Kick (album)

Kick
Studio album by INXS
Released 19 October 1987
Recorded 1987
Genre Rock, pop rock
Length 39:17
Language English
Label WEA, Atlantic
Producer Chris Thomas
INXS chronology
Listen Like Thieves
(1985)		 Kick
(1987)		 X
(1990)
Singles from Kick
  1. "Need You Tonight"/"Mediate"
    Released: 23 September 1987
  2. "Devil Inside"
    Released: 13 February 1988
  3. "New Sensation"/"Guns in the Sky"
    Released: 31 March 1988
  4. "Never Tear Us Apart"
    Released: 8 August 1988
  5. "Mystify"/"Kick"
    Released: March 1989

Kick is the sixth studio album by the Australian rock band INXS, released in 1987 by WEA in Australia, Atlantic Records in the United States and Phonogram Records in the United Kingdom. It is their best-selling album and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as 6× Platinum, with sales of six million units, in 1997. Kick spawned four US top 10 singles, "New Sensation", "Never Tear Us Apart", "Devil Inside" and No. 1 "Need You Tonight". At the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards, the band took home five Moonmen for the "Need You Tonight"/"Mediate" video.

The album was produced by Chris Thomas and recorded by David Nicholas in Sydney, Australia and in Paris. The album was mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Air Studios in London.

Contents

Background

After the success of their fifth studio album, Listen Like Thieves (1985), and its first single "What You Need" (1986), INXS knew their new material would have to be even better, according to guitarist Kirk Pengilly, "We wanted an album where all the songs were possible singles".[1] They recorded Kick in Sydney and Paris, it was produced by Chris Thomas again,[2] but Atlantic Records was not happy with the result, as manager Chris Murphy remembers:

They hated it, absolutely hated it. They said there was no way they could get this music on rock radio. They said it was suited for black radio, but they didn't want to promote it that way. The president of the label told me that he'd give us $1 million to go back to Australia and make another album.[1]

Despite Atlantic's protests, Kick was released in October 1987 and provided the band with worldwide popularity, it peaked at No. 1 in Australia,[3] No. 3 on the US Billboard 200,[4] No. 9 in UK,[5] and No. 15 in Austria.[6] It was an upbeat, confident album that yielded four Top 10 US singles, "New Sensation", "Never Tear Us Apart", "Devil Inside" and No. 1 "Need You Tonight".[7] "Need You Tonight" peaked No. 2 on the UK charts,[5] No. 3 in Australia,[3] and No. 10 in France.[8] They toured heavily behind the album throughout 1987 and 1988. The video for the 1987 INXS track "Mediate" (which played after the video for "Need You Tonight") replicated the format of Bob Dylan's video for "Subterranean Homesick Blues," even in its use of apparently deliberate errors. In September 1988 the band swept the MTV Video Music Awards with the video for "Need You Tonight/Mediate" winning in 5 categories.[9]

During 1989, Hutchence collaborated with Ian 'Ollie' Olsen on a side project, Max Q,[10] the two had previously worked together on Lowenstein's film Dogs in Space. The rest of the band also took a break to work on side projects, but soon returned to the studio to record their follow-up album to Kick, which was X (1990).

Kick has been reissued on numerous occasions. Rhino Entertainment released a remastered reissue with four previously unreleased bonus tracks in 2002. Mercury/Universal reissued the album in 2004 as part of their Deluxe Edition series of albums. The two-disc collection was bolstered by a disc of remixes, B-sides and outtakes. Kick is the band's best-selling album and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as 6× Platinum, with sales of six million units, in 1997.[11] According to INXS: Story to Story: The Official Autobiography (2005) it has sold more than 10 million copies in the US alone.[12]

In March 2010, as part of his Record Club series where he covers classic albums in their entirety, Beck released the first video of his cover version of Kick on his website. The videos were submitted weekly in the same track order as the original release, although the whole album was recorded in just twelve hours on 3 March.

