As for the 1994 "white album", there were a number of tracks recorded for Impossible Princess that never made it to the final version (many of which were destined for the original Brothers in Rhythm version of the album in January 1997). A few were included on the deConstruction Hits+ album, namely This Girl, Take Me With You (which had previously been included on the Austalian free CD Other Sides), and Stay This Way. Other unreleased tracks include You're the One, which has since made it onto the net, Free, which was never recorded but was performed on Kylie's Intimate and Live tour, Floating, (All Right) Now, Fallen Angel, Let It Go, Looking Down on Me, Miles, Something That We Started, Soon and Stay With Me.
She's not so much an artist now as a corporate entity. Kylie is as recognisable and ubiquitous as Starbucks, so familiar a presence that her surname became redundant years ago. Even Britney - who, in a spooky marketing 'coincidence', releases her fourth LP this very same week - hasn't yet had the courage to drop her Spears. (Just how many other Britneys could she possibly be confused with?)
The key to Kylie's success, of course, is constant reinvention. One of the commandments of pop would seem to be 'do unto yourself as Madonna would have done to her' and although she isn't quite in Madge's league of endless, mimetic makeovers, Kylie's keenly aware that time is more than capable of kicking her pert ass and that she must therefore keep moving.
Cue the Princess of Pop's ninth studio album. Cast now as Brigitte Bardot, Kylie coos, whispers and kittenishly aspirates her way through 'Body Language' in a manner that makes Jane Birkin sound like Andrew WK. She's never been a belter, of course, but the sexually suggestive, self-conscious breathiness quickly palls, while the question as to why a 30-something woman might agree to be made to sound like a ten year-old girl is perhaps one best not asked.
Having hired a team of disparate writers and producers - Emiliana Torrini, Cathy Dennis and Kurtis Mantronik included - Kylie's gone electro. An ill-judged move, maybe, considering that this particular bandwagon is already rolling out of sight, but she's kept in pop character and, after discovering the gold-dusted gloriousness of 80s disco, has given it a cheese topping of Duran Duran, one-hit wonders Nu Shooz and - even less glamorously - Dead Or Alive.
A copy of Madonna's 'Erotica' was also clearly kept close by ('Loving Days' could be an outtake), alongside Michael Jackson's 'Off The Wall' (check out 'Sweet Music', where Kylie attempts a Justin T and the execrable, Dennis-penned pastiche, 'After Dark'). Heaven knows what the godlike Green Gartside (of Scritti Politti) was thinking when he agreed to guest on the insipid 'Someday'.
It's not all bad news - 'Slow' is a sexy but splendidly subtle first single and 'Chocolate' so lush and ludicrously layered a confection that it's actually a real treat. There is, however, nothing that remotely touches the pop genius of 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' and, by the halfway mark, the album's sagging badly. 'Body Language' confirms what we already knew: Kylie is a singles sprinter, not a marathon talent.
'Money Can't Buy' is the tagline of this one-off gig by the arse from Oz. It basically means that -instead of H&M proles - we're surrounded by media slags and the cream of the C-list (hey look, it's Martin Rossiter from Gene and one of Mis-Teeq!) On a deeper level though (and we know it's never a good idea to get deep when talking about Ms Minogue, but bear with us), money and what it can and can't buy you is at the root of the Kylie conundrum.
With seven Number Ones to her name, the memory of 'I Should Be So Lucky' fading fast, and 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' winning her real credibility for the first time ever, Kylie should have everything at her disposal. She should be in the same place Madonna reached around the time of 'Vogue' - i.e. standing tall on pop's podium with vast swathes of the world's best songwriters, producers, stylists and choreographers at her feet.
