INXS “New Sensation (Nick’s Twelve Inch Mix)” b/w “Guns in the Sky (Kick Ass Mix)” 1988. Yesterday, January 22nd, would have been Michael Hutchence’s 57th birthday (b. 1960 d. 1997). “New Sensation” was INXS’s third single from their massive 1987 smash-hit album Kick. The single hit #3 in the US, #9 in their native Australia and #24 in the UK. The remix on this 12″ single is even more danceable than the original with increased electronica effects and expanded length. The “Nick” referred to in the title is record producer Nick Launay, who has worked with a sea of new wave, post-punk and alternative acts from the 1980′s through today like Nick Cave, PiL, Talking Heads and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Side B’s remix of “Guns in the Sky” is kick-ass: an operatic intro is followed by the classic Monty Python statement “And now for something completely different.” It then launches into a stuttered beat version of the original track (that also appears on Kick) and sneakily includes tidbits from the sexiest song ever, “Need You Tonight.” Today I especially appreciate the highlight and repetition of the line “It’s a load of shit!”