Jark presents... ULTIMATE KYLIE: THE COUNTDOWN (now #8)

Better Than Today is one of the limpest moments in her career. A waft of air so inoffensive it's deeply offensive.

Confide in Me was a career changing piece, a part of the musical zeitgeist at the time, yet also generation spanning in it's magnificence.

I may agree or disagree with some of the other decisions made on this cuntdown (Your Love deserves love), but I can't move past how offensive these choice are. @Moderator please ban Jark from his own thread for 24 hours, thanks.
 
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a few more before I hibernate


35. Cowboy Style
from Impossible Princess



I feel like Cowboy Style is as good as it got for Kylie's artistic kick in the mid-late '90s. the instrumentation taps into that 'world music' / folktronica sound that was very in between about '97 and 2002, but Kylie was ahead of the curve here - other big popstars took a bit longer, and while their efforts sometimes felt cynical (or were downright terrible), Kylie wraps her vocal, sometimes off-key, beautifully around this song. it's so well produced by Brothers in Rhythm. the tribal drumming in the middle 8 is a stunner, and Kylie's voice seems to melt into the abyss beneath it. she sounds like she's drowning. but also like she's being reborn. extra points for the incredible/definitive Showgirl Homecoming version. :disco:


34. Dangerous Game
from Kylie Minogue



hang on. did somebody call for a sultry gem?

a Kylie jazz ballad was probably no higher on anyone's wish list in 1994 than it is today. enter Dangerous Game, a simmering stunner in which Kylie's chest voice proves to be, actually, a perfect fit for a slow-burn, big-band arrangement. Kylie had released very few ballads at this point, and her vocal had never been as front and centre as it was here. she sounds rich and creamy, her vulnerability — I feel so lonely, here on my own / I've lost my way — on full display, heightened by a few vocal cracks.

imagine yourself wandering into some dimly-lit Parisian jazz joint and, through a haze of cigarette smog, finding a faded starlet belting away on stage to nobody's particular attention. by the outro comes around, and the tinkling piano gives way to more aggressive keys and wild stabs of brass, all eyes are on that stage. Kylie's vocal drops out into a low, menacing growl, and then acquires a touch of the banshee in the song's closing bars. I'm the one for you, I'll show you intimacy!!! skews closer to threat than promise — a moment of whiplash from a chanteuse who defies categorisation. a risk taker. a singer. ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Kylie Minogue. :disco:


33. Magic
from Disco



I went around the block a bit with placing Magic. is it safe? yes. is it a great song? also yes. PhD's production births a smooth disco groove far more luxurious than anything Sky Adams is capable of. Kylie simply glides, the chorus is a breezy dream. Disco should've offered more of this. but it's not quite that album's finest moment: three more to come.


32. So Now Goodbye
from Light Years



I'll save my raves about Light Years for when I do the albums. needless to say it's full of bangin' album tracks, and So Now Goodbye (while IN ITSELF RIDICULOUSLY CAMP) is just a warm-up for what's to come. there's something so easy about this song, the melodies flow like water, Kylie bossing the vocal without breaking a sweat, disco strings going haywire before the middle 8. it's a winner baby. wouldn't you expect more from a friend?


31. Made of Glass
from Giving You Up



I snuck a couple of b-sides into this list. Made of Glass to me is one of those songs that was a massive smash hit in some other timeline. she apparently didn't like working with Xenomania, but they did not fantastic work together in 2004. Kylie's lower register could hardly be better to suited to the shimmering instrumental. everything we heard from the Ultimate Kylie sessions actually could've been the basis of a killer studio album. on the other hand I LOVE the ways it adds to the mythology of the artist when they have hard 10s like this hidden away in their discography. Made of Glass is a sweet and strange pleasure.
 
I am liking this countdown - it was worth the wait, the odd choices do create discussion. MAGIC for me is the WOW of the later eras.

Agree she could have made a killer album with Xenomania but in the early 00's she was dipping in and out with them and didn't want to be seen in the same ilk as Girls Aloud at the time, if that makes sense.
 
Big fan of "Magic", and "Made of Glass", "So Now Goodbye", too.