And yet somehow, she's ended up here. She's ended up with Emiliana Torrini (the bargain-bin Bjork) and Karen Poole (from - sh*t almighty! - Alisha's Attic) writing her songs. She's got dancers who are - and let's not get too technical here - f*cking sh*t. She's been decked out in what is basically a cat burglar's outfit that's shrunk in the wash. The opening 'extravaganza' involves her sitting suspended on a girder which is then, er, lowered slowly to the floor (pop thrills: will she fall off? Will the girder come loose and crash into the audience and kill the kids? Will Johnny Vegas suddenly fall onto the other end sending Kylie shooting into the balcony? No).
How did this happen? Kylie's always been an absolutely rubbish try-hard with a nothing voice, but surely now she can finally buy success like Madonna did, can't she? It would appear not. While the music and singing is pitch-perfect throughout (suggesting we're actually listening more to Second Backing-Vocalist From The Left than Kylie Minogue for much of the time), the routines are lacklustre and the set-list consists of far too many slight, r'n'b-propelled numbers from her tedious new 'Body Language' album. Things comes together once, on 'Slow', where the hum of the song, the pulse of LCD lights, and the jerk of dancers who look like gay sci-fi miners having fits is all genuinely compelling.
But you're left wondering where Kylie's ambition went. Her album and this show prove she's coasting on a wave of goodwill inspired by 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head'. She's probably quite content to drift along like this for years, but it makes for a less-than-thrilling gig experience. The one reassuring thought we can all leave with tonight is at least we didn't have to pay for it.
Body Language hits the shops in the UK today. With high pre-sales it looks set to enter high on the chart this Sunday, but also has some stiff competition. The album received a fantastic launch as Kylie previewed new tracks live at her free Money Can't Buy gig on Saturday night in London.
Based around filming for an hour-long TV slot this Saturday, and a live web broadcast on AOL Broadband, the show enabled Kylie to launch the album in her strongest environment - live on stage. The show consisted of six album tracks, "current number one" Slow, a handful of older tracks from her previous Parlophone releases, plus an inspired choice consisting of mixing Breathe with Serge Gainsbourg's Je T'aime. In fact, the only way we could really fault the show is that Kylie's new distraction with all things French, which ran through most of the show, is a little over-expressed, particularly when in our opinion it doesn't really gel with her current adventures into R'n'B. The full setlist was as follows:
Still Standing Kylie descending to the stage balanced on a huge black steel girder, a la Body Language artwork and donning her Brigette Bardot look, the words to this new track fitting the occasion perfectly.
Red Blooded Woman One of Kylie's more cynical moments on CD, but came across well in the flesh.
On A Night Like This A fantastic intro of Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head mixing into a standard live version of the song - the first moment to really get people dancing.
Breathe/Je T'aime An inspired idea, and a real treat to hear Breathe performed live again.
After Dark The worst moment on Body Language transformed into a stunning live performance, with Kylie stood very simply with her four backing vocalists at the front of the stage delivering a brilliant vocal. A real surprise, and reminding of us the strength of Cathy Dennis-penned Come Into My World on the Fever Tour - certain songs do indeed come alive on stage.
Chocolate Probably the most lacklustre performance of the evening. The opposite of After Dark, with a great song sounding sadly a little drab in the flesh, undoubtedly due to the difficult vocal being hard to represent in a live show.
Can't Get You Out Of My Head A very dramatic orchestral intro with thundering drumrolls turning into (obviously) one the highlights of the night.
Slow Came across well live, with Kylie following the 'light sabre' routine of recent TV appearances.
Obsession This song has some great lyrics, and is a great album track on Body Language, but the low register in which Kylie performs the verses was a little lost here, and Promises may have worked better, but Kylie more than made up for it belting out the choruses.
In Your Eyes A standard rendition of this track, but a great end to the main segment of the show with a near faultless vocal. Would have liked to have seen an older song performed here though, or a reworking.
Secret (Take You Home) The lowlight of the night, not that there really were any. Not a track that appears to work brilliantly on stage, with in our opinion, a slightly lost backing and a dubious rap from Kylie (which against all odds works well on the album). And could we be excused for calling the Harley Davidson set a little 'tacky'? Remiscent of the performance of Fever on An Audience With we thought.
