I think the saying "the higher you climb, the harder you fall" is taken too seriously in everyday life.
A bit like when the INXS found themselves with the intent of recording a new chapter of their discography; they had climbed very high. The Australian band bid farewell to the eighties with the manifesto album Kick, and meeting their own expectations and those of their fans seemed quite challenging after such a record. One of the most recurring fears of those who reach such heights (in terms of approval and sales) is not being able to repeat themselves. But who cares after all.
The truth is, X did not become what Kick still is today, but it was still a great album that I would describe as their second best.
X marked the tenth anniversary since their debut, but also the beginning of an ideal second phase. It was also their last collaboration with producer Chris Thomas (one who worked, among many, even with the Beatles) to whom we owe -in part- that quest for a clean sound later abolished by the group.
In terms of sound, Andrew Farris (lyricist along with Hutchence) proposed the inclusion of Charlie Musselwhite and his harmonica, giving the songs a fuller and more bluesy character. The flagship track Suicide Blonde positively reflects the choices made in the studio.
An inspired Michael writes about a girl who dyes her hair. Someone suggested that the woman in the song was the then flame of the singer, Kylie Minogue. In hindsight (the personal events of INXS and Paula Yates), the term suicide does not sound indifferent.
The ballad role that the beautiful Never Tear Us Apart covered in the previous work was entrusted to the single By My Side; a clear example of how dynamic the vocal interpretation of the leader could be.
During the 41 minutes of the entire X, he screams, sighs, walks on the hot coals of the most passionate blues; the painful and aching ones.
The best performance of the bunch is undoubtedly Faith In Each Other (Mick Hucknall of Simply Red would kill to have this song). In it, the entire band gives their best, unleashing a killer groove wrapped in Hutchence's vocalizations; the soul in torment that pulses. The bass lines of Gary Beers and the funky guitars of Kirk Pengilly stolen from the best Nile Rodgers.
There’s another saying, contrary to the first, that goes, "the higher you climb, the farther you see," which I find more in tune with myself.
The truth, if there ever was one, would surely be halfway.
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