Australian rock veterans INXS are taking a look back in time, celebrating 40 years of their international breakthrough record, Listen Like Thieves.
Originally released in October 1985, Listen Like Thieves was the Sydney sextet’s fifth album, and their first to make a sizable impact on a global scale. Their second consecutive chart-topper in their homeland, it would be their first to chart in markets such as the U.K. and Switzerland, and their highest peak to date in the U.S., with the record reaching No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
It also boasted a number of successful singles, including its title track, “Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)”, “This Time”, and “What You Need”. The latter was the record’s most successful, peaking at No. 2 in Australia and No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
At the time of the record’s release, the band were already a success story in Australia thanks to their unique sound and relentless touring schedule, with Listen Like Thieves aiming to translate those aspects to the listener’s turntable. “We’ve done the album like a live show and what is there is there,” frontman Michael Hutchence told Rolling Stone in 1985. “We want to present this record as a band – the idea of six people playing together and using traditional sounds.”
Ahead of the record’s 40th anniversary, the band’s surviving members have announced a new deluxe edition of the seminal album. Arriving on May 9, the 3CD/LP collection features a new remix of the album with Chris Thompson’s original production being overhauled by Giles Martin and Paul Hicks. It also boasts a number of unreleased outtakes and demos; a rare BBC Recording, Live From The Royal Albert Hall, London, 1986; and a new interview with the band by writer Paul Sexton. A 2CD edition pairs the new mix with a selection of B-sides, remixes and live recordings, while a single LP version contains the 2025 mix alone.
“Chris Thomas was one of the most talented and exciting producers we ever had the privilege to work with,” recalled keyboardist and guitarist Andrew Farriss. “From the moment we met, there was no doubt he would bring a new dynamic to our music, his drive and determination helped Michael and I deliver a smash hit in ‘What You Need’. 40 years on, Giles and Paul captured the original raw energy we felt when we first recorded the album and created a sonic depth to give the record an entirely new dimension that we couldn’t be prouder of.”
The BBC’s live recording of INXS’ June 1986 appearance at London’s Royal Albert Hall is also of note, with the band’s audience that evening comprising a number of notable artists such as Mick Jagger, The Cult, and the Psychedelic Furs. Described as a “poignant night” for the band, it wasn’t their first visit to the U.K., but arguably the turning point in their relationship with the region. Almost five years later to the day, INXS would headline London’s Wembley Stadium and perform before a sold-out crowd of 72,000.
INXS’ biggest commercial success would come two years after the release of Listen Like Thieves, with 1987’s Kick turning them into megastars. The album would top the charts in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and give them a career-best of No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
Though the band would initially split following the untimely passing of Hutchence in 1997, a revolving door of vocalists would precede their eventual permanent retirement in 2012. Despite this, the band are consistently one of the best-selling Australian bands to this day, with the Australian Recording Industry Association’s end-of-year charts for 2024 seeing the band’s 2011 collection The Very Best listed at No. 81 on the album charts – one of only three local records to make the cut.