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06.01.03 Herb Ritts: 1952-2002


The recent passing of famed photographer Herb Ritts has brought to light a landmark session that was done with him and INXS in Los Angeles nearly twelve years ago. On 31 January 1991, a photo shoot was undertaken that would yield spectacular and far-reaching results. INXS was in town to begin their X-Factor Tour after appearances in South America and the infamous Rock In Rio concert. The shoot would prove to be fortuitous for all involved.

Herb Ritts, as it is well-known, had risen to fame as a gifted celebrity photographer with a knack for sexy elegance in his work. Likewise, INXS was enjoying an upturn in their own brand of sexy elegance, resuming activity from a long break after the Kick album and tour of 1987 and '88. As with other notable photographers of the day which INXS had worked with (Annie Liebovitz, Lynn Goldsmith, Helmut Newton, Richard Avedon, etc.) Ritts imposed his unique flair upon the proceedings. The Ritts style is one of detached glamour and imposed god-like radiance, qualities that would compliment INXS's rough edged, yet cosmopolitan rock band stance very well.

The material that resulted from the session was used for a wide range of INXS publicity and commercial purposes throughout 1991. Aside from numerous magazine covers and features, a Herb Ritts poster of INXS was included with the UK Limited Edition 'Bitter Tears' (Wembley 12" single pack) that was issued just prior to the band's Summer XS concert in London. In Australia and Japan, singles of 'By My Side' were adorned with a further Ritts-snapped group shot (a rare CD single of 'By My Side' in Australia featured another Ritts poster). French Max Magazine also utilized a Ritts shot for a giveaway CD of 'Mystify' to promote Live Baby Live.

During the course of the 1991 shoot, some individual shots of Michael were done. As was the practice of INXS at the time, the group image was the most important element to reinforce to the public. Nevertheless, it can't be denied that Michael Hutchence presented a challenging subject that someone of Herb Ritts' photographic caliber could not resist capturing on his own. Unbeknownst at the time, one shot from this portion of the shoot would be used for Michael's posthumous solo album in 1999. A startling black and white photo with Michael posed with his eyes closed and his arm across his chest, proved to be the perfect choice to accompany Michael's darkly adventurous final album.

To view a full series of images from Ritt's INXS photoshoot, visit the Sound + Vision area.

Photography by Herb Ritts



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