AMG Review of Best of INXS [Rhino]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Following a year after Rhino's double-disc set Shine Like It Does, Rhino's The Best of INXS trumps the 1994 set Greatest Hits in the single-disc sweepstakes, but just barely. Over the course of 21 tracks, this does have nearly all of the hits, plus many of the bigger album tracks. What dents this a bit is the lack of a logical, chronological sequencing, along with a few absent key tracks, such as "The Stairs." For most of the audience, these songs won't be consciously missed, yet it does suggest that this could have been assembled better than it was. Nevertheless, it's perfectly serviceable as a collection of highlights, presenting all the group's big hits, from "Original Sin" to "Beautiful Girl," all on one platter, albeit not in chronological order. The band would have been better-served by a straight chronological listing -- particularly because lousy tunes like "Taste It" arrive so early in the album -- but apart from that, this is en enjoyable overview, containing all the biggest hits on one disc.