In the second part of Nick Egan’s posts on creating classic album covers, Nick delves into his collaborations with Michael Hutchence. This not only encompasses a series of acclaimed INXS albums but also Michael’s Max Q side project and Kylie Minogue’s ‘Rhythm of Love’ LP.
Kick – INXS (1987)
This and ‘the Wedding Album’ are my most beloved covers. But it’s the influence ‘Kick’ had that I’m most proud of. The other albums I did, really they established what was already a strong band image. Iggy, Dylan, the Furs, even Bow Wow Wow, people had a strong idea of who those bands were. Now INXS sold more records than the Furs but if I were to walk down the road with Richard Butler and Michael Hutchence pre-‘Kick’, more people would recognize Richard, my immediate thoughts were that in Michael Hutchence, INXS had a true rock star. He had everything: a great voice, was a brilliant performer, had the right amount of decadence and intelligence. I couldn’t believe that I was the only creative person to think this. Certainly not Richard Lowenstein.
So I had one thought in mind and that was to elevate the band beyond their Aussie roots and give them a totally global image. I was 100% sure I was right and I’ve never felt so certain about any other artist. There’s always some doubt because the responsibility was huge. You didn’t want the cover to let everything else down, because the image precedes the music and some people, if undecided, have a choice between which record to buy. Usually the cover will help that person to decide. Little did I know going into it how difficult it would be to convince management it was only later that I realised why. But my determination that I knew what I was doing and supported 100% by Michael that management had to back down. Even I didn’t even realise how right I was. It did exactly what I wanted it to do and that was to introduce Michael and the band to the rest of the world.
Max Q – Max Q (1989)
This is one of my favourites but little known covers. This was Michael Hutchence’s follow up to ‘Kick’ and in my opinion a brave step to make. By then his fame as frontman of INXS was global and he felt like stepping off the roller coaster to get back in touch with who he was personally and as an artist, to work with different musicians. There wasn’t any doubt about INXS, he still considered himself a member. The great success of Kick left everyone exhausted from the touring, TV and press and the continual lack of privacy. They just wanted time off to spend with their families, which they thoroughly deserved. But Michael was never one for just sitting around, a month was enough for him so this was the moment for him to discover who Michael Hutchence was.
He could have got the top musicians and session musicians in the world but he didn’t, he wanted to work with talented people who were relatively unknown but with an attitude, were authentic and cutting edge and no better place in the world to find them than Melbourne. So he got in touch with two of the most original and pioneering musicians from there, Gus Till and Ollie Olsen and they put a band together and formed Max Q (named after Ollie’s dog). They made a record that was so ahead of its time it still stands up today. The idea of making it the name of an unidentified character was inspirational to me, so I came up with the idea of creating a character out of the 7 faces of the band into one character. Michael was adamant to not feature him in any way except as just another member of the band. He showed up at my house one night and when I opened the door, it took me a minute to recognize who it was, as he had cut his hair short and was wearing glasses.
Essentially this is who he really was: a bookish, shy poet. There was a new technology available that would ultimately become what we now know as Photoshop, called the Scitex machine that was completely digital, meaning the possibilities were endless and you could do everything in real time in one place. So in effect this was my first digital album cover. The last pic is my original thumbnail sketch.
X – INXS (1990)
Of all the artwork I liked the best it was X that was my favourite. The importance of ‘Kick’ obviously is not lost on me and it was my opportunity to show Chris Murphy and the band that I saw them exactly as that. The idea came from a silver ring with an emerald stone in the centre that Michael wore. It reminded me of a comic book character with a magic ring. That’s when the superhero idea came to me because at this point they were ‘superstars’ therefore ‘superheroes’ and a bit like the Fantastic 4 or X-Men. I’m not a big comic fan by the way, but their style of drawing was something you can’t do in just a photo. The idea that they are coming out from the centre is powerful saying “We’re Back!”.
