It might be seen as unfair to criticize the catalogue-oriented decisions of INXS. Since losing lead singer Michael Hutchence in 1997, they've tried hard to find their way - finding a new singer through a reality show, recording an album with him, prepping a new album with a rotating stable of lead singers and so on. Rhino, the label that controls their back catalogue in the U.S., has released a lot of compilations in the interim as well, plus a few reissues of their late '80s/early '90s work (reissues that pale in comparison to some of their overseas counterparts).
Now, Petrol Electric - the reunited partnership between INXS and producer Chris Thomas - has added yet another catalogue entry to the mix, and it's a head-scratcher, at best. INXS Platinum: Greatest Hits takes 16 studio cuts (all big hits or fan favorites, but missing plenty of pre-Kick material) and pairs it with Seriously Live, another 26 live cuts recorded all over the Hutchence era (naturally, there are no annotations as far as where or when these songs were recorded, so let's hope they're not secretly repeats from the sterile Live Baby Live LP).
Fans in the States don't even have to worry whether or not they should spring for the set, though; this digital-only release is only available in Australia, with a May 4 date for Europe. No plans have been set for an American release, either, so this may be a tempest in a teapot for catalogue enthusiasts.
Are you ready for a new (but still kind of old) sensation? Take a look at the track lists after the jump.
INXS - INXS Platinum: Greatest Hits
- Suicide Blonde
- Heaven Sent
- By My Side
- Bitter Tears
- Mystify
- Full Moon, Dirty Hearts
- Baby Don't Cry
- Please (You Got That...)
- The Loved One
- Beautiful Girl
- Never Tear Us Apart
- Disappear
- Not Enough Time
- Devil Inside
- Need You Tonight
- New Sensation
Tracks 1, 3, 4 and 12 from X (1990)
Tracks 2, 7, 10 and 13 from Welcome to Wherever You Are (1992)
Tracks 5, 9, 11 and 14-16 from Kick (1987)
Tracks 6 and 8 from Full Moon, Dirty Hearts (1993)
INXS - Seriously Live
- Burn for You (Live)
- Faith in Each Other (Live)
- Guns in the Sky (Live)
- Communication (Live)
- Mystify (Live)
- Original Sin (Live)
- One x One (Live)
- Hear That Sound (Live)
- I Send a Message (Live)
- What You Need (Live)
- Wild Life (Live)
- The Stairs (Live)
- This Time (Live)
- I'm Just a Man (Live)
- Searching (Live)
- Bitter Tears (Live)
- To Look at You (Live)
- In Vain (Live)
- Just Keep Walking (Live)
- Spy of Love (Live)
- Black and White (Live)
- Jan's Song (Live)
- By My Side (Live)
- The Loved One (Live)
- Elegantly Wasted (Live)
- New Sensation (Live)
Original versions of Tracks 1, 6 and 9 from The Swing (1984)
Original versions of Tracks 2, 8, 12, 16 and 23 from X (1990)
Original versions of Tracks 3, 5, 11, 24 and 26 from Kick (1987)
Original versions of Track 4 from Welcome to Wherever You Are (1992)
Original versions of Tracks 7, 10 and 13 from Listen Like Thieves (1985)
Original versions of Tracks 14, 15 and 25 from Elegantly Wasted (1997)
Original versions of Tracks 17 and 20-22 from Shabooh Shoobah (1982)
Original versions of Tracks 18 and 19 from INXS (1980)
This set is really lame. REALLY. First, it's digital-only. Second, the studio cuts come only from their last four Atlantic albums. How can a a set claiming to contain "Greatest Hits" not include "What You Need" or anything else from Listen Like Thieves? And third, what is up with the cover art? It looks like something from a budget K-Tel compilation.