INXS (1980)

INXS (1980)

INXS’s 1980 eponymous debut didn’t get a U.S. release. It’s an unbalanced, ska-inflected album, on which Hutchence is clearly getting comfortable with his voice. He’s often doing a very campy, Adam Ant–type accent — but it has great moments. “In Vain” is a stunner, the precursor of all that would come, and “Learn To Smile” foreshadows the sound of the decade just beginning with a sunny-but-sad synth line. “Just Keep On Walking” was their first hit in Australia, and the album itself eventually went gold there.

It’s clear that INXS are grasping to find who they are and taking cues from every sound popular at the time. They were still mainly known as a live band, and you can see that these songs might work in a small venue, but as one album, nothing makes sense. “Doctor,” “Jumping,” and “Body Language” are the most ska-like, and they simply don’t work next to the pop-rock of opener “On A Bus” or new wave of “Newsreel Babies.” Eventually, INXS would learn how to use horns to great effect. On this one, though, they’re all over the place.