The 1980 Listening Post - INXS - INXS

 INXS - INXS

#415

by Paul Zickler

October 13 1980

INXS 

INXS

Genre: Not Yet INXS

Allen’s Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Pauls’ Rating: 3 out of 5

Highlighted Songs: 

On the Bus

Jumping

Newsreel Babies

My brother Pat has been a huge INXS fan for pretty much always, so I sent him the link to this weirdly obscure release (it’s not on Spotify or Apple Music) and asked his opinion. I have quoted his response verbatim.

“I was listening to the INXS album. It's pretty unremarkable as an album on its own but as a building block in their collective work it makes a lot of sense. I'm really glad they didn't become a ska band and focused on making great pop music. My Bluetooth speaker was dead so I listened to the album on a phone speaker. So that probably influenced how I felt about it. It has so many influences that a person wouldn't normally associate with INXS. I hear Elvis Costello here and there and Devo backup vocals on a track. It feels like they are trying to find a sound of their own at this point but they haven't quite found it. All the elements of Kick are there, but they just aren't put together the same way.”

I don’t have a lot to add, but I’ll give some more specific examples. “On the Bus” features an interesting first person narrative and an appealing, if basic, sound. It actually reminds me of Joe Jackson a bit. “Just Keep Walking” was the single, apparently a hit in Australia, but it does very little for me. Hutchence sings it well, but he seems to be trying to sound robotic at times. There’s a cool little drum break, but then it’s over. 

“Learn to Smile” has an extended synth section reminiscent of lots of other new wave stuff, but the verses don’t go anywhere. The ska rhythms show up in “Jumping,” but only after some droney verses and more noisy synth soloing. Hutchence shows off some decent vocal chops on the outro, which almost sounds like the band I knew as INXS, but only briefly. 

The album goes on like that: an intriguing vocal moment here and there, the beginnings of an idea, and then lots of uninspiring beeping sounds and jerky guitar figures. The Devo comparison seemed weird to me, but sure enough, there it is on “Roller Skating.” I think I mentioned in my Making Movies review that roller skating was a big deal in 1980, but this particular song does nothing to elevate the art form. And yes, “Newsreel Babies” owes a huge debt to Elvis Costello, even if Steve Nieve would never have used such a cheesy synth sound or played such a dull repeated figure. The last song is called “Wishy Washy,” which is an excellent description for the entire album. Keep trying, boys. You’ll get there!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO9z4hWPWtE&list=PL905C83C4ADA8D89D