Atomic War Bride: Ode to Michael Hutchence and INXS

Lately I have been immersing myself in INXS and the beautiful and powerful voice of sexy lead singer Michael Hutchence.

Taking a step back and just listening to that voice, apart from the brilliant and catchy tunes they were ensconced in, has been a heady experience to relive.

I can only imagine the music he would still be making if he hadn't died so tragically and unexpectedly at the age of 37.

Perhaps a blues album would have been on the horizon.... he certainly had enough grit in his voice to do it justice.

In fact, listening to the large roster of INXS hits reminds me of how versatile they were and how easily he was able to adapt his voice to various musical styles.

Thanks to YouTube, you too can have your own INXS Renaissance. Here are some my favorite moments:

By My Side- Melbourne AUS 1991. Utterly brilliant song- I have to crank this one whenever I can. Plus, he just looks so damn cool in this concert video.

By My Side- Wembley Stadium, UK 1991- Another great version of this song. I have to confess that he is one of the few singers that made singing into a microphone look incredibly sexy. :)

Never Tear Us Apart- Aspen CO 1997. So effortlessly cool.

Never Tear Us Apart- stripped down version- MTV 1994. Wow. Just Wow.

Never Tear Us Apart- another stripped down version- Later with Jools- 1994. Possibly more amazing than the MTV version!

Never Tear Us Apart- Hard Rock 1988!

Never Tear Us Apart- Wembley UK 1991. Love the drama inherent in this version.

Never Tear Us Apart- Loreley Festival, GER 1997.

Just a Man- VH1. I believe this is from 1997.

Just a Man- Loreley Festival, GER 1997.

Need You Tonight- Original Video- back when MTV actually showed videos and the videos were cool.

Need You Tonight- Wembley UK 1991.

Need You Tonight- TFI show 1997. He starts singing about 6 minutes in.

Need You Tonight- Aspen CO 1997 I believe. I love the way he slithers all over the stage.

Need You Tonight / Mediate- Japan 1994. Love the drums!

Devil Inside- TopPop tv 1988.

Disappear- Orig Video ~1990.

Disappear- Live 1990.

Mystify- nice sneak peek into how an INXS song was born.

Mystify- Live Australia 1992.

Mystify- Hard Rock Live 1992.

What You Need- Arsenio Hall 1991- complete with a stage-diving fan.

What You Need- MTV Awards 1986. Was he always such a snazzy dresser?

What You Need/ Don't Change- Live Aid 1985.

Don't Change- early INXS video ~1982.

The One Thing- early INXS video ~1982.

Not Enough Time- Orig. Video ~1992.

Original Sin/ ETC- OZ for Africa special 1985.

After Michael died, INXS kept going. They were touring up until ~2012.

Here's a poignant version of Don't Change by Andrew Farris and Kirk Pengilly.

If you want to watch entire concerts, you have several choices. Look for the Wembley show, the Lorelei show, Rockin' the Royals, and Aspen CO first as they are some of the better quality concerts available.