Critical reception

 Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars[13]
BBC Music (favourable)[14]
Robert Christgau B[15]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[16]

Allmusic's Steve Huey described the album as "an impeccably crafted pop tour de force, the band succeeding at everything they try".[13] Robert Christgau describes INXS as "silly middlebrow hacks" but acknowledges that Kick delivered "danceable rock and roll that sounds smart in the background".[15] BBC Music's Cormac Heron reviewed the 2004 deluxe edition, "[s]uperfluous second disc notwithstanding, this is a near flawless collection of songs" and felt that the "production still sounds fresh and the song-writing partnership of Hutchence/Farriss wins you over with an anthemic glory".[14] Australian rock music historian, Ian McFarlane, advises that "[it] became the band's most enduring release by mixing the hard rock sound of Thieves with a looser approach to dance grooves".[10]

Track listing

Songwriters according to Allmusic.[13]

  1. "Guns in the Sky" (Michael Hutchence) – 2:21
  2. "New Sensation" (Andrew Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:39
  3. "Devil Inside" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 5:14
  4. "Need You Tonight" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:01
  5. "Mediate" (A Farriss) – 2:36
  6. "The Loved One" (Rob Lovett, Gerry Humphreys and Ian Clyne) – 3:37
  7. "Wild Life" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:10
  8. "Never Tear Us Apart" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:05
  9. "Mystify" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:17
  10. "Kick" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:14
  11. "Calling All Nations" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:02
  12. "Tiny Daggers" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:29
2002 Reissue bonus tracks
  1. "Move On" (Guitar Version) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:48
  2. "Jesus Was a Man" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 6:10
  3. "Mystify" (Chicago Demo) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 4:11
  4. "The Trap" (Demo) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 2:32
Deluxe Edition disc two
  1. "Move On" (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 4:48
  2. "I'm Coming (Home)" (A Farriss) – 4:51
  3. "On the Rocks" (Kirk Pengilly) – 3:08
  4. "Mystify" (Chicago Demo) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 4:08
  5. "Jesus Was a Man" (Demo/Outtakes) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 6:08
  6. "The Trap" (Demo) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 2:31
  7. "New Sensation" (Nick's 12" Mix) (A Farriss) – 6:32
  8. "Guns in the Sky" (Kick Ass Remix) (Hutchence) – 6:03
  9. "Need You Tonight" (Mendelson Extended Mix) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 7:15
  10. "Mediate" (Live from America) (A Farriss) – 3:53
  11. "Never Tear Us Apart" (Live from America) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:37
  12. "Kick" (Live from America) (A Farriss, Hutchence) – 3:48

Charting

Year Album Peak chart positions RIAA[11]
AUS US GER UK
1987 Kick 1 3 11 9 6× Platinum

Personnel

Music[17]
  • Garry Gary Beers – bass guitar
  • Andrew Farriss – guitar, keyboards
  • Jon Farriss – percussion, drums
  • Tim Farriss – guitar
  • Michael Hutchence – vocals
  • Kirk Pengilly – guitar, saxophone, vocals
Production[17]
  • Bob Clearmountain – engineer, mixing
  • Paula Jones – assistant engineer
  • Richard Moakes – assistant engineer
  • David Nicholas – engineer
  • Chris Thomas – producer
Design[17]
  • Nick Egan – art direction, design, cover art concept
  • Michael Hutchence – cover art concept
  • Grant Matthews – photography
  • Ken Smith – art direction, design
  • Bob Withers – art direction, design

