U2 copied INXS in the 90's?

[juliaguliaxo94]

Ever see INXS Rocks the Rockies? Michael looked so out of it..... And he looked like he wanted to look like 1992 Bono..... It was a terrible shame to see him fallen like that.

Do you have a link to a video of this or something?

 

[Niceman]

Do you have a link to a video of this or something?

No, I don't. I remember seeing it on VH1 or MTV back before Michael died....

 

[juliaguliaxo94]

Ohh, I see. Poor Michael.

 

[Harry Vest]

Kind of a stupid thing to say. There was a HUGE difference between U2 and INXS back then - U2 were a great band and INXS sucked ass (other than a couple of half decent songs). Geez.

 

[trevgreg]

There's actually a few Youtube videos out there of INXS performing in 1997, and it's funny how Hutchence resembles Elevation-era Bono in a few of them. Always wondered if that was some subconcious thing or not in the event of Michael's death.

I like INXS myself, for the record.

 

[U2FanPeter]

INXS.com - Gigography

List of INXS shows. They toured pretty frequently. u2 stayed away from the North America for as much as 5 years at a time.

Hutchence was never the same after the 1992 assault in Copenhagen.

 

[david]

YouTube - INXS - Elegantly Wasted - Live 1997

 

[trevgreg]

YouTube - INXS - Elegantly Wasted - Live 1997

That's the one!

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

that version of the song is (or was? i downloaded it ages ago) on itunes, btw. and the video's on....some dvd of theirs, i forget which one.

 

[ultraviolet87]

Ok thats is really strange. That video is from 1997, when Popmart was going on and Michael is wearing the same kind of sunglasses Bono wore at the time, and their guitar player is wearing a white cowboy outfit!!!

 

[mad1]

actually it is freaky how much he DOES look like Bono, for a moment I wasnt quite paying attention and thought it was Bono, just before shaving his head...........LOL

but sad to see as he died not too long after this?????

 

[trevgreg]

that version of the song is (or was? i downloaded it ages ago) on itunes, btw.

I actually downloaded it not too long ago, so I think it's still on there. Great song too. What a chorus.

but sad to see as he died not too long after this?????

Yep, later that year. What a shame. The guy was a talent whether you liked his songs or not.

 

[TonyH]

I think it's an insult for INXS to even compare themselves to U2. No offense to INXS fans, but I think their music is crapola.

 

[coolian2]

I think it's an insult for INXS to even compare themselves to U2. No offense to INXS fans, but I think their music is crapola.

well, we made it 42 posts before something like this. that's better than the norm.

 

[U2girl]

Well, 42 posts would probably be a record in U2's case.

 

[Nate Dogg]

U2 and INXS are seperate entities. They both rock.

/thread

 

[TonyH]

well, we made it 42 posts before something like this. that's better than the norm.

Hey give me some credit: I did preface it with "No offense to INXS fans".

 

[doctorwho]

I love INXS too - or at least did when Hutchence was alive. And I hope this isn't really true.

First, AB has a lot of classic U2 sounds, as well as "new" U2 sounds, but nothing remotely close to that of INXS or other bands. Admittedly, AB contains more "pop" like songs, which INXS did brilliantly. But even though I'm a fan, INXS's lyrics were always a bit, uh, simple and repetitive (e.g., "What You Need", "New Sensation", "Devil Inside"). Bono's lyrics always are more intriguing, with many meanings.

Should INXS be accused of copying U2 because after JT became big, with Bono having long hair, suddenly INXS is big with Hutchence having long hair? As for leather pants, Elvis? Mick Jagger? That's how silly this becomes. INXS are hardly the first pop-rock group, just as U2 are hardly the first band to combine themes of politics and religion with pop and rock.

So if anyone in INXS really has issues with AB, they are about 20 years too late to complain. Songs like "Until the End...", "Love Is Blindness", "Acrobat", "One", "Zoo Station", "The Fly", and "Who's Gonna Ride..." are NOT INXS songs. The only songs even remotely close to INXS's style are "Even Better..." and "Mysterious Ways", and I'd argue the latter - with it's strong religious themes - may fall out as well.

Now, if one wants to accuse U2 of copying some of Bowie's ideas for the ZOO TV tour, then I think even U2 would agree that they were heavily inspired by him. But what they did for that tour sets them apart.

And really, that's what's key. INXS and U2 are not the first bands to have those types of sounds and themes in their music. But they both created something new - just as R.E.M. did (and if anything, I'd say R.E.M. and U2 were closer in sound and style in the early 90's than INXS and U2). All three bands flourished in the late 80's and early 90's. U2 was able to move on more because their sound kept evolving. INXS was stagnant (even I stopped buying their music - sorry to say) and R.E.M. lost a step after Berry left. When Hutchence died, I felt that was the end of INXS - and I still feel this way (despite some attempts at a revival).

Aga

 

[Phantom Dreamer]

I was listening to a college radio station today and the girl hosting a show played "Disappear" and after the song she referred to INXS as "I-N-X-S" not once, not twice, but three times!

 

[Oregoropa]

Streets is obviously a Rip Off of Simple Mind's 'Ghostdancing'


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[KEVIN051269]

Streets is obviously a Rip Off of Simple Mind's 'Ghostdancing'


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

"Ghostdancing" is a rip off of The Velvet Undergrounds "What Goes On"

 

[Galeongirl]

Holy mother of bumps.

 

[Hewson]

Streets is obviously a Rip Off of Simple Mind's 'Ghostdancing'


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

Ghostdancing is awesome.

 

[gvox]

This is a rather odd discussion, and I'm a little puzzled by doctorwho's analysis, even.

I'd say for myself (and probably most 80s kids), INXS got big a few years before the Joshua Tree. They had a major dance hit with Original Sin, which did pretty much as well/better as New Years Day did on the charts worldwide. So they were pretty big. It was a big infectious dance track with references to interracial ideas and placed them firmly on the radio map.

And here's an interesting lil gem...in that same single, Hutchence utters the phrase "in the name of love" in the pre-chorus several times...written and recorded several months before Pride even started taking shape.

BOOM

lol

PS - also, what Nate said

 

[Oregoropa]

Ghostdancing is awesome.

It is awesome. I loaded the live version onto my music.

Ghostdancing predates Streets. I read a review of Joshua Tree and it pointed that out how the Streets riff channeled Ghostdancing. It is a true comparison for the reviewer to make at the time.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[latetotheparty]

I was just thinking about Desire and at first, my brain immediately thought it was by INXS before I realized very quickly that no, it was U2. Found this forum researching who produced those albums and wound up here, so thought I would share. (classically trained musician, DJ, producer and label owner) PS I prefer INXS.