Spinning Around Another standard rendition (and when we say 'standard' we mean 'as performed before', not that it wasn't a great performance), and although as good as ever, would have again liked to have seen an older song here. This, In Your Eyes and On A Night Like This have all been a little done to death in the form they were all performed here, but when being filmed for TV its easy to understand their inclusion.
Love At First Sight To contradict the previous track, although a standard version, this was the highlight of the show. Absolutely electric! Kylie was loving every moment, and was really working the crowd. Fantastic end to the show.
Overall a fantastic mini-gig, and no doubt a good taster for next year's tour, although a little strange to see Kylie leave the stage after half the time of a normal Kylie gig, which have become renowned for their length. The Money Can't Buy gig will be broadcast on ITV1 this Saturday, edited in with documentary footage filmed over the past few weeks. The assembled crowd on Saturday witnessed show-host Cat Deely (in frightful get up) recording her TV links at the Apollo shortly before Kylie's appearance. The programme is only an hour long, sadly, so we are expecting around half the live show to be cut, but fingers crossed for an extended version on ITV2.
Kylie Minogue unveiled her new album 'Body Language' before an invited audience in London on Saturday evening, in a show reported to have cost Ł1 million.
The gig at Hammersmith Apollo saw the Aussie pop rocket arrive sitting on a black girder suspended from the ceiling, after she was introduced to the 4,000 crowd by the TV presenter Cat Deeley.
Amongst the audience, who were all competition winners or invited guests, were her sister Dannii, Will Young, members of Mis-Teeq, Harvey from So Solid and Brian Dowling. Gene's Martin Rossiter was also spotted in the crowd.
Amongst the 13 tracks performed were six from Kylie's new album 'Body Language', including the single 'Slow', which was last week's UK Number One.
The set-list was as follows:
Still Standing
Red Blooded Woman
On A Night Like This
Breathe/Je T'aime
After Dark
Chocolate
Can't Get You Out Of My Head
Slow
Obsession
In Your Eyes
Secret (Take You Home)
Spinning Around
Love At First Sight
The show will be aired on ITV in the UK this Saturday.
There's nobody better
Better than you
You make me feel happy
Happy, happy to know you
But where is the feeling?
The feeling of security
When we're not together
Tell me everything’s gonna be alright
Its just no use, can't get over you
Anytime you want me to
I can make you happy
There ain't nothing I wouldn't do
To make you happy
You tell me I’m crazy
Maybe since you've been gone
They don't understand that
Together, together we're one
But where is the feeling?
The feeling of security
When we're not together
Tell me everything’s gonna be alright
Its just no use, can't get over you
Anytime you want me to
I can make you happy
There ain't nothing I wouldn't do
To make you happy
When we're not together
Tell me everything's gonna be alright
Anytime you want me to
I can make you happy
There ain't nothing I wouldn't do
To make you happy
Unfortunately, Kylie's 1997 album IMPOSSIBLE PRINCESS was her most underrated album, and was painfully overlooked by critics and fans. IMPOSSIBLE PRINCESS is her masterpiece. The album is very experimental, delving into underground electronica and dance music, with her best lyrics and songs, period. Unfortunately around the time of her LIGHT YEARS album, Kylie distanced herself from this album. She NEVER mentions it, never talks about it, or acknowledges that she ever recorded it. It's not something she's proud of, and that's a big shame. She should be proud that it was an artistic masterpiece and not ashamed that it was a huge failure. I think she knows that's her best album, and I think that's the direction she wants to move into, but knows that she can't remain successful and be experimental. Especially since she's not popular in North America (until recently with FEVER). However, that said, some of her best tracks come from this album, from the opening "Too Far", which has a haunting piano melody. "Cowboy Style" and "Did It Again" were singles, and are both excellent songs with memorable melodies to them. "Breathe" is an addictive electronica track, much like "Jump" and "Say Hey". "Limbo" is one of the catchiest tracks here. My favorite has to be "I Dont Need Anyone" which is an upbeat uplifting song that will make you smile and put you in a good mood. Other highlights include "Through The Years" and "Dreams". Overall, if you're a new Kylie fan this is a good place to start, to see what she has to offer. This is definately Kylie at her creative and artistic height. Definately a masterpiece and definately her best.
