It took these six Australians (three of them brothers) from Sydney a long time to develop into something America wanted to hear; INXS is dull rock that sounds like a less musical Joe Jackson or a no-soul Graham Parker. Underneath the Colours — like its predecessor, issued in the US only after the band had become successful — has much better audio quality (although no one bothered to integrate the drums into the mix) and shifts the focus among keyboards, sax and guitar in a vain effort to vitalize the underwhelming songs.

Shabooh Shoobah, with good loud production by Mark Opitz (and one Farriss brother mysteriously missing from the credits), was the first INXS album to be released in the US and UK. Despite major strides in several areas, on the whole it's still not a happening record. A few outstanding numbers do display growth in personality and style: "The One Thing" sews a bunch of riffs together into an energetic, dense fabric, while "Soul Mistake" generates a foreboding mood and "Don't Change" gets up a good head of textured rock steam.

Following an Australian label change, the group's previous record company issued Inxsive, a compilation that includes outtakes and obscurities as well as hits.

Four songs from Shabooh Shoobah (three extended remixes plus a wholly new version of a fourth) comprise the club-oriented Dekadance EP. If not specifically better, the six-minute edit of "The One Thing" is certainly longer.

The Swing proved to be the first INXS LP of any real significance, moving the group clearly into the mainstream of modern dance-rock with the inclusion of the suavely insistent "Original Sin," produced by Nile Rodgers. (The record was otherwise done under the direction of Nick Launay.) "Burn for You" is another highlight, using a female backing chorus to affect an amusing resemblance to Roxy Music. On the other hand, "I Send a Message" finally reveals INXS' enormous potential to annoy: a basically tuneless song synth-funked into repetitive and grating obnoxiousness. Elsewhere, The Swing offers strong beats, mannered vocals and a unified, au courant sound.

Produced by Chris Thomas, Listen Like Thieves is crisp, lively rock with as little vocal posturing as Michael Hutchence seems capable of, and substantial aggressive guitar work where required. The title tune, "What You Need" and "This Time" all have solid melodies, strong rhythms and decisive hooks. "Shine Like It Does" attempts to generate a folk-rock sensibility with moderate success; other tracks are, at worst, negligible.

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Appropriately for a band that featured three brothers, INXS had its roots in a family act, the Farriss Brothers. The group came together while Andrew Farriss (keyboard, guitar), the middle brother, was in high school with Michael Hutchence (vocals). The two formed a band with Gary Beers (bass). Simultaneously, Tim Farriss (guitar) was playing in various groups with his friend, Kirk Pengilly (guitar, saxophone). Eventually the two groups merged in 1977, with Jon Farriss joining as drummer. Two years later, when Jon graduated from high school, the band renamed itself INXS, moved from Perth to Sydney, and began to play the pub circuit. Within a year, the group landed an Australian record contract, releasing an eponymous debut on Deluxe in 1980.

INXS and Underneath the Colours (1981) became Australasian hits, leading the band to an American contract with Atco Records. In 1983, they released their U.S. debut, Shabooh Shoobah, and embarked on an extensive tour which, thanks to the hit single "Don't Change," made them minor new wave stars. For their next album, INXS recorded a few sessions with producer Nile Rodgers, which resulted in the sleek, funky "Original Sin," the first inclination that the band was making a move toward a fusion of Stonesy rock and dance music. "Original Sin" made 1984's The Swing a minor hit, yet the group didn't have a genuine mainstream breakthrough until 1985's Listen Like Thieves, which climbed to number 11 in the U.S. on the strength of the single "What You Need."

Listen Like Thieves laid the groundwork for Kick, the album that made INXS international superstars. Released late in 1987, Kick worked its way to multi-platinum status over the course of 1988, as four singles -- the number one "Need You Tonight," "Devil Inside," "New Sensation," and "Never Tear Us Apart" -- climbed into the U.S. Top Ten. In the wake of the album's success, Hutchence was hailed in some quarters as the heir to Jagger's throne, and the group was considered to rival U2 in terms of international popularity. However, such success went to the group's head. Hutchence released the "experimental" side project Max Q in early 1990, and the record tanked. X, INXS' follow-up to Kick, appeared in the fall of 1990 to mostly negative reviews. While the album generated several hits, including "Disappear" and "Bitter Tears," only its first single, "Suicide Blonde," reached the Top Ten in the U.S., and the sales of X were disappointing when compared to Kick.

X hurt INXS' momentum considerably. Although the group was still quite popular on its accompanying tour -- the 1991 live album Live Baby Live was recorded at Wembley Stadium -- the group could no longer be considered in the same league as U2 or R.E.M. Hutchence continued to live a jet-setting lifestyle, dating Kylie Minogue and various supermodels, which did not wear well in the wake of alternative rock's commercial breakthrough in 1992. By the time INXS released Welc read more