Customer Reviews

INXS - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First of all, everybody needs some INXS in their collection, and unless your a fanatic, a "Hits" album will probably due. However, the newer "Best of INXS" is far superior to this one. It has 21 tracks remastered, still on one disc, and includes "This Time", "Bitter Tears", "The Gift", "Not Enough Time", and "Dont Change", all of which are missing from this U.S. greatest hits. Plus others. It also drops the few tracks that didn't need to be on this one. Of course, what IS on the "Greatest Hits" cd is all good stuff. If you really need an INXS fix, look at the 2-cd "Anthology". That has everything on it. More money though. Whichever set you chose, you need something to stick between your "U2" and "Cure" cd's.

When I see a review here saying that they were overrated, that's what happens when people just buy a 'greatest hits' package and judge them on that, and in this case it works against the band, this greatest hits doesn't do INXS justice. Sure most of the hits are here, but the true classic INXS songs are not. Songs that are missing from this are I send a message/Don't change/Burn for you/This time/Not enough time. If these songs were here instead of some of the weaker tracks, this would be a 5 star compilation.

Other songs that an INXS fan should check out are Good times (from the lost boys soundtrack - this song is a cover version, it's an awesome track) and Stay Young - one of my fav INXS songs. Some of the solo work from Hutchence that stands out is the effort from 'dogs in space' where he does a song called "rooms for the memory" - this is a haunting song, and one of my favs, also from batman forever he did a version of 'passenger'.

This is a CD for a casual fan, (has all their US hits from Kick, X etc) but there is so much more INXS out there, so don't think the best songs are all here and do them justice. I've heard the release of the compilation 'shine like it does' will be released later this year which will most likely be a good follow up to this package.

INXS is basically a pumped-up pub band, and this collection of their best-known hits shows it. If you ever heard it on the radio, you'll find it on here, from the catchy "The One Thing" to the funky "Need You Tonight" and the pounding "What You Need." The sadly departed Michael Hutchence does have a Jagger-like charisma, which often trancends the three-chords-and-a-beat tunes and sometimes treacly lyrics. I was pleased to see that "Disappear," the best song off the otherwise forgettable "X", is here as well. Diehard fans nitpick at the song selection, but casual fans like myself enjoy this immensely.

This CD is a good place to start if you just started to listen to INXS (you're either just entering high school, or lived on mars for a while if this is the case). Sure, "Not Enough Time" "Don't Change" and a slew of other GREAT songs aren't on this album, but the rest of the songs totally make up for that. the 2 "new" tracks on the album are good too. they totally sum up inxs' sound, that there's no better place but a greatest hits album to put them on. don't forget to check out Michael Hutchence's solo album that just came out! it will blow you away. too bad he died so soon. he really was the driving force behind INXS.

Anyone who's followed INXS through the years should see right away that there are some huge holes in the song selection here. From the woefully represented "Welcome to Wherever You Are" album, the tracks Not Enough Time and Taste It are missing. And from the old days, the retro classic Don't Change isn't here either ! Is this a joke ? There are way too many easily forgettable tracks here in their place. Songs like Heaven Sent and The Stairs are hardly greatest hits worthy.Also the two "extra" songs on here are horrible and were probably collecting dust in someone's closet before being pulled out to fill up some cd space. This subpar collection was either put together with a blindfold, darts and a list of past songs, or the Atlantic records intern who got the job suffered a head injury shortly before.

No "Don't Change"/"This Time"/"I Send a Message"/"Burn For You"/"Mediate"- no good review! Greatest Hits has got to be one of the all-time biggest music industry lies. Here's the strategy: 1) Get most of the hits of the biggest selling albums but leave off a crucial track or two (see the above list) so the back catalog continues to sell. 2) Throw in the hits of the later less-successful albums which is what these packages are really made for (Sure, I want "Suicide Blonde" but not at the expense of buying "X") and 3) add two unreleased "hits" aka "filler" and sell to unsuspecting longtime fans who have long worn out their cassettes. I hate it when a label exploits a musician's death but this time I was actually hoping they would and release a true "greatest hits". Of course, the industry let me down again!!

The band INXS as we know it pretty much ended with Michael Hutchence's death. This band was a powerhouse in the 80's with the stellar albums What You Need and Kick. Thier style was a unique mixture of rock, new wave and even a little bit of punk. I Need You Tonight, New Sensation, Suicide Blond..there are all here in thier original splendid form.

There are two great things about this album. It's mostly in chronological order from when it was relesed and the music stil sounds great today. Two, unless you are a hardcore INXS fan this will really be enough for you. I have this CD is my regular rotation of about 200 CD's and its always welcome when its number is called. The CD concludes with Beutiful Girl and then looses some steam with the last two songs but the hour preceding that is evenly strong.

Bottom Line: This is great album that most of the pre 20's crowd will find completely foreign. Trivia question: which band won best music video (MTV) of 1987....INXS - Need You Tonight.

Nostalgia filled me as I listened to some of the most eloquent and poignant songs ever written and sung by the infamous Michael Hutchence, taking me back to the age of sixteen and absolutely loving the passion that surrounded this band. It was great to be re-aquinted with songs that opened up wonderful memories and experiences. Definitely a must have for any CD collection.

INXS's first Greatest Hits package is a good taste of what you can expect from the Aussie supergroup. A wide ranging look to where the band has been and how far it has come from the Australian beer barns. Although it does lean a little to the safe side, maybe for commercial reasons as this compilation was released at a time when the band's sales were sliding. The "usual suspects" are in this compilation including "New Sensation", "Never Tear Us Apart", "What You Need", "Suicide Blonde" and "Disappear". Highlights include "Shine Like it Does", "Original Sin", "The Stairs" and "Heaven Sent". Glaring omissions from this compilation are "The Gift", timeless "Don't Change", "Stay Young", "Mediate", the bone crunhing "Taste It" and "By My Side". Overall a "good" package for those who are curious. For the fans or those who want to hear more listen to: MAX Q (Michael Hutchence's solo project '89'), Welcome To Wherever You Are(their best studio album) and watch Live Baby Live on DVD.

I rate this a four only because it is a great cd, but ... Shine Like It Does, The Anthology is a much better alternative. It contains songs the greatest hits neglected and then some. I think most notable is that the Greatest hits misses Not Enough Time and all the songs on Full Moon Dirty Hearts. Both albums miss an important song which is Mediate. However, the album is complete in including the big radio hits and the casual listener will enjoy it.