Customer Reviews

Kylie

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kylie Minogue first hit it big in her home country of Australia before breaking through to the UK, and is still going strong. Sadly, she was criminally not recognized or received in the same manner in this country. This, her 1988 album entitled Kylie, is where the saga begins.

Her debut was entirely written, produced, and arranged by Stock-Aitken-Waterman, the prime purveyors of bubblegum pop in the late 1980's. Kylie stands now as the classic epitome of the S-A-W sound.

The album bursts into overdrive instantly with the first two singles, "I Should Be So Lucky" and "The Loco-Motion", yes, the Little Eva song written by the famous songwriting duo of Carole King and Gerry Goffin. This version stayed on the top of the Aussie charts for 7 weeks straight. Personally, it should have gone for 12 weeks, but oh well.

"Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi", qui est francais pour "I don't know why", is a mid-paced single that provides a good beat. So is "It's No Secret". Then comes "Got To Be Certain", the third overdrive single on this album. I've always had trouble deciding which is my favorite single on here: this, "I Should Be So Lucky", "The Loco-Motion", or "Love At First Sight". More often than not, it ends up as a four-way tie.

As it turned out, the first six songs became singles, so that's three-fifths of the album right there. "Turn It Into Love" is yet another overdrive single and "I Miss You", the first non-single on the album, has a nice horn section mixed in with the S-A-W wall of synthesizer keyboards.

All ten songs on the entire album is an instant dance-party album, and not a filler among them. Heck, "I'll Still Be Loving You" and "Look My Way" beat to a somewhat slower, but nevertheless midpaced tempo before finishing off with the rocket-paced "Love At First Sight".

People who are into contemporary techno may consider this dated and pokey, but the upbeat style of Kylie showers the partier or listener with a fuzzy, warm feeling instead of the cold, mechanical prickliness of freeze-dried techno. It's also a good workout, especially for jogging or on a Revmaster.

As for the album cover, there she is, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, wearing a slanting hatbrim with her hair piled atop it. So, there it is for Kylie, the first of many delightful albums.

It really stinks that the original US edition of this album is out of print, especially with Kylie's recent resurgance of popularity stateside.

But anyways, this is the album that started it all for the international pop goddess. Long before Britney dazzled us, there was Kylie. Although this received modest success in the US back in the late-80's this album set records overseas and was a phenomenon. With the help of pop producers SAW *who made huge hits for Rick Astley and Bananarama* Kylie danced her way on to the pop charts. "The Locomotion" was the big US hit hitting #3 on the pop charts. My favorite track has to "I Should Be So Lucky" which was a top 40 hit in the states but a huge #1 single in the UK. The catchy pop ditty "It's No Secret" was her third Us top 40 hit. "Got To Be Certain" is also outstanding as "Turn it Into love" and "I don't Know Why" *the french track.* I also very much enjoy "Love At First sight" which is the closing track. *Kylie would later do a song by the same title for "Fever" and have a huge top 40 hit with it in the US.*

This may be corny but is a great and fun representation of 80's pop and a must for Kylie fans. I love her later works such as "Fever" and "Light Years", but this still stands out.

When Kylie released her first album back in 1988, (Kylie) many were quick to say she was just another 'flash in the pan.' What they did not know, was her career would still be going to this day...

This 10-track fun pop album is the lime-light. They are great and fun upbeat tunes and very memorable. The kids that know this album may find their parents singing to the songs in the car and the window is open and, it's highly embarrassing!

Anyway, this is pure-pop Kylie at her younger states, when she was in Neighbours. This album includes the first single here in the UK, I Should Be So Lucky and the first #1 in Australia, The Loco-motion, which stayed at the top for 7 weeks!

I Should Be So Lucky was a #1 for Kylie here in the UK and more favourites Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi, The Locomotion and Got To Be Certain were #2's for Kylie. Turn It Into Love and It's No Secret, however, were very popular singles in Japan! Turn It Into Love immediately went to #1 and It's No Secret hit #4!

So all the first 6 songs from this album were singles some where in the world. The last 4 are also very good. The stand-outs for the last 4 songs are definately I Miss You and Look My Way. There are slightly more mature than other 'hits' on the album. As is I'll Still Be Loving You, a beautiful ballad that made me cry for the first time in any song when I listened to it.

This leaves just one more song, Love At First Sight. It is definately the weakest song on the album and is certainly not the hit that appeared on her Fever album, later on in her career. It's not as good as that or the other songs on the album, nevertheless, still an excellent song.

Futhermore, this album went straight to #1 on the UK Charts, it also spent an amazing 67 weeks on the UK Top 100 Albums Chart! This was aslo just 3 weeks off her extremely popular album Fever, which spent 70 weeks on the UK Top 100 Albums Chart! This just shows how great Kylie really is!

