Shake Shaboohty:INXS

Rip It Up, Issue 68, 1 March 1983, Page 2

Shake Shaboohty:lNXS

Russell Brown

Michael Hutchence and Kirk Pengilly are absolutely buggered. Last night was a little in excess of what was good for them, if you like. Hutchence, the singer for INXS, asks if anyone interesting is playing in town rather pointless, because they're playing tonight and flying to America tomorrow morning. He'd like to see th< Dance Exponents, he's heard a 10l about them. INXS are playing here to promote their new album Shabooh Shoobah, produced by Australian hard rock ace Mark Opitz. An unusual choice for INXS? "Well, we've had a bit of a problem getting our live sound on to vinyl," explains saxist Pengilly. "And Mark had experience with rockier type bands like Chisel and the Angels so we figured it would a good medium between our style and his production." "It was a new page for Mark as well," Hutchence puts in. "He had to do something new to get out of the heavy metal comer he got himself into in Australia. "We didn't want something as light as our first two albums. We're not satisfied with them. We're not satisfied with Shabooh Shoobah either but just about." The album's packaging is very sophisticated, was that something the band aimed at? "Not too sophisticated, I hope!" Hutchence says. We 11... "Well, it was our first album with WEA and they wanted to

give us all they could a poster, an inner sleeve..." "But the first albums had either lithographs or paintings of things we made them ultra-colourful," Pengilly says. The band has had a fairly easy time in the past month, taking time off to write songs: but with a very full year ahead, beginning as support on Adam Ant's USA tour, it might be some time before the new songs are used. "We might not even do an album for this year," Hutchence shrugs. "Well probably record the album this year," Pengilly explains. "It might be released later, to co-

incide with overseas markets." . But INXS already have plenty of product with which to mount an assault on the world's record stores. Hutchence lists all the records set to get released during the year: "We've got a dance EP with a dub mix of 'Black and White', a mystery country, hit —that's the one I did with" Jenny Morris from the Crocodiles, a B-side : EP of experimental stuff and a double gatefold single featuring To Look At You'." They trip easily, off his tongue And then there's the album. The band's promo in the USA has been deliberately topsyturvy, with a video being released before any vinyl was available!/ With the album being released this week, an extended mix of one of the songs has'been put out to sell the band through discos. It's all been about creating a buzz. The* band are confident about taking any opportunities offered to i them in America "We're going to be there in the midst of it all, not ,come in six months later. We'll be there as it's happening and we'll be touring." Hutchence doesn't see the band as part of any wave of Australian music sweeping the world.

"First, I don't believe that Australian music is really doing, big guns. Men At Work are doing it for everyone else. "But they've rewritten history," he enthuses. "Number One in America and England and about to get One in Japan! They never actually have to write another song!" It's touching how much Australian bands believe in each other. But as for, Men At Work, reports are that they've got a real turkey of a contract, so they won't be settling down and buying islands in the Pacific just yet. But the fact remains that INXS are to be a fairly hot property over the next few months. Has there been any pressure • from record companies to tailor their approach to the lucrative American market? "No," Hutch'ence laughs. "I don't think anybody's ever tried to tell us what to do with music not once! ’ "There's no need for that we're a long term band. There's no need to push us to make music that fits markets."