Universal Music & Petrol Records’ soundtrack for Michael Hutchence doco to include unheard songs

Australian-based Petrol Records’ soundtrack to the long-awaited Michael Hutchence full-length documentary Mystify will include unheard tracks.

After the Richard Lowenstein-helmed production makes its premiere next month at the Tribeca Film Festival, Petrol and its international partner, Universal Music Group, will launch a major campaign for the soundtrack.

On making the announcement, Christopher M. Murphy, chairman and founder of Petrol Records, and creative director and global strategist for INXS said:

“INXS’ appeal wasn’t just confined to writing great songs or playing some of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.

“They always had their collective antennae up to the latest trends – whether they be music, fashion or technology – and that’s given their brand a fresh and lasting outlook.”

He added: “Their legacy is growing every day, and a new generation of fans from around the world are discovering INXS through streaming.

“We are entering an exciting period of rediscovery of their legacy and a reassessment of their place in music history.”

Murphy revealed:  “There will be many insights revealed about Michael’s life and his music, which will create interesting conversations.

“Movies like Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born remind us of the extraordinary contributions that are made to popular culture when movies and music are creatively intertwined, and I am proud to say Mystify will be another great example.”

INXS sold 50 million records around the world, using a mix of music, technology, visuals and fashion as well as Hutchence’s sexual charisma.

Although they announced their retirement from touring a few years ago, streaming has brought them to a new global audience.

Figures from Petrol show that in 2018, INXS streaming increased by 48% from the previous year with strong growth in countries such as the UK, Mexico and Japan.

In the 1980s, INXS were one of, if not the first, major white rock band to attract African American audiences to their concerts,

Murphy notes that INXS have also been well received by Latin and Asian music lovers.

Not surprising, he says, as the band was equally as inspired by Latin music and most of their songs were written in Hutchence’s home in Hong Kong.

Mystify is just one of the projects that Murphy is working on, and to be announced down the track.

As revealed in TMN, Murphy and Petrol are working on the INXS ‘X’ Building as a tech/arts hub in NSW’s Ballina/Byron region.

The X-shaped building will house the INXS museum, with thousands of memorabilia and interactive displays.