INXS – Listen Like Thieves

INXS forged their most successful rock formula on, Listen Like Thieves, the 1985 album which would set the pace for the group’s most successful commercial run through the late eighties and early nineties. The sound they forged on this fifth studio album morphs traditional rock with a dance production value along with the lyrical themes are upbeat and optimistic, portraying a feeling of opportunity and forgiveness. Commercially successful, the album spawned five single releases, including the group’s first US Top 10 hit. For Listen Like Thieves, INXS morphed their sound from new wave towards a more straight-ahead rock direction. Produced by Chris Thomas, the album was the first to be recorded in the band’s home country since 1981. Thomas was, in short, a guy who knew his way around a studio as well as how to manage artists' egos, and after taking in an INXS concert, he pinpointed the live energy missing from the band's previous efforts. Continuing their slow drift away from the New Wave sound of their early LPs, Thomas upped their sound's rock quotient with Listen Like Thieves while making room for their fondness for funk, and surrounding the whole thing with modern '80s polish. The result was a record that managed to be utterly of the moment without sacrificing essential components of the band's musical identity.

Ripped to MP3

A1 - What You Need 3:33
A2 - Listen Like Thieves 3:48
A3 - Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain) 3:53
A4 - Shine Like It Does 3:06
A5 - Good + Bad Times 2:44
B1 - Biting Bullets 2:48
B2 - This Time 3:09
B3 - Three Sisters 2:26
B4 - Same Direction 4:57
B5 - One X One 3:05
B6 - Red Red Sun 3:30