01 Slow: Knew you'd be here tonight, So I put my best dress on, Boy I was so right, Our eyes connected, Now nothing's how it used to be, Don't second guess it, Track in on this feeling, Pull focus, close up you and me, No-body's leaving, Got me affected, Spun me 180 degrees, It's so electric, Slow down and dance with me, Yeah, slow, Skip a beat and move with my body, Yeah, slow, Come on and dance with me, Yeah, slow, Skip a beat and move with my body, Yeah, slow, Don't wanna rush it, Let the rhythm pull you in, It's here so touch it, You know what I'm saying, And I haven't said a thing, Keep the record playing, Read my body language, Take it down, down.
02 Still Standing: I want you to remember, First kiss you ever had, When our lips met together, I knew that was that, I'm still standing, Keeping you dancing yeah, You know you want it, I'm still going, Making the party blow, The way you like it, Do you wanna hear me sing Pop, Ocause I don't think I wanna Stop, And I love it when my beats Drop, Yeah it makes me feel Hot, Guess whose back on top, I'll happily surrender, To your desire, A touch so warm and tender, Is setting me on fire, Funkin to this sound, We're gonna get down, Pop, Stop, Drop, Hot.
03 Secret (Take You Home): Rushing up on you like a freak in the fast lane, I'm on a mission to whip you into a hurricane, And when I overtake I'm gonna be in pole position, Yeah yeah yeah yeah, Are you ready for the change, If I let you stay, If I let you play, Will you lose or win, You can't kiss and tell, Will you pass it or fail, Let the games begin, Here's my secret, I'm a girl who likes her fun, And if you can keep it, Then you just might be the one, To come and party baby, But don't be misunderstood, I'll be cool would you be cool, I wonder if I take you home, Nature should explore the physical, But don't confuse emotion with the pleasure principle, Just let me take a ride and educate the corners of your mind, Yeah yeah yeah, Buckle up baby, feel my speed, Take you from zero to sixty, Driving so hot like a criminal, The chase is irresistible, Gonna twist you round and manipulate, Watch you hyperventilate, That's just the way I get my kicks, So take it in baby, deal with it, Buckle up baby feel my speed, Better not brake or you'll miss me, Driving you hard subliminal, Ocause you're so irresistible, Let me pump you up with adrenaline, Get your head space into a spin, Ocause that's the way I get my kicks, So take it in baby, deal with it.
04 Promises: Remember how it used to be, Remember how you promised me, That life would always be good, You forget the fact you lied to me, You locked my heart and threw the key, I'm so misunderstood, What to say when all the words have gone, Promises, promises, What to do when all our thoughts have flown, Promises, promises, Remember how I gave my heart, And all at once we fell apart, Was I supposed to forgive you, You forgot the fact you said to me, That we were for eternity, You're so easy to see through, What to say when all the words have gone, Promises, promises, What to do when all our thoughts have flown, Promises, promises, Remember that I'm over you, And know that I will make it through, Hope you never forget it, The promises you made to me, Were really lies and fantasy, Hope you come to regret it, What to say when all the tears have dried, Promises, promises, What to think when all our love has died, Promises, promises, The promises we used to keep have gone, And with them all the words, That kept us both from seeing what was wrong, The rest is silent, What to say when all the words have gone, Promises, promises, What to do when all our thoughts have flown, Promises, promises, What to say when all the tears have dried, Promises, promises, What to think when all our love has died, Promises, promises.
