is often seen in Hinduism playing a flute. Supposedly the flute is infused with Krishna's divine beauty & thus no one can resist its music. AC/DC might just be enchanted in the same way. They have turned blues-rock into an art form. Its really amazing how they keep it fresh sounding, even when the songs sound like something you've heard before. Enchantment might be the only explanation. Yet, having said all this, digging in there are different sides to the AC/DC sound. Whereas Rock Or Bust was a stripped back gutsy affair, Power Up is much more commercial & sounds like a companion piece to The Razor's Edge, or maybe if The Razor's Edge was made in 2020. Big big riffs, big vocal parts, kick ass rock songs with sex laced through all of them. "Witch's Spell" & "Kick You When You're Down" sound like something I might have heard on The Razor's Edge alongside "Mistress For Christmas." Yet, it isn't all raunchy. "Through The Mists Of Time" might be one of the most sobering & somber tracks of their career. If they ever made a sad power ballad than this is it. After an initial listen of this album I went back to listen to older stuff. Brian's voice has always been raspy, but I hadn't realized how it had changed. He used to have more of a high range, but all that has now just been lost for a rough voice. I would put him in a minority of singers who actually are better now than ever, as they now really are how they were always trying to be. Power Up is a great balls to the wall album, but personally I like the stripped down feeling of Rock Or Bust better & thus would recommend that album first. This album had a bit too much filler & the songs started to blend. On the other hand, if songs sounding alike is the worst I can say about an AC/DC album than we're likely already off to a good start.

Monks of Mellonwah ~ Neurogenesis (EP) (album review) ... Getting up early for prayer hour!

Style: alt rock
Label: n/a
Year: 2012
Home: Sydney, Australia

Members: Will Maher ~ vocals
Joe de la Hoyde ~ guitar/b. vocals
John de la Hoyde ~ bass
Josh Baissari ~ drums

 

There's certain countries that don't seem to carry well across the ocean musically. I've always felt Australia was one of them. We all know the Bee Gees, INXS, Midnight Oil, Men At Work, Kylie Minogue, AC/DC & black metal heads should know Sadistik Exekution, while its easy to forget Crowded House & Air Supply are from there, but I've always felt like there was more to offer from this sprawling country. We've barely tapped into their talent reservoir. It is thus a pleasure to share the new four song EP by alt rockers MoM of Sydney, bridging time as they work on their next full length following their 2010 debut, & they've no less literally created a musical moment that sounds like a boat rolling on the waves. Created by a production crew that includes Jeff Bova of Michael Jackson & Howie Weinberg Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins & Red Hot Chilli Peppers, the tongue-twisting Neurogenesis weaves a tapestry of alt rock drawing on the 90's scene, not the current scream & strangle approach. Muse & Coldplay are the bands thrown out in the PR as current equivalents & certainly one can see similarities via the forward-moving diverse arrangements. MoM show off a firm grasp on building up the music from a simple line to a layered but not chaotic denseness where all the layers are still clear. Each song builds up, crashes climactically & lets go gracefully. Solos are less important than texture, rhythm & movement forward. This is the mood that comes through over numerous listens. Though I don't often discuss visuals here, I particularly like the Adam Ant-esque outfits. It important & I hope they experiment more with visual themes, as otherwise they're four good-looking lads in t-shirts & messed up hair. But, is this memorable for the band? If it wasn't for the communication with the PR guy & uncovering the costume photos I probably would have just passed them over as yet another moody slashing guitar screamo-esque band that I tend to not like & not give a listen to. That's just a shame, but it shows how important visuals are in getting attention. Though, my opinion on this may not be much as MoM won the award for "Best Indie Rock Band" at the 2012 Artists In Music Awards, were nominated for Best International Act at the L.A. Music Awards & featured on a CMJ mixtape.

Robin Gibb ~ In Concert with the Danish National Concert Orchestra (DVD review) ... I've got to get a message to you!