In 1987, we saw the birth of Pop Princess Kylie Minogue with the first his single I Should Be So Lucky with her girl next door image and a couple of months later, she released her debut Kylie. Most of it foucses on Freestyle and bubble gum pop. Im gonna break it down and rate the songs:

I Should Be So Lucky: One of her signiture songs and most popular songs from her debut with her cutesy lyrics. 10/10

Locomotion: her biggest charting US single until 2001's Can't Get You OUt Of My Head and I prefer the 7" mix.9/10

Je Ne Sai: french for I Don't Why, good song. 9/10

It's No Secret: one of her less popular songs but in my opinion I really love this song regardless. 9/10

Got To Be Certain: very cute song and catchy upbeat and too silly with the handclaps. 10/10

Turn It Into Love: a Rick Astley type of song which is a Freestyle hit song in 1989. 10/10

I Miss You: too bubblegum for me. 8/10

I'll Still Be Loving You: a mid tempo song which was the B Side to the 1987 version of Locomotion. 8/10

Look My Way: this song samples Rock Steady by the Whispers, ironically she uses the sample on the 50+1 as the intro of the song. 10/10

Love at First Sight (1988): not to be confused with her 2002 hit single. 9/10

The debut by Kylie Minogue is simply her best work of music. Back in 1988, I purchased her cassette single, "I should be so lucky". The euro pop beats from the acclaimed producers who wrote for Bananarama and Rick Astley were thee gods of late 1980's.
Kylie's voice was clear and crisp. I had no clue she was a television star in Australia. An added bonus for trivia. Listening to this release as cd format brings back the craziness of my teen years: my first job, adventures staying out late without calling my mother etc... Brilliant!

After a few times listening to Kylie's first CD, it may begin to seem like a radical departure from the usual pop music fare circa 1988. Exceedingly well-played and arranged island-inflected soft funk beats drive and/or massage over half of the songs. The other tracks boast a finely mastered assortment: a strong remake of "The Locomotion", an exquisitely fine jazz-inflected R & B song, another where R & B and island funk are melded in an uncannily expressive fashion, and so on.

1. "I Should Be So Lucky"
A good story-song. Kind of an innocent, bubbly send-up, it's very energetic, and at the same time quite sweet. The video is very fun to watch, with its girl-next-door flavor on display all the way through.
4 stars
[video on `Ultimate Kylie' DVD: 5 stars]

2. "The Loco-Motion" Kylie really nails this - it's a fabulous remake of the great Little Eva classic from 1962!
4½-5 stars.

3. "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi"
Here the backing tracks' mix is a total gem - full of surprising, expressive rhythmic touches - for this medium tempo, gentler type of song. After an initial learning curve, it seems to get better every time you hear how Kylie's exhortations fit in and around the rhythmic groove (likewise how the groove fits around and inside her singing). The rhythm and overall style seems to be broadly based in zouk (dance music from Guadalupe/Martinique, islands in the French Caribbean, by way of Paris).
5++++ stars;
[video on `Ultimate Kylie' DVD: 5+ stars]

4. "It's No Secret"
This song continues the exploration of island-inflected beats. With strong, broadly swinging syncopations, this one seems to hearken to reggae-soca (a blending of Jamaican reggae and Trinidadian dance music). And this one's unbelievably passionate. Great, great songwriting (form, rhythm, melody, backing tracks) and soulful playing/singing all the way through!
5++++ stars

5. "Got To Be Certain"
Continues the exploration of island inflected beats - this one appears to be a severely funk-inflected soca, with an overall subtle zouk influence as well; feel the relaxed passion/emotion of K's singing! The melody's in a major key this time, with a kind of high-blown airy feel to it.
5++++ stars.

6. "Turn It Into Love"
Continues the uncanny fusion of island beats and song forms. This unbelievably passionate song/arrangement is seemingly in a driving straight 8 (time signature); but the placement and accenting of notes of the rhythmic synth groove coupled with undulating, syncopated melodic/harmonic lines send this into a high heaven-on-earth feel. Great techno/synth sounds in the mix; great melodic revolutions, unbelievable vocal arrangement - bravo to all the singers - what a blend!
5++++ stars

7. "I Miss You"
Here's still another unbelievably passionate song/arrangement, this one being jazzy-inflected R & B - the backing tracks are unbelievably good - smooth and soulful - everything fits like a glove, the backup singers especially. Their harmonies and tonal palette are intensely dreamy, and creamy.
5++++ stars.

8. "I'll Still Be Loving You"
Beautiful reggae-inflected R & B, with well-placed funk seasoning; again, how they got these rhythms (etc.) to fuse so perfectly is a complete marvel. The melody, composition, back-up harmonies continue to thoroughly amaze!
The finest imaginable at 5 stars ++++.