05 Sweet Music: Check out this groove are you walking on air, Going into a new dimension yeah, So put your vibes on my beat and we'll lay it down like that, Slap the high hat in, put the fairlight on the track, And we can get, Crazy like that, Feel it like that, Move it like that, Drop it like that, Rocking the track, I'm looking for that new sensation, Woohoo!!, I think we're onto something, Your taste it mirrors mine, So hot and in the moment, Lets beat this demo right, Or I might just lose it, When we make sweet music, No feather bed, no exotic affair, yeah, Got samples and scratches lets do it right here, Ocause every heart beat babe is the sound track to your life, And every mad effect must be sent to get me high.
06 Red Blooded Woman: Can't stop, Count backwards 5 4 3 2 1, Before you get too heated and turned on (This guy), You should have learned your lessons all them times before, You've been bruised, you've been broken, Then there's my mind saying think before you go, Through that door it could lead you nowhere (This guy), Has got you all romantic, crazy in your head, Do you think I'd listen, no I don't care, Ocause I can't focus I can't stop, You got me spinning round, round, round, round (Like a record), I can't focus it's too hot (Inside), You'll never get to Heaven if you're scared of getting high, Boy, boy, Let me keep freaking around, I wanna get down, I'm a red blooded woman, what's the point in hanging round, Don't wanna keep turning it down, When this girl wants to rock with you, My conscience saying, get down off this dream, It's too dangerous and deadly, Has got you talking round in circles can't you see, All for the sake of sexy (You're loving it), Then there's my sense saying stop before you fall, I don't wanna pick you up again, Has got you all romantic, crazier each day, Do you think I'd listen, There's no way.
07 Chocolate: Fragile seams, I opened up too quick and all my dreams, Were walking out I'd slowly, Lost my fire, With every single man a river cried, I had no sensation, Completely numb, left with no satisfaction, I thought no-one could ever get me high again, I swear, I was not looking, Oh, waited so long, I thought the real thing was a fake, I thought it was a tool to break me down, You proved me wrong again, If love were liquid it would drown me, In a placeless place would find me, In a heart shape come around me and then, Melt me slowly down, If love were human it would know me, In a lost space come and show me, Hold me and control me and then, Melt me slowly down, Like chocolate, Tastes so good, My heart's been mended who'd have thought it would, An empty bet and still I won the cash, A man who I love and who, Loves me back, Oh, waited so long, For love to heal me so I'd feel it, Thought it wasn't breathing then you came, You proved me wrong again, Like chocolate come here, Zoom in, catch the smile, There's no doubt it's from you, And I'm addicted to it now, Just one look boy to melt me down, Just one heart here to save me now, Your candy kisses are sweet I know, Hold me tight baby don't let go, Just one look boy to melt me down, Just one heart here to save me now, Your candy kisses are sweet I know, Hold me tight baby don't let go.
08 Obsession: Dress me up a thousand ways, You're counting down the days, Till I fall from my pedestal, And then you can rescue me, All the world can see, You're the centre of it all, We gave it our best try, But then it was goodbye, We were better off alone, But now that's all gone for you, And life is wrong for you, But I can't help that, You don't need love, It's a question of obsession, So drawn to your own reflection, You want someone, Like a personal possession, To shine light on your perfection, Call me up a thousand times, You're hanging on the line, Waiting for me to react, But we've been here before, And when I closed the door, I never wanted a second act, I saw it all clearly, But you didn't hear me, Thought our love was centre stage, But now that's all gone for us, And you are dangerous, And I can't help that, Gave my heart a thousand times, And I can't count the nights, That I cried myself to sleep, But now I'm so over you, And I see what you do, Your sincerity's kinda cheap, Remember the mind games, Driving me insane, When my life was not my own, And even though you have gone, It still carries on, And I can't stop it.
09 I Feel For You: Flowers grow, They're everywhere you go, I feel, I feel, Rainbow sky, Whenever you are by, I feel, I feel, I feel for you, I can go on and on and on and on, I feel, I feel, I feel, You know I feel for you, Stars appear, The moment you are near, I feel, I feel, Every second of the day, You know I just can't stay away, Baby when you're next to me, That's the way I like to feel, Colour shine, A sunbeam through my mind.
