INXS

It has come to my attention that there is an American television network currently airing a show in which contestants compete to become the new lead singer of INXS. Christ almighty. Somebody shoot me.

Of course, even the most egregious examples of boob-tube poop can occasionally pay unexpected dividends. In this case, I was reminded that I had put together an 80-minute INXS compilation a couple years ago (and not bothered to listen to it since). So out of the vault it came.

Alas, as much as I'd like to say that this music of my youth has aged like fine wine, the more apt culinary comparison would be "cheap cheese." There is something undeniably dated and '80s about the band's sound, even as they dragged their tattered reputation into a new decade (ending ignominiously with 1997's double-whammy of unlistenable LP Elegantly Wasted and Michael Hutchence's suicide at age 37). Listening again after all these years, it's really no wonder that INXS - unlike their capital letter-centric brethren U2 and R.E.M. - were unable to weather the coming of grunge and neo-punk. Beyond Hutchence's legitimately "rock star" voice, there just wasn't a whole hell of a lot to build a comeback on (which makes the aforementioned lead-singer reality show all the more absurd).

All of that said, Kick remains a solid document of 1987, and I can wholeheartedly recommend another six-pack of songs (at least) from their other long-form efforts, including the absolute classic, "Don't Change."

[MP3] [left-click] "Don't Change" [from the LP Shabooh Shoobah, 1982]
[MP3] [left-click] "The One Thing" [from the LP Shabooh Shoobah, 1982]
[MP3] [left-click] "Original Sin" [from the LP The Swing, 1984]
[MP3] [left-click] "This Time" [from the LP Listen Like Thieves, 1985]
[MP3] [left-click] "Mystify" [from the LP Kick, 1987]
[MP3] [left-click] "Never Tear Us Apart" [from the LP Kick, 1987]
[MP3] [left-click] "By My Side" [from the LP X, 1990]
[MP3] [left-click] "Heaven Sent" [from the LP Welcome to Wherever You Are, 1992]

RETRO SUNDAY

WHOA, NELLIE!

NELLIE McKAY

New York-based Nellie McKay was barely out of her teens when she recorded her ambitious debut LP Get Away from Me. Over 18 tracks, she touched on everything from hip-hop to cabaret; straight-ahead pop to electro-folk. Her lyrics, too, ran the gamut - mixing issues of politics, relationships, gender identity, and random pop references in one messy blender. Overall, while the girl could certainly be accused of over-reaching, her talent was undeniable, and Get Away from Me, at its best, had a sprightly effervescence and energy that promised even better things to come.

We shall soon find out if McKay lives up to that promise, with the October release of her second record, Pretty Little Head. This one, apparently, will feature duets with k.d. lang and Cyndi Lauper(!). Color me intrigued.

In the meantime, here are a few highlights from 2004's Get Away from Me...

[MP3] [left-click] "Ding Dong"

[MP3] [left-click] "Waiter"

[MP3] [left-click] "David"

FAITHFULL-Y YOURS

GIRL, YOU'LL BE A WOMAN SOON

MARIANNE FAITHFULL

I love female singers with deep, rich voices. Of course, such voices can come naturally or with the passage of time. Marianne Faithfull, it seems safe to say, came by hers through the latter method. And probably with the assistance of a few thousand cigarettes. And liters upon liters of liquor. And perhaps some heaping helpings of heartbreak. (I find myself frequently flanking her on mix CDs with Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, but that's just me.)

It is highly informative to listen to Ms. Faithfull's "girl" voice on "As Tears Go By" in the mid-'60s (released before the Rolling Stones' version) and her full-on "woman" version of some two decades later. Certainly, in general, I prefer the later voice and the later songs, though her albums throughout her career are consistently inconsistent. Still, when it comes to the songs, she's a stylist worthy of notice (and a post on this blog).

[MP3] [left-click] "As Tears Go By" [1965] [from her self-titled LP]

[MP3] [left-click] "Song for Nico" [from the LP Kissin' Time, 2002]

[MP3] [left-click] "For Wanting You" [from the LP Vagabond Ways, 2000]

[MP3] [left-click] "There is a Ghost" [from the LP Before the Poison, 2005]

[MP3] [left-click] "Yesterday" [from the LP Love in a Mist, 1967]

[MP3] [left-click] "As Tears Go By" [1987] [from the LP Strange Weather]