INXS’ finally grabbed the brass ring of fully-fledged international pop stardom on their 6th LP “Kick.” After “What You Need”, the hit single from their previous record ”Listen Like Thieves” had stormed the international charts, the floodgates were wide open for Hutchence and co to make their mark on pop culture at large. Seemingly tailor-made for the MTV era with their innovative video clips, drop-dead-gorgeous frontman and shimmering brand of rock as much as home in the club as the pub, INXS were met by a surprising amount of resistance from Atlantic Records president Doug Morris who offered the band a million dollars to go and make a completely different record rather than release Kick. Thankfully, the band persisted and the label was dead wrong – Kick was a monster hit. “Need You Tonight”, “Devil Inside” and “New Sensation” hit 1, 2, and 3 respectively on the Billboard Charts and “Never Tear Us Apart” hit number 7. The the songwriting partner between Michael Hutchence and Andrew Farriss is in full effect here, yielding every one of the album’s 11 original songs. Kick overflows with swagger and has the chops to back it up. The crown jewel in INXS’ discography.
Pete Whelan 