An excess of "INXS".

This is whithout a doubt the best collection for the "INXS" fanatic. It's 2 cd's, and 42 songs, of the best of their lengthy and glorious career with "Michael Hutchence". The first (early years) disc, includes all the highlights from the debut, to "Listen Like Thieves". A number of real early songs are on that, plus hits like "The One Thing", "Original Sin", and "What You Need". The 2nd disc is from "Kick" on, that includes "New Sensation", "Disappear", and "Taste It", with a few songs being the single edit, or different mix. A big extra to me, is the inclusion of "Let It Ride", which was only ever released as a cd single. All this music, and a booklet full of numerous photo's, and band history. My only complaint is the packaging, I never do like the cardboard cases. The more casual fan might want the 21 track "Best Of". That has the best of this, and is much better than the older "Greatest Hits".

The Most Comprehensive Inxs out there...

"Inxs - Shine Like it Does: The Anthology (1979-1997)" is the most comprehensive compilation of Inxs' portfolio of music that is available in a single package. Inxs is a band that rose to international stardom in the 1980s - producing some outstanding creative work. Although Inxs doesn't have a true "boxed set", this two disc compilation provides 42 tracks of Inxs music complete with rare tracks and a 60 page booklet that provides a wealth of information of the band.



One fact that I find amazing about Inxs is that this six member band stuck together from their formation in the late 1970s through Michael Hutchence's untimely death in 1997. During this period, the band would release 10 studio albums, 1 Greatest Hits album, and 1 Live album. This has allowed the band to meld together and grow professionally. Much of this is due to the fact that three band members are brothers: Andrew Farriss (Keyboards), Jon Farriss (Drums), and Tim Farriss (Guitar). The other three members also stuck tightly with the band the whole way. These members include: Michael Hutchence (Lead Vocals), Garry Gary Beers (Bass), and Kirk Pengilly (Guitar and Sax). Hutchence - known for his long hair and theatrical performances in concert often gets the most publicity. But the remaining five members all make major contributions from a musicianship standpoint. In addition, Hutchence is not just eye candy - he plays a key role in the songwriting. The 60-page booklet provides a terrific insight into the history and dynamics of the band and how they endured during this time.



I think Inxs' musical style can be considered an offshoot of the Punk and New-Wave movements of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Included on "Shine Like it Does" are two rare tracks "Simple Simon" and "We are the Vegetables" (both are later included on a rare compilation called INXSive") that demonstrate the band's roots in Punk and New-Wave. Inxs has always had their own unique style - incorporating funk, synth-pop, traditional rock, and even some R&B. As for the sound, they have done a great job at keeping up with the times when the music is released.. You will hear the band have a synth-pop influence in their early 80s work, then adopt a more guitar laden sound in their later work (in sync with the direction the music industry took in the late 80s).



On this collection, Inxs does something I really like- With Greatest Hits collections, I find that the best "Greatest Hits" and Anthology collections are ones that arrange the songs in chronological order. This allows me to see how an artist progresses over time. "Shine Like it Does" does this perfectly with no flaws. "Shine Like It Does" contains tracks from each of the 10 studio albums, "The Greatest Hits", and "Live Baby Live". It also contains soundtrack and single tracks. It is worth noting there are some less comprehensive Inxs compilations out there. The most popular of these is the "Inxs - The Greatest Hits" compilation. "Shine Like it Does" contains all of the songs (in one form or another) that are contained on "The Greatest Hits" with the exception of a new song they did for "The Greatest Hits" called "Deliver Me". There is another more recent, but less complete compilation called "The Best of Inxs". This compilation contains two unreleased tracks not on "Shine Like It Does" ("Salvation Jane" and "Tight) as well as the classic tune "By My Side"(that is not found on "Shine Like It Does").



Some quick notes:



-In addition to the early rare tracks ("Simple Simon" and "We are the Vegetables"), there is another early track called "The Loved One" (also on the "INXSive" compilation). There is a terrific later track that was not included on any album called "Let it Ride". This song features has a nice cross of acoustic work with some synthesizer work. Michael's voice ranges are as in top form on this track. Listen for the Hawaii-Five O like sax at the end.



-There are some single edits of songs. I am not a big fan of single edits (I much prefer to hear full versions). These songs are "To Look at You", "Need You Tonight", "Devil Inside", and "Elegantly Wasted".



-There are some remixes that are included - namely: "Black and White", "Burn for You", "Different World", "Not Enough Time", "Beautiful Girl", and "Searching". Some of the remixes are more obvious (namely "Black and White") while some are subtle ("Beautiful Girl"). The remixed version of "Searching" is terrific - completely blowing you away.



-There is a slower version of "Here Comes" ("Here Comes II"). This is a slower-tempo version from what was on "Shabooh Shoobah".



-There are two soundtrack songs. "Different World" is from the "Crocodile Dundee" soundtrack. "Good Times" is a cover of a song by The Easybeats. It was featured on "The Lost Boys" soundtrack and features Jimmy Barnes on lead vocals.



-I disappointed by the absence of two tracks - "By My Side" and "Mediate". To me if you are going to include "Need You Tonight", you must also include "Mediate".



-My favorite Inxs track is "The Stairs". This is probably the most powerful song done by the band. I was very pleased that the live version was included from "Live Baby Live" because this is even better than the studio version.



As mentioned, there is a terrific 60-page book included with the set. This includes a comprehensive biography of the band written by David Fricke. This is followed by track-by-track commentary by Andrew Farriss. There is also a detailed discography, list of credits, and snapshots of all of the Inxs Album Covers. Each CD is packaged in an individual cardboard case. The cardboard cases and book are then included in a sleeve. Overall, despite some of the quirks I mention - this is still a terrific collectible for either the Inxs fan - or someone looking to discover Inxs. This is highly recommended.

This is really the definitive album!!!

I got for christmas the "definitive" album, but i really was waiting for "Shine like it does". I have listened to inxs since the shaboo shoobah album when i was living in tecate baja, on the border to san diego, CA (OK so i'm in my early thirties, not very old am i), and to be frank, "Shine..." has the best songs from these guys, yes "definitive" has rare songs and the preveously unreleased "tight" but they really don't compare to the other songs that are missing for example "i send a message" "the one thing" are much more representative of this australian dudes. But like i have said before, to really know a band's music it's always better to buy the albums because there's always going to be "that missing favorite song" in all compilations.