INXS I’m Only Looking- The Best Of

Reviewed by: Erik Swift July 2004

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Late last year many questioned why “Live Baby Live” was INXS’ first DVD release. When bands are as visually prolific as this Australian sextet, it’s a no-brainer that hours of videos exist that could be slapped together into an instant collection (i.e. Nickelback’s “The Videos”). Expectations were high for a quality compilation, and the result is WEA/Rhino Records’ double-disc “INXS: I’m Only Looking – The Best Of.” Caring well for INXS’ catalog with top-notch 2002 reissues of “Kick,” “X,” and “Welcome To Wherever You Are,” the label’s release is a well-organized, pristine example of the beauty of DVD.

The first disc assembles 25 of the most famous INXS videos chronologically; the second bursts with archival live clips and other nuggets. The latter disc’s live material is flat-out amazing. INXS perfected their musicianship in the pub circuit Down Under for years, and that strength as a live unit is not forgotten here. A fiery “Original Sin” is among the gems, while Ray Cooper and several Japanese percussionists nicely augment “Mediate” for a 1994 Osaka audience. Despite a rough start by vocalist Michael Hutchence, he quickly shines as the song progresses. The band’s energy infects a few people in the Gold Coast studio crowd as they whip out a fierce TV performance of their first single “Simple Simon.” Ignore the unmoving majority that seems to have no idea what to make of the gangly guys on stage - whoever dug this up should be thanked!

The videos are clearly the main course. From the early budget-conscious “Just Keep Walking” to the groundbreaking hiccupping strobe that is “What You Need” to the frigid Czech air exhaled from their mouths in “New Sensation,” this group labored tirelessly on their image. Manager Chris Murphy notes that INXS and their videos made a great combo, and frequent collaborator Richard Lowenstein’s camera synchronizes well with their compositions, especially during the “Listen Like Thieves”-era clips. Check out the Mad Max look of the title track, the contrast between the painted faces and black background of “What You Need” or the sweeping cinematography of Alex Proyas’ “Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)”: they’re eye-catching, fast-paced and memorable.

35 minutes into the first disc is “Need You Tonight,” the 1987 worldwide smash that shot INXS into the stratosphere. One of the most iconic music videos ever, its black-and-white mix of Garry Garry Beers’ slithery bass, special effects and a sexy guitar riff touched a global nerve, making “Kick” a mega-seller. Its famed segue into “Mediate,” allegedly filmed in 30 minutes, is here, along with the cloudy Prague of “Never Tear Us Apart” and look at them kick so-cal style in Joel Schumacher’s rapid “Devil Inside.” Has “Shining Star” even been seen in at least a dozen years?

Just a few beefs: surprisingly, the 5.1 audio jumps around. Surfing levels are obvious during the behind-the-scenes interviews with Murphy, Lowenstein and Troy Davies. The guitar track sounds more prominent than Hutchence when viewing the “X” cuts, such as “Bitter Tears” or especially “Suicide Blonde.” The Remixed section menu credits for “Suicide Blonde” and “Disappear” conflict with those on the outer box and insert (Paul Oakenfold for Nick Luanay and Morales for Pete Lorimer, respectively). The negative procured for “One Thing” is noticeably dirty, too.

The biggest complaint? Selection. Justifying this collection is incredibly frustrating when the VHS case of 1985’s “Living INXS” appears (in the cover photograph and inside this set) on top of a television among several other INXS videos. Only “Listen Like Thieves” appears from that grand concert film from Melbourne. The other 10 would have been a nice bonus feature. Similarly, in the rare and unreleased section, Tim Farriss nearly rams his guitar onto the floor in a great 1983 performance of “One Thing” at California’s US festival. Despite the time code appearance, seeing the band’s complete set would be awesome. Did the live “New Sensation” from the Summer XS tour really deserve inclusion when it’s already available on “Live Baby Live”? And where are Lowenstein’s takes on “Dancing On The Jetty” or “Heaven Sent”? “Guns In The Sky” is excluded, as is “I Send A Message” and “To Look At You.” Early material like “Stay Young” and “Spy Of Love” is nowhere. Zero from “The Lost Boys” soundtrack? Just about everything INXS is present but “INXS: I’m Only Looking – The Best Of” fails to be their ultimate visual statement because of its glaring omissions. The extra 45 minutes that could fit here beg to complete the whole. A future second volume could be fantastic.

At the root of it all remains indelible music. Whether it’s the fat bass on the racially bold “Original Sin” or the Morrison-esque sexuality Hutchence first exudes in “This Time,” INXS was a band of the most respected caliber where everyone was treated equally. It’s not hard to believe that the red-shirted rail that is Hutchence in “Just Keep Walking” would later spurn a Rolling Stone cover shoot because his mates weren’t included. Their twenty years without a lineup change had more to do with the close friendship forged between Hutchence, Beers, the Farriss brothers (Tim, keyboardist Andy and drummer Jon) and sax man Kirk Pengilly than anything else. Much like “The Greatest Video Hits 1980-1990,” that bond is displayed most in the frequent song introductions by the band. Jon Farriss’ admission that the slow frame-by-frame filming process of “New Sensation” wasn’t one of his favorites is funny stuff. Typical confessions follow, as Beers explains that the band felt like shit before filming “Bitter Tears” because they were hung over. He’s happy to cite that his see-through Plexiglas bass “sounds like crap but looks really good, though.” Whether noting how badly the “Not Enough Time” suits stank, recalling an encounter with Chinese meditation balls, commenting on mullets or ripping on the culprit that sucked a model’s nasty toes, the five surviving members’ recollections offer a great inside look behind the making of some of the most seminal music videos.

The tragic fracture of the unit hangs over the 268 minutes that is “INXS: I’m Only Looking – The Best Of.” Following the 1997 suicide of Hutchence, all promotion ceased behind “Elegantly Wasted,” their tenth effort. Viewing the three clips left behind – the soulful “Searching,” the simple “Everything” and the unfortunately titled “Don’t Lose Your Head” – offer no clues to the late front man’s inner demons. Only Andrew Farriss’ comments about the “headspace Michael was in” is the closest anyone comes to expressing anything concrete about his final days. The recent news that the band is using a reality show to help them land a singer (after stints from Terence Trent D’Arby, Jimmy Barnes and Jon Stevens) is disheartening but understandable. A band this good doesn’t deserve to collect dust. As if that would ever happen. Ain’t no sense all your crying. This collection, like INXS, will make you dance, shimmy and shake your hips for quite some time.

Reviewer’s Opinion: BUY IT!!