10 Someday: Precious stone, Life goes on, You have abused and used me, Now I'm going home, I want my records back, To get my heart on track, You think I can't be alone, Well this woman's here to show you, oh, Someday, The lights will fall and you will know, If you do it slowly, You might just find it's worth it all, Precious stone, Life goes on, You feel used and abused, Now you're all alone, How dare you say, I will be back one day, You've taken me for granted, It's time for me to say, Someday he'll be there to hold you baby, There by the grace a sign, Someday he'll be there to dry your tears, I want my records back, To get my heart on track, You think I can't be alone, Well this woman's here to show you, oh, How dare you say, I will be back one day, You've taken me for granted, You need to find your way.
11 Loving Days: I'll dive deep, I have fallen all the way, Happily there's no escape, Surrender to your heart, Giving in to all of this, Fascinated by your kiss, I'm floating in your arms, Take your time, just unwind, Ooh, I wanna breathe you in, A little while to ease your mind, You're the world I'm living in, Precious time with you, Diving in the blue, We are riding on the waves, These are loving days, Loving days with you, Fantasy, feel it rushing over me, Nowhere else I want to be, My love is by my side, For a moment you and me, Holding on to ecstacy, Give us all day and night.
12 After Dark: That's right, Let me give you something for your appetite, You know I wanna be with you all day and night, Boy I'll send you spinning like a satellite, Hey you, I can see you like it when you get the view, Well come on over here I'll show it all for you, We'll go somewhere together make a move or two, No sign of light except the glowing stars, Don't delay me drive me crazy, Oh baby, I'm ready, So what you waiting for, Feel sexy, your body, Let's take it to the floor, After dark, all night long, Dusk till dawn, I wanna make some honey, Tempting, everything about you is so tempting, You make me lose my will to do the shy thing, Wanted, your name is on my poster and you're wanted, Don't break my heart don't leave me disappointed, No-one around except the sound of us, Don't delay me drive me crazy, Oh baby, I'm ready, So what you waiting for, Feel sexy, your body, Let's take it to the floor, After dark, all night long, Dusk till dawn, I wanna make some honey, Oh baby, I'm ready, I've got just what you want, Feel sexy, your body, You really turn me on, After dark, all night long, Dusk till dawn, I wanna make some honey, Give me that touch, give me the night, Give me that urge that makes me feel right, You and me here, you and me now, All the way, Give me that twist, give me that rush, Give me the dream I care for so much, You and me here, you and me now, Don't delay me drive me crazy. crazy.
She did it again! Kylie has entered both the UK and Australian singles charts at #1, making it her 7th #1 in the UK (with approximately 48,500 units sold in the first week) and astounding 9th in Australia. The track is also doing well in many European territories. It also now makes Kylie the female artist with the longest span of #1 singles with 15 years and 7 months between I Should Be So Lucky and Slow, making her, longevity-wise, the UK's most successful female act of all time (Madonna comes second with 15 years and 1 month).
Aussie pop rocket Kylie Minogue says she is "horrified" at the amount of sex portrayed throughout modern pop culture.
Speaking ahead of the release of her ninth studio album - 'Body Language' - the 35-year-old singer said she often feels embarrassed watching music videos that go too far.
"When I see some of these Hip Hop videos I'm as horrified as my grandmother and think 'Oh god, what gross things are they doing there?'", she told Germany's Der Spiegel magazine.
"In advertising and on lifestyle magazines you see more and more of a pornographing of pop culture," she added.
Minogue, famous for wearing skimpy outfits in most of her recent videos, said her image was comparatively harmless.
"That I once wore something very tight and short pants is nothing compared to a lot of things you see today," she argued.
Speaking of her latest video - for the new No.1 single 'Slow' - Kylie said she had consciously turned her attentions away from making a raunchy video.
"It's a big step backwards," she said. "I'm just lying there and not doing anything exciting.... My ideal of eroticism is more Brigitte Bardot."
