Underneath the Colours
Studio album by
INXS
Released19 October 1981
RecordedJuly–August 1981
StudioStudios 301
Paradise Studios (Sydney, Australia).
GenreRock[1]
Length38:35
LabelDeluxe, Mercury
ProducerRichard Clapton
INXS chronology
INXS
(1980) 		Underneath the Colours
(1981) 		INXSIVE
(1982)
Singles from Underneath the Colours
  1. "Stay Young"
    Released: September 1981
  2. "Night of Rebellion"
    Released: January 1982
  3. "Underneath the Colours"
    Released: January 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Rolling Stone[3]

Underneath the Colours is the second studio album by Australian rock band INXS. It was released in Australia in 19 October 1981 on the Deluxe Records label and reached No 15 on the Australian album charts.

Background

In 1981, INXS signed Gary Grant as their tour manager, who then became co-manager a year later.[4] Between touring commitments, the band released their third single in May 1981, "The Loved One", which was a cover of a 1966 song by Australian group The Loved Ones. The song was recorded at Studios 301 in Sydney,[4] produced by Richard Clapton,[5] and peaked in the Top 20.[6][7]

The success of the single led to Clapton and the band returning to Studios 301 between July and August 1981 to create their second studio album. The album was released on 19 October 1981 and became a hit in Australia peaking at No. 15.[7]

It was with this album that Michael Hutchence's songwriting started to mature and the band started to find a unique sound. Included were political songs[citation needed] and their very first ballad. It was released outside Australia and New Zealand in 1984, as the band were gaining momentum in their success.

Kirk Pengilly said of the album, "It was very difficult for us. We'd toured the first album and then we had to come up with a follow-up. We weren't really prepared for it and I think the album suffered a bit because of that."[8] Alternately, Hutchence said he was very happy with the album: "The first album was a cheapie, but with this one we had time to spend. We had Richard Clapton producing and he was a big help. We looked at things from a straight studio perspective."[9]

The first single from the album was "Stay Young" in October, which reached No 21 on the Australian Singles chart in November,[7] it was followed by "Night of Rebellion" in January 1982. In July 1982, INXS signed a new deal with WEA Australia for releases in Australia, South East Asia, Japan and New Zealand; with sister label Atco Records (a subsidiary of Atlantic Records) for North America and with PolyGram for United Kingdom and the rest of Europe.[4][5][6][10]

The cover is an uncredited linocut by British artist Cyril Power titled Folk Dance.[11]

Track listing

Underneath the Colours track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stay Young"Andrew Farriss, Michael Hutchence3:25
2."Horizons"A. Farriss, Hutchence5:13
3."Big Go Go"Garry Gary Beers, A. Farriss, Jon Farriss, Tim Farriss, Hutchence, Kirk Pengilly3:12
4."Underneath the Colours"A. Farriss, Hutchence3:59
5."Fair Weather Ahead"Beers, A. Farriss, J. Farriss, T. Farriss, Hutchence, Pengilly4:21
6."Night of Rebellion"A. Farriss, Hutchence, Pengilly3:44
7."Follow"Hutchence, Pengilly3:53
8."Barbarian"Beers, A. Farriss, J. Farriss, T. Farriss, Hutchence, Pengilly3:00
9."What Would You Do"Beers, A. Farriss, J. Farriss, T. Farriss, Hutchence, Pengilly3:08
10."Just to Learn Again"Beers, A. Farriss, Hutchence4:43
Total length:38:35

Personnel

INXS

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Underneath the Colours
Chart (1981–1982) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[12] 15

Notes

  1. ^ Strong, Martin (10 October 2006). "INXS". The Essential Rock Discography. Canongate Books. pp. 526–529. ISBN 1-84195-860-3.
  2. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r9881
  3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 406. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. ^ a b c St John, Ed (1998). Burn : The life and times of Michael Hutchence and INXS. Bantam Books, Sydney. ISBN 0-7338-0182-X.
  5. ^ a b Holmgren, Magnus; Shaw, Julian; Meyer, Peer. "INXS". Australian Rock Database. Passagen (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  6. ^ a b McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'INXS'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 30 September 2004. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  7. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, Sydney: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
  8. ^ Tracee Hutchison (1992). Your Name's On The Door. Sydney: ABC Enterprises. p. 19. ISBN 0-7333-0115-0.
  9. ^ Mark Phillips (1 January 1982). "INXS". Rip It Up.
  10. ^ Nimmervoll, Ed. "INXS". HowlSpace. Archived from the original on 21 February 2001. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  11. ^ "Folk Dance". nationalgalleries.org. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 149. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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