Customer Reviews

Ultimate Kylie

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The first CD contains Kylie's hits from her time with Stock, Aitken and Waterman while the second CD shows how Kylie has progressed since then, up to and including her last UK hit of 2004 (I believe in you), which made number two (behind Band Aid 20's re-recording of Do they know it's Christmas) in the UK chart.

On the first CD, you can hear Kylie's UK chart-topping duet with Jason Donovan, Especially for you, as well as her many solo hits from the period such as I should be so lucky (the kind of song you either love or hate - I love it), Je ne sais pas porqoui (an English language song despite it's chorus line), Got to be certain, Hand on your heart, Better the devil you know and Wouldn't change a thing. There are a few covers and it was two of these - Locomotion (the Little Eva sixties classic) and Tears on my pillow (the Little Anthony fifties classic) - that originally aroused my interest in Kylie's music. They are both brilliant - indeed, Locomotion provided Kylie with her only huge American hit during this period. As to Tears on my pillow, I've heard several versions. Kylie should be proud of her cover, which gave her another huge hit. Give me just a little more time and Celebration (Kool and the gang) provide further evidence of Kylie's ability to revive oldies and take them high up the charts.

The oldest major UK hit on the second CD is Confide in me, a brilliant song that Kylie took to number two in the UK charts. However, subsequent releases were somewhat less successful until the release of the album Light years (but see later for my comments about Where the wild roses grow). By now her style of music had evolved somewhat. Kylie returned to the big time with four hits beginning with Spinning around, which topped the UK charts, and continuing with On a night like this, Kids and Please stay.

With her next album, Fever, Kylie made an effort to promote her music in America so her first hit from the album, Can't get you out of my head, became a big hit in America as well as in the UK and her other traditional markets. Like its predecessor, Fever yielded four major UK hits, the others being In your eyes, Come into my world and Love at first sight. The next album, Body language, also yielded four UK hits - Slow, Red blooded woman, Chocolate and Can't start giving you up. It was the last original album prior to this compilation and the single, I believe in you, which completes the compilation.

While many will continue to dismiss Kylie (especially her early hits), she is much better than many of the singers she is sometimes compared to, and has proved it by lasting longer than any of her critics thought possible.

The most surprising track here is Where the wild roses grow, a duet with Nick Cave in which Kylie sings in an almost whispery style. The song (about a death pact) is typical of Nick's music but very different from Kylie's normal style. It proves that Kylie is capable of singing a wide range of material when given the opportunity.

This compilation is truly the ultimate Kylie compilation at the time of its release, though I expect more hits to come for Kylie.

Just a warning - if you got into Kylie's music because of her more recent material, you will find that her early music is very different. It is possible to enjoy both her recent music and her early music (as I do) but not everybody does.

DVD Description
1. I Should Be So Lucky 2. Got To Be Certain 3. The Loco-motion (7" Mix) 4. Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi 5. Especially For You 6. Hand On Your Heart 7. Wouldn't Change A Thing 8. Never Too Late 9. Tears On My Pillow 10. Better The Devil You Know 11. Step Back In Time 12. What Do I Have To Do 13. Shocked 14. Give Me Just A Little More Time 15. Celebration 16. Confide In Me 17. Put Yourself In My Place 18. Where The Wild Roses Grow 19. Did It Again 20. Breathe 21. Spinning Around 22. On A Night Like This 23. Kids 24. Please Stay 25. Can't Get You Out Of My Head 26. In Your Eyes 27. Love At First Sight 28. Come Into My World 29. Slow 30. Red Blooded Woman 31. Chocolate 32. I Believe In You 33. Can't Get Blue Monday Out Of My Head (Live At The Brits)

If you love Kylie Minogue, as I do, this is a must own DVD. The 2+ hour disc is packed with over 30 videos spanning Kylie's impressive 15+ year career. The DVD also includes a live performance of "Can't Get You Out of My Head." It is hardly her best performance of the song but is just an extra on the disc. The videos are the stars of this DVD. What a treat it is to watch Kylie progress from cute and innocent in "Got to be Certain" and "Locomotion," to hot and sexy in "Red Blooded Woman" and "I Believe in You." Virtually every video is fun, spirited, and will bring a smile to your face. The only exception is "Where the Wild Roses Grow," a critically acclaimed video about a man murdering his lover. Normally, this video would seem out of place. In reality, it is a brilliant masterpiece in itself. This is a wonderful collection and should be owned by every Kylie Minogue fan.

