Australian group INXS has commemorated the 10th anniversary of singer Michael Hutchence's death on its website.

"Michael will always be remembered as a young, vibrant, gifted and passionate person," wrote drummer John Farris.

His brother Andrew, also in the band, said he missed Hutchence's "sense of humour, intelligence and cheeky smile".

Hutchence was found dead on 22 November 1997 in a Sydney hotel. A coroner found the 37-year-old performer had died from suffocation caused by hanging.

After playing with a number of guest singers, INXS eventually recruited a replacement front man, JD Fortune, through a reality TV talent search.

"Michael will live on through his brilliant melodies and lyrics," said John Farriss.

'Open-minded'

"I feel proud that INXS can continue to play the music he helped create."

In a shorter message, bassist Garry Beers thanked fans for their "thoughts for Michael" and encouraged them to make a charitable donation in his memory.

JD Fortune became the lead singer of INXS in 2005
"I will always remember him as a great friend who always made an effort to help others," he wrote.

"To his fans he will always be a legend," agreed keyboardist Andrew Farriss.

"But he was also an open-minded, stylish and compassionate man who took his friendships seriously."

Formed in 1977, INXS enjoyed huge success in the 1980s and 1990s with a string of hit singles and albums.

Switch, the band's first record with Canadian singer Fortune, was released in 2006.

One of the most anticipated Australian albums of the decade, the release of Michael Hutchence, the first full-length solo effort from Hutchence, the charismatic 37-year-old singer for popular internationally-successful rock band INXS, already has people talking.

An intensely personal collection of songs, it's easy to lend meaning to the ominous lyrics featured on the album. Listening to the funky, soulful tracks and pleading vocals, it's hard to miss the dire, insistent nature of Michael's lyrics - his sultry voice booms as he sings about his lack of privacy, the pressures of fame and, more often, the search for redemption.

The album was written and recorded over two years with the collaboration of Danny Saber (U2, The Rolling Stones, Black Grape), former Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill and Bomb the Bass member/producer Tim Simenon. Two tracks featured on the album were mixed by Tim Palmer (Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam).

Hutchence created an invigorating and challenging album, one he was immensely proud of, but one which was always about pushing boundaries. Talking about the solo album before his death, he mused, "As someone once said, a great band is a great compromise. You get around the table and play poker. With a solo thing, you have the awesome responsibility of doing it by yourself."

Tracks on the album include guest performances from ex-Clash singer Joe Strummer (Let Me Show You), backing vocals from Denise Johnson (Primal Scream) and Bernard Fowler (The Rolling Stones) and a special and moving duet with Bono (Slide Away). The only track not vocally completed on the record, Bono and Gill wrote the extra verse and completed vocals recently, with the haunting words capturing their deep friendship and Bono's grief after Hutchence's death.

The album, simply titled Michael Hutchence, ranges from the funky upbeat tracks through to ballads with pleading vocals, and the result is a mature and intensely personal collection of songs.

The first single, A Straight Line, received its world premiere on Australian radio on Monday September 13, gaining immediate massive radio airplay, and becoming the #1 most added record in Australia w/c September 20. The single has been released commercially on September 27, and will be backed by another new track Standing On The Rooftop (not featured on the album), and a cover of the Iggy Pop track The Passenger, originally recorded in 1995 with Tim Simenon for the Batman Forever soundtrack. A video for A Straight Line has been completed by US director SA Baron (Whitney Houston, Public Enemy) and premiered on Australian television on September 25.

In 1989, an interesting change of pace for watchers of INXS came in the form of a collaborative album involving Michael Hutchence and Ollie Olsen. Olsen, ex-Whirlywirld mastermind, and a Melbourne-based musician and DJ of some repute, had worked with Michael on music for the Richard Lowenstein film Dogs In Space a couple of years before, and scored an Australian hit with the alluring track 'Rooms For The Memory' (from the film and soundtrack LP). Dubbed Max Q (after Ollie's dog of the same name), the band consisted of mainstays Olsen and Hutchence with an attachment mob of musicians drawn from the underground scene.

