Elegantly Story.
That having been said by Andrew Farriss, here is the abbreviated history: 1979: INXS' live debut in its native Sydney, Australia; 1980: the 1st record: INXS. 1981: Underneath The Colours; 1983: The 1st US album: Shabooh Shoobah ("The One Thing", "Don't Change"). The US Festival. 1984: The Swing ("Original Sin"). 1985: Listen Like Thieves ("What You Need", "Shine Like It Does", the title track). Live-Aid: beamed from Australia to Wembley to the world. 1987: Kick ("New Sensation", "Need You Tonight", "Never Tear Us Apart", "Devil Inside"). 1990: X ("Suicide Blonde", "Dissapear", "The Stairs"). The year-long X-Factor Tour. 74000 attend a headlining stand at the site of the band's introduction to the world: Wembley Stadium. 1991: Live Baby Live. Documents the X-Factor Tour. 1992: Welcome To Wherever You Are ("Beautiful Girl", "Heaven Sent", "Baby Don't Cry"). Hailed as INXS' most adventurous, possibly best LP to date. 1993: Full Moon, Dirty Hearts. Capri. 1980-1996 (overview): Over 20 million records sold, literally thousands of shows played, numerous hit singles, MTV Video Awards, Brit Awards, Grammy nominations... all in 17 years, all by the same six men. |
The present: INXS' 10th studio
album, Elegantly Wasted, is due out
April 1997. It is as good, if not better, as familiar yet
as different, than anything the band has done before. |
That excitement is obvious
and contagious throughout Elegantly Wasted's
12 songs. In order to capture the thrill and spontaneity
of creating this material, Farriss and his fellow
principal songwriter, vocalist Michael Hutchence, treated
every demo, every moment of music as a potential final
take. |
"A lot of people try
to design excitement in the studio," Farriss
adds. "But if you don't have it before you even
walk into the studio, you are not going to be able to
create it once you start recording. For the first time in
our entire career, we were not just capturing the best
but often the first take of each song. Some of the vocals
on the record are the first time those words have ever
come out of Michael's mouth! A lot of my instrumental
parts are first takes as well. We just assumed that
everything would be important from day one." |
"We drew on many
aspects of a sound we created." Says Farriss.
"Some of it could be us 12, 13 years ago! Now
fashion-wise, trend-wise, that might be an insane thing
to say. On the other hand, to keep changing just because
you think you have to is not necessarily a good thing.
Keep changing for the sake of changing and you'll lose
sense of your own identity. You can start to doubt your
worth, to second guess yourself, to start overthinking
every trivial little thing. When I look back on everyone,
from the band, in order to realize this, was wonderful." |
Finally, having taken some time
off, having taken stock of past accomplishments, having
allied with a new label, agency and management team,
having recorded possibly the best album of a 17-year-plus
career... where does INXS see its place in a musical land
scape radically different from the one it last visited
some three or four years back? |
INXS is: Garry Gary Beers (Bass), Andrew Farriss (Keyboards & Guitar), Jon Farriss (Drums), Tim Farriss (Guitar), Michael Hutchence (Singing, Guitar on "She Is Rising"), Kirk Pengilly (Guitar & Saxophone). |