The Cavern
Rock & Words
INXS
“I’m losing my fear.
Suddenly,
The way
Has come to me”
“C”
Main Decade: 80's
Main Eras:
New Wave (1976-???)
Key Members:
Garry Gary Beers: Bass
Andrew Farris: Keyboard, Guitar
Jon Farris: Drums
Tim Farris: Lead guitar
Michael Hutchence: Vocals
Kirk Pengilly: Saxophone, Guitar
Key Songs:
On A Bus, Just Keep Walking, Doctor, Stay Young, The One Thing, Don’t Change, Original Sin, Johnson’s Aeroplane, What You Need, Listen Like Thieves, Kiss The Dirt, This Time, Devil Inside, Mistify, Need You Tonight, Mediate, Never Tear Us Apart, Suicide Blonde, Heard That Sound, Heaven Sent, By My Side, Taste It, Beautiful Girl, Strange Desire, The Gift, Full Moon Dirty Hearts, Freedom Deep, Everything, Elegantly Wasted, Searching… y varias más.
Many of us were involuntarily exposed during our childhood to a certain band or artist who, even if not our all-time favorite, left a significant mark on our lives and became part of our personal soundtrack.
Perhaps some of us spent our early years listening to an uncle who was a Doors fanatic. Others had their tastes instilled in them for the albums of Roger Waters, Gilmour, and company. Still others grew up with a sister who was enthusiastic about the caveman screams of Frank Black and the melodies of the Pixies. And of course, there are those who inherited a love for the Beatles directly from their parents and were obsessed with the lyrics of John and Paul from a very young age. Nor can I forget those who fell in battle, whose innocent ears were mercilessly assaulted by the sounds of Enrique Iglesias, Laura Pausini, Maná, Bon Jovi, Culture Club, the Backstreet Boys, and the like.
In my case, the bands that would mark my childhood misadventures were Depeche Mode, U2, and, to a greater extent, INXS. This was all thanks to my older brother, who had (and still has) the old habit of listening to their music at whatever volume he pleased, without caring a whit whether the rest of the family or the neighbors agreed or not.
My other sister and I used to tell him that they should really be called the INXperts, that their songs were silly, and things like that, all with the sole and precise aim of annoying him by desecrating one of his favorite bands. But the truth is, deep down, and although it took me several years to admit it, I loved these guys' songs, and even back then I had many of their compositions and album covers burned into my memory. That feeling wouldn't diminish with time; on the contrary.
When I stopped being a mere background listener and started delving deeper into their albums on my own, I discovered that there's more to Australia than just koalas and kangaroos: I found intelligent and daring lyrics, a recognizable and catchy style, albums full of classics and memorable songs, and above all, a musical trajectory that, with the exception of a couple of somewhat weak albums in their early days, stands out for its consistency in each work and in which they seem to mature and improve more and more with each successive release.
If I were to make a greatest hits or personal compilation of the best songs by these Australians, I'd end up like I did with the Stones, the Fab Four, Bowie, and a few others: it would be a gigantic collection of three or four discs. And that's because, aside from all the songs that became radio hits (and there were quite a few), INXS's career is full of hidden gems and underrated songs that are absolutely worth listening to.
They weren't a revolutionary band at all, nor did they propose or invent anything new: they simply possessed a highly identifiable style and knew how to write pop songs like few other bands can. They were the damn masters of melody. I'm convinced of it. And besides all their smash hits and most well-known songs, even their lesser-known tracks have some melodic hook, some catchy chorus, or some little detail that makes them unforgettable.
Now, the origins and development of INXS are simple and not as dramatic compared to other bands. It all began in 1977 with the Farris brothers (from oldest to youngest, Tim, Andrew, and Jon) during their teenage years, playing in different bands, each on their own and with friends from their respective high schools. In 1977, the eldest, Tim, invited his brothers and some of their friends (Michael Hutchence, Garry Beers, and Kirk Pengilly) to form a single band, which, of course, would be called The Farris Brothers. The lineup consisted of Andrew Farris on keyboards, Tim on lead guitar, Jon on drums, Garry Beers on bass, Kirk Pengilly on saxophone, and Michael Hutchence as vocalist and lyricist.
Their debut took place on the beaches of Sydney, and they soon moved to Perth, where they frequently played in bars and pubs alongside another famous Australian band, Midnight Oil, sometimes even twice a day. In this way, they quickly honed their skills as performers and began composing their own songs, supported at all times by their parents, who, far from being an obstacle to their development as musicians, constantly encouraged them to continue rehearsing and playing.
Andrew Farris, in addition to playing keyboards and guitar, also emerged as the main songwriter, and is in fact the true genius behind almost every INXS song. And thus, with Hutchence on the lyrics, an infallible partnership was formed that was practically the creative engine of the band throughout its entire career.
