Kylie Minogue is back on British telly as a one of the judges on the ludicrous talent show The Voice. In all likelihood, this will lead to a resurgence in her own recording career after a spell in the wilderness. I hope she doesn’t spoil her legacy with some half-arsed music by numbers…
I bet there’s some of you reading this thinking that I’m not being serious. But as my dear friend Jacques the Kipper will testify, I have long been an advocate of the talent of probably the most famous Australian on the planet. So much so, that back in the early 1990s when a music magazine (I think it may well have been the long-defunct Select) printed a photo of Kylie cavorting on a bed with Bobby Gillespie, JtK got a t-shirt made with my head superimposed on the body on Mr G, with the words ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ printed underneath…..
And I know that I’m not the only long-time indie-disco freak who hasn’t fallen for her charms over the years. If nothing else, nobody can deny that this is a stunning pop record that is a very close cousin to so many of the great electronica records of the 80s:-
mp3 : Kylie Minogue – I Can’t Get You Out Of My Head
Of course there’s been a lot of stuff she has recorded and released that has been unlistenable. But overall, the magnificent easily outnumber the mundane, while there have been more sublime 45s than shite 45s. Oh and let’s not forget that she was also single-handedly responsible for getting Nick Cave onto Top Of The Pops for the one and only time:-
mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (feat Kylie Minogue) – Where The Wild Roses Grow
And among all the great acts that I’ve seen live over the years, I’ve rarely been so well entertained as when Mrs V took me along as a surprise to catch Kylie perform in March 2005 at the SECC in Glasgow.
A few years back, I had the pleasure of finding a 12″ promo copy of some dance mixes disc of one of my favourite Kylie singles for just £1, so I’m sticking to my principles by offering these rips from vinyl:-
mp3 : Kylie Minogue – Confide In Me (Master Mix)
mp3 : Kylie Minogue – Confide In Me (The Truth Mix)
mp3 : Kylie Minogue – Confide In Me (Big Brothers Mix)
Enjoy!!!!
Frank Sidebottom did a tremendous Kylie tribute track which is worth tracking down
The Flaming Lips have a pretty good version of I Can’t Get You Out of My Head too. If you need it, let me know.
Last year, Kylie sang vocals on a track called ‘Whistle’ by Icelandic electronica meisters Múm. It’s probably my favourite thing she’s ever done, even topping that Nick Cave duet and her Dr Who appearance. I very strongly urge you to check it out.
Have to say JC, just when I think I know you, you throw a curveball. Who’d have thought you were a Kylie fan? Kudos to you sir, no snobbery here!
I have a soft spot for Kylie too. And some of her ouvre.
I have a soft spot for Kylie’s soft spots.. MUSIC I MEAN MUSIC!
Out of the closet Kylie super fan here. New album out in a few months and first single Out Of The Blue all over the interweb this week. Afraid, having signed with Jay-Z’s management company, she is trying for a breakthrough in the US which will mean some very unnecessary hip hop influence on her pure pop/dance sound. I think 2010’s Aphrodite album is some of the purest pop of the new millennium. Ok now that my cred is seriously endangered, can we get back to talking about bands that never sold more than10,000 records on a good day?