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jenkins, Jeff; Meldrum, Ian (2007). Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia. Melbourne, Vic: Wilkinson Publishing. pp. 86, 179–183, 223, 253. ISBN 9781921332111. 
  2. ↑ Holmgren, Magnus; Shaw, Julian; Meyer, Peer (2007). "INXS". Australian Rock Database. http://hem2.passagen.se/honga/database/i/inxs.html. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, Sydney: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0646119176.  NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting until Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) created their own charts in mid-1988.
  4. ↑ "INXS > Charts & Awards > Billboard albums". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jiftxqe5ldae~T5. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "INXS Singles and Albums Charts". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/artisinfo.php?id=4510. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  6. ↑ "Discographie INXS". Austrian Charts Portal (Hung Medien). http://austriancharts.at/showinterpret.asp?interpret=INXS. Retrieved 18 May 2010.  NOTE: Information in German.
  7. ↑ "INXS > Charts & Awards > Billboard singles". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:jiftxqe5ldae~T51. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  8. ↑ "Discographie INXS". French Charts Portal (Hung Medien). http://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=INXS. Retrieved 18 May 2010.  NOTE: Information in French.
  9. ↑ St John, Ed; INXS (1992). INXS: The Official Inside Story of a Band on the Road. Port Melbourne, Vic: Mandarin. p. 75. ISBN 1863302077. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1864487682. http://web.archive.org/web/20040930213309/www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=950. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "RIAA Certifications". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=INXS&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2007&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  12. ↑ INXS; Bozza, Anthony (2006). INXS: Story to Story: The Official Autobiography. Atria Books. ISBN 9780743284042. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Huey, Steve. "Kick > Review". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:axk9ikk6bb39. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Heron, Cormac (15 November 2004). "Review of INXS - Kick (Deluxe Edition)". BBC Music. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/69qv/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Christgau, Robert (1988). "Consumer Guide Reviews: Kick". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=inxs. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  16. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide (4 ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 406. ISBN 9780743201698. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Kick > Credits". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kifixq85ldfe~T2. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
INXS
Garry Gary Beers · Andrew Farriss · Jon Farriss · Tim Farriss · Kirk Pengilly · JD Fortune
Michael Hutchence · Jon Stevens
Studio albums
INXS · Underneath the Colours · Shabooh Shoobah · The Swing · Listen Like Thieves · Kick · X · Welcome to Wherever You Are · Full Moon, Dirty Hearts · Elegantly Wasted · Switch · Original Sin
EPs
Dekadance · Bang the Drum
Compilations
INXSIVE · The Greatest Hits · Shine Like It Does: The Anthology (1979–1997) · Definitive INXS/The Best of INXS · The Years 1979–1997 · Stay Young 1979–1982 · INXS²: The Remixes · Original Sin – The Collection · Taste It : The Collection
Live albums
Live Baby Live · INXS: Live at Barker Hangar
Singles
Simple Simon · Just Keep Walking" · "Stay Young" · "The One Thing" · "Don't Change" · "To Look at You" · "Black and White" · "Original Sin" · "I Send a Message" · "Burn for You" · "Dancing on the Jetty" · "This Time" · "What You Need" · "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)" · "Listen Like Thieves" · "Good Times" · "Need You Tonight" · "Mediate" · "Devil Inside" · "New Sensation" · "Never Tear Us Apart" · "Mystify" · "Suicide Blonde" · "Disappear" · "By My Side" · "Bitter Tears" · "The Stairs" · "Shining Star" · "Heaven Sent" · "Baby Don't Cry" · "Not Enough Time" · "Taste It" · "Beautiful Girl" · "The Gift" · "Please (You Got That...)" · "Time" · "Freedom Deep" · "The Strangest Party (These Are the Times)" · "Elegantly Wasted" · "Everything" · "Don't Lose Your Head" · "Searching" · "Precious Heart" · "I'm So Crazy" · "Tight" · "One of My Kind" · "I Get Up" · "Mystify (Remix)" · "Pretty Vegas" · "Afterglow" · "Devil's Party" · "Perfect Strangers" · "God's Top Ten" · "Dream on Black Girl (Original Sin)" · "Never Tear Us Apart" (w/ Ben Harper and Mylène Farmer)
Related articles
Discography · Australian Made · Rock Star: INXS · Max Q · Michael Hutchence · Terence Trent D'Arby · Jimmy Barnes · Dogs in Space
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