INXS

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
    hometown
  • Rock
    genre
  • 1977
    started
  • Bio
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About INXS

Official Site: http://inxs.com/ | @INXS | facebook.com/inxs


INXS hailed from the pubs of Australia, which is part of the reason the band never comfortably fit in with new wave. Even when they branched out into synth pop on their early recordings, they were underpinned by a hard, Stonesy beat and lead singer Michael Hutchence's Jagger-esque strut. Ultimately, these were the very things that made INXS into international superstars in the late '80s. By that time, the group had harnessed its hard rock, dance, and new wave influences into a sleek, stylish groove that made its 1987 album, Kick, a multi-million-selling hit. While that sound was their key to stardom, it also proved to be their undoing; INXS became boxed in by their Stonesy pop-funk in the early '90s, when their audience became entranced by harder-edged alternative rock. In spite of declining sales, they soldiered on, continuing to tour and record for a dedicated fan base until Hutchence's 1997 death brought the band's heyday to a close.

Appropriately for a band that featured three brothers, INXS had their roots in a family act, the Farriss Brothers. The group came together while keyboardist Andrew Farriss, the middle brother, was attending high school with vocalist Michael Hutchence. The two formed a band with bassist Gary Beers. Simultaneously, guitarist Tim Farriss was playing in various groups with his friend, guitarist/saxophonist Kirk Pengilly. Eventually, the two groups merged in 1977, with Jon Farriss joining the unified lineup as drummer. Two years later, when Jon graduated from high school, the band renamed itself INXS, moved from Perth to Sydney, and began to play the pub circuit. Within a year, the group landed an Australian record contract and released an eponymous debut on Deluxe in 1980.

INXS and Underneath the Colours (1981) became Australian hits, leading the band to an American contract with Atco Records. In 1983, they released their U.S. debut, Shabooh Shoobah, and embarked on an extensive tour which, thanks to the hit single "Don't Change," made them minor new wave stars. For their next album, INXS recorded a few sessions with producer Nile Rodgers, which resulted in the sleek, funky "Original Sin," the first inclination that the band was making a move toward a fusion of Stonesy rock and dance music. "Original Sin" made 1984's The Swing a minor hit, yet the group didn't have a genuine mainstream breakthrough until 1985's Listen Like Thieves, which climbed to number 11 in the U.S. on the strength of the single "What You Need."

Listen Like Thieves laid the groundwork for Kick, the album that made INXS international superstars. Released late in 1987, Kick worked its way to multi-platinum status over the course of 1988, as four singles -- the number one "Need You Tonight," "Devil Inside," "New Sensation," and "Never Tear Us Apart" -- climbed into the U.S. Top Ten. In the wake of the album's success, Hutchence was hailed in some quarters as the heir to Jagger's throne, and the group was considered to rival U2 in terms of international popularity. However, such success went to the group's head. Hutchence released the "experimental" side project Max Q in early 1990, and the record tanked. X, INXS' follow-up to Kick, appeared in the fall of 1990 to mostly negative reviews. While the album generated several hits, including "Disappear" and "Bitter Tears," only its first single, "Suicide Blonde," reached the Top Ten in the U.S., and the sales of X were disappointing when compared to Kick.

X hurt INXS' momentum considerably. Although the group was still quite popular on its accompanying tour -- the 1991 live album Live Baby Live was recorded at Wembley Stadium, the second largest stadium in Europe -- the group could no longer be considered in the same league as U2 or R.E.M. Hutchence continued to live a jet-setting lifestyle, dating Kylie Minogue and various supermodels, which did not wear well in the wake of alternative rock's commercial breakthrough in 1992. By the time INXS released Welcome to Wherever You Are, their most adventurous record, they were out of date in 1992, and even a rash of reviews that favorably compared the record to U2's Achtung Baby couldn't make it a hit. Full Moon, Dirty Hearts followed in 1993 and was generally ignored. Following its release, INXS left Atlantic's roster, releasing Greatest Hits as their last album for the label.

INXS signed with PolyGram in 1994, yet it took them three years to release a new album. During that time, Hutchence was involved in several tabloid scandals, most notably his love affair with British TV personality Paula Yates (which brought an end to her marriage to Bob Geldof), and he hinted that he was recording a solo album. That record didn't materialize, but INXS returned in the spring of 1997 with Elegantly Wasted. While the album was greeted with poor reviews, its hedonistic dance-rock was better suited to the late '90s than the early '90s, which made the record the group's biggest hit since X. On November 22 of that year, however, Hutchence was found dead in his Sydney hotel room, the victim of an apparent hanging. His long-in-the-works solo debut was posthumously issued in late 1999.

