More Rock and Pop
- With two killer Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) sides, this copy is practically as good as we have ever heard, right up there with our Shootout Winner
- Surprisingly rich and full-bodied, the better copies really rock with big bass and punchy drums
- The Big Rock sound comes courtesy of Chris Thomas‘s production and Bob Clearmountain‘s mix
- 4 1/2 stars: “Kick is an impeccably crafted pop tour de force, the band succeeding at everything they try. Every track has at least a subtly different feel from what came before it; INXS freely incorporates tense guitar riffs, rock & roll anthems, swing-tinged pop/rock, string-laden balladry, danceable pop-funk, horn-driven 60s soul, 80s R&B, and even a bit of the new wave-ish sound they’d started out with.”
These Nearly White Hot Stamper pressings have top-quality sound that’s often surprisingly close to our White Hots, but they sell at substantial discounts to our Shootout Winners, making them a relative bargain in the world of Hot Stampers (“relative” meaning relative considering the prices we charge). We feel you get what you pay for here at Better Records, and if ever you don’t agree, please feel free to return the record for a full refund, no questions asked.
Vintage covers for this album are hard to find in exceptionally clean shape. Most of the will have at least some amount of ringwear, seam wear and edge wear. We guarantee that the cover we supply with this Hot Stamper is at least VG
For a recording from 1987, there is a surprising amount of Tubey Magical analog sound to be found here.
There is almost always a trace of hardness in the loudest vocal parts; that’s where the 1987 recording technology raises its head, but the better copies such as this one keep it to a bare minimum.
The copies that were the richest and had the biggest bottom end, without being smeary or dark from a lack of top tended to do the best in our shootout. The copies that lacked weight or lower midrange fullness were most often rejected; rhythmically driven Funk Rock simply doesn’t work without plenty of richness and bass.