There are some acts that don't get their due even at the points one would imagine they'd have earned it. The painful loss of Michael Hutchence, lead singer of INXS, didn't give the Australian pop-rockers the posthumous respect they deserved; the remaining members did that whole reality show thing and Rhino reissued a few of the band's albums in the U.S., and that was it.
This year, however, with a new album full of guest vocalists, it's a pretty fair-sized year for INXS. And Universal Music Group, which controls the band's catalogue outside of America, has some ambitious plans in the works to bring the band's catalogue back to audiences. British magazine Music Week reports that Universal is gaining the rights to all ten of the band's studio LPs with Hutchence as lead singer - the first time all of them are under one label, Mercury Records, internationally - with intentions to reissue the albums both physically and digitally as well as provide some content from the vaults.
Among the plans discussed by Universal Strategic Marketing vice president Andrew Daw:
- Physical and digital reissues on May 30 (no Amazon listings have sprouted yet)
- A new best-of compilation in the fall of 2011, as well as a televised documentary with previously unseen footage
- A 25th anniversary, multi-format deluxe edition of Kick to be released in 2012 (of course Universal's done a deluxe edition in the U.K. before)
- The first career-spanning box set for the band, slated for a fourth quarter 2012 release
- "Other bits and pieces," with possible vintage live material
This is good news, in that at least someone is doing "something". Hopefully they just make the terrific UK version of KICK the "new" version here. It's very well done, and has pretty much everything the US Rhino single disc edition reissue had and then some.
Listen LIke Thieves is just crying for a deluxe treatment, so many remixes, live recordings (including stand alone live EPs) and b-sides (mostly instrumentals by one or two band members)- all of these (as far as I know) have never seen the light of day on CD or digital download. That album stands up, even with different lead singers over the past 15 years (one notes - 2012 will mark the 15th year since Mr. Hutchence's passing).
Going back further into the catalog, it would be nice to tidy up some of the odd b-sides and non-album material. THE SWING (way too much to list....) is just one example. The earliest albums were marvelously done by Austrailia's Raven label on STAY YOUNG: 1979-1982 THe Complete Deluxe Years. A simple re-release of that -as the first two albums - would be more than enough (if only for the 1992 Capri Re-Recordings by the band - fantastic).
We really don't need another best-of. Really we don't. Greatest Hits (94), The Best Of (02) and the two-disc anthology SHINE LIKE IT DOES (01) cover it all, and then some. There have been endless runs of compilations for album tracks, remixes, mash-ups... enough already.
The Box Set idea is a more welcome one. Let's finally get "Get Up" (the only studio recording with Jon Stevens on vocals), a rehersal or live performance from the one-off show with Terence Trent D'Arby.... further demos... unreleased mixes along with the classic recordings in one set. The 90's recordings are also begging for an organized release - FULL MOON, DIRTY HEARTS has to have a ton of left overs with the travelogue on that album (see 92 Capri Re-Recordings previously mentioned)....
Hopefully we'll get a quality run here in the US. The Band INXS deserve that much.
Todd R.
Host of 3 INXS all day radio marathons in Cleveland. 97, 02, 06.
I don't think the UK Deluxe Edition of "Kick" was expansive enough. The demos/b-sides were nice, but there were a lot of remixes left off. It doesn't even include ANY remixes of "Devil Inside." I think it would be better to leave off the live tracks and put more of the 12" mixes on there, and then save the live tracks for a separate release.
Also, I wholeheartedly agree that "Listen Like Thieves" deserves the deluxe treatment. That's such an incredible, underappreciated album.
I agree they have not received their due respect also I agree with Todd R I would love to have access to older unreleased materials as well as maybe the very early SB recordings including pub gigs before they hit it big and before they were INXS the band was phenomenal Live! as well as DVD footage of previously unreleased materials and re-releases of everything not available for purchase as it is there are things circulating on EBay and various sites like that but as to their authenticy and quality I don't know.
I love all there works from Hutchence time period it really amazes me how little recognition all there albums received except for maybe Kick the music is timeless and very listenable in todays world imo.
I really hope this will happen for the US audience as there are many fans here too.
no extra's?! just straight re-masters, that's dissapointing. I would have expected the inclusion of at least the original b-sides.
What would be so wrong with a remastered album box set (tick), a remastered re-mix/B side box set and a remastered live box set..? that too much to ask?