Terence Trent D'Arby took the frontman role for an abbreviated set at the opening of Sydney's Stadium Australia in 1999, and Jon Stevens filled the spot for occasional gigs that took place through the end of 2003. The latter singer eventually left to pursue a solo career. INXS remained quiet throughout the following year, but in 2005 they teamed up with reality show maverick Mark Burnett to launch Rock Star: INXS, a global TV show that aimed to find a permanent replacement for Hutchence. The winner was J.D. Fortune, a former Elvis impersonator from Canada. Fortune joined INXS, sang on their 2005 album Switch, and participated in the accompanying world tour. Switch only charted well in Fortune's native Canada, though, and his cocaine habit drove a wedge between Fortune and his bandmates as the tour wound down. Another period of inactivity followed. When INXS returned in 2010, they did so with a long list of guest vocalists, retaining Fortune as the official frontman but enlisting stars like Rob Thomas and Ben Harper to appear on their next album, Original Sin, which featured reworked versions of the band's past hits. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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Music

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  • Afterglow
    inxs
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    Afterglow
  • 2974
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    • Need You Tonight
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/3/2/7/6/7/245576723.mp3
    • Don't Change
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/3/2/0/7/3/245537023.mp3
    • Never Tear Us Apart (Single/LP Version)
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/3/6/5/1/5/237651563.mp3
    • Devil Inside
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/6/5/0/5/237650560.mp3
    • New Sensation
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/6/7/5/0/5/237650576.mp3
    • Need You Tonight
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/9/5/9/3/7/534773959.mp3

Interviews & Exclusives

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  • Take 2: INXS "Pretty Vegas"
    inxs
    video
    Take 2: INXS "Pretty Vegas"

Photos

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  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti
  • INXS: Unplugged
    INXS
    INXS: Unplugged
    Kristina Sisti

News

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  • INXS
    Watch Beck, St. Vincent, Liars, and Os Mutantes Cover INXS for Record Club
    www.pitchfork.com
    Last week when we tipped you off to yet another entry in Beck's Record Club series, we had some idea of the guests that would be involved (St. Vincent...
    Read More
  • INXS
    Liv Tyler Covers INXS And There's A Music Video For It And Everything
    stereogum.com
    INXS's "Need You Tonight" is one of the all-time great karaoke jams because it's a great song and because you don't actually have to be any good at si...
    Read More
  • INXS
    Liv Tyler Covers INXS And There's A Music Video For It And Everything
    stereogum.com
    INXS's "Need You Tonight" is one of the all-time great karaoke jams because it's a great song and because you don't actually have to be any good at si...
    Read More
  • INXS
    JD Fortune Talks INXS Exit, New Band | Billboard.com
    www.billboard.com
    JD Fortune, who was unceremoniously dropped from INXS last August for yet another new singer, discovered his photo being used to sell tickets to the A...
    Read More
  • INXS
    INXS 'Kick' Off Box Set to Mark 25 Years | Billboard
    www.billboard.com
    Australian rockers INXS are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their best-selling album, "Kick," with a lavish box set that includes a wealth of outt...
    Read More
  • INXS
    INXS Confirm Split: 'It's Time to Step Away' | Billboard
    www.billboard.com
    INXS has confirmed that it's calling it quits. The Australian group announced on Monday night that it had decided to bring the curtain down on a caree...
    Read More
  • INXS
    INXS Breaking Up After 35 Years: Report | Billboard
    www.billboard.com
    INXS is calling it a day, according to various reports. Although an official statement has yet to be distributed, the rumor mill Down Under is in high...
    Read More
  • INXS
    INXS Break Up After 35 Years
    www.rollingstone.com
    INXS are calling it quits after 35 years, the band announced onstage yesterday at a gig in Perth, Australia, according to news.com.au. The band was mi...
    Read More
  • INXS
    INXS Split Is 'Very Sad,' Says J.D. Fortune
    www.rollingstone.com
    Canadian singer J.D. Fortune, who fronted INXS for six years until last August, tells Rolling Stone he's saddened over the news that INXS have ended t...
    Read More
  • INXS
    INXS Split Is 'Very Sad,' Says J.D. Fortune
    music.yahoo.com
    RELATED CONTENTView Photo INXS Split Is 'Very Sad,' Says J.D. Fortune Canadian singer J.D. Fortune, who fronted INXS for six years until last August, ...
    Read More

Discography

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  • Original Sin (2010)
    INXS
    Original Sin (2010)
    Sony Music
  • Switch (2005)
    INXS
    Switch (2005)
    Sony Music Distribution
  • Elegantly Wasted (1997)
    INXS
    Elegantly Wasted (1997)
    Mercury
  • Full Moon, Dirty Hearts (1993)
    INXS
    Full Moon, Dirty Hearts (1993)
    Atlantic
  • Welcome to Wherever You Are (1992)
    INXS
    Welcome to Wherever You Are (1992)
    Mercury
  • Live Baby Live (1991)
    INXS
    Live Baby Live (1991)
    Atlantic
  • X (1990)
    INXS
    X (1990)
    Atlantic
  • Kick (1987)
    INXS
    Kick (1987)
    Mercury
  • Listen Like Thieves (1985)
    INXS
    Listen Like Thieves (1985)
    Atlantic
  • The Swing (1984)
    INXS
    The Swing (1984)
    Atlantic
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