The United States can't exactly judge other nations for not being up-to-date with new music. After all, as of last week Bruno Mars' 2012 album Unorthodox Jukebox was still ranked no. 5 on the Billboard 200, and Imagine Dragons' Night Visions was ranked no. 6. It's now 2014, so maybe we should try something new. Australia is taking it to a whole new level however. This week, both the no. 1 and 2 spots on the Australian albums charts are occupied by INXS.
Granted, the '80s rock band didn't just come out of nowhere and dominate album sales. Much like how Mars found himself tearing back up the Billboard 200 after his Super Bowl halftime performance, INXS got a boost from Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS, a two-part television miniseries.
The Very Best , a greatest hits compilation, was released during 2011 so there's less shame in it rising to no. 1. However, the group's 1987 album Kick rose to no. 2 more than 26 years after its release. It's interesting to note that no. 2 is the best position Kick has ever reached, having spent 12 weeks at the spot since its release. The reason for Kick's success versus that of other INXS albums is that the record featured the single from which the new miniseries took its name.
Not that other INXS albums are doing badly. Four other records cracked the Top 40, including Live At Wembley Stadium (no. 17), The Swing (no. 25), Shabooh Shoobah (no. 33) and Listen Like Thieves (no. 36).
"Never Tear Us Apart," the track from which the miniseries took its title, rose to no. 11 on the Australian singles chart, which breaks its previous record of no. 14 (during 1988).
INXS is the first Australian performer to take the no. 1 and 2 spot at the same time.