Style: classic rock, disco, pop rock
Label: Eagle Vision
Year: 2011
Home: England/America

Concert location: Denmark
Year Recorded: 2009
Length: 65 minutes
Bonus Features: none

Members: Robin Gibb ~ lead vocals
Nikolo Kotzev ~ guitar
Nelko Kolarov ~ keyboards
Wayne Banks ~ bass
Rune Olesen, Trevor Murrell ~ drums
Hille Bemelmans, Karima Djabelkhir, Amalia G. Nikolova, Errol Reid ~ b. vocals
David Firman ~ conductor
Danish National Concert Orchestra ~ strings/horns

With regular camera pans across the luscious green & hilly open air grounds of Denmark's Ledreborg Castle ... even with a concert tent on one end, every space filled by people on the ground on blankets & a line weaving down the hillside coming from the Castle in the distant background ... one is still magically transported to a calming place & perhaps even to a medieval fair. It's surely one of the best landscapes ever caught on a concert film. No fences, no chairs, no mosh pits, it's 1960's freedom with music floating through the air. It's a perfect venue for Robin Gibb, now striking solo after the retirement of the Bee Gees after the death of twin Maurice. It's the perfect landscape for soft pre-disco classics "I've Gotta Get A Message To You" or "I've Started A Joke". The music & landscape will sweep you away & if you're a fan of the early Bee Gees, as I am, the impact is delightful. On one hand its great to see RG keeping the Bee Gees spirit alive, but on the other hand it was his falsetto singing brother Barry who did the lead vocals, while BG's solo career is nearly a forgotten entity & the Bee Gees were never really a visually exciting band. In 1969 RG struck out on a brief solo career, now nearly forgotten as not just is RG a bit of a weak singer but it was before the Bee Gees had found international success. An 80's solo career, after the Bee Gees had faded away, was also equally forgotten. In 2003 he released another solo album, the first following the permanent retirement of the Bee Gees, & has found new success with an almost a cult attraction. Bee Gees hits & solo tracks are mixed together for this brief hour long show with horns, strings & RB's solo band. It's an all out affair, but its hard to figure out if this is a nostalgia tour or something fresh. There is something fresh about seeing the solo Bee Gee on his own keeping the flame going for an aging crowd that remembers a young Australian band & a young crowd that only know a handful of disco hits. RG puts his heart into the show & half-way through you even begin to forget that he didn't originally sing the lead vocals is basically wearing the shoes of his brother & you just enjoy his non-dance beat interpretations. The weakest tracks are the disco hits "Night Fever", "Stayin' Alive", & "You Should Be Dancing" as a backing vocalist, a girl, sings the high parts that would have been done by Barry, while RG sings in his normal lower toned voice. Having a back-up singer sound like the former lead singer just doesn't work as she's clearly trying to remain just a back-up singer as RG echoes all the lines with her. No fault of the singer who is trying her best, it just doesn't click, particularly as a high pitched female voice & a falsetto male voice are different textures. Though the audience takes to dancing with these tracks not seeming to mind. "Tragedy" takes the same approach but of the group of songs is the best as RG steps out a bit more vocally which makes one realize that he'd held back on the previous songs. This isn't a show of stage banter or a visually exciting performance outside of the landscape but it's a perfect mix of songs that one really can't find fault with & accomplishes what its aiming for - good time nostalgia, not goofy nostalgia as so many acts have found themselves doing. RG isn't trying to prove he still has the chops. Does he? He was essentially a backing singer so its hard to say. But, he's here to play music. Not fancy, not wild, just plain old fashioned enjoyable music like a band giving a private party.

Sadistik Exekution ~ K.A.O.S. (album review) ... Music has never been this brutal!

Style: black metal, death metal
Label: Osmose Productions
Year: 1999
Home: Australia

