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''Kylie'' is the debut studio album by Australian recording artist
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
, released on 4 July 1988 by
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...
. Minogue had established herself as a child actress before signing to the record label in early 1987. The success of her debut single, " Locomotion", resulted in her working with
Stock, Aitken and Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered ...
, who produced the album and wrote nine of its ten tracks. Their recording sessions, which started in September 1987 and took place in London and Melbourne, coincided with Minogue filming for the soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
''. Musically, ''Kylie'' is a
bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...
and
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
album. It received mixed reviews from music critics who criticized its dated production. It was a commercial success, peaking at number one in the United Kingdom for six weeks and becoming the fifth highest-selling album of the decade. It peaked at number two in her native Australia, while reaching the top ten in Germany, Norway, and Switzerland. ''Kylie'' was re-issued in 1988 as ''The Kylie Collection'', and in 2015 when it returned to the UK Albums Chart. The album has sold over five million copies worldwide. Six
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
s were released from ''Kylie''. " I Should Be So Lucky" reached number one in Australia and the United Kingdom, the first for any artist. The subsequent singles—" Got to Be Certain", the re-recorded "The Loco-Motion", and "
Je ne sais pas pourquoi "Je ne sais pas pourquoi" ( en, "I Do Not Know Why"), also known as "I Still Love You (Je ne sais pas pourquoi)" in Australia and New Zealand, is a song by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue from her debut studio album ''Ky ...
" all peaked in the top two on the UK Singles Chart. " It's No Secret" was her third top-forty single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while " Turn It into Love" was released exclusively in Japan. The album's commercial success helped Minogue establish herself as an international teen idol and launch her recording career.


Background

Kylie Ann Minogue was born in Melbourne in 1968, the eldest of three children. Kylie learned to play violin and piano at a very young age while taking singing and dancing lessons with her sister Dannii. Kylie was a child actress from the age of eleven, appearing in cameo roles in '' The Sullivans'' (1979) and ''
Skyways Skyways may refer to: *Skyway A skyway, skybridge, skywalk, or sky walkway is an elevated type of pedway connecting two or more buildings in an urban area, or connecting elevated points within mountainous recreational zones. Urban skyways very ...
'' (1980). In 1985, Kylie used her earnings from '' The Henderson Kids'' to record three songs with producer Greg Petherick at '' Young Talent Time'', a weekly Australian music programme which already featured Dannii as a regular performer. In April 1986, Kylie played Charlene Mitchell, a schoolgirl turned garage mechanic, in the soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...
''.
Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 mi ...
, whom Kylie began dating at the time, played her onscreen love interest as Scott Robinson. Their romantic relationship culminated with a wedding in an episode that attracted an audience of 20 million British viewers in 1987. During her time in ''Neighbours'', Minogue joined a band along with cast members Guy Pearce, Peter O'Brien and
Alan Dale Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequentl ...
, which Petherick arranged.; He later suggested Minogue cover the song " The Loco-Motion" with the band during a Fitzroy Football Club benefit concert at the Festival Hall in 1986, where she also sang a duet of " I Got You Babe". Impressed by the performance, Petherick arranged for Minogue to record the former song, re-titled as "Locomotion", with producer Kaj Dahlstrom, who invested $10,000 to record it. Petherick submitted the demo track to many record labels before reaching out to Michael Gudinski, head of
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...
. Gudinski was reluctant at first, calling the demo "a bit of a
one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...
". During a trip to London several months after receiving the demo track, Gudinski decided to sign Minogue because of her popularity from ''Neighbours''. She signed with the label in early 1987. Critics and employees of Mushroom Records gave polarised opinions; many thought it would be the end of the company and dubbed Minogue as "The Singing Budgie." In June 1987, Mushroom Records had Mike Duffy, an audio engineer for Stock Aitken Waterman producers, over for a three-month residency at Platinum Studios in South Yarra. He was asked to remix the "Locomotion" demo track with the help of a
synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
to make it sound more like Bananarama's cover of " Venus" (1986). Instead of remixing the track, which was originally in a big band style, Duffy opted to record a completely new backing track, inspired by the hi-NRG pop of UK band
Dead or Alive Dead or Alive most commonly refers to: * Dead or Alive (band), a British pop band * Dead or alive, a phrase on a wanted poster Dead or Alive may also refer to: Film and television * ''Dead or Alive'' (1921 film), an American silent film dir ...
. It was the first time he had produced a record himself. The song was released as Minogue's debut single on 27 July 1987, three weeks after ''Neighbours'' wedding episode premiered. A week after its release, the single topped the Australian charts, remaining there for seven weeks and becoming the best-selling single of the decade. Around that time, Minogue was set up with Terry Blamey, who would be her manager for 25 years.


