They then spent a greater portion of that year touring the United States in support of the album, which included support sots for such bands as Adam and the Ants, Stray Cats, The Kinks, Hall & Oates, and The Go-Go's. They then picked up the support slot with fellow Aussies who were going gangbusters at the time, Men at Work, and by mid-1983 INXS were headlining venues such as The Ritz as well.
When it came time to begin writing and recording for their follow up album, they were approached by producer Nile Rodgers, formerly of the band Chic, and having built up a formidable profile as a producer, including enormous selling albums such as David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” the previous year and Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” the following year. Together they moved to New York where he produced the recording of the song “Original Sin”, a song that was to become a major player in the increased prominence of INXS. From here the band had moved to London with producer Nick Launay in the closing months of 1983, the sessions of which produced the band’s fourth album, “The Swing”.
The album, which marked a departure from their post-punk and new wave roots, embracing funk-infused rock and dance rhythms. opens with the legendary “Original Sin”, the band’s first real breakthrough single, which they had recorded in New York with the legendary producer Nile Rodgers, and features Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates singing back ups. It was their first US single to crack the top 100 and it went #1 in Australia. It is the song’s high energy and Michael’s great vocals that make this as popular as it was, and the mix of key synth and sax makes it memorable anthem to the era to this day. It is followed by the just as enjoyable “Melting in the Sun” drives through Jon Farris’s great drum beat and further funky bass lines from Gary Beers, while the supporting vocals help fill the background of the song nicely. “I Send a Message” is a great jaunty track, stylised by the staccato drum beat and riffing guitar over the top, and once again with Michael’s easily discernible vocal melody. This spent a lot of time of the radio through 1984 when released as a single.
“Dancing on the Jetty” is highlighted by the wonderful moody vocals of Hutchence, segueing from high passion to beautiful soft mood in a heartbeat. The music through the song is great, but Michael is able to change up the song simply in adjusting his vocals to suit what he wants to express in each part of the song. It’s another beauty and a great pointer to his talent as a vocalist and a song writer. Side One then ends with the hardest song on the album, the title track “The Swing”, where everyone in the band gets up and motivated to hit, strum and croon louder and harder than they have to this point of the album. This is one of those songs not released as a single that helps raise the bar on this album.
The true new wave dominant track of the album is “Johnson’s Aeroplane”, based almost entirely around the brooding bass guitar of Beers with the key synth from Andrew, then the new wave autism of the sax from Kirk as the solo break, all held together by Jon’s terrific drumming. At the height of the new wave era, this song is one of the best examples of the genre, topped off by Michael’s sublime vocals throughout. This is one of those hidden gems, a song that for the most part is unknown and completely underrated amongst the song list released by the band over their career. When I first bought this album, like most people for the singles that I knew, it was this song that latched onto me from the first time I played it. I don't know what it is about this song that has always fascinated me, but for nigh on 40 years it has, and continues to do so. Easily INXS’s best non-single track, and in my top ten of all tracks by the band.
Were I to be extremely critical of this album, then to me three of the remaining four songs of side two are not quite up to the task of repeating the energy and drive that you find with the songs on side one. Both “Love is (What I Say)” and “Face the Change” are dominated by the funky groove of Beers bass guitar and the lower level moody croon of Michael vocals. They are not actually quiet songs but they are on a different level from those on the first half of the album. “All the Voices” is the closing track, with more funk bass and Hutchence’s vocal cacophony through the song that keeps this song moving. They aren’t bad songs in the slightest, indeed they are very good, but certainly on a different path.
What saves these songs from obscurity, or perhaps just makes them feel even more innocuous because of its greatness, is “Burn for You” which settles in as the penultimate track on the album. It is the real winner on this album, the song that kicks open the door and says ‘here I am’. The rising and falling tones of the guitars in the song, along with the keyboard heavy notes within the bridge especially, give this its unusual sound that makes it a standout, and easily one of the band’s best ever tracks.
INXS was a band that had been getting increasing exposure on Australian radio through the early 1980’s, and as a result it was hard not to be caught up in the catchiness of the music they were producing. This had certainly been the case with one of their biggest hits “Don’t Change” off the band’s previous album “Shabooh Shoobah”. And it was with the main singles that were released off this album, such as “Original Sin”, “I Send a Message” and “Burn for You”, that caught my ear as a middle-aged teenager in the mid-1980's. And it was at this time that I was first beginning to get interested in buying albums of bands rather than just enjoy the singles on the radio, having already done so with The Police’s “Synchronicity” and Queen’s “The Works”. And this was another of those first half a dozen albums I ever bought on vinyl with my own money, and it was one I have never regretted.
What is it that attracted me to this album? It was the combination of the two sounds that had grabbed me at the time, new wave and hard rock. Both of those other albums certainly had that, and while this album is probably more new wave than hard rock there was certainly an element of that in it. And while it was the singles that lured me in to eventually buying this album, it was other songs on the album that cemented its hold on me. “Melting in the Sun”. “The Swing” and “Johnson’s Aeroplane”. Each of them different from each other, and yet three songs for me that are the epitome of what makes this such a strong album. Because aa I’ve mentioned before on episodes of this podcast – it isn’t the great singles that make a great album, it’s the songs that AREN’T released in that way, that aren’t easily accessible. If they are strong, the album is a winner. If they aren’t then the album becomes a dead loss.
To me, “The Swing” isn't just about catchy tunes; it represented a creative reinvention, where they have blended elements of rock, funk, and dance almost seamlessly into the mix, adapting to the changing musical landscape without compromising the band as a whole. It may not have the over-laden hits that came on “Listen Like Thieves” and “Kick”, but it proved the band could evolve without losing their essence.
I listened to this a lot back when I bought it, certainly up until the point that I discovered the rising beast that was heavy metal, which then dominated my listening for the following decades. But I still have my vinyl and CD copies of this album, and I still never get tired of pulling it out and listening to this album all over again. Sure, it's the memories that it provokes that is the main reason that I feel the urge to playing “The Swing” again, but it is still worth it every single time.
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