INXS: "The Gift" (Mercury); Phil Collins: "Both Sides Of The Story" (Virgin)

Great! Top Aussie Sex God defies all marketing logic by insisting on his artistic independence and issuing a cover of John Cale's weirdo poem from The Velvet Underground's White LIght White Heat, that ought to shake up the cosy chart consensus! Er, hang on a minute, what's this sub-Zooropa chunder with nary a tune or chorus in sight? Oh, it's INXS 'stretching their limitations'. Hope you like their new direction.

I knew there was a valuable voice missing from the recent debates concerning the Hume/Adams talks,the slaughter in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the should or shouldn't Bill 'The Executioner' (You didn't hear too much about the saxy candidate sanctioning the death penalty for a virtually lobotomised prisoner in Arkansas when he was courting every passing Rock Star during his campaign, now did you?) Clinton blow Mohammed Aideed away? dilemma. Phil Collins come on down! On this astoundingly relevant release Phil tackles the problems of poverty, ghetto violence (A verse which borders on high comedy) and international conflict by advising us to listen to 'both sides of the story''. He even manages to rip off his old mate Peter Gabriel's 'Biko' by employing keyboards which sound like bagpipes and stealing the line "the eyes of the world are watching now." What a truly unspeakable bollox this man is!