Review: INXS, ‘Listen Like Thieves (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)’

Just last Friday, INXS released Listen Like Thieves (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition). We’ve done a couple of lookbacks to 1985, foremost of which was our Playlist: Rock Songs From 1985. It was a very synth heavy/drum machine kind of year. I chose to also look back to Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms (perhaps the album of 1985) and the Cult’s fabulous second album also from ’85, Love. INXS has unfortunately made a bit of a mess out of this anniversary release. There’s the Deluxe Edition that’s 3 discs long. It features the original album, remixed by Giles Martin (son of George Martin) of Beatles fame. Giles has remixed a number of Beatles classics, like Revolver, The Beatles (The White Album), Sgt Pepper, Abbey Road, and Let It Be. He also worked on their “final” single a few years back, “Now And Then.” I’m likely wrong, but this is the first non-Beatles project I think I’ve seen Giles be involved with, but I digress. The second disc (of the 3 discs) is an album of alternative/early versions of the songs found on the album. Finally, on disc 3 there’s a live concert from the Royal Albert Hall in the summer of 1986. I’ve typically found the secret sauce on these deluxe edition things is the live stuff that’s included… However, and this is the mess they’ve made out of it, they’ve also simultaneously released a 2-CD version, 40th Anniversary 2-CD Version, that has the original album, with a disc mixed with outtakes and part of the live concert found in the 3 disc version. The outtakes are not to be found on the 3-disc version and ergo, I will not be commenting on those. They put out 2 conflicting versions of the box set? You can buy the big 3-disc version and not get all the goodies… which I’m sure some record company clown thought would be a good idea, forcing completists to buy both sets… sigh.

I’m a big fan of INXS now, but I’m not sure I could say the same prior to 1987’s Kick. They released two unremarkable albums in 1980 and 1981 with little fanfare outside of their native Australia. INXS was messianic front man Michael Hutchence, and various Farriss Brothers (Andrew, keys; Tim, guitars; Jon, drums) with Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax and Garry Gary Bears on bass. Andrew Farris and Micheal Hutchence wrote most of the songs, sometimes with help from other band members. It wasn’t until their third record, Shabooh Shoobah from 1982 that I noticed them. While it wasn’t the big breakthrough third record that many bands release, I do remember seeing/hearing “The One Thing,” and later “Don’t Change” on MTV…or maybe it was on the college radio station, the album came out just as I was beginning my freshman year in college. I remember thinking INXS was some alternative, college radio type of band… out there on the edge, but I really dug “Don’t Change.” I remember thinking to myself, this is a band to keep your eye on. The Swing came out in 1984 but I’m not sure I was paying attention. My friends and I fell into two camps, a) heavy/hair metal fans and b) guys like my roommate Drew and I who were focused on looking back to the great records of the 60s and 70s. While others were buying INXS and Motley Crue records, Drew and I were buying early Rod Stewart, the Stones and Who albums. I missed out on a lot of 80s music, like INXS, because I was in a classic rock stupor.

But even I was aware of the 1985’s Listen Like Thieves, which now that I think about it would have been a perfect slogan for Napster. This was truly INXS’s breakthrough album. It was produced by Chris Thomas who has produced albums by many other big time acts: Pretenders, Elton, Pete Townshend, and Paul McCartney to name but a few. It was Thomas who told the band they needed another single and forced them back into the studio to turn a demo called “Funk Song #13” into the huge hit “What You Need.” It’s the first single and the lead off song of the album and what a monster tune! I think one of the reasons me and the dudes I was hanging out with didn’t jump on the INXS bandwagon quicker was that while they rocked, and they do rock, there was a dance-ability to the music that probably kept my gang of wallflowers from jumping in. I remember hearing the album at the time and thinking it was a bit lopsided… all the good stuff was on side 1. But as I got back into the album this week, I realized there are some good deeper tracks on side 2.

You couldn’t blame me for thinking side 1 was the only part you needed to hear. After the wallop of “What You Need,” you get the iconic title track and then another personal favorite, “Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain).” Then they hit you with the slightly midtempo/ballad “Shine Like It Does.” That’s as strong a 4-song run on any album side you’re gonna find. All of these tracks have been on every greatest hits album INXS has put out since. These songs prove that INXS had become a kick ass singles band. “Good + Bad Times” rounds out side one and I have to say, that song rocks. I used to think of it as kind of “filler” but I think I was wrong about that. Nice sax work on the track as well.

Side 2 of the original album was what I always considered the weaker side. However, it does contain the hit “This Time.” “Biting Bullets” is a galloping rock tune that kicks off the second half of the album and it’s a lot better than I remembered. “Three Sisters” is a rare instrumental from INXS and it leads into “Same Direction” which is another underrated rock tune. “One x One” is a big horn driven, arena rock thing. It was clearly designed to be played in a big room. It’s another underrated track. They end up on “Red Red Sun” which may be the hardest rocking thing on the album. All of side 2 deserves another listen for folks like me who hadn’t flipped the record over in a while. At a running time of under 38 minutes, you’d think the producers of the Anniversary Edition would have stuck the outtakes at the end of the album which comprises disc 1 of the new Deluxe Edition.

Disc 2, which is full of early demos and versions of songs that made the album is where I get a little confounded here. The songs are all later takes and don’t really stray much from the versions of the songs we find on the album. I can’t even cite my favorite trope, that this is a nice glimpse into their creative process. There is one jam on here that’s interesting but it’s mostly pretty polished, later takes. They also include some studio chatter from Hutchence, which was nice to hear once… but only once. It becomes a little wearing after a few listens. Including those outtakes on the 2-disc version might have helped here, but I don’t know, I haven’t heard the 2-disc version. Those tracks couldn’t have hurt it.

Disc 3 is the live show from the Royal Albert Hall from summer of 1986. I think INXS were always great in concert. I saw them, over a decade later, when they played a show in Liberty Memorial Park. Hutchence looked bloated and unwell but he still killed on stage. He climbed one of the lighting rigs off on the left hand of the stage (as I was facing it) and wrung everything he could out of the performance. Sadly, it wasn’t long after that we lost him. I was delighted to get this live show from ’86. However, at only 14 songs – most of which feature on Listen Like Thieves – it feels like a truncated experience. I’m sure they played a few tracks from the earlier albums like, “Original Sin,” “Don’t Change” and “The One Thing.” If you’re giving me a show, give me the full show. Although that’s a bit of a nit… this is a great performance by a band who is just hitting their stride. I just wish I’d seen these guys back then.

While Listen Like Thieves is a great album, it wasn’t until 1987’s Kick that INXS would put out their masterpiece. This was a great lead up to it, the sound of a band ascending. If you’ve never purchased Listen Like Thieves this isn’t a bad package to pick up because of the wonderful live concert. They include a track they did from the Pretty In Pink soundtrack, a live version “Do Wot You Do” that I really dug and hadn’t heard before. This is a great record and should be played at maximum volume, although I must admit it’s a terribly flawed Deluxe Edition. Disc 2 of the demos really left me cold. Disc 1 and Disc 2 are great… wish they’d put some of those outtakes onto Disc 2 of this set rather than try to extort people into buying both the 3 disc and 2 disc set. Sigh…

Cheers!