Tim Farris, dubbed the Riff Meister by Hutchence at some point (specifically, during 1991's Live Baby Live), would contribute all those classic, catchy, funky riffs that are the hallmark of INXS. His nickname was well-deserved, as the number of memorable lines he contributed is in the dozens, always with a simple yet highly effective guitar style.
On the other hand, Jon Farris and Garry Beers—drums and bass, respectively—would be the ones who kept the band together and afloat from the rhythm section. Jon would propose and develop a peculiar style of cabaret-like beats with funky and dance influences, while Beers would frequently contribute tremendous bass lines, seemingly simple, but actually quite creative and complex, always carrying the cadence and rhythm of the songs.
Finally, Kirk Pengilly is perhaps the sextet's most distinctive feature, or at least the most obvious. Beyond his work as rhythm guitarist, his unmistakable saxophone gave many songs an extra dimension with his exceptional arrangements and solos, simplifying their blues and prog-rock influences into pop and funk compositions: Without exaggeration, INXS is inconceivable without Pengilly's sax.
In 1979, inspired by the English band XTC (whose name is pronounced Ecstasy), they adopted the name INXS, which is similarly pronounced InExcess. Months later, they released their self-titled debut album, offering a strange but effective hybrid of sounds that navigates between pop-rock, ska, funk, and the most 80s-style new wave. A fresh and spontaneous work, quite enjoyable, though extremely underrated.
For their second album, they completely abandoned their ska influences and stuck solely to pop-rock and funk, a style they would maintain for quite some time, gradually refining their sound with each successive album: Shabooh Shoobah, The Swing, and Listen Like Thieves. Their frontman, Michael Hutchence, quickly became a magnet for the group's growing legion of fans, as his stage presence, Jim Morrison-esque hair, and resonant vocals meshed perfectly with the Farris brothers' style.
Although they had already achieved notable success with songs like "Original Sin" and "What You Need," it was 1987 and the album Kick that marked a turning point in the band's career. Not because it's their best work—though many consider it to be, and it is undoubtedly their most celebrated—but because it was the album that earned them massive recognition in Europe and North America, where until then they had maintained very modest sales.
Far from declining, and although their subsequent albums didn't achieve the same commercial success as Kick, INXS entered a period of considerable maturity and creativity with their later works: X, Welcome To Wherever You Are, and the highly underrated Full Moon, Dirty Hearts. Finally, in 1997, Elegantly Wasted was released, an album that once again maintained a high level of quality and radiated a maturity and peace of mind in its lyrics that, given the events following its release, seemed almost tragic.
On a sad November 22, 1997, Michael Hutchence was found dead at the age of 37 in his hotel room under strange circumstances. The official report closed the case as a suicide, but to this day it hasn't been fully clarified whether Hutchence took his own life or if it was an accidental death. INXS, of course, would never be the same again.
The rest of the band remained inactive for about a year. But later, a period began that was rather shocking to most INXS fans, because against all odds, the Farriss brothers and company started performing here and there, replacing Michael with various second-rate vocalists.
Almost like something out of a tasteless, fake rockumentary, they even produced an aberrant reality show called Rock Star: INXS, whose purpose was to find Hutchence's definitive successor, who ultimately turned out to be a certain JD Fortune. With him, they recorded the very forgettable Switch in 2005 and later Original Sin in 2010, an album of covers of some of their classics, performed by artists like Ben Harper and Tricky. From this album, I only salvage the beautiful re-recording of Don't Change, which, sung by its main songwriter, Andrew Farriss, sounds deeply moving.
On November 11, 2012, it all ended where it had begun 35 years earlier: During a concert at the Perth Arena, on the verge of tears, the band announced that it would be their final performance. And so it has remained to this day.
To sum it up, everything that happened after Hutchence's death was like a bad dream. The real INXS existed essentially from 1980 to 1997. And although the band's final stage (if it could still be called that) tarnished the band's name in a rather unpleasant way, Hutchence's work—including his posthumous solo album—and everything he composed alongside the Farriss brothers and company will remain forever, untouched.
Given their undeniable talent for writing catchy songs in huge quantities, compilations and greatest hits albums from this band are plentiful, but it's much more satisfying and enriching to get to know them album by album, delve into their different periods, and witness their slow but steady evolution.
It's worth asking myself: given my personal history with this band, is it possible that I'm overrating them? Am I being too subjective when analyzing their work? Do they have albums that are simply worthy of a 10? It's debatable. But that's for each of you to decide, and it's something we'll discover album by album.
By el Hombre Mojón
Abr/14/2014
