Vinyl of the Week - 19 July 2020

This week I had a visit from a good friend who brought a whole stack of records to look at and listen to while we geeked out over vinyl. Hence this week’s choice, courtesy of my good mate DG. Kick is the sixth studio album by arguably one of Australia’s most loved bands. High on the success of their breakthrough album ‘Listen Like Thieves’, INXS set out to make their next one even better. ‘What You Need’ had made it into the top 5 on the US charts but this time they wanted an album where every track could be a single. And they certainly succeeded in creating a brilliant album. To date, it has sold over 25 million copies and every song has become a hit in its own right. For this reason it’s impossible to pick a standout track but I have a favourite for its story. Andrew Farris was about to fly to Hong Kong and called a taxi to take him to the airport. As they were leaving he told the driver to stop because he’d forgotten something and went back inside. He was gone for about 45 minutes and the driver was understandably furious. (The story goes that a guitar riff had popped into his head and he went inside to record it.. the very famous riff that spawned ‘Need You Tonight’). I had completely forgotten how good this album is until I put it on. You might find that it’s time to reacquaint yourself as well - DS