The INXS Bio-Pic a Such HUGE Hit in Australia That Their Greatest Hits Album Holds 3 Spots in the Top Ten. Wait–What?
Next to AC/DC, INXS has been Australia’s biggest musical export. And because of the spectacularly controversial death of singer Michael Hutchence in 1997 (not to mention all his well-publicized love affairs), the country’s fascination with the group lives on.
Sunday saw the first of a two-part bio-pic of INXS called Never Tear Us Apart air on the Seven Network. Almost two million people–a little less than a tenth of the Australian population–tuned in. That’s a pretty incredible number. Ratings for the show were far, far higher than for the Sochi Olympics. (Okay, so Australia isn’t exactly a Winter Olympics powerhouse, but still….)
And there’s more. INXS today accounts for 40% of all the albums in the Top 20 in Australia’s iTunes store. Five records are in the top 10.
The #1 album is The Very Best compilation. It’s also at #6 and #7. How is that possible? Different packaging. The 20-track single version is the best-selling edition while the two-disc version is at 6 and the three-disc set at 7. Can anyone think of another occasion where essentially the same album occupies three different spots in the Top 10?
Kick, the band’s best-selling album sits at #2 and their Live at Wembley Stadium ’91 is at #4. Looking further down the chart, Shabooh Shoobah is at #13, The Swing at #14 and Listen Like Thieves at #20. Crazy.