Even though many in this country only know her as that cute diva who came out of nowhere with a pair of hit singles in 2002, Kylie Minogue has in fact been on an exceptionally long path ablaze with creative twists and turns. The newly released "Ultimate Kylie" serves as an ideal retrospective that summarizes nearly two decades of the Aussie singer's melt-in-your-mouth pop confections. Twenty-seven of the set's thirty-three tracks reached the Top 10 in the UK.

The first disc, which contains recordings from the late 80's and early 90's, kicks off with the frantic "Better the Devil You Know" from her 1990 album "Rhythm of Love." A fast-paced track with strong vocals and an undeniable hook, it epitomizes the pop sensibility and the lovable plonkety-plonk production of the era that satiates the first half of the collection.

One of the most intriguing things about these songs is that, although her remake of Little Eva's 1962 hit "The Loco-Motion" was her only runaway hit in the US in 1988 before she disappeared from stateside radar for a decade and a half, it is the least enduring track on the first disc. This thus proves the worth of songwriting team Stock, Aitken and Waterman. who penned the great majority of her early string of hits while reportedly controlling her image and sound with a resented iron first.

As a result, selections such as the urgent "I Should Be So Lucky, "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" and "Got Be Certain" are pure listening pleasure. Her cover of Chairman of the Board's "Give Me Just a Little More Time" from her 1991 album "Let's Get to It" is also surprisingly soulful, although her rendition of Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" which rounds out the disc sounds like it belongs on a tape to play in the car for your child under 4.

The onset of the second disc flips us into present-day Kylie with her new single "I Believe In You," an entrancing slice of pulsating pop perfection she wrote with the Scissors Sisters that manages to pay homage to musical years gone by while still sounding fresh and original. Another new recording, "Giving You Up," is included, along with selections dating back a decade.

The sexy "Confide In Me" from 1994's self-titled CD finds Kylie cooing her lines to great success, while the introspectiveness of "Did It Again" and "Breathe" from her critically-acclaimed 1997 album "Impossible Princess" add ballast to the disc and prove that the pop starlet can indeed write substantial lyrics when she looks deep within.

Selections from her 2000 album "Light Years" also add sizzle to the fire. "Spinning Around," lucrative songwriter Kari Dioguardi's first hit, established Kylie as a dancefloor maven to outstanding success, as did the anthemic "On a Night Like This." These tracks clearly set the stage for tracks like "Love at First Sight" and "Come Into My World" from 2002's "Fever." The latter track is included here in its far superior radio version that won her a Grammy last year for Best Dance Recording.

"Kids," a left-field rock record with Robbie Williams and the bittersweet "Please Stay," propelled by Spanish guitars and bubbly production, suggest that "Light Years" was a project that the US should not have missed out on. Furthermore, the ever catchy "Slow" and the radio version of "Chocolate" from 2004's extremely underrated "Body Language" album throw further entertainment into the mix.

The disc closes with "Where the Wild Roses Grow," her morbid mid-nineties collaboration with Aussie rocker Nick Cave that concludes with his murdering her that still continues to raise eyebrows.

Although the capricious nature of the US music industry has caused Kylie Minogue to have a puddle of success in comparison to the rainstorm she continues to receive overseas, the reason for it has nothing to do with the quality of her music. "Ultimate Kylie" proves that repeatedly with its smorgasbord of solid tunes. If you have ever been even slightly interested in any of her music before but have never shelled out any of your hard-earned dollars, this is the definitive place to begin.

The "European Madonna" Kylie Minogue has always been a person of intrigue to me. Her music is catchy, infectious and unique, yet she doesn't get much recognition in the States. It amazes me how the worthless, bland talent of Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson has overshadowed Kylie's existence. I consider myself a new American Kylie fan, I exaggerate American because most Americans only know her as the chick who released "Can't Get You Out My Head" in 2001 and "Locomotion" in 1988...and these aren't even Kylie's best songs. This is pretty sad considering how we Americans are supposed to know what's hip in music. So to start off my venture into Kylie-dom I decided to get Ultimate Kylie, an extensive 2 disc, 33 song collection of Kylie's biggest hits from the 80's, 90's and 00's to start off getting into Kylie's music. All I can say is that this is the best greatest hits album I own, I mean it's great song after great song and Kylie's style of music is ever evolving so she goes from campy 80's pop, to early 90's dance to Indie stylings to revival disco to urban hip-hop, so you do not get tired of hearing the same music. The girl has an impressive range, no doubt.
I'm not going to go into each and every song because there's alot to cover but I will go over some of the most standout ones in my opinion.

