Take a look at the above image. It might not look too familiar if you live in the U.S. and have a working knowledge of the INXS catalogue. The famed Australian rockers have a vast three-decade career to their credit, most of which has appeared on subsidiaries of Warner Music Group through the years (notably Atco and Atlantic). Elsewhere, though, it's another story: in Europe, Mercury/Phonogram, owned by Universal Music Group, gets the rights to the work of Michael Hutchence and company.
Therefore, while American audiences had to settle for a simple 2002 reissue of Kick, the band's 1987 breakthrough LP, with only four bonus tracks, international fans got one of those unmistakable Deluxe Editions two years later, featuring three of those bonus cuts on a bonus disc that contained a dozen songs in total. It's quite odd that Rhino, the label responsible for the 2002 U.S. reissue, hasn't ever made a move to replicate or redesign that deluxe version for us fans in the States. (This is triply true considering that a) Universal also has international distribution rights to the work of The Cure, and has done some deluxe editions independent from the fascinating Rhino remasters Americans have been enjoying in the past few years, and b) copies of the Universal Deluxe Edition go for more than $45 used on Amazon's American page - so the demand must be there.)
With that reflection in mind, here's how a proper, Stateside deluxe version of Kick - a fascinating pop-rock record in its own right - might look. As usual, the lowdown is after the jump.
First off, in case you didn't know, here's what the international Deluxe Edition (Mercury 982 355-0) looked like:
Disc 1: Original LP
- Guns in the Sky
- New Sensation
- Devil Inside
- Need You Tonight
- Mediate
- The Loved One
- Wild Life
- Never Tear Us Apart
- Mystify
- Kick
- Calling All Nations
- Tiny Daggers
Released in U.S. as Atlantic 81796-1, U.K. as Mercury MERH 114 and - for what it's worth - Australia WEA 255080-1.
Disc 2: Outtakes and Demos
- Move On (B-side to "Need You Tonight" U.K. single - Mercury INXS 12)
- I'm Coming (Home) (B-side to "Need You Tonight" U.S. single - Atlantic 7-89188)
- On the Rocks (B-side to "Devil Inside" single - Atlantic 7-89144)
- Mystify (Chicago Demo) (previously released on 2002 reissue - Rhino R2 78204)
- Jesus Was a Man (Demo) (previously released on 2002 reissue - Rhino R2 78204)
- The Trap (Demo) (previously released on 2002 reissue - Rhino R2 78204)
- New Sensation (Nick's 12" Mix) (A-side to "New Sensation" 12" single - Atlantic 0-86572)
- Guns in the Sky (Kick Ass Mix) (B-side to "New Sensation" 12" single - Atlantic 0-86572)
- Need You Tonight (Mendelson Extended Mix) (A-side to "Need You Tonight" U.K. 12" single - Mercury INXS 1212)
- Mediate (Live from America) *
- Never Tear Us Apart (Live from America) (B-side to "Mystify" U.K. single - Mercury INXS 13)
- Kick (Live from America) *
* all my research indicates these are previously unreleased
Now that would be a fine enough set on its own - but there's a whole other bunch of tracks Rhino could include if they wanted. Here are the most notable ones:
- Move On (Guitar Version) (alternate version from the 2002 U.S. reissue - Rhino R2 78204)
- I'm Coming (Home) (Remix) (only released on the Japanese "Need You Tonight" CD single - WEA 10SW-2)
- Devil Inside (12" Remix) (12" single A-side - Atlantic 0-86622)
- Shine Like It Does (Live) (B-side to "Devil Inside" U.K. 10" single - Mercury INXS 1010)
- Guns in the Sky (Kookaburra Mix) (B-side to "New Sensation" single - Atlantic 7-89080)
- Do Wot You Do (from Pretty in Pink soundtrack - A&M SP-5113/B-side to "New Sensation" U.K. single - Mercury INXS 9)
- Different World (from Crocodile Dundee) (B-side to "Never Tear Us Apart" 12" single - Atlantic 0-86538)
- Need You Tonight (Ben Liebrand Remix) (A-side to "Need You Tonight" U.K. 12" single - Mercury INXS 1222)
I know Rhino could do a good job with this (and, maybe someday, all of the INXS catalogue). The only question is when. The band has a show coming up in a few weeks at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver (reuniting with singer J.D. Fortune, who became the lead singer of the band in 2005 after an admittedly ridiculous reality show competition), and is said to be working on an album with a rotating stable of vocalists including Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty and Brandon Flowers of The Killers. Perhaps INXS remasters will be what you need before long.
Reissue Theory: Joe Jackson, "Live in Tokyo: The Big World Tour"
Reissue Theory: Fleetwood Mac, "Tango in the Night"
Reissue Theory: "Michael Jackson's Moonwalker"
Special Weekend Reissue Theory: Madonna, "Madonna: 30th Anniversary Edition"
Thanks for the info. I've often wondered why the only real remaster was Kick-it is the only one I see at local shops. Other than the iPod ready Greatest Hist packages, it seems that it was a "one and done" remaster for the band.
Are there any more "Deluxe Editions" that are available overseas that were not released stateside?
There is also a live INXS show available for download Rhino as well.
The closest anyone ever got to any other expansions of INXS records was a double-disc set on Raven Records in Australia: "Stay Young 1979-1982 (The Complete Deluxe Years." It had everything from the band's first two LPs (INXS and Underneath the Colours), all the other single-only tracks, demos and a good helping of live cuts. If it was ever released in the U.S. it was as an import, but I've never seen a copy in my travels along the East Coast.
I have thought of buying that import deluxe set many times but always end up holding out for the inevitable "new" deluxe version which never seems to arrive. Your proposed track list would be great. I have some of those aforementioned cuts on the various 12" singles and the like but to have them all in one place would be sweet. And I don't have that cut from Crocodile Dundee so now I need to hit Ebay for that single. Let's hope for new remasters of the whole catalogue soon. Are there any other albums besides Kick and X that got the remaster treatment?
I respectfully disagree that Rhino can do a good job on almost anything anymore...they are dead, and became so when they kicked Bill Inglot/Dan Hersch to the curb, IMO.
Their Handmade stuff is just starting up again, but they've lost a lot of lead to the Hip-O Select crew over the last couple years.
You might also include "Never Tear Us Apart (Video Mix)" This was never on a disc, but I remember that the music video from back in the day had an extended string/keyboard intro that was really quite lovely.
It dawned on me the other day, but how about a reissue Listen Like Thieves?
Disc one-the remastered version of the original album
Disc two-a DVD of their MTV concert from the Weekend Concert?
Not to add to the mess - but -
Different World (12" Mix) was a cassette single bonus track to the US "Never Tear Us Apart" release. Therefore, a 12" of a b-side (or non-album track, take your pick...)
It was actually released in Australia on the CROCODILE DUNDEE OST as a 7" version, and on the B-Side of the LISTEN LIKE THIEVES 12 inch single as an Extended Remix version. IMO - the extended remix is AWESOME!!! Some of the best drumming by Jon Farriss in the middle of the track and the ending just POWERS!!! That would be the version that should go on any so called "definitive INXS" release, which considering their catalogue would be quite a set indeed!!!