Recording

The success of "Locomotion" resulted in Minogue and Blamey travelling to London to work with Stock, Aitken and Waterman in September 1987. Pete Waterman, the only member of the trio aware of Minogue's trip, was unavailable; he was busy making '' The Hit Man and Her'' and had not told Mike Stock she was in London.; Minogue and Blamey waited for ten days in their hotel without hearing from the producers. They eventually turned up at the studio at the last minute, after PWL Managing Director, David Howells intervened and arranged studio time for Kylie. The producers wrote " I Should Be So Lucky" in 40 minutes and Minogue recorded it quickly before she returned to Australia that afternoon to work on ''Neighbours''. Stock recalled the abrupt session: "Her ear is very tuned in so I sang her the tune and she sang it back at me and at that point I put the tapes aside and went on to other things ... We treated inoguerather shabbily." He wrote the lyrics in response to what he had learned about Minogue: although she was a successful soap star, he thought there had to be something wrong with her and figured she must be unlucky in love. Kylie left the studio angry, complaining she had no idea what the song sounded like, after being fed the lyrics to sing line by line. At the time, the producers did not take Minogue's career seriously because of time constraints and her obligations to ''Neighbours''. They did not even listen to the song until Waterman heard it played by a DJ at a Christmas party that year and thought that it was remarkable. In February 1988, Stock traveled to Melbourne and apologised to Minogue for her previous recording session. They went on to record " Got to Be Certain" and " Turn It into Love" with her. Recording sessions with Stock and engineer Karen Hewitt took place at Allan Eaton Studios and RBX Studios in Melbourne for only a couple of hours at night, between filming her last episodes for ''Neighbours''.; ; She frequently broke down emotionally at the studio due to pressure from work. The album was recorded in snatches; Stock taught Minogue the songs, which she would record in an hour. "If you could get four hours with her, it was the most you could get... We were almost not able to even play her the songs!," Waterman recalled. Despite the pressure, he found the sessions were not stressful because of their work ethic: "That's what we were used to. In fact, in hindsight, the truth is it was so enjoyable ''because'' we didn't have time to get stressed." In March, Minogue took a break from filming ''Neighbours'' to record the album in London. The producers re-recorded Minogue's debut Australian single at their studio in London and changed the name back to "The Loco-Motion". Waterman justified the decision by slating the original Australian recording, which he claimed to be poorly produced. Original producer Mike Duffy instead blamed the decision to re-record on Waterman's alleged wish to claim the prestige and royalties from the track's placement of the soundtrack of the 1988 film '' Arthur 2: On the Rocks.'' Portions of the vocals from the demo track were kept in the new version. The singer stayed with her mother in Waterman's apartment during the recording sessions over Easter in 1988, which took place at PWL Studios 1, 2 & 5 (London).