I also think it was the best of my collaborations with Michael Halsband, by this point we knew each so well that shooting with him was fun as much as it was work. That trip to Sydney was fun, the two of us were laughing most of the time and you can do that when you’re confident in what you’re doing. Also because INXS were so successful by then it meant I could push for something more than a regular cover, so I came up with the 3D pop up CD cover. I was really pleased with this and to be honest I couldn’t have done it without the support of Phillip Mortlock at WEA Australia who was all about doing things out of the ordinary. They were so much more innovative and creative than Atlantic in the US. The last photo is the printer’s proof the band signed for me.
Rhythm of Love – Kylie Minogue (1990)
I’m extremely proud of the work I did with her. At the time she was as big as you get in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia and as everyone knows, she was dating Michael. So obviously he suggested I work with her. Of course it helped that I wasn’t just Michael’s friend but I already was an internationally successful cover designer but known more for working rock and alternative bands. The only pop stuff I had done was while I was still living in London when I worked with Culture Club and Bananarama. The Michael/Kylie relationship was his best and the two of them being together was a time when Kylie was keen to shed her ‘Neighbours’ “goody goody” image and as soon as you meet her you see much more. The three of us collaborated together on this. We spent so much time together that inevitably we threw ideas around. In fact at some point I had to hold Kylie back a little from going more extreme.
I knew she was ready but not sure her audience was. I knew it should be glamorous and fashionable and beautifully shot. I came across a young Austrian photographer based in LA called Markus Morianz, who had an exceptional eye for beauty but with a more European sensibility. In other words he didn’t mind going dark and twisted when necessary but that wasn’t right for Kylie. We wanted it to be stylish, simple and sexy, so it would be more of an obvious transition to her fans rather than a shock. I remember Michael, Kylie and I all discussing photographers, stylists and make-up artists and because we all had worked with the best we trusted each other’s taste. Both Markus and I knew the stunning beauty of the California desert and the incredible light out there.
So we shot some in a studio but the front and back were shot out in the desert. She had an incredible wardrobe styled by Danny Flynn. I’m not sure who suggested she wore Michael’s shirt. It was just the type of simple look I wanted, you didn’t want the clothes to distract from the face. I had suggested the late Paul Starr who worked under Marilyn Monroe’s makeup artist who created Marilyn’s arched eyebrows.
Live Baby Live – INXS (1991)
The INXS hat trick. Each one has its own identity. Live albums are never as good, as the live show itself seems difficult to replicate the electricity in the air. Live records in stadiums are even worse. But this record is in a league of its own in every sense from the views out at the masses, to the opening drum beat of ‘Guns In the Sky’, you knew this was going to be something special and this was the perfect storm. Everything aligned at the same time. It was one of those events that will never happen again, magical. From Mark Opitz’s live mix which puts you right in the audience, the crowd swaying like the ocean and probably INXS greatest live performance, captured on video.
But also on stills camera was Australian photographer Andrew Southam who captured that Christ like photo of Michael in front of a sea of people arms outstretched. Now I knew when I saw it it had to be the front because not only did it define the almost religious experience the audience were having but it defined Michael as one of greatest rock stars ever. It’s up there with Iggy Pop walking on on the audience’s outstretched arms and Paul Simonon’s iconic smashing bass on ‘London Calling’. Sometimes one photo just leaps out at you. My problem however was, here I am again about to try and convince the band that it should be just Michael on the cover, Michael even said to me “you’re on your own this time” and I wasn’t sure I had it in me to convince them. But every time I looked at it, I knew it had to be the cover, so I thought fuck it I’ll go straight and and say “I’m sorry, I really didn’t want to be in this situation, but my instinct and every who saw it said the same”. The band were surprisingly good about it because I think as musicians who were on that stage they knew exactly what I meant.
Ironically it was the last cover I ever did for them. I did do two videos a while later. What a way to sign out of 3 album covers that took INXS beyond the next level. The sad thing though besides it being my last artwork, INXS never reached those heights again. They’ll always be popular but it was almost like Wembley was the Last Supper.
Further information
See also the first part: The Art of Sound: Nick Egan’s Album Covers Unveiled 1980-1987
Coming soon: Part 3 will provide Nick’s highlights from 1988 to 2015.
