Review of INXS: I`m Only Looking Best Of

Introduction

Ahh, INXS. Like Guns`N`Roses, they always take me back to being in the sixth form at school, and watching the so called "future of the country" all down on their knees in the middle of a dance floor somewhere, playing air guitar to Need You Tonight or New Sensation. Some of these people are now teaching your children, looking after your money or working on major engineering projects in your area. A chilling thought? It certainly is for me!

INXS released their first album all the way back in 1980, but it wasn`t until 1987`s Kick that they became known in the UK. 1990`s less impressive album X followed, along with a massive tour and then the inevitable live album in 1991`s Live Baby Live. There have been other albums since then but the biggest event after their popularity boom was the death of Michael Hutchence, following on from his much publicised relationship with Paula Yates (he was cited in her divorce from Bob Geldof). Hutchence was found dead in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Double Bay, Sydney in November 1997, having committed suicide by hanging himself. That is really where the INXS story ends for me, although the band are still wanting to go on.

This DVD covers the whole period of INXS, with tracks from 1980`s INXS (original name for an album eh?) right the way through to 1997`s Elegantly Wasted. The tracklist is oulined up above.

Video

This DVD covers videos from 1980 to 1997 so the quality does vary a bit with the later videos looking better, both technically and from an aesthetic point of view. They are all presented in full frame (4:3), which is how they were shot, and as you track them through the years you see how things change for the band. Richard Lowenstein is the main director on show here since he directed 14 INXS videos, 10 of which are featured, including Need You Tonight, which won 5 awards at the 1988 MTV Video Music Awards. Watch out also for Devil Inside, directed by Joel Schumacher no less!

The image quality on some of the extra features is also variable - due to the wide variety of sources, from backstage footage to professionally filmed interview segments.

Audio

A choice of 3 soundtracks, in ascending order of excellence - DD2.0 stereo, DD5.1 and dts. All of the tracks sound fairly good but the dts track just has the edge for me. The 2 multi-channel mixes are remix jobs, but they`ve been handled pretty well and do enhance the sound for the main selection of videos.

This choice of audio tracks is also present on disc 2, but as with the video quality, again the sound quality can vary depending on the source of the material - some of the live tracks do sound a bit average, whereas the remix videos all sound spot on.

Features

A whole big fat disc stuffed full of them. This is the way to do it. Here are all of the bits to choose from

INXS Live - a selection of live footage from across the years, and a welcome addition so you can see the changing face of the band in a live setting. There`s material from their most popular period here too, so you might spot yourself in the crowd at Wembley (I couldn`t).

Remixed - another key factor in the band`s popularity was that they won more fans with some interesting choices of remix artist, including David Morales, Sure Is Pure and Youth. 1994`s Greatest Hits album also came with All Juiced Up, a limited edition remix album showcasing some of these tracks. The 4 tracks on show here are different from those present on that album.

Welcome To Wherever You Are - behind the scenes footage, video footage, more live footage and more rare glimpses at INXS from the period of the aforementioned album.

Pictures From A Full Moon - the same format as the previous feature, but concentrating on the period of the album Full Moon, Dirty Hearts.

Rare & Unreleased - does exactly what it says on the tin - some of the rarer items from the archive.

Behind The Scenes - more interview footage featuring band members, video directors and others.

Picture Gallery - a series of pictures from the archives

INXS Online - some stuff from the website, rather dull and uninspiring

A nice little package overall.

Conclusion

So there we are, the history of INXS all packed into a nice little 2 DVD set. The set covers most of the important points in the history of the band, and whilst you might make some alterations to the tracklist on disc one, it`s a pretty good offering overall. There`s probably even plenty of stuff here for die-hard fans, but if you`re more a casual INXS fan like me, then this is a great package to add to your existing INXS collection, or even to start it off.

The image quality is probably as good as you might get, and the sound is fine, with the remixed multi-channel tracks really adding something extra to the sound. And then there`s all the other stuff on disc 2, which rounds the whole package off nicely. Definitely one for big fans of the band, as well as more casual listeners. Have Australia produced a better band than INXS at their best? Not so far.