For Disc 1: The first CD starts off with the peppy and flowing, "Better The Devil You Know", a great Kylie piece. "I Should Be So Lucky" is SAW bubblegum pop at it's finest while "Step Back In Time" is infectious and pays homage to the old school jams of the O'Jays. "What Do I Have To Do" is energetic and darn catchy while "Hand On Your Heart" is a upbeat sound of something that American 80's pop princesses Tiffany or Debbie Gibson would have done, I guess the lyrics remind me of some of their work. "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" is a cute pop piece while the remake of Chairman Of The Board's 70's hit "Give Me Just A Little More Time" is incredible with a great horn section backing Kylie up and where Kylie makes the song better than the original.

For Disc 2: The new song, "I Believe In You" is a nice love song and has a rousing techno beat to it. Possibly one of my fave Kylie tracks, "Love At First Sight" is a club thumping intergalactic romp while "Slow" is seductive and cunning. Disco infused, "On A Night Like This" and "Spinning Around" (which was co-written by none other than Paula Abdul!) are excellent. The duet "Kids" with Robbie Williams, is a rocking thrill ride where as "Red Blooded Woman" takes on an urban hip-hop approach. "Confide In Me" and "Put Yourself In My Place" are equally gorgeous and probably my two favorites off of this Disc. Painstaking and mournful yet poetic, Kylie sings these with flair.

I'm baffled as to why Kylie hasn't hit it as big Stateside. After scanning fan-sites of hers on the web I can see that Kylie is a HUGE and I'm talking HUGE part of the European, Japan and especially Australian music scene. I'm kind of sadden that she doesn't tour over here but I think with the growing number of fans here in the States maybe she should reconsider.
You get the Ultimate with Ultimate Kylie and I have now christened myself a new fan and I'm also planning on purchasing more Kylie CDs in the near future. This is a great, and I'm stressing GREAT, selection of hits to get if you want to get into Kylie's music. You can hear her grow with the years, from being a SAW bubblegum pop princess, to a sleek sophisticated dance songstress, to a disco-techno diva, Kylie has worn all the hats and maybe she'll wear more as her star keeps on shining! Go Kylie!

Kylie Minogue has had a good carriere and after making music more than 16 years is good to make a video collection. This has almost all the music videos Kylie made during the period "Kylie", "Enjoy Yourself", "Rhythm of Love", "Let's Get to It", "Kylie Minogue", "Impossible Princess", "Light Years", "Fever", "Body Language", and also some songs that hasn't been released on normal studio albums "Celebration", "Where the Wild Roses Grow", "Especially for You", and the new video "I Believe in You". Kylie made in the beginning of the carriere quite happy and funny videos...who wouldn't remember great video "I Should Be So Lucky" in which Kylie is dreaming about the guy she has fell in love and she is walking and dancing around the house or "Never Too Late" in which is dancing men and she is dancing on stage with different dresses. After that she started to make more dance videos with lots of rhythm...they very mostly very positive and mostly about love...which is always a difficult topic but I think Kylie undestood the main things. Unfortunately there aren't the videos "Finer Feelings", "If You Were With Me Now", and "Word Is Out" from "Let's Get to It". After fourth album she started to sing more adult stuff and most fans didn't like it so much...it wasn't so happy, actually it was quite serious stuff. I have to admit that the songs and videos "Confide in Me" and "Did It Again" are quite scary for me. After making a great classic duet with Nick Cave "Where the Wild Roses Grow" she started to make more kind of dance stuff..."Spinning Around" was Kylie's "comeback"...she started it again. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" from "Fever" and "Kids" (with Robbie Williams) from "Light Years" made her more famous than ever. 9th album "Body Language" was a little bit different from the two earlier ones...it had a little bit R & B in the songs...the videos are great in every song...they are mostly quite sexual videos...."Spinning Around" for example...Kylie is in little golden panties spinning around. Every one knows "Can't Get..."...that "La La La" -song...Kylie introduces her places very well...almost too well. "Body Language" videos aren't that brave...expect in "Slow" she has a swimming suit.
1)I Should Be So Lucky
2)Got to Be Certain
3)The Loco-Motion
4)Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi
5)Especially for You
6)Hand on Your Heart
7)Wouldn't Change a Thing
8)Never Too Late
9)Tears on My Pillow
10)Better the Devil You Know
11)Step Back in Time
12)What Do I Have to Do
13)Shocked
14)Give Me Just a Little More Time
15)Celebration
16)Confide in Me
17)Put Yourself in My Place
18)Where the Wild Roses Grow
19)Did It Again
20)Breathe
21)Spinning Around
22)On a Night Like This
23)Kids
24)Please Stay
25)Can't Get You Out of My Head
26)In Your Eyes
27)Love at First Sight
28)Come Into My World
29)Slow
30)Red Blooded Woman
31)Chocolate
BONUS FEATURES:
32)I Believe in You
on-screen lyrics
Can't Get You Out of My Head (live at the BRIT Awards)

