Aussie Sensation

Review Score: (10/10)
Inxs had experienced some success in the US starting with Shabooh Shabaah in 1983 and Listen Like Thieves in 1985 (Which produced the top ten hit "What You Need"), but 1987's Kick made them into superstars. The band had the great ability to make rock music that a dance sensibility. Kick's twelve songs crystallized this style. The album's first single "Need You Tonight" was built around a simple riff that shuffled along, but was filled with a powerful vocal. The song became the band's only number one single. "Need You Tonight" merges directly into "Mediate" which is a stream of conscious song in the vein of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (which the video for the song imitated). Even better is the throbbing "Devil Inside" which pounds along an aching pace before exploding in a fury at the end. "Guns In The Sky" is a strong rocker that opens the album and slides into the hyper kinetic "New Sensation". "Never Tear Us Apart" is a brooding song that conveys a sense of obsession. The album peaked at number three, but produced four top ten hits ("Need You Tonight", "Devil Inside", "New Sensation" which topped out at numbers one, two and three respectively and "Never Tear Us Apart" which hit number seven) and the band received massive airplay on MTV.

More Reviews:

• Takes you back
• Pleasant enough
• A Great Album ? Yes. Released in 1988? No.
• Foot-stompin' Aussie rock!
• a classic in the making
• A 5-star album. Alas, a 3-star reissue.