The album leads off with three killer singles, the still-remarkable whiplash dance swagger of "What You Need" and the more anthemic rockers "Listen Like Thieves" and "This Time." On the first of those in particular, singer Michael Hutchence finally perfects the postmodern Mick Jagger vibe he'd been trying to achieve since 1980's INXS, and the band was rewarded with a substantially larger American audience, a commercial gain solidified on the next album, 1987's mega-platinum KICK. LISTEN LIKE THIEVES didn't reach that level of marketplace success because the songwriting quality dips a bit after that impressive opening stretch, but it's nonetheless a fine commercial pop album.
Tracklist
What You Need
One X One
Red Red Sun
Listen Like Thieves
Kiss the Dirt (Falling Down the Mountain)
Shine Like It Does
Good and Bad Times
Biting Bullets
This Time
Three Sisters
Same Direction