INXS ascended to global dominance with 1987's Kick, but the Australian band's path to glory was paved by their prior album, 1985's Listen Like Thieves. They're commemorating that breakthrough LP with a 40th anniversary reissue this spring, and as is customary, it's filled with previously unreleased tracks.
The Listen Like Thieves reissue is out in May via Rhino. In addition to a new stereo mix from Giles Martin and Paul Hicks, the bonus material includes previously unreleased outtakes and studio demos, a recently discovered BBC recording of Live From The Royal Albert Hall, London 1986, a brand new Dolby Atmos mix, and robust new liner notes including an interview with INXS by journalist Paul Sexton.
Michael Hutchence and his bandmates recorded Listen Like Thieves in London with producer Chris Thomas, who'd been an engineer on the Beatles' White Album and worked with stars like Pink Floyd and the Pretenders. It was the beginning of a long working relationship between Thomas and INXS, spinning off the band's biggest US hit to date in "What You Need." As my colleague Tom Breihan wrote in his Number Ones column on "Need You Tonight" from Kick, "Listen Like Thieves was a hard, brittle plastic-soul album, and it sounded something like Duran Duran playing Young Americans. This, it turned out, was what INXS needed to be doing."
The band's Andrew Farriss elaborates in a press release:
Chris Thomas was one of the most talented and exciting producers we ever had the privilege to work with. 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.
Below, check out the tracklist for the 3CD + 1LP version of the reissue.
LP + CD1: Listen Like Thieves (2025 Mix by Giles Martin and Paul Hicks)
01 "What You Need"
02 "Listen Like Thieves"
03 "Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)"
04 "Shine Like It Does"
05 "Good + Bad Times"
06 "Biting Bullets"
07 "This Time"
08 "Three Sisters"
09 "Same Direction"
10 "One x One"
11 "Red Red Sun"
CD2: Demos & Outtakes
01 "We're rolling, it's 1985" - Studio Dialogue
02 "Funk Song #11 - Take 2 / Working Title of What You Need (Alternate Take)"
03 "Press the blue and red button" - Studio Dialogue
04 "Kiss The Dirt (Studio Demo)"
05 Meaning of the song "Listen Like Thieves" - Interview Excerpt
06 "Listen Like Thieves (Studio Demo)"
07 "INXS SA FM Radio Spot"
08 "One X One (Studio Demo)"
09 "This Time (Studio Demo)"
10 "Shine Like It Does (Studio Demo)"
11 "Good and Bad Times (Alternate Take)"
12 "Red Red Sun (Studio Jam)"
13 "Red Red Sun (Alternate Take)"
14 Recording of "Same Direction"
15 "Funk Song #9 (Working title of Same Direction)"
16 "What You Need (Studio Demo)"
17 "Shine Like It Does (Home Demo)"
18 "Listen Like Thieves (Home Demo)"
19 "Kiss the Dirt (Home Demo)"
CD3: Live From Royal Albert Hall
01 Intro by Pete Drummond
02 "Same Direction"
03 "Soul Mistake"
04 "Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)"
05 "Biting Bullets"
06 "Burn For You"
07 "Do Wot You Do"
08 "Original Sin"
09 "Different World"
10 "Shine Like It Does"
11 "Listen Like Thieves"
12 "One x One"
13 "What You Need"
14 "Red Red Sun"
The Listen Like Thieves reissue is out 5/9 via Rhino.
