Rhino has announced a new audiophile vinyl edition of ‘Kick’ by INXS, due May 1. Cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180-gram black vinyl at Optimal in Germany, the release comes in glossy gatefold packaging with newly written liner notes by music journalist David Fricke. It is limited to 5,000 individually numbered copies, available exclusively through the Rhino website.
‘Kick’ remains one of the defining albums of its era. Produced by Chris Thomas and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, the record blended new wave, danceable funk, and Stones-styled rock into something that connected everywhere at once. When Thomas first approached the band, his stated goal was simple and direct: to make them sound on record the way they did live, something, as Tim Farriss recalled, they had not yet managed to achieve.
The result was a record built on space and restraint. Andrew Farriss told Fricke that the philosophy was deliberate. “The space on Kick wasn’t an accident. We realized that if this album was to be a success, it’s gotta be simple.” What filled that space, Tim Farriss’s guitar work on “Need You Tonight,” Michael Hutchence’s vocal on “Mediate,” Kirk Pengilly’s saxophone on “Never Tear Us Apart,” was more than enough.
Bob Clearmountain was on one of the great hot streaks in production history when INXS called. He had just engineered David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, mixed Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born in the U.S.A.’, and co-produced the Pretenders’ ‘Get Close’. He recalls hearing the rough mixes at AIR Studios in London for the first time: “Chris played me the whole album, and I was overwhelmed. My God, this is fantastic.”
The numbers backed up that instinct. ‘Kick’ sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, went six-times platinum in the U.S. and diamond in Canada. It produced four U.S. Top 10 singles: “Need You Tonight” at number one, “Devil Inside” at number two, “New Sensation” at number three, and “Never Tear Us Apart” at number seven. Few albums of that period matched its commercial and critical reach simultaneously.
The reissue arrives at a significant moment for the band. INXS have appeared on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in their nearly 50-year history. Inductees for the Class of 2026 are expected to be announced next month, with the induction ceremony to follow in the fall. “I think everybody in the band is thrilled and excited to be nominated,” Andrew Farriss told Billboard. “We’re very much honored.”
The Rhino High Fidelity edition of ‘Kick’ is the ideal way to mark this moment in the band’s legacy. Pressed with the care the album has always deserved and packaged to reflect its status, this is the definitive version for any serious listener. Order exclusively at the Rhino website before the 5,000 copies are gone.