Held in high regard by fans and critics alike, but unsuccessful commercially, Max Q is a remarkable album indeed. Considered ahead of its time upon release and now out of print (when it could be most appreciated); Max Q deserves some long overdue attention. Constructed around Olsen's hybrid electronic song structures, Max Q explodes with invention at every turn. 'Sometimes' and 'Way Of The World', both featured tracks on the album, bristle with a vibe of punk/agro meets disco/house splendor - an area bands like Depeche Mode and Massive Attack have explored in depth. Jittery guitars clash with looped percussion attacks, and Michael's raging vocal workouts head butt powerful orchestral flourishes and the odd sonic bleep. There's a lot of raw noise going on here, but some of it is certainly beautiful - i.e. 'Monday Night By Satellite' and 'Ot-Ven-Rot'. Faint traces of Talking Heads, Eastern influences and the specter of Barry White also frame this exciting music.

Before the release of the album the Australian master tapes were taken to New York City to be given a further polishing in the mix department by genius musical innovator Todd Terry from Chicago. A famous DJ who is one of the founding fathers of House music, Terry worked on the album and the attendant remixes (issued as b-sides and bonus tracks around the world). Michael and Ollie accompanied the movement of the music to NYC, and rooming together on the upper west side of town, finished the record and set plans and strategies into place for its release, promo and publicity.

Upon release, Max Q would go through the Atlantic (WEA) pipeline stateside for the albums distribution, Mercury in the UK and Europe, and CBS/Sony in Australia. Coming on the heels of INXS's triumphant KICK album and tour didn't hurt, but also did not guarantee attention in the marketplace or translate to sales necessarily. Both of those areas suffered as far as Max Q was concerned - not for lack of trying though. With an intriguing Richard Lowenstein concept video for 'Way Of The World', and a mad dancing workout performance clip for 'Sometimes', exposure on music video channels globally was assured. Another little-seen (but highly innovative) video for third single 'Monday Night By Satellite' was also created and issued in some territories outside the US. Sadly, Max Q was doomed without 100% commitment from all participants (musicians, managers, etc.) and enough touring to make a difference (there were no Max Q live dates).

In the context of INXS, Max Q draws insights into Michael's musical leanings away from the powerful funk/rock super band. An artistic triumph, the special album project established Michael Hutchence as no mere 'hood ornament' fronting a globe-trotting pop group (witness his understated presence on the mosaic-like cover image and associated band photos). This was not a typical vanity trip by a rich rock star and his cronies by any means - quite the opposite. Even the provocative shearing of his golden locks into a smart "short, back and sides" cut further distanced the Michael of Max Q and INXS.

In hindsight, Max Q proved to be a worthwhile side project that had a positive creative impact on INXS when they reconvened to record X in 1990, and future recordings throughout the next decade. One can hear the Max Q influence on INXS in songs such as 'Faith In Each Other', 'Strange Desire', 'The Gift' and 'She Is Rising'. Interestingly, the b-side to the band's very next single, 'Suicide Blonde' (after Max Q was released), a sassy track called 'Everybody Wants U Tonight' by Jon Farriss, bears a strong likeness to the Max Q material, showing that Michael was not the only one exploring new musical areas within the band at this time.

A must-have item in any comprehensive INXS collection, Max Q also connects in a very linear way with the Michael Hutchence solo album released in 1999 (U.S., 2000). Though Ollie Olsen is not part of that new album's makeup, the style is similar in its assimilation of current left-field influences and odd recording approaches and performances. The biographical aspects of both records cannot be ignored either. 'Possibilities' from the posthumous solo album echoes sentiments of 'Concrete' from Max Q, and so on. In essence, Max Q was Michael's first solo album, but to his credit he went to great lengths to establish it very much as a freestanding band apart from 'Michael Hutchence of INXS,' allowing for the project to stand or fall on its own merits.

Let me say that I love Michael's solo album. Love it. It is on my list of top 20 favorite albums.