I've never warmed up much to "Dangerous Game" or "Cowboy Style" tbh.
 
Into the Blue is a funny one. Such a good track, I think its probably the most autobiographical SINGAL she's done in recent times. I always go back to it but it does seem very forgotten, its a little gem, but I really quite like KMO, just needed a bit more cohesion
 
30. Things Can Only Get Better
from Rhythm of Love



big banger alert ⚠️ this proper treat from Rhythm of Love leans into house music in a way that differentiates it from a lot of the album, and in a way maybe previews KM94. the lyrics are peak hippie-happy-motivational (can things not sometimes get worse?) and don't scream Kylie (naturally) but the production from SAW is absolutely top notch. shiny synths galore, and vocally Kylie is serving a bit of that energy we'd hear more of on songs like Your Disco Needs You later.


29. White Diamond
from Showgirl Homecoming Live in Sydney



the mythology around this song in some parts of the fanbase feels so huge, but I feel like I've made peace now with never having the studio version. maybe it was a bit shit. maybe Steve Anderson brought the magic on tour. the live version pops beautifully either way, and this song for sure is a minor classic. it's giving that classic emotopop feeling balanced with a really happy, positive energy, not so much melancholy. almost a bit of an "I Will Survive" moment lyrically. shining on and on and on — she sells it. I LOVE KYLIE MINOGUE!


28. Giving You Up
from Ultimate Kylie



there are times in life you just want a slinky weirdo synthy breathy banger. Giving You Up is criminally underrated, sometimes I wonder when it's gonna go viral and have its moment in the sun. sunny days are the stage this song demands. and yeah, a girl's gotta suffer for fashion. Kylie always knows (I bet she hates this song though). also, the giant Kylie stomping around the city concept of the video (as later appropriated by Lana Del Rey) is so tacky but executed so well.


27. In Your Eyes
from Fever



the other tracks in this bunch are quite warm generally... In Your Eyes is such an ice cold banger, an encapsulation of the sound of Fever, and the first Fever single to fall. I love it, but I think it's a bit more straightforward than the other singles, and the iciness can keep you at a distance. but it is hypnotic and the bridge is an absolute all timer. the nerve of asking is the world spinning around? a year after Spinning Around came out always makes me cackle. a rare self-referential moment from the queen. great song, better to come.


26. Time Will Pass You By
from Kylie Minogue



what a DELIGHTFUL PLEASURE of a tune this is :disco: it's such a happy treat from a relatively restrained album. it has a lot of the best bits of this incarnation of Kylie, I think: the less-produced vocals, the self-assuredness, almost a live performance feel, the ability to throw a nice twist, in this case a GORGEOUS sax solo around the 3-minute mark that pops right out of the speaker. such a radiant blessing when it comes back in the outro. Green Light could've learned a thing or two...

Time Will Pass You By is also the final '90s album track to fall.
 
Jark said:
26. Time Will Pass You By
from Kylie Minogue



what a DELIGHTFUL PLEASURE of a tune this is :disco: it's such a happy treat from a relatively restrained album. it has a lot of the best bits of this incarnation of Kylie, I think: the less-produced vocals, the self-assuredness, almost a live performance feel, the ability to throw a nice twist, in this case a GORGEOUS sax solo around the 3-minute mark that pops right out of the speaker. such a radiant blessing when it comes back in the outro. Green Light could've learned a thing or two...

Time Will Pass You By is also the final '90s album track to fall.
Click to expand...

:square:

Confide In Me lost a spot TO THIS?

You truly are the troll-iest of ALL Kylie fans @Jark.
 
I also love Don't Stop by Madonna, it's my favourite song on Bedtime Stories. make of that what you will :D those random outlier happy-happy album tracks from pop superstars going moody in their mid-90s commercial dip phases really did it for me :D
 
I adore "Things Can Only Get Better". Tinny and dated as fuck, but an utter joy. It might very well be in my top ten.

"In Your Eyes" is slick but the weakest of the Fever singles for me. It passed me by for a few years since it was never released here. I didn't become a Kylie fan until 2007.