Members: Rok ~ vocals
Rev. Kriss Hades ~ guitar
Dave Slave ~ bass
Sloth ~ drums

Claimed as one of the most influencial underground death metal bands in Australia Sad-Ex, as they're known to fans, might be more famous for their crazy antics on stage, often nonsensical & profane interview style & continuous threats to not perform over their decade in existence, which they rarely did as it was, or just plain break-up for the up-teenth time. Ignoring the shock theater the music is actually, maybe even surprising to some, quite riveting & definitely one of the better death metal bands out there, or at least in the extreme/grindcore end of the spectrum that also includes such bands as Nunslaughter, Bolt Thrower, Impaled Nazarene among countless others. They are definitely one of the few death metal bands in the scene where the vocals are understandable. Understandable in terms of what's being vocalized by frontman Rok, not necessarily what it all means. A typical song might consist of seemingly improvised random Satanic imagery, the repeated use of the word 'fuck' - or 'fukk' in Sad-Ex speak - & just pure growling & gagging moving between speaking & rhythmic quasi-singing/growling. It's as over the top as black metal gets & would be Spinal Tap comedic if it wasn't for the seriousness that Rok & Co. take when doing interviews & presenting themselves as a group of crazy guys, but incredibly-dedicated-to-making-great-metal crazy guys. While the music itself is a pure onslaught of beats & speed that verges on sounding as improvised as the lyrics than actually cohesive musical units. Or, as one reviewer once wrote - 'unhinged'. Though, it's an unhinged onslaught that actually hides some rather talented & exploratory playing. Drums furiously imitate the beats of Hell while the guitarist takes full advantage of the range guitar & octave large melodic riffs & not just little couple note bits that bands like to call melodic but lack any real scaler movement. Guitarist Rev. Kriss Hades has also been known to play his guitar with a violin bow in the tradition of Jimmy Page & earlier Jeff Beck. In the midst of this frenzy you'll even discover little bass riffs of incredible speeds & dexterity by the under-rated Dave Slave. Sad-Ex formed in 1986, recording 3 albums before a final live show in 1999 followed by two more albums, breaking up & then reuniting in 2009 for a much heralded 2011 performance at the first annual Australian Metal Awards. Though famous for their over the top live show they only played a couple shows a year - if any. Their albums were released by French label Osmose Productions essentially meaning that they'd never get the same attention in America that their fellow Australian metalheads & Europeans give them. Of all their album, all worth checking out, K.A.O.S. is probably the best introduction as it has some of the best production values, most frantic songs & is incredibly close to their live sound. Further, other albums contain many ambiatic black metal dirges while K.A.O.S. is pure adrenaline down the line. It's not about pushing any musical boundaries except that of walking the line of musical chaos. If you love black metal but don't know Sad-Ex you're missing a vital part of the international scene. This is a band that's quoted as an inspiration by Norwegian black metalheads & bands ... so, if you don't know Sad-Ex then what school have you learned your black metal hard knocks from? This is extreme metal with no holds barr that rocks with no pretentions & no mere band of gimmicks as some might believe.

Midnight Oil ~ Diesel And Dust (album review) ... Carrying the dead heart!

Style: hard rock, electronic, new wave, progressive
Label: Columbia
Year: 1988
Home: Australia

Members: Martin Rotsey ~ guitars
Peter Gifford ~ bass/b. vocals
Robert Hirst ~ drums/b. vocals
Jim Moginie ~ guitars/keyboards
Peter Garrett ~ vocals

Additional: Warne Livesey ~ keyboards
John Ockwell ~ cello
Glad Reed ~ trombone
Jeremy Smith ~ french horn

If you can ignore not knowing the definition of holden wrecks, Warakurna, Redfern, Alice, Lasseter, the dead heart & a bullroarer ... none of which have anything to do with Alice In Wonderland, a bodily organ or a bulldozer ... this is an album worth picking up that might speak about Australian aboriginal culture & land, but ignoring the regional slang, echoes the same feelings Joni Mitchell sang in "Big Yellow Taxi" with her famous line "They paved paradise & put up a parking lot." "Beds Are Burning" brought MO to the world, pushed by frontman Peter Garrett's bald head & spine-tingling voice in an age of pretty boy hair metal bands, but its sad that few can probably name any song by them other than this single chart-topper, let alone none of their albums. I'll confess to once regularly confusing them with Britain's Depeche Mode due to similar keyboard heavy approaches that were deliberately given a New Romantic-esque commercial touch & may or may not accurately represent the band's larger output, or even the album the single came from. Though the music is far different Diesel & Dust reminds me of Live's Secret Samadhi in the sense that both albums are as much about the message as the music. They aren't concept albums, per say, but both tour distant places - for Live it's a journey of mystical lands, while for MO it's the Australian outback - but both places have both real & fictitious aspects, while sharing a tug-of-war of good & evil. Hidden behind a pop sheen is a cynical cry for world issues no different than U2's Boy or Achtung Baby, though U2 never got too Irish for their own good. Early MO albums rocked hard but it's the ballads that have the most impact, particularly given some interesting arrangements & instrumentation that is anything but the standard 80's power ballad of the time. It's akin to the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds where Brian Wilson layered instruments to create new sounds, here including acoustic guitars, percussion instead of normal drumming, keyboards, synthesizers, strings & occasional sound effects. The result is haunting, particularly when Peter Garrett croons slowly with eerie effect. He's far from a glamorous singer with an attractive voice but it's as rough as the outback he sings about. It's an album of sadness & loss, but as sung in "The Dead Heart": "We carry in our hearts the true country/& that cannot be stolen/we follow in the steps of our ancestry/& that cannot be broken", MO aren't without hope.

