No haircut too lousy, no fashion mistake too obvious: INXS were as much an emblem (symptom?) of the 1980s as Bon Jovi, while never achieving quite the same level of sustained appeal. This album (along with Kick, which followed it) marked their commercial peak, presenting their strongest-ever line-up of songs. Tracks like "What You Need" and "This Time" demonstrated their knack with a groove and a chorus, respectively--and played shamelessly to the sexual stage persona of frontman Michael Hutchence (who had a decent voice, for a man in leather trousers). Intriguingly, both "Shine Like It Does" and "Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)" resonate with a clear sense of their Australian origins: the wide outback, the vastness of the sky; while "Three Sisters"--an "experimental soundscape"--briefly recalls their brief flirtation with post-punk, as Sydney teenagers besotted with the likes of Gang of Four And Pere Ubu. Who would have thought it? --Andrew McGuire