Vanilli said:

Which one? MaxQ or self-titled?

I loved both. MaxQ is prob my fave, but the self titled album is very good too, You can clearly hear the pain and struggles in his life in almost every track. Its a very moody and dark album for sure.

Shame "Slide Away" was never released as a single, that coulda been huge with both the inxs and U2 markets.

I have an awesome B-side from Michael's solo album that was unreleased called, "Let The People Talk." This song is beautiful and creepy at the same time.

wow not many fans on the org...shame great music, great performer.

I'm curious as to what Tiger will do with her life. I hate the fact that Bob has her. Yes it's a noble thing to do, look after the child of the man your wife left you for, but Michaels family was more then willing to look after her. She should be with them. The sisters are no excuse, they're about 10 years older then her.

As the band members said at the end of the book, they were glad to have seen Tiger go to Bob Geldof because at least she was around her sisters and brothers, and not being fought over in court. She was at least going to grow up in a as close to normal situation as she could and with alot of love around her. But i know that Andrew Farris and the others say of her if ever she wants to know about her dad we are when she wants to ask us, and thats mainly what the song "Gods Top Ten" is about.

lastdecember said:

You think there is any chance she will ever be the new INXS vocalist?

I had the biggest crush on Michael Hutchence. I thought he was just so gorgeous.

His daughter is adorable.

I always feel.. well regarding most suicides at least--just one moment in time if he could have just gotten past it. He could have lived to see his little girl grow-up. What is U2's (Bono's) tribute to him again? "You got stuck in the moment, and ya can't get out of it."

Michaels wild lifestyle and sexual adventures really came into play in his death, the accounts of that night had Michael having dinner with his dad and being in great spirits getting dropped off at his hotel, and then going to the bar in the hotel and flirting with girls and then going to his room with a few friends, partying and stuff most of the night, the friends left and then the night just lost its sanity,

hey dude.
they're my favourite band.
seen em twice with Stevens,twice with JD,
& man JD's the man 4 the job.
Michael was remembered yesterday with me watching a acoustic thing from much music in 97,having a coldie,& just remembering how frickin talented & amazing he was as a performer.
It just feels like the world wouldn't have been complete without Michael.

It took me awhile to get around the whole JD thing mainly because i was thinking of it as a fan of what was, and you cant do that. It took me reading the book "Story to Story" to realize the hell the band went through since Michaels death, the guilt the anger and getting to a band where they can do something together again. I dont think as fans we even have the right to say "Youre wrong for going on" if you dont wanna listen to them, of course your perogative. But if you are gonna listen, you cant compare, listen to a track like "Gods Top Ten" and realize that Andrew Farris, michaels writing partner for 20 years, misses him more than anything, as do the others in the band, and also realize he wrote that song for Tiger to listen to one day.

On a different note there will also be specualtion at Michaels death, and though to me it was an accident, its what got him to that place that is the tragic think. His accident in 1992 that caused a severe head injury and he lost the sense of smell and taste, which caused his bitterness and anger and depression, and once that all happend Michael couldnt control anything. And of course that all happend when the decline of sales came about and the 90's were here and INXS were dismissed as 80's wonders and has-beens, despite others that they influenced flourishing in this time. Michael took it all personally, he said their albums in 1992 and 1993 werent a success because of him, thats a scary place to be in. As sad as it is, the last thing Michael needed was a child at this time and a troubled girlfriend and of course the whole scandal with her and Bob Geldof, it was like Michael was becoming this "media" guy and none of the focus had to do with his talents or the band.

So if you are a fan and havent read this book, then go get it, and read it, read the stories the band and his friends tell about all the years up till his death, and then the debates over his funeral between his parents who were divorced, his dad wanted the Funeral closed off, and the Mother wanted it televised, the mother won out and most people felt this was a bad thing, including the band and more of the family. In fact NICK CAVE sang at the funeral and ordered the cameras shut off while he sang because he felt it was demeaning to a memory.