INXS ~ Original Sin (album review) ... Original songs re-visited!

Style: tribute, hard rock, experimental
Label: Petrol
Year: 2010
Home: Australia

Members: Gary Gary Beers ~ bass
Andrew Farriss ~ guitar/keyboards/vocals
Jon Farriss ~ drums
Tim Farriss ~ guitar
Kirk Pengilly ~ guitar/saxophone/vocals
JD Fortune ~ vocals

Guests: Tricky, Rob Thomas, Ben Harper, Mylene Farmer, Pat Monahan, Deborah de Corral, Dan Sultan, Loane, Kav Temperley, Nikka Costa ~ vocals 

DJ Yaleidy ~ electronics

This is one of the more creative comeback albums I've seen, albeit it's not really a comeback as INXS already came back from the death of Michael Hutchence with replacement singer J.D. Fortuna on 2005's Switch, but to relegate him to two tracks & do an album that brings in a different singer for new arrangements of many of the band's hits is a quasi-comeback ... take two. Though, it's actually more akin to a tribute album, plus as the band has openly confessed this is how they perceive the album. But, a self-tribute? Normally that would be the most egotistical thing you can do ... normally ... but, in this case it's just sad that this is the state of their career. On one hand I'm glad to see the band still making music sans Hutchence & pushing boundaries, this release being musically farther than they've ever gone, but on the other hand if their newest material is but re-hashed hits, not even with their new singer, that's not a good sign ... & considering the new arrangements pale compare to the originals ... well, we all knew that INXS was essentially over when Hutchence died, though their career had already begun to decline following X. I know they got the memo, too, but obviously chose not to read it & thus while the previous Switch had a little hope in it, even if new face J.D. Fortune does sound too much like Hutchence but without the charisma, this just ends up being sad. The problem essentially is that it sounds like a typical tribute album, which means this sounds like 14 different bands. So much of the INXS sound was in the voice of Hutchence as the band went through numerous musical periods without really cementing any one recognizable style. Further, none of the members are really known on their own. I don't know how much the guest musicians were allowed to contribute to the arrangements but more than a few songs have taken on a heavy electronica sound, which INXS always had but it was under a rock sheen, ranging from dance floor electronica (i.e. "Original Sin" with Rob Thomas) to almost experimental (i.e. "Mystify" done in French by Loane & "Don't Change" with no guest). After opening with an odd electronic instrumental ("Drum Opera"), the one new song, it goes to the hit "Mediate" with Tricky turning it into a quasi-hip-hop. But, hip-hop has a gritty edge & so did the original with Hutchence's dead-pan delivery, but this is a strong dance mix a la Black Eyed Peas that just drags once you hit the guitar solo. But, for a moment you imagine the rest of the album is going to be like this, as it's definitely musically interesting & you predict what's coming next, but by the next track you realize you're in for a challenging listen & then the album just slowly falls apart ... without ever breaking a sweat or even really rocking out until a bonus track with Fortune ("Love Is (What I Say)"). There are two highlights on the album: "Never Tear Us Apart" with Ben Harper & Mylene Farmer singing in French & an acoustic version of "Beautiful Girl" with Pat Monahan of Train that's one of the most haunting ballads INX has ever done. These two tracks I'd recommend downloading on their own, which I tend not to do as I believe in supporting an entire album. The band pulls out the acoustic guitars again for "New Sensations" with Deborah de Corral but it comes off as something from a Mary Chapin Carpenter album, which is not what you want to hear when listening to INXS ... maybe if it sounded like the Indigo Girls that would be better. A third acoustic song ("Don't Change") makes you realize INXS is not an acoustic band & the Monahan success is just luck. After this odd collection I now understand why fans have requested the band change it's name or become INXS v2. This is almost as bad as when the Doors followed Jim Morrison's death with two albums as a trio, albeit their reunion was stellar. What's worse is that the songs are almost unrecognizable at times, even vocally, & I've heard most of the INXS collection. It's hard to say if this is a successful experiment at reinterpretation or just a band sadly past its prime ... particularly since half way through the album I found it lacking in energy & for someone who used to listen to INXS for hours was bored & waiting for the end. Though, I will say the singing was all great, but the arrangements just don't offer a lot to work with. "The Stairs" with J.D. Fortune sounds the closest to anything from the past as its given a minimal workout, but it only makes you wish for the past more. The one good thing about this album is the eclectic mix of guests, including many known in Australia but not America. After recent star heavy albums by Santana & Slash it's nice having names I don't recognize for a change. & I'm sure DJ's will find some interesting tracks to pull a beat or phrase from.