Music and lyrics

The producers wanted to make a synthesized pop album that appeals to teenagers. Stock explained his intention was to make an album full of single-potential tracks, similar to the form of greatest hits compilations. The singer was interested in recording more contemporary R&B material but her request was denied by Waterman. "These producers think pop music is candy music. They're saying: 'Here kids, have a piece of candy'... What Peterman wants, he gets", said Minogue. Her voice was double-tracked for most of the album; the producers only allowed Minogue to use her real voice on "Look My Way", a track that she felt sounds more like herself than the rest. Stock, Aitken, and Waterman composed and produced all the tracks on ''Kylie'' except "The Loco-Motion" written by
Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the List of Billboard number-one ...
and
Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...
. Three tracks were written for other PWL artists in the previous year before appearing on the album: "Got to Be Certain" was recorded by Mandy Smith for her debut album but abandoned; "Look My Way" was originally written for Heywoode; "Love at First Sight" was an instrumental demo track for Sinitta and is unrelated to Minogue's 2002 song with the same title. Critics described ''Kylie'' as a
bubblegum pop Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...
, disco pop and
dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
album, while also noting the musical similarities to other albums produced by PWL. Sal Cinquemani of ''
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'' described it as a collection of house tracks blended with "hi-NRG beats, Italo-disco synths and
Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...
melodies." ''Kylie'' opens with "I Should Be So Lucky", a light dance-pop track that uses a drum machine, keyboards and bass by Stock. The track has been compared to the work of Rick Astley, a fellow PWL artist. For the album's version of "The Loco-Motion", the producers re-recorded the backing track from Duffy's demo, featuring railway sound effects and less spontaneous vocals. The slow-tempo "
Je ne sais pas pourquoi "Je ne sais pas pourquoi" ( en, "I Do Not Know Why"), also known as "I Still Love You (Je ne sais pas pourquoi)" in Australia and New Zealand, is a song by Australian recording artist and songwriter Kylie Minogue from her debut studio album ''Ky ...
" reminiscent of Waterman's earlier work in the 1960s at the Mecca Dance Hall, and the reggae-infused "It's No Secret" features cascading synth and a jaunty melody. It was followed by Hi-NRG tracks "Turn It Into Love" and "Got to Be Certain"; the latter work gained comparison to the soundtrack of the 1983 romance film '' Flashdance''. The mid-tempo "I Miss You" and "I'll Still Be Loving You" resemble other late-80s pop tracks, particularly the work of Climie Fisher and Living in a Box. "Look My Way" draws musical inspiration from The Whispers' " Rock Steady" (1987),
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
's " Into the Groove" (1984) and Debbie Gibson's "
Shake Your Love "Shake Your Love" (Atlantic 89187, Atlantic UK A9187) is the second single by American singer-songwriter-actress Debbie Gibson, and the lead off single for her debut album, '' Out of the Blue'' (1987) (LP 81780). Originally recorded in the spring ...
" (1987). In ''The Complete Kylie'' (2008), Simon Sheridan felt the pop-soul "Look My Way" is similar to the work of American R&B artists Alexander O'Neal and
S.O.S. Band The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written as S.O.S. Band; abbreviation for Sounds of Success) is an American R&B and electro-funk group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", "Just Be Good to M ...
. The album avoided getting into heavy statements and deep themes that might alienate Minogue's young fans. Joe Sweeney of '' PopMatters'' and Quentin Harrison of ''Albumism'' highlighted lyrics about romantic relationships and positive mentality throughout the album. Sweeney commented that such themes would later infuse Minogue's post-millennial work. Sheridan found the album demonstrates a refreshing carefree attitude in its lyrics. Matthew Lindsay of '' Classic Pop'', on the other hand, pointed out the main themes about
heartbreak Heartbreak often refers to the state of having a broken heart, a metaphor for a feeling of rejection by a loved one or of emotional devastation (as in mourning). Heartbreak or heart break may also refer to: Film & television * ''Heartbreak'' (19 ...
, betrayal and frustration. "I Should Be So Lucky" depicts a frustrated young woman who feels unlucky in romance. In a 2019 interview, Minogue said that she didn't realize at the time about the dark tone in the lyrics—in the case of "I Should Be So Lucky", she stated "We all sing like it's really happy, but it's not. She ''wishes'' she was lucky in love." "Turn It Into Love" discusses unrequited love with a wistful-yet-optimistic approach. Minogue sings the lovelorn "Got to Be Certain" in an upbeat and carefree way, while affirming a false love affair in "It's No Secret".


