80’s at 8: January 11, 2023- INXS
It’s a Double Play Wednesday 80’s at 8 with a Double shot of INXS. Both tracks are from their third album from 1982 titled Shaboo Shoobah. The album was INXS’s first to be released worldwide.
It was produced by Mark Opitz for WEA (Warner Brothers Australia) with most tracks written by band members Keyboardist Andrew Farriss and Lead Singer Michael Hutchence. Lead Guitarist Tim Farriss felt Producer Mark Opitz was the first producer that was able to capture some glimmer of what the band sounded like live.
Mark had done bands like AC/DC, bringing big guitar sounds, and mighty drum beats. The name “Shabooh Shoobah” is an onomatopoeia of a rhythm in the song “Spy of Love” which is a deep cut on the album. Shaboo Shoobah was certified Gold in the US and Dbl Platinum in their home country of Australia.
At the 1982 Countdown Australian Music Awards, the album was nominated for Best Australian Album. The first track played in the INXS Double Play was the third single released. Cash Box Magazine wrote this about the song “Michael Hutchence intones the lyrics upon a ‘Shabooh Shoobah’ drumbeat” and that” when guitars finally do enter the picture, they seem to slice the melody in half.”
The track is To Look At You it kicked off the INXS Double Play in the 80’s at 8.
Check out the music video for “To Look At You” by INXS here:
The second track needs no introduction but I’ll do it anyway. The One Thing wrapped up the Double Play! This track is Fing AWESOME!!! It was the first single released by Shahboo Shoobah. It reached #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart and #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #14 on the Australia Kent Report Chart. The music video for the song, directed by Soren Jensen, featured the band members having a decadent banquet with a number of beautiful models, including Hutchence’s then-girlfriend Michele Bennett,
It features clips of the band playing their instruments. Hutchence knew Jensen, who was an assistant director on the Australian soap opera, The Young Doctors, through his mother, Patricia, who was a make-up artist for the show. The models, Susan Stenmark and Karen Pini, who appear in the music video were also actresses in The Young Doctors. The music video was their first video to air on
MTV went into high rotation on the channel, which added to the chart success of the single in the US. Lead Guitarist Tim Farriss said: “We made a crazy video at home in Australia for “The One Thing.” We fed valium to a few cats and had them running around a table while we had a feast with sexy models and Playboy centerfolds, ripping apart a turkey. Next thing we knew we had a top 40 hit in America and were opening for Adam Ant”.
You can check out the music video for “The One Thing” by INXS here: