Need you tonight

This is an album I adored for the longest time, but only recently got my own copy. Last time I wanted to buy it I completed an order online, waited for confirmation and then the seller emails me that he literally sold it minutes before in his store. I mean what kind of karma is that?

But thanks to a really good friend I can now enjoy it as loud as possible on my very own player. And trust me I played it like 6 times already since I got it, and I played it loud. Never tear us apart? Still makes the hair on my arms stand up each time I hear it. And did you know it was supposed to be a piano song at first? Thank god it isn't is all I'm saying.

This is the 6th studio album they released and the album that moved them from their previously more new wave sound to a more funk and soul and punk and sorta dance oriented sound. And it gave them four of their bigger hits that reached top ten in the USA, with ''Need you tonight'' being their first and only number one.

What I find funny is that their record company hated the album. Reminds me of Warrant and their Cherry pie, Jani hating that song so much yet it's the song even people that have no idea who Warrant are will know. Aparently Atlantic Records president offered them a million dollars to record another album because this one is shit.Well thank all the gods they didn't take that offer. Hope he bit his tongue after seeing album sales.

Though the band went through a serious downfall in the 90's I think the final nail in the coffin was Michael's death in 97'. There would be no way in getting their sound or vibe back, not without the soul that Michael brought to the band. He had this charisma about him, perfect voice, perfect vibe. He was something else and he died way too young and so tragically too. Another sad story isn't it? A musician that has so much to give, a good person,…sad.

Album starts with Guns in the sky which is a track describing the state of the world and it's obsession with arms, a byproduct of the cold war era as well as about the fears of nuclear war.. In the final verse, he sings; “Well I’m sick of it / It’s a load of shit / We could stop the world / And let off all the fools / And let them go live with their guns in the sky …”.

INXS then shifts gears and slips into the funky, New Sensation, another track blasted probably on the dance floors in most corners of the world in the late 1980s. I remember making out on a dance floor to this song once. Faintly. There was a bit too much vodka prior to that. But I do remember the song very clearly. Hah.

Then you got the first single off Kick which is ''Need you tonight'' a song that probably needs no real introduction, legendary. That little sexy whisper ''come over here''. I read in the INXS's official autobiography that Andrew Farriss said that the famous riff to the song appeared suddenly in his head while he was waiting for a cab to take him to the airport, he was going to Hong Kong. Aparently he asked the cab driver to wait a few minutes while he grabs something from the hotel. He ended up recording the riff and coming back an hour later with the tape. I bet that driver was hella pissed though. From there he flew to Hong Kong and worked out the rest of the song with Hutchence in about an hour. I mean jesus, talent much?

The song though is a much more electronic than most of the band's material before or after, combining sequencers with regular drum tracks and a number of tracks of layered guitars.

On the Kick album, the song is linked to the next song, which is titled either "Mediate" or "Meditate", depending on the pressing of the album. On some compilations, the two tunes appear together and on others, only "Need You Tonight" appears. The music slowly dies down and Hutchence simply says "you're one of my...kind" before seguing into Mediate / Meditate a song that recalls the more experimental side of INXS. Can I just say that I would LOVE to be ''his kind''?

I can't even remember first time I heard them, must of been early in life, I remember knowing about them since forever. Literally. Never tear us apart was one of my favorite songs since forever. I remember it playing on my daddy's radio and mom's car. Always brings up nice memories.

Kick in general was the band's best selling album, with reported sales at around 20 million worldwide. Aparently and so the band's official autobiography says, the album sold nearly 10 million copies worldwide only two years after its release. I think that's a rather amazing number, I mean sure there's bands that top that number by far but still. Great number for an album that's by some unpopular oppinion shit and shouldn't be released.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Kick as six times Platinum. And in Canada, Kick is the second album by an Australian band - musician to receive a diamond accreditation, the first being AC/DC's Back in Black.

The album has been praised by critics of the world as a work of "rhythm rock" perfection, and has made its way onto many "best of" lists; in their 1988 issue of "Best Albums of the Year", Rolling Stone readers placed Kick at number 3. Two years later, the magazine ranked the album at number 11 in their 1990 Australian issue of "100 Greatest Albums of the 80s''. Well deserved if you ask me, it gives me shivers how people these days don't even know them.

"Need You Tonight" was also at number 16 on the list of "Top 100 songs of the 80's. LA Weekly also listed the song at number 5 on their list of "20 Sexiest Songs of All Time''. How must it feel to have a ''sexy song'' never mind one of the sexiest songs of all time? Must be am odd feeling. Also what makes a song sexy? The number of people that did IT to it? Number of people that wanna make out like crazy to it? A singers low and raspy voice? Or a guitar riff to die for?

Now the reissue. It's on a three-CD + one Blu-ray set thingy that aparently includes previously unreleased demos, remixes and rarities. And would you believe I don't have it yet? Hell must have frozen over. Ha. There was also a vinyl version of Kick remastered and cut at half speed over two 180 gram LPs that will spin at 45 RPM. I heard different things about that one though, some saying it's amazing. Some saying it's awful. But a friend of mine told me that the sound quality makes you feel like you're in the studio with them. Boy, what I'd give for that…studio with an amazing band. Can you imagine what it had to be like to be in the recording sessions with GN'R while they did Appetite? My god.

While we're on this INXS topic, I wanted to share a drawing of Michael I did some time back. I had too much fun drawing him, always love drawing long hair. Maybe that's why I keep drawing rockstars, they all have long hair. Hah. Anyways this took me about 19 or so hours and I used classic Faber Castell color pencils pack of 24 plus graphite pencils 2B to 8B, I noticed that those preform so much better then a black colored pencil. It's never really black while the pencil is. Funny huh?

Alright that's about it. Wish me luck guys, I'll be seeing the Infinity war sometime this week. Now that whole ''Thanos demands your silence'' didn't work so I already know it's going to rip out my heart and that I will never recover. Seriously Marvel get your shit together this isn't funny anymore. Take care y'all, and I'll see you when I get back, assuming I live to see another day after IW.