In the mid 1980s, several female dance pop artists emerged in the wake Madonna's success, and Kylie Minogue has outlasted most of them. Not only that, but she is the only singer who is still enjoying a fruitful career after leaving producers/mentors Stock Aitken Waterman. In terms of album sales and hit singles, Kylie's success in the United States has been frustratingly spotty, but elsewhere around the world, she's as big a star as Janet or Madonna. "Ultimate Kylie" is the umpteenth hits collection from Ms. Minogue, but this one covers all phases of her recording career, and it includes the bubbly "I Believe in You," a Number Two UK hit co-written by Jake Shears and Babydaddy of the red hot Scissor Sisters. The first disc, covering 1987-1992, is entirely produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, featuring perfect pop hits "I Should Be So Lucky," "Got to Be Certain," "Better the Devil You Know," and "Wouldn't Change a Thing." The second disc, covering 1994-2004, is the more diverse CD, ranging from hard edged pop ("Did it Again"), perky disco ("Spinning Around," "Come into My World," "Love at First Sight"), and her biggest hit ever: "Can't Get You Out of My Head." But "Ultimate Kylie" is far from perfect. Missing in action are personal favorites "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)," the mid-tempo "Finer Feelings," and the duet with Keith Washington: "If You Were With Me Now." Any of these songs would have been a welcome replacement for the cringeworthy covers of "Celebration" and "Tears on My Pillow." While "Ultimate Kylie" doesn't quite hit the bullseye as a compilation, it does an overall solid job and comes recommended for new listeners and rabid fans.

Living in the US, I've only seen a handful of Kylie's videos. (In fact, 25 of the 31 clips here are new to me.) Therefore, this is a welcome addition to the DVD collection. Here we see Kylie go from '80s pop princess to '90s serious chanteuse (a thankfully brief turn) to nouveau-disco diva of the aughts. This disc is fun from beginning to end, the sound is fine, and most of the video transfers are quite good (although some of the earlier stuff seems a bit washed out). All-in-all an excellent purchase, and the videos coupled with the "Can't Get Blue Monday Out of My Head" performance leave me wanting her live DVDs now.

From her very first 1987 video "Locomotion" to the current UK smash video "I believe in you", this new DVD is a stunning visualisation of her amazing career. It does miss some of her earlier hits such as "What kind of fool", "Word is Out" and "some kind of Bliss" but this could be due to disc space.

Kylie has forged an impressive career in both Australia and UK, and to an extent in the US (with the single/video "Cant Get You Out of My Head)". It should be noted that the video for this is edited on the DVD, not sure why they did that.

Overall, the DVD is a great place to start for those wanting a Kylie DVD in their collection. It also includes the awesome video for "Slow".

This DVD is an outstanding video collection of Kylie's greatest hits. From her younger days to the present, she performs so effortlessly throughout all of these videos with the energy, passion, and sensuality that she is well-known for. It would be difficult to name a particular favorite, however, several that come to mind are "Never Too Late", "Better the Devil You Know", "Step Back in Time", "Slow", and "Red Blooded Woman". If you love Kylie, you'll absolutely love this DVD.