Kick (25th Anniversary Issue) – INXS

Released September 17th 2012 – UMC

If 1985s Listen Like Thieves album saw INXS knocking on the door of main stream success, then the 1987 follow up surely ‘kick’ed it open…   So, with the poor pun out of the way early, what exactly does the 25^th Anniversary issue of Kick have to offer?  The answer is plenty.

Released as a rather extravagant 3CD and 1DVD set, you get the remastered original 12 track album along with a host of bonus rarities and a DVD with the videos and previously unseen documentary footage.  For the eagle eyed amongst you, you are probably wondering how this differs to the 2004 ‘Deluxe Edition’ that featured a 12 track bonus CD.  Well, it does indeed incorporate the out-takes and demos from this release but adds a whole host more.

Much like the recent Kinks box set, there are only samplers available for the likes of me to review; this however is more than enough to remind you just what a stunning pop/rock record Kick is.  Part rock a la Listen Like Thieves but with a more danceable edge, combining to produce an album that propelled the band to superstardom, especially the enigmatic Michael Hutchence.

The most striking thing about the album itself is just how well it has aged, whilst so many late 80s albums suffer from the horrendous over production rife at the time, Kick still has a freshness about it that makes it sound vital and exciting.  Given the band were originally not overly happy with the sound, it is testament to producer Chris Thomas’ vision and understanding of the band that it stands up so well a quarter of a century later.

With no less than five hit singles (Need You Tonight, Mystify, New Sensation, Devil Inside and Never Tear Us Apart) along with songs that would go on to become live staples for the next few years (The Loved One, Guns In The Sky, Wildlife), the albums appeal goes a lot deeper than just the two biggest hits.

As always it is in the unreleased tracks that the real insight can be gleaned, the demo and unreleased mixes allow a glimpse into the writing process and the building blocks for Kick.  The Chicago Demo of Mystify is the matt version, the gloss would come later but it is all there bar the production.  The Soul Version of Never Tear Us Apart lets Michael do his best preacher impression and works surprisingly well.

With the classic Need You Tonight boosting that iconic riff and the breath-taking Never Tears Us Apart etching themselves permanently into the psyches of each generation since, the lasting impact of Kick can still be felt today.  You need only look to the God awful Professor Green track that bastardises, sorry, ‘samples’, Need You Tonight to see how influential they have become.  Whilst 1990s ‘X’ would see the band build on the success of Kick, they arguably never bettered the near perfect ‘pop’ encapsulated in these twelve tracks.  Michael may be gone but his legacy lives on, Live Baby, Live.

To find out more about INXS and the Kick reissue visit their website HERE.

The album can be pre-ordered from:

www.smarturl.it/kicksuperphys
www.smarturl.it/kickstandardphys
www.smarturl.it/kicklp