Artwork and release

Kids and teenagers were the target audience for ''Kylie''; Waterman adapted the idea and was fascinated by how teenagers reacted to Minogue's work. It is reflected in the album's artwork, shot by photographer Lawrence Lawry, which shows Minogue grinning and wearing a hat of hair with curls cascading out of the top. The hat was made by London designer Bernstock Speirs, who was embarrassed with the design and kept the work in secret for a long time. Designer David Howells said the artwork shows Minogue in a girlie and carefree way that kids can relate to, instead of "some icon on a pedestal". He was inspired by the way teenagers tear pictures out of magazines and stick them to walls, referring to it as the "magazine approach". Other PWL artists posing with hats using the same strategy can be seen on the covers of Mandy Smith's ''Mandy'' (1988), Minogue's follow-up '' Enjoy Yourself'' (1989) and Sonia's '' Everybody Knows'' (1990). Ernie Long of '' The Morning Call'' noted similarities between the release of ''Kylie'' and the 1988 eponymous debut albums of Tracie Spencer and Rachele Cappelli: all three shows close-up shots of the singer on the front cover, while making silly facial expressions on the back. ''Kylie'' was first released in the UK on 4 July 1988, and was released in Australia a fortnight later, on 18 July 1988. Similar to other late 80s records, the record company took control of ''Kylie''s running orders and pushed future singles to the front. Gudinski stated the producers from PWL were not focused on promoting ''Kylie'' in the United States' market. However, Blamey sent Minogue to look into releasing her material during her two-week break there.
David Geffen David Lawrence Geffen (born February 21, 1943) is an American business magnate, producer and film studio executive. He co-created Asylum Records in 1971 with Elliot Roberts, Geffen Records in 1980, DGC Records in 1990, and DreamWorks SKG in 199 ...
, founder of Geffen Records, agreed in distributing the album after watching several video clips of Minogue.


Additional releases

''Kylie'' was repackaged as ''The Kylie Collection'' in Australia on 5 December 1988, featuring bonus mixes and music videos of the singles. Ian Gormely of ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'' called it a compilation of "unremarkable and cheesy clips that present the singer as a clean-cut teen". PWL re-released ''Kylie'' in Japan in 2012 with bonus mixes. In October 2014,
Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...
and PWL announced to re-released ''Kylie'' along with her studio albums ''Enjoy Yourself'', '' Rhythm of Love'' (1990), and '' Let's Get to It'' (1991). The release date was later postponed to 9 February 2015. The albums have been digitally remastered from the original studio tapes. They were available on vinyl, CD, and DVD. This is the first time these albums have been released in the United Kingdom since their original release.; ; Minogue's debut VHS release, ''The Videos'', which was distributed by Mushroom Records in 1988 in Australia, contains the music videos for "The Loco-Motion" and "I Should Be So Lucky", as well as the behind the scenes footage. That same year, a follow-up VHS titled ''Kylie: The Videos'' was released in Japan, France, and the United Kingdom. It included an interview with Minogue, as well as music videos for "Got to Be Certain" and "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi". ''Kylie: The Videos'' was the top-selling video in 1988 in the UK, with 330,000 copies sold after 42 weeks of release. ''Kylie's Remixes'', a nine-track remix compilation of seven songs from ''Kylie'', was released in 1988 in Japan. It peaked at number 13 on the
Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...
and sold 84,000 copies, as of 2006. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in May 1989. The compilation was later released in Australia in 1993.


Promotion

After filming her last scenes for ''Neighbours'' in June and July 1988, Minogue was able to relocate to London to concentrate on the promotional work for ''Kylie''. This included her performances on Terry Wogan's television talk show and the opening for a new ride at
Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, ...
amusement park. Waterman also spent a large amount of money on TV advertising for the album. In September, Minogue did a three-month promotional trip in the United States, Japan, Melbourne and the United Kingdom. The singer had to cut it short due to emotional exhaustion. In October 1989, more than a year after the album was released, Minogue launched her first concert tour, Disco in Dream performing several songs from both ''Kylie'' and ''Enjoy Yourself''. It began in Japan, where she performed in front of 38,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome. She later joined other artists from the PWL label on a ten-date theatre tour in the United Kingdom, which attracted 170,000 fans. Its run in the United Kingdom was sponsored by local radio stations and was re-titled The Hitman Roadshow. ALFA International and Video Collection International released the video album '' On the Go: Live in Japan'' in April 1990 in Japan and the United Kingdom.; It contained footage shot during the Disco in Dream concert tour and was available in VHS and
Laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
formats. A video from the concert tour with backstage footage and various clips of Kylie around Japan was shown on a Christmas special on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
called ''Kylie On The Go'' in 1990.