AC/DC ~ Back In Black (album review) ... The greatest album of mourning ever!

Style: hard rock, heavy metal, blues-rock
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1980
Home: Australia

Members: Brian Johnson ~ vocals
Angus Young ~ lead guitar
Malcolm Young ~ rhythm guitar/b. vocals
Cliff Williams ~ bass/b. vocals
Phil Rudd ~ drums

 

There are certain songs that have a distinct opening, often a guitar riff, that is so well known it'll turn the head of an entire crowd. For a band with a bassist that moving through four notes never varying the rhythm, with an equally predictable rotating drummer, a singer that has a worse rasp than Rod Stewart or Melissa Ethridge, a rhythm guitarist that's appreciated as much as that guy in Aerosmith who does the same thing, songs that are basically rocking blues & a guitarist who at nearly 60 wears school boys clothes, there are at least two tracks on this album that will have the audience moving, shouting & singing along in pure metal joy. I've actually seen it happen a couple times. It might just be luck cause the songs are relatively simple & don't immediately appear to be hits. On the other hand, it might be the fact that they are so simple compared to every other band that they hit the core of what music is all about across the board, from the sing-a-long memorable lyrics, lots of sexual energy, a head-banging beat & lots of crazy solos. AC/DC have it all, though when they made this now classic album they were debuting a new singer & might have felt that they were on the verge of losing all they worked for. Some albums are so classic it's impossible to touch them. This is one of them. Even if I tried to find something not good about it I don't think I could or at least the act would freeze me with sacrilege. Personally I prefer Brian Johnson over predecessor Bon Scott. For me this is the highlight of the band. What came after was good but never as solid overall as this initial release that was raw, questioning, a bit restrained & a tribute to a late singer. They made some good albums but no classic like this one. For me, the free-spirited wildness of the earlier stuff all came together here into something tempered & addicting. I hate to say this, but I can't imagine the zany Bon Scott singing these songs with the same effect. But, rest his soul.

Eyes Of The Owl ~ Eyes Of The Owl (aka debut) (EP) (album review) ... Where sludge metal reigns!