"Giving You Up" is underrated but would probably only make my top 75-ish.

"White Diamond" is undeniable.

"Time Will Pass You By", what a hot take. It's fine but the highest ranking 90s Kylie track? Jesus fucking Christ. :D
Off that album, I definitely prefer the singles, "Surrender", "Falling", and "Automatic Love".
 
Jark said:
I also love Don't Stop by Madonna, it's my favourite song on Bedtime Stories. make of that what you will :D those random outlier happy-happy album tracks from pop superstars going moody in their mid-90s commercial dip phases really did it for me :D
Click to expand...
Oh I LOVE it too

Not even close to being the best thing on the album though :D
 
one more batch, and then at top 20 I'll pause and do top 10 albums.

now that we're halfway through any predictions for winners, top 5 etc? all theoretical obv since I'll never get that far.
 
25. Miss a Thing
from Disco



something about Miss a Thing — the sultry energy, the breathy vox, the slightly moody feel — calls to mind More More More. there's something slightly mysterious bubbling away under the surface. the disco vibes are immaculate, subtle but true to the spirit of the genre. she'd better perform this one on tour. in a way it's actually too good to be a Disco album track, and comes much closer to achieving the brief than any of Sky Adams' tacky attempts. a sophisticated bop.


24. I Love It
from Disco



another Disco gem. this one has such a carnival feel to me (expanded on in the extended mix). the verses in particular are some of her best melodies in years, full of yearning. the (too short) Infinite Disco perf is fantastic. obsessed with the little adlibs. SING! I do, in fact, love it.


23. BPM
from I Believe in You



this brilliant b-side is really far, FAR too good not to have been a single. I actually think if it's her biggest "could've been a #1" missed opportunity. tucking it away on the I Believe In You single was madness. super feel-good production from Biff, nonsense lyrics (I'm hungry for your sound :disco:), quintessential Kylie. best bit is after the second chorus where it drops out for a few bars, and then the squelchy beat comes back in to TEAR THE UNFORTUNATE LISTENER A NEW ARSEHOLE! before the hot outro seals the deal. ugh. we are not deserving.


22. Fever
from Fever



not officially a single, although she did give it a TV perf or two, the Fever title track is a right cracker. Kylie is at her most coquettish over a beefy electro beat. the lyrics deserve a shoutout here: "there ain't a surgeon that good any place in all the world... so now shall I remove my clothes?" the chorus glides, her oohs and aahs processed into something mechanical... there's always something very knowing about Kylie playing the sex kitten, she's in on the joke, and Fever is a particularly climactic example.


21. Still Standing
from Body Language



do you wanna hear me sing... pop? well, that's why we're here babe. Still Standing is built around a frenetic, elastic beat that rises and falls constantly, and it feels like a bit of a mission statement for Kylie post-Fever, a realignment of the kind of pop she wanted to make. there's no big, radio-friendly chorus, just a series of hypnotic hooks that tease without climax. it's slinky, it's sexy, it's cool. and it's worth observing that a listen to the Alexis Strum original (enjoyable as that is) reveals a lot about how much Kylie can bring to a song she had no part in creating — her vocal utterly elevates Still Standing. it's one of her finest album tracks.
 
recap so far:

21. Still Standing
22. Fever
23. BPM
24. I Love It
25. Miss a Thing
26. Time Will Pass You By
27. In Your Eyes
28. Giving You Up
29. White Diamond (Showgirl Homecoming)
30. Things Can Only Get Better

31. Made of Glass
32. Magic
33. So Now Goodbye
34. Dangerous Game
35. Cowboy Style (Showgirl Homecoming)
36. Better Than Today
37. Padam Padam
38. What Do I Have to Do
39. Dancefloor
40. Feels So Good

41. Aphrodite
42. Sensitized
43. Tightrope
44. Speakerphone
45. Into the Blue
46. Your Love
47. Timebomb
48. Sweet Music
49. Shelby '68
50. Kiss Me Once

3 album tracks and 1 Japanese bonus track remain. the rest are singles. lots of biggies up next. :disco:
 
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