INXS is continuing to warm fans up for the 40th anniversary reissue of their 1985 album Listen Like Thieves. The Australian band just shared “Kiss The Dirt (Studio Demo)” as the next single from the reissue, offering a new take on a beloved track. The studio demo presents a rather stripped back version of the track, offering a bit more guitar and a bit less synth than the original released version. Listen Like Thieves (40th Anniversary Edition) officially hits shelves on May 9, and is available for preorder now.
The organic evolution of these tracks was key to INXS’ breakthrough in 1985. “Everybody had ideas in their heads, but not many of the songs were written before we rehearsed, and we wrote one song in the studio,” late frontman Michael Hutchence told Rolling Stone that year. “It wasn’t the kind of album where you put tracks down bit by bit. We’ve done the album like a live show, and what is there is there. We want to present this record as a band — the idea of six people playing together and using traditional sounds.” The strategy paid off, with Listen Like Thieves launching the band to global success after years succeeding in their native Australia. The record went on to be certified 4x platinum in Australia and 2x platinum in the United States.
Now, 40 years later, the band is offering a bevy of new and bonus insights into the record. Listen Like Thieves (40th Anniversary Edition) spans three CDs and one LP, and will feature 19 previously unreleased demos from the band’s archive. There will also be a rarity from the BBC’s archives: a live set recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1986. The audience at the Royal Albert Hall was particularly notable that night, with Mick Jagger, The Cult, and the Psychedelic Furs all in attendance. Billboard notes that the evening was a turning point in their relationship with the United Kingdom, further placing them on their path to world domination.
Order the 40th anniversary edition of the INXS album Listen Like Thieves now.