Singles

Despite the buzz surrounding "Locomotion" in 1987, Waterman could not get a major label interested in "I Should Be So Lucky". He decided to issue it on his own PWL Records imprint instead. Released as the first single from ''Kylie'' in late December 1987, "I Should Be So Lucky" topped the charts in the United Kingdom and Australia, the first time this had been achieved by any artist. It remained at number-one on the UK Singles Chart for five consecutive weeks, and on Australia's
Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...
for another sixth consecutive weeks. It peaked at number twenty-eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topped the charts in Switzerland, and Germany. Two music videos were made for the single: one with Minogue singing in a bubble-filled bath, and another where she hangs out of a convertible BMW driving through Sydney. "Got to Be Certain", the second single, was released on 2 May 1988. It was Minogue's third number-one single in Australia. In the United Kingdom, it reached number two for three weeks, while peaking within the top ten in Germany and Switzerland. Its music video shows Minogue doing a fashion photo shoot, singing on top of the KPMG Tower and alongside the Yarra River. "The Loco-Motion" was released in Europe and the United States on 25 July 1988 as the third single. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number two, setting the record for the highest entry by a female artist. It also peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number five on the ''RPM'' Canadian Top Singles chart. The music video for "The Loco-Motion" was re-edited from footage of the original Australian release, which was shot at Essendon Airport and the ABC Studios in Melbourne. In the video, Minogue is seen dancing against a backdrop of graffiti and singing in a studio, while her brother Brendan appeared as a cameo at the end of the clip. Originally planned as a double A-side with new track "Made in Heaven", "Je ne sais pas pourquoi" was released as the fourth single on 17 October 1988.; It was re-titled as "I Still Love You (Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi)" in Australia and the United States. It was ''Kylie''s fifth top two single on the UK Singles Chart, Minogue's strongest run of singles from an album—the four singles had sold a combine 1.8 million units in the UK in 1988 alone. It also reached the top ten in Norway and New Zealand. Its music video features Minogue dancing and speaking French. The fifth single "It's No Secret" was released in North America, Japan and New Zealand on 7 February 1989. It peaked at number 37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Minogue's third consecutive top forty single in the United States. A still from the music video, which shows Minogue walking through to the beach and to a pool at the Mirage Resort, was used as the front cover of the Australian single release. "Turn It into Love" was released exclusively in Japan as the fifth single, peaking at number 34. It had sold 46,320 copies in the country as of 2006.


Critical reception

''Kylie'' received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom questioned its production. Tim Nicholson of '' Record Mirror'' wrote that besides the cover of "The Loco-Motion", the album is full of "rattling, Hi-NRG based perfect pop ongs that has hit-single potential. In the Recommended section, the writers of ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' applauded the cover of "The Loco-Motion" but found the "mechanical production and assembly-line writing... may lack the warm necessary for a U.S. breakthrough". Chris Heath of ''
Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...
'' praised the simple disco tracks, while Shaun Carney of '' The Age'' criticized its calculated and commercialize nature. Barbra Jaeger of ''
The Record The Record may refer to: Music * ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Records, an English power pop band * '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee Ge ...
'' panned the overuse of drum machines and echo vocals by the SAW producers, finding their music is "just a variation of the same beat". Several reviewers criticized Minogue's vocal delivery. J.D. Considine of '' The Baltimore Sun'' felt the record was aggravated by her lack of maturity and poor pronunciation, especially on "It's No Secret". Donovan, writing a review of ''Kylie'' for '' Number One'', suggested Minogue "sounds a bit too much like Minnie Mouse after a while." Jim Zebora of American newspaper '' Record-Journal'' panned her nasal vocals and her lack of input on the songwriting and producing process, referring to the singer as another Madonna wannabe. Dennis Hunt of '' The Los Angeles Times'' and Ernie Long, on the other hand, felt her fragile voice sounds comfortable and natural with the dance-pop material. Writing for ''The Age'', Mike Daly commented that despite having a reasonable voice, Minogue was overpowered by the manufactured and forgettable production. In their retrospect reviews, Chris True from AllMusic, Nick Levine of ''
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
'', and Sweeney panned the dated production but felt Minogue's upbeat personality and well-crafted melodies compensated for its weaknesses. While reviewing the album on its 30th anniversary, Harrison described it as an "unassuming, but charming collection of well-intentioned commercial pop". '' Rolling Stone'' suggested the songs are as "cheesily and identically redolent of the late 80s' as a pair of stone-washed jean shorts", while Sheridan called the album a "masterclass in classic British pop". ''Classic Pop'' writers
Ian Peel Ian R Peel (born 18 January 1958 in Skipton-on-Swale, North Yorkshire, England is a sport shooter who has represented Great Britain in the Summer Olympic Games on three occasions. Sport shooting career Peel first appeared at the Olympics in t ...
and Mark Elliot commended the memorable hooks and the Hi-NRG pop tunes that set the benchmark for her career; the latter critic ranked it as the third-best Stock Aitken Waterman album. Cinquemani, however, ranked ''Kylie'' as Minogue's worst studio album in 2018, criticizing the lightweight content and her vocals as if "she was forced to suck down a lungful of helium". In the '' Encyclopedia of Popular Music'' (2011), British writer Colin Larkin gave the album three out of five stars, classifying it as "recommended" and "highly listenable".


