Released in 1987, INXS: Australian Made seems like the idea was to introduce other, lesser-known Australian musicians to people by capitalizing on the popularity of INXS. The only other artist on the disc that I’d heard of before, besides INXS, were the Divinyls.

INXS: Australian Made features live performances by Australian bands. It opens by showing what goes into getting ready for a concert as stagehands unpack the gear and assemble the components. It doesn’t dwell on this too long and cuts into a live INXS show.

I’m Talking looks like a very perky band with a very perky lead singer. They really didn’t do much for me musically. The Saints are better and I thought they should have been heard a bit more. It did seem like they were similar to INXS with the heavy use of brass in the music, but that was based on the one song on the disc.

I was also interested in Models. They had two songs on the disc and also seemed to be trying to capitalize on the sound INXS made popular during the 1980s with a strong brass section in their music. They were a vibrant presence on the stage as well.

Divinyls were great. They didn’t play the song that I knew them best for on INXS: Australian Made, but I did enjoy watching them best of all the artists other than INXS.

I did pick up the disc for INXS and I wasn’t disappointed, although their presence is smaller than a disc totally devoted to them.

It seemed obvious to me that this was originally released on video, hence the limited selection. The total time on the disc is just 52 minutes of footage. It would have been nice to see some more tracks when it was transferred to DVD, but the studio didn’t take the opportunity to improve it. The picture quality also seemed comparable to video tape. It was quite fuzzy in spots rather than being crisp and clear. The sound seemed good, although I didn’t play it on my surround-sound television, so I could just be missing it. It was released with Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo.


Track Listing:

INXS – Melting in the Sun
I’m Talking – Lead the Way
The Saints – Ghostships
Models – Let’s Kiss
Models – Out of Mind Out of Sight
Divinyls – Tempermental
Divinyls – Only Lonely
INXS – Burn For You
INXS – Mystify
INXS – What You Need
INXS – The Loved One
INXS – Don’t Change


Extras include information about each of the bands. They all have a history or biography. INXS, Divinyls, and The Saints have discographies. INXS and Divinyls also have links to websites.

I was disappointed that there wasn’t more substance on the DVD. It’s not horrible, but it’s not great. Fans of INXS back when Michael Hutchence was the lead singer would enjoy seeing him live and the tracks they have here showcase him nicely and bring back a lot of great memories about the band. I just wish there was more to see.