9. "Look My Way": a glorious somewhat up-tempo R & B song. This sounds perfectly at home in the constellation of late-80's music, when it was created. The only caveat here is that Kylie's singing is a little more strident-sounding than it probably should be. The back-ground singers sound too much more relaxed and this produces kind of a clash. My vote would be to have had Kylie's delivery toned down, as the back-ups sound perfect. This was an error on the part of the producers, not the singers (including Kylie).
4½ stars.

10. "Love At First Sight"
(Note that this is an entirely different song from the one of the same title from her 8th CD: `Fever')
This begins with a very tasty (and funky) syncopated soca-driven horn intro. But what's kind of weird is how simplistic (and repetitious) the melodies are: mostly up 4 notes and back down (in both sections), with minimal ornamentation, etc. Maybe this is an attempt to recapitulate the melodic movement of track #1 (which is, however, somewhat more varied and interesting), over a more busily moving rhythm track. Kylie and the other singers clearly make the best of it, and if the listener will be a little bit forgiving, and let the blending of the beats, the singing and other sonic events carry the day, the song might just clock in at 5 stars, otherwise you might have to rate it a 4, or even a 3. Overall the song works quite well, considering.

Kylie's first album starts with two ever green "I Should Be So Lucky" and "The Loco-Motion". The next songs are not bad either. "Je Ne Sais Pourquoi" (peaceful love song), "It's No Secret", and "Got to Be Certain"...there's videos all of the 5 first songs. four of them were singles "I Should..." (number 1 in UK), "Loco-Motion" (number 2 in UK), "Got to Be Certain" (number 2 in UK), and "Je Ne Sais Pourquoi" (number 2 in UK). "Turn It Into Love" has great pop sound. It is a shame that it hasn't been released as a single. The four last ones aren't so good. "I Miss You", "Look My Way", "Love at First Sight" (not the one that was released as a single...that was in Fever -album) are too basic pop. "I'll Still Be Loving You" has great lyrics and Kylie has a lovely voice but it isn't my big favourites either.
Stars: Turn It Into Love, Got to Be Certain, I Should Be So Lucky

I still love Kylie's first album. Although it got attention because of her remake of Little Eva's '60s hit, The Locomotion (people just LOVE those remakes, that "Oh My God, I remember that song!" reaction), the rest of the album is more exciting and fun. I have played It's No Secret, Turn It Into Love, Look My Way (which sounds like the Whispers' Rock Steady), I Miss You, I Should Be So Lucky and others. The one weak song of this album is Love At First Sight. It sounds too kid-like for her.
As fun, catchy and addictive as it is, it is a Stock-Aitken-Waterman production. Those three produced entire albums for Rick Astley, Bananarama, Donna Summer, and some songs for others. The music has a tendency to be repetitive, and some songs here from '88 are similar to the ones they did for Astley and Summer. Their clash of keyboard heavy melody, shades of late '70s disco and '80 dance in their sound made for a unique formula. One must ask how nonstop it was for them to make 40, 50 or 60 different songs for these artists in that successful period. But you wouldn't know it from dancing to all of it. Kylie's first album was really the setup for more complex songs like her '90s albums and her most recent successful albums of Kylie and Body Language.

Kylie opens up her heart to the world in this Bubble gum pop classic album that started it for miss Minogue. She teams up with British Dance pop juggernauts Stock Aitken Waterman for this class act of an album
the hits:
I should be so lucky- a dance sonata to love that has a really cutesy video attached to it
Got to be certain- a ode to sex (with a lot of subtlety attached to it. Think Will you still love me tomorrow attached to a Eurodisco beat)
The locomotion- Little Eva, move over, and Grank Funk stop, cause Kylie is riding the love train
Je ne sais pas pourquoi- Bust out the kleenex cause this rain ballad will amke you weep (or is it the raindrops)
It's no secret- Girl kick him to the curb like she does in this I will survive styled breakup anthem
Turn it into love- Hazell Dean had a hit with this only a couple of months before Kylie released her version of this lovely friendship dancesong
I'll still be loving you- Cryer of a ballad..
Look my way- Tell him, that you never..
Love at first sight-No not that one, the first one!

Kylie in essence just begins with this one and she does a great job of doing it like she does. Because of this CD, i fell for the divine miss Minogue
I love you Kylie!!

My parents bought me this album the year it came out in the UK (I think it was 1988, so I would have been 4 at the time) and I have loved it ever since. I played it hundreds of times, so often that it wore out two years ago (I had the tape) and I've been searching everywhere for a copy of it, and now I've finally found it. This will always be my fave album ever, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone.