Kick 25 (Deluxe Edition) [Deluxe Edition]

Now I am reviewing the Deluxe Edition which has 2 CDs. Firstly the main CD is sounding amazing and top quality which in itself is worth buying this. Secondly the booklet could be better it really just looks like a normal CD booklet but is ok.
Now what makes this special is the 2nd CD. Its starts with an fantastic soul version of Never Tear us Apart and includes amazing versions of Mystify and other favourites plus a few B sides.
If this is the quality of outtakes and new versions that they recorded then INXS needs to release an Anthology from their career. It sounded brilliant while driving around today.

It goes without saying that Kick is a 5 star album.All killer no filler and it still sounds incredible 25 years on.But it's not so much about what's in this Super Deluxe 25th Anniversary Edition of Kick,it's what's missing.Here was an opportunity to gather everything "Kick" related in one box and I'm afraid it can only be called an epic fail.

It comes as a 10" x 10" slipcase.Inside is an 80 page hard back book with relevant pictures and the story of the album.It's not bad and has a couple of pics I've not seen before but it's a very quick read.The most unbelievable thing that's missing from the book are the song lyrics.The four discs are housed in slots inside a gatefold card sleeve which can sometimes be bad for scratching discs.My cds were all ok but the dvd has marks on it already(it arrived in this condition).There's also a huge replica poster for the release of the "Mystify" single,folded up into squares to fit inside the slipcase.All those creases make it unsuitable for framing so you can't do anything with it except look at it once,fold it up again and put it away.And a sheet of stickers,why???(obviously Universal think that Inxs fans are still teenagers).Now onto the music.

Disc one,the album itself is here,nicely remastered for the new millennium.Kick was remastered and re-released in 2011 so I'm guessing that the album tracks are as released in 2011.All good so far.

Disc two rounds up all the demos,out-takes and live cuts from the previous "Kick Deluxe Edition" released in 2004 with the addition of two extra tracks.There's an alternate shorter so called guitar version of "Move On",previously only available on some "Need you Tonight" singles.The other extra track is the superb "Do What You Do" as featured on the Soundtrack for the movie "Pretty In Pink" and the "New Sensation" single b-side.I've long thought this track belonged on an Inxs album and finally here it is.

Disc three,only released with the Super Deluxe set,focuses on the remixes/previously unreleased mixes and is the carrot for fans.What a massive disappointment this disc is.With a skimpy running time of just over 33 minutes there's a few choice singles missing from this disc.Things Kick off ok with a Soul Version of "Never Tear Us Apart".I've not heard this mix before.It sounds more like a demo than a finished track and includes some studio chat from Hutch at the start and end.Next are the remixes of "New Sensation" and "Devil Inside".Good to include the 12" Extended mix of "Devil Inside" but the overall mastering of this track is very dull and flat when compared to the quality of the other tracks in this set.It almost sounds,to my ears at least,like it's been sourced from vinyl but I can't be sure. The Australian single remix of "Devil Inside" is absent.Instead we get the 7" single mix which apart from a slightly slower tempo is pretty much the same as the album mix.Next up,one of the most sought after Inxs tracks,"Different World".First featured in the film "Crocodile Dundee",it was originally released in Australia as the b-side to the "Listen Like Thieves" single and given international release as the b-side to "Never Tear Us Apart".There were two different mixes,a 7" version and 12" extended mix.Why oh why have we only been given the 7" mix again? Disc three finishes with a 2012 remix of "Calling All Nations".Whilst Kids On Bridges have done an ok job remixing this great album track it sounds really out of place here next to the vintage 80's mixes.
Here's a list of what's missing that I know of,there could be more.
Different World - 12" Version
Guns In The Sky - Kookaburra Mix
Need You Tonight - Ben Liebrand Mix
Need You Tonight - Mendelson 7" mix
Devil Inside - Australian Single Version

Disc four(also only available in the Super Deluxe set)is a dvd containing a 35 minute track by track interview doco with the three Farris Brothers(no sign of Kirk Pengilly or Garry Gary Beers)and some short archival footage of Michael Hutchence.Recorded over a year ago I was really expecting a retrospective look back at the making of this album but all we get is Andrew,Tim And Jon talking about the songs,how much fun they are to play and a very basic look at how some of them were written.Next up is a 15 minute montage of home video footage of life on the road shot mainly by Jon and accompanied by an audio track of songs from Kick edited together by Andrew.It's mildly interesting visually but as it has almost no archive audio is rather pointless.Finally there's three promo videos one of which,"Guns In The Sky",makes it's digital debut.It's followed by "Mystify" complete with it's title card intro then "Need You Tonight" minus "Mediate"....AGAIN!That's it,only three of the seven videos.Why all the other promos are missing is unexplainable.It's nice to have the "Guns" promo(all 2 minutes of it) and the alternate start version for "Mystify" but to leave off "Devil Inside,New Sensation and Never Tear Us Apart" beggars belief!It's another reason why this Super Deluxe Edition is such an epic failure.

The three stars are for ok packaging,some new content and the amazing album that "Kick" is.If you're not a devoted fan then save your pennies.Either the single disc "Kick 2011 Remaster" or cheaper two disc "Kick 25 (Deluxe Edition)" will do.

"Sometimes You Kick,Sometimes You Get Kicked!"

How many releases has 'Kick' had now? Correct me if I've missed anything, but we've had the first release in the 80's, the early 2000's deluxe edition, the import version, and the 2011 remaster. Now we get these two sets, the 25th anniversary Deluxe Cd and the Super Deluxe CD+DVD package.

If we're judging this by the music alone, then there wouldn't be a problem. I still get the shivers when I hear this fabulous record. The only problem for devotees is that you might need to give a bit of thought about which version of these anniversary sets you want to buy.

I'm going to upset a lot of people by saying this, but this album was in my view the culmination of everything INXS had worked for up to that point, and everything that made them a great band. After 'Kick' and the ensuing world tour they had a long lay off. The comeback album 'X' was a bit of a disappointment to many, and though they remained (and remain to this day even without Michael) one of the great live acts, playing great shows and selling out places like Wembley, musically they never regained their peak.

"Kick" was the perfect fusion of the funky pop-rock they'd been honing up until then, and managed to transmit so much of the energy they threw off when playing live. Things clicked sort-of on the previous "Listen Like Thieves" LP (a classic side 1 let down by an inconsistent side 2). "Kick", however, is in a different league altogether, with barely a duff track and a few all-time classics. Rest assured the remastering process has made everything sound absolutely crystal clear and brand spanking new (not that it ever sounded bad, since Chris Thomas's production always stood out).

I'm not going to go through it track by track, suffice to say that this album covers so many different moods and emotions. Play it in the car, play at night on headphones, stick it on at a party or sing along to it on the bath. Wherever you play it, whoever is around when you play it, a splendid time is guaranteed for all.

My only caveat to potential buyers is that the music on the two CD deluxe edition doesn't tell the full story. The thing is, INXS were on so much of a roll by "Kick" that it seems like everything they put on tape was worth listening to. Also this was the era of the 12 inch record and remixes by the cartload, so what the Super Deluxe edition does is mop up the B Sides, the most notable remixes and the demos. You get most of this stuff on the Deluxe edition, but with a few exceptions. My advice would be to have a good look at the respective tracklistings on this website and decide if there's stuff you feel you could do without. A particular standout track for me has always been "Move On" (I think this was the b side to "Never Tear us Apart".) Why this superb song was left of the album proper is a bit of a mystery to me. Just goes to show they were on a real roll if this track, which knocks most of the stuff on X and subsequent albums into a cocked hat, could be left off "Kick". While you DO get "Move On" on the Deluxe edition, the Super Deluxe gets my vote by resurrecting the longer, keyboard intro version of this song which has an extra verse. At last I have another copy of this, since my cassette died the death years ago.

Completists and nostalgics will have to bite the bullet I suppose and shell out for the Super Deluxe, since it's got virtually all the music of the "Kick" era plus the DVD and booklet. My only complaint is the '25' in the title, since it reminds me of the passing of time. Just as well, then, that 'Kick" is one of those albums that stops the clocks and makes you forget your cares.