Keyboards, Guitar, Percussion & Vocals

DOB: 27 March 1959

Biography

Within INXS, massive hit singles such as ‘Original Sin’ (first Australian Number One), ‘What You Need’ (first Top 10 in the US), and ‘Need You Tonight’ (huge worldwide smash Number One) were the key cornerstones of Andrew’s much lauded songwriting partnership with Michael Hutchence (with many others in between, before and since). Add into the mix successful albums and videos, unending world tours, armloads of awards and accolades plus the honor of performing at the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney – it’s been, and remains, quite a career for Andrew – and one of his own making. Weathering highs and lows, peaks and valleys is part of the game for anyone in this business, but Andrew’s tactile pragmatism ensures it never goes to his head, no matter what the situation. Famously known for diligently working alone until the moment of collaboration is the next needed component, Andrew is nothing if not prepared.

“Without Andrew there would be no music for us to play.” Michael Hutchence

Very busy outside of INXS for many years now, Andrew’s earliest external forays were in 1982 and 1983 on projects such as Richard Clapton’s Great Escape album and sessions with Flaming Hands, (which both included other members of INXS). A one-off single in 1984 with another Australian act, Dropbears, saw him playing guitar on the ‘Shall We Go’ single before he joined forces with Michael Hutchence in 1985 for an unusual project called Flame Fortune. As producers, the duo went under the moniker of the Rocking Love Gods for ‘(I’m A) Sex Symbol’.

It was in 1986 that Andrew Farriss would really establish himself as a force outside of INXS. His work on Jenny Morris’s Body & Soul album was to mark the start of a long relationship which has lasted almost 20 years and spawned many hit singles and awards. As well as touring with Jenny Morris as part of her band throughout Europe (as support to Prince), he also appeared in the album’s video promos. The Body & Soul album and it’s accompanying Farriss-produced singles – ‘You’re Gonna Get Hurt’ and ‘Body And Soul’ – were followed by another Jenny Morris album, Shiver in 1989. Andrew not only solely produced the massively successful Shiver, but he also co-wrote the majority of the tracks as well as playing guitars and keyboards. 1991 brought yet another Jenny Morris album appearance in the shape of Honeychild. With producer duties surrendered, Andrew settled for a series of high profile co-writes and well as guitar and keyboard contributions.

“Andrew would make a good psychological case study for somebody. He’s a deep thinker, the old Andrew.” Tim Farriss

1994 saw Andrew branch out wider in his musical scope to co-write the track ‘Our Generation’ with Aboriginal act Yothu Yindi. It was the birth of another artist relationship which would last across of series of projects. Andrew’s work with the band allowed him to further his interest in Aboriginal history and culture and to tackle new creative situations. Work on this track and the follow-up album, Birrkuta: Wild Honey was only to be interrupted by one further Jenny Morris track, ‘Salvation Jane’ – an INXS outtake originally intended for the band’s X album but unreleased until 2002. Birrkuta included two Farriss-produced/co-written tracks, ‘Matter Of Choice’ and the single, ‘Superhighway’.

In the following two years, Andrew juggled writing and demoing INXS’s Elegantly Wasted album with two external projects. In early 1995, he co-wrote a batch of material with Teddy Richards (Aretha Franklin’s son and band guitarist), which was to later surface as an internet-only release entitled Sonic Bloom. A break at a writing conference in a French chateau that year was responsible for as-yet-unreleased collaborations with Olivia Newton-John and New Radical’s Gregg Alexander. In 1996, Andrew hooked up with Scottish rockers G.U.N. to produce and play on their 0141 632 6326 album.

Never one to slow down, Andrew took the production helm for Yothu Yindi again in 1999 for their ARIA award-winning album Garma. Andrew then took unknown Australian singer-songwriter called Kelly Wood under his wing to write a clutch of tracks yet to surface. Before the end of the year Andrew had also written tracks with Sir Tim Rice (‘Wake Up Call’) and Yothu Yindi leader Manduwy Yunupingu (‘Win For Australia’).

“For it to really work, you have to have a feel for what people like to listen to – you need to know what excites them as well as what excites yourself”. Andrew Farriss

2001 saw Andrew turn his attentions to the thriving Australian country music scene by agreeing to co-write, produce and play on Tania Kernaghan’s Big Sky Country album. A huge success, Big Sky Country introduced Tania’s sound to a much wider audience with Andrew’s distinct sound and production style framing her distinctive songs. As the year drew to a close, Andrew concentrated on work for his long-anticipated “solo” album, wrote with former Baby Animals singer Suze DiMarchi, German pop star Ray Thomas and Dave Watkin from Russell Crowe’s TOFOG band. In 2002, Andrew once again joined forces with Jenny Morris on ‘Killer Man’, a track from her Hit & Myth album. 2004 brought production duties for two new young bands – Words Unrelated and Scarifier. The association with both groups came about as the result of Andrew being a judge for a Battle Of The Bands contest at the end of 2003.

Songwriting Credits

On A Bus
Doctor
Just Keep Walking
Learn To Smile
Jumping
In Vain
Roller Skating
Body Language
Newsreel Babies
Wishy Washy
Stay Young
Horizons
Big Go Go
Underneath The Colours
Fair Weather Ahead
Night Of Rebellion
Barbarian
What Would You Do
Just To Learn Again
The One Thing
To Look At You
Soul Mistake
Here Comes
Black And White
Jan’s Song
Don’t Change
Original Sin
I Send A Message
Dancing On The Jetty
The Swing
Johnson’s Aeroplane
Love Is (What I Say)
Burn For You
All The Voices
What You Need
Listen Like Thieves
Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)
Shine Like It Does
This Time
Same Direction
One X One
Red Red Sun
New Sensation
Devil Inside
Need You Tonight
Mediate
Wild Life
Never Tear Us Apart
Mystify
Kick
Calling All Nations
Tiny Daggers
Suicide Blonde
The Stairs
By My Side
Lately
Who Pays The Price
Know The Difference
Bitter Tears
On My Way
Hear That Sound
Shining Star
Questions
Heaven Sent
Communication
Taste It
Not Enough Time
All Around
Baby Don’t Cry
Beautiful Girl
Wishing Well
Strange Desire
Make Your Peace
Time
I’m Only Looking
Please (You Got That Need)
Full Moon, Dirty Hearts
Freedom Deep
Kill The Pain
Cut Your Roses Down
The Messenger
Viking Juice
The Strangest Party (These Are The Times)
Deliver Me
Show Me (Cherry Baby)
Elegantly Wasted
Everything
Don’t Lose Your Head
Searching
I’m Just A Man
Girl On Fire
We Are Thrown Together
Shake The Tree
She Is Rising
Building Bridges
Shine
Let It Ride
Simple Simon
We Are The Vegetables
Different World
Salvation Jane
Tight
Precious Heart (Tall Paul Vs Inxs – Radio Edit)
One Of My Kind (Rogue Traders Vs Inxs)
I’m So Crazy (Par-T-One Vs Inxs – Radio Edit)
Devil’s Party
Pretty Vegas
Afterglow
Hot Girls
Remember Who’s Your Man
Hungry
Us
God’s Top Ten
The Answer
Waiting To Be Free
Dark Of Night
The Unloved One
Lacavocal
Before You Leave