ON THEIR SIXTH ALBUM, THE AUSSIES LAID THEIR AMBITIONS BARE, TAPPING INTO THE ZEITGEIST AND TRANSFORMING INTO GLOBAL MEGASTARS – THOUGH THE ICONIC FUNK-ROCK HYBRID WAS ALMOST SCRAPPED BY THEIR BEMUSED LABEL BOSSES
FELIX ROWE
Bombastic rock statements that launched or shored up the careers of today’s heavyweights came thick and fast throughout 1987. At the hairier end of the spectrum, was the spit n’ spandex of the Sunset Strip: Guns N’ Roses’ storming debut, alongside Kiss with Crazy Nights, Aerosmith’s Permanent Vacation, and Def Leppard’s Hysteria. U2 went widescreen with The Joshua Tree. Meanwhile, at the poppier end of the charts it was a similar story, with several big players – George Michael’s Faith and Rick Astley’s debut – offering a smoother but equally punchy counterpoint.
On their sixth record, Kick, Australia’s finest pop-rock collective INXS effortlessly straddled the two camps – a bold, ambitious record occupying a space somewhere between the cocksure posturing of Def Leppard and the taut electro-pop of George Michael. Though arriving from the opposite side of the floor, their rock-funk hybrid shared touchpoints with Michael Jackson and Prince, whose ascent continued with Bad and Sign O’ The Times, respectively.
Kick was the apex of INXS’ evolving sound, a sign of the band laying their ambitions bare. By now, they’d ditched the jittery, XTC-inspired art-pop of their formative years to go play with Bono and the big boys. On their early albums, singer Michael Hutchence did his very best to obscure his vocal talents behind new wave eccentricities. On Kick, he wasn’t afraid to sing from the soul and take total command.
NEW SENSATION
By the latter half of the 80s, the stage was set for INXS to become the global stars they’d been hinting at. Already chart-topping artists in their native Australia, they had started to make significant inroads across the United States, thanks to heavy touring and a US Top 5 single from their latest record, 1985’s Listen Like Thieves. The Aussies were beginning to permeate everyday life across the globe – What You Need found its way into both Miami Vice and Coronation Street.
Shortly before entering rehearsals for what would become Kick, they had opened for Queen’s legendary Wembley Stadium show in July 1986. Surely, if ever there was a demonstration of how stadium pop-rock is done, this concert was it. We can safely assume that INXS were taking notes: move their hearts, move their feet. big songs, grand showmanship.
The crown
