Rewind: 1985 Listen Like Thieves - INXS

 Dedicated to Michelle

The first person to ever play me music by INXS

 Listen Like Thieves - INXS

Atlantic/Mercury/WEA

Produced by Chris Thomas

Released 14th October 1985

Australia #1

New Zealand #4

US #11

UK #46

Personnel
INXS members
    Garry Gary Beers – bass guitar
    Andrew Farriss – guitar, keyboards
    Jon Farriss – percussion, drums
    Tim Farriss – guitar
    Michael Hutchence – vocals
    Kirk Pengilly – guitar, saxophone, vocals

INXS were not a band who were on my radar back in 1985 until my friend Michelle from Denver, Colorado popped a cassette in the mail that contained a bunch of tunes that she was listening to at the time and on that tape was a few tracks from this Aussie band I'd never heard of before. If my memory serves me well here I'm fairly certain that there was a couple of tracks from the previous album The Swing (1984 - I know Original Sin was one of the tracks on the tape) and a couple of tracks off of the latest album at the time Listen Like Thieves. Finally got to see them on the TV in 1986 when they appeared on the Whistle Test performing the title track to the album and they also appeared on The Tube in January where they did three songs: This Time, Original Sin and Listen Like Thieves.

Despite success in other parts of Europe up until the release of Listen Like Thieves INXS had not had any chart success in the UK. The NME had declared that the band were
"depressingly definitive example of excruciating, boring, incredibly unimaginative MTV rock" and that the band were, "INX-cusable" and a reviewer declared Listen Like Thieves to be a "complete and utter turkey" - funny stuff that shows the NME don't always get it right!

Singles on Listen Like Thieves

1. "This Time"
   Released: 1985 Australia #19
2. "What You Need"
   Released: 1985 Australia #2, US #5, UK #51
3. "Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)"
   Released: August 1986 Australia #15, UK #54
4. "Listen Like Thieves"
   Released: 1986 Australia #28, UK #46, US #54