Commercial performance

The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart on 16 July 1988. In its seventh week, it peaked at number one and stayed there for four consecutive weeks. Minogue became the youngest artist to have a number-one album when she was 20 years and 8 months old—she held that record until Canadian recording artist
Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
's '' Let Go'' reached the top of the chart in 2002, when she was 18. ''Kylie'' topped the chart for two additional weeks in November, for a total of six weeks in the number-one position, her longest-running number-one album on this chart. It was the best-selling album of 1988 in the UK, with sales of 1.29 million copies over the course of six months.; ; ; On 5 January 1989, it was certified six times platinum by British Phonographic Industry. ''Kylie'' sold 1.9 million copies by the time ''Enjoy Yourself'' was released in late 1989, becoming the fifth highest-selling album of the decade—the highest by a female solo artist—in the UK. It was the first album by a female solo artist to exceed sales of two million in the UK, selling 2,105,698 copies as of 2006. ''Kylie'' returned to the UK Albums Chart in 2015, when the reissue peaked at number eighty-five on 15 February. In Minogue's native Australia, ''Kylie'' entered at number two, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. It stayed in the top fifty for a total of twenty-eight weeks. It was certified four times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.; In New Zealand, it debuted at number ten, and eventually topped the chart for six weeks. It is her only number-one album in the region and stayed on the charts for a total of fifty-three weeks. In November 1989, it was certified platinum by
Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...
. The album reached the top ten in Germany, Norway, and Switzerland. In the United States, it peaked at number fifty-three on the ''Billboard'' 200. This was Minogue's only charting album in the United States, until her 2001 album '' Fever'' hit the charts in 2002. In 1989, the album was certified gold in the United States, selling over 500,000 copies. ''Kylie'' was certified platinum in Hong Kong by the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
for selling over 15,000 units. In Japan, it peaked at number 30 and sold 102,000 copies as of 2006.; As of 2018, ''Kylie'' has sold over five million copies worldwide.