Style: sludge, doom metal, drum & bass
Label: self-released
Year: 2009
Home: New Zealand
Members: Dan, Leigh, Matt ~ n/a

 

 EOTO is a band that's taking the basic building blocks of metal & trying to push it further. This EP opens with a simple bassline that sounds like it's being projected from a submarine, jumping into a rhythm with the guitar & drums that's a mix of Hendrix & Sabbath, albeit their slower doomier side. Chunky yet simple, distorted but not enough so each instrument isn't clear in the mix. Nearly 3 minutes into the song comes some vocal screams, but distorted & way down in the mix, like echoes down a hall in a lost scene from Poltergeist or Saw. This is about ambiance & texture not singing with what sounds like less than 20 words. & with a guitar solo at the end of the first song that's out of the repertoire of Sunn O))), well, the stage is pretty much set for the what you're going to experience. This album isn't necessarily about surprises. This is about creating moods. Some define this style of music as sludge. The inherent meaning of sludge is not lost here. If you ever find yourself making a movie & have a scene of mud moving this is the perfect background music if you want to make the mud seem alive. Guitarists like to pose like their tearing the music from their guitar & if playing the instrument is painful. It's not but this crew actually sounds like it is & thus every note sounds like it's being torn from their instruments. In many ways Eyes Of The Owl might be the modern continuation of what the Velvet Underground was doing on many of their more instrumental tracks. Their 'Heroin' has but two chords & is definitely about repetition, mood & how the music naturally builds. I also must confess that I like the names of the titles: 'Tomb Of The Snake Where Darkness Reigns', 'Cloak Of Harsh Winds,' 'Revelation Of The Barren Conscience' & 'Passed Through The Dragons Teeth.' I don't really know if this is what I ever thought a snake's tomb sounded like ... but like a strange painting with a seemingly mismatched title ... don't worry about the details cause it's not about the individual parts but the whole picture. Even the fact that there's 4 songs on the album is a tease. It's really three parts of one with a tag. This is one of the more experimental releases I've reviewed in while. If you like an electric guitar dirge that actually sounds like it's coming out of a convent filled with inner pain & torment right out of the Middle Ages - I know a costume store that sells monk robes. I may even buy one with you. Obsequium religiosum!

INXS ~ The Greatest Hits (hits comp) (album review) ... New wave never sounded so sexy!

Style: new wave, rock
Label: Universal
Year: 1994
Home: Australia

Members: Garry Gary Beers ~ bass
Andrew Farriss ~ keyboards/guitar
Jon Farriss ~ drums/keyboards
Tim Farriss ~ lead guitar
Michael Hutchence ~ vocals
Kirk Pengilly ~ guitar/sax/backing vocals

Guest: Charlie Musselwhite ~ harmonica

   I remember moving across the country as a boy with my parents. I'd selected a few favorite cassettes to carry in the front of the U-Haul for the week's journey. INXS's X (featuring the then hits 'Suicide Blonde' & 'Disappear') was one of chosen. I didn't tire of it that week & it's infectious sound still sends shivers down my spine. That's one of those albums where every song is great - MTV chart-topper or not. I've since bought many of their earlier albums with pleasure. Sadly, I consider X the peak of their career as nothing they did later interested me - chart sales show that I wasn't the only fan with this change of heart - & with the senseless & tragic death of singer Hutchence INXS ceased to exist for me as a viable band. I no longer pay attention to their career as they struggle through singers & try to avoid the nostalgia circuit or splitting up. Now, I don't want to say that INXS isn't a great band without Hutchence's voice. They remain a group of talented guys whoever is in the front, but he made them a greater band with a timelessness to what is essentially the New Wave end of rock with a dancefloor beat that is badly dated. Further, Hutchance drooled with sex with every word with the same flame that spurred the sexually-charged charisma of Jim Morrison & Janis Joplin or Bono. Reflecting the later part of their career, this collection is a mixed bag. It spans their career, but being out of chronological order sounds like a compilation of a couple bands, as INXS was a band whose sound progressed with every album from modest garage band to MTV-branded pop & beyond to self-destruction, but out of order the progression is hard to listen to. Also, the album aims to grab equally from most of their albums - something many greatest hits collections don't do instead choosing to pull most of the album from a select few albums & largely ignore the rest - but that means there's a few weak tracks here & some good tracks left off. The weak songs really hurt the flow of the album, particularly when you go from a song that you love to a song that you don't want to be reminded of. Albeit, the hits do remind you why this band is so great. If you want an introduction to INXS pick up X, Kick & Listen Like Thieves & call it a day. That's the heart of their legacy & between those three albums you'll get all the hits, see a band showing growth & walk away believing they are a better band then the rest of their career sadly reflects.