Accolades and impact

At the ARIA Music Awards of 1988, Minogue won the Highest Selling Single for "Locomotion". At the following ceremony, she received nominations for Breakthrough Artist – Album, Highest Selling Album, and Best Female Artist for ''Kylie'', winning the second time for Highest Selling Single for "I Should Be So Lucky" and receiving the Special Achievement Award. The single also earned Minogue a
Japan Gold Disc Award The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Associa ...
for Single of the Year in 1989. It was added to the
National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...
's Sounds of Australia registry in 2011. The album's commercial success helped Minogue establish herself as an international teen idol and launch her recording career. Writing for Official Charts Company, Justin Myers opined "If 1988 was anyone's year it was Kylie Minogue's... She was the most exciting thing to happen to pop for quite a long time." Jim Schembri of '' The Guardian'' wrote the success of ''Kylie'' and its singles, her popular concerts in Britain and Japan, as well as her public appearances have quickly "turned inogueinto a pop cultural icon—as well as a multi-millionare". '' Guinness World Records'' recognized Minogue as the most successful foreign UK chart debut for ''Kylie''; the record was later equaled by Irish boy band Boyzone in 1998. In the US market, ''Kylie'' was a notable pop album among dozens of popular Australian rock-oriented releases in the late 1980s, including albums by rock bands
INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...
,
Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by ...
,
Crowded House Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ban ...
,
The Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...
, and
Icehouse Icehouse or ice house may refer to: * Ice house (building), a building where ice is stored * Ice shanty, a shelter for ice fishing also known as an ''Icehouse'' * Ice skating rink, a facility for ice skating. * Ice hockey arena, an area where ice ...
. Following its release, Minogue was considered as one of the most aspiring female teen pop artists, along with American singers Debbie Gibson and
Tiffany Tiffany may refer to: People * Tiffany (given name), list of people with this name * Tiffany (surname), list of people with this surname Known mononymously as "Tiffany": * Tiffany Darwish, (born 1971), an American singer, songwriter, actress kn ...
. George Albert of '' The Sentinel'' viewed 1988 as a remarkable year for young female acts—he identified Minogue, Martika, Taylor Dayne, and Karyn White as a group of emerging artists who specialized in singing instead of writing music, and willing to record well-crafted contemporary pop songs that have potential on the music charts. Music journalists attributed the album's success to Minogue's already established image as Charlene on ''Neighbours''. She made a risky transition to music at a time when not many established actors in television chose to make a record. Motivated by the success of ''Kylie'', Donovan pursued his singing career with SAW and signed with Mushroom Records. He recorded " Especially for You" with Minogue in late 1988, which became the fourth highest-selling single of the year, and left ''Neighbours'' the following year.; ; Minogue went on to make three more studio albums with SAW until 1991, when Aitken left the trio. Minogue has since felt detached from the album, saying in an interview in late 1988: "I didn't have much say about he albumand it doesn't sound like me. AWdid what they thought they had to do to deliver a hit, which they did. But the album still isn't ''me''".


Track listing

All songs written, produced and arranged by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, except where noted.


Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. *
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...
– lead vocals, backing vocals *Dee Lewis – backing vocals *Mae McKenna – backing vocals * Suzanne Rhatigan – backing vocals * Matt Aitkenproduction,
arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
s, keyboards, guitar * Mike Stock – production, arrangements, backing vocals, keyboards * Pete Waterman – production, arrangements *George De Angelis – keyboards *Neil Palmer – keyboards *A. Linn – drums *Jason Barron – engineering *Peter Day – engineering *Stewart Day – engineering *Karen Hewitt – engineering *Jonathan King – engineering *Mark McGuire – engineering *Burni Adams – engineering *Yoyo – engineer *Pete Hammond – mixing *Jay Willis – mastering *Lawrence Lawry – photography *David Howells – design * Lino Carbosiero – hair


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Decade-end charts


Certifications and sales


Release history


See also

*
List of best-selling albums of the 1980s in the United Kingdom The UK Albums Chart is a music chart that calculates the best-selling artist albums of the week in the United Kingdom. For the purposes of inclusion in the chart an album is defined by the Official Charts Company (OCC) as being a type of music ...
* List of best-selling albums by year in the United Kingdom * List of number-one albums from the 1980s (New Zealand) * List of Top 25 albums for 1988 in Australia * List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 1980s * List of UK Independent Albums Chart number ones of the 1980s *
List of UK top-ten albums in 1988 The UK Albums Chart is one of many music charts compiled by the Official Charts Company that calculates the best-selling albums of the week in the United Kingdom. Before 2004, the chart was only based on the sales of physical albums. This list sh ...
* List of UK top-ten albums in 1989


References


Citations


Websites

; Chart positions and certifications * * * * * * * * * * ''Select ''KYLIE MINOGUE'' and click ''OK.'' * * * ''Select 1989年5月 on the drop-down menu'' * * ''The High Point number in the NAT column displays the release's peak on the national chart.'' * * * * * ''Select ''Kylie MINOGUE'' from the drop-down menu and click ''OK''.'' * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ; Others * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Media notes

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Print sources

; Books * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ; Newspapers and magazines * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


''Kylie''
at Kylie.com (archived from 2007) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kylie (Album) 1988 debut albums Albums produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Kylie Minogue albums Mushroom Records albums Geffen Records albums CBS Disques albums