The Best of Kylie Minogue

The Best of Kylie Minogue is a 2012 greatest hits album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 28 May 2012 by EMI to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Minogue's recording career, as part of her K25 celebrations. It follows the previous major compilation albums Greatest Hits (1992) and Ultimate Kylie (2004). It is also Minogue's only major compilation not to include any new material or to include unreleased and rare material. The album consists of Minogue's major hits, spanning from her 1987 debut to her 2010 album project Aphrodite.

The Best of Kylie Minogue
Greatest hits album by
Released28 May 2012 (2012-05-28)
Recorded1987–2010
StudioVarious
Genre
Length1:14:46
LabelEMI
Producer
Kylie Minogue chronology
Aphrodite Les Folies – Live in London
(2011)
The Best of Kylie Minogue
(2012)
The Abbey Road Sessions
(2012)

Upon its release, the compilation was well received by most music critics, many praising the later releases of Minogue's catalog, while it was criticized for not including most of her hit songs from the initial phase of her career. It peaked at number 11 in the United Kingdom, while charting inside the top forty in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland and Spain.

This compilation was superseded by 2019's Step Back in Time: The Definitive Collection with all its twenty-one tracks being included on that 2-CD set.

Background edit

The Best of Kylie Minogue is the first major greatest hits album by Minogue since her 2004 Ultimate Kylie album. During 2012, Minogue had celebrated her twenty-fifth anniversary of her record career, which was dubbed "K25 Celebration".[1] Each month, Minogue would present a special gift to her fans to thank them for their support during her 25-year recording career. She would ask fans every month to "tweet to unlock" the special gift, and she would regularly receive more than 25,000 tweets.[2] To celebrate the first month of K25, Minogue released an orchestral version of her single "Finer Feelings" and embarked on the Anti Tour, which featured b-sides, demos and rarities from her music catalogue.[3]

According to a press release, the songs selected for The Best of Kylie Minogue were chosen by "fans through extensive market research conducted by EMI late last year."[4] The cover art of The Best of Kylie Minogue contains badges representing each of the singles. It also has pictures from two music videos; "Spinning Around" and "Confide in Me". The back cover featured logos of the hits. In the booklet, the cover of the singles are included. An alternate cover was made for a deluxe edition for iTunes. The same picture with a pink border and text.[5]

The Best of Kylie Minogue was one of four musical releases within her K25 celebration. The first being her CD single release of "Timebomb", the second being this release, the third being her orchestral compilation album The Abbey Road Sessions and her final being her K25: Time Capsule box set.

Material and release edit

The release was only one disc but saw singles included from various parts of her discography. Two songs from her debut album Kylie were featured; "I Should Be So Lucky" and "The Loco-Motion". Two songs from her second album were featured, these being "Tears on My Pillow" and "Never Too Late". One song from her third studio album was "Better the Devil You Know", one song from her fourth album was "Give Me Just a Little More Time" and one from her fifth studio album was "Confide in Me". The song "Celebration" from her first 1992 Greatest Hits was also included.

In her 2000's era, three songs from her seventh album, Light Years, were featured, these being "Spinning Around", "On a Night Like This" and "Kids". From her eighth studio album, all singles were featured except "Come into My World". From her ninth, all but "Chocolate". From her tenth, "Wow" and "In My Arms" were included and two from her eleventh album were "All the Lovers" and "Get Outta My Way".[6] "I Believe in You" from her second Greatest Hits compilation Ultimate Kylie also saw inclusion on the album. It is worth noting that tracks from her sixth studio album Impossible Princess were not featured on the compilation album. Her latest single release at the time, "Timebomb", a K25 surprise, was also excluded.

The album was released on 4 June in Europe and the United Kingdom, while it was released in the United States on 19 June.[4] On 27 June 2014, two years after its annual release, The Best of Kylie Minogue was released in Australia and New Zealand digitally and physically.[7]

Reception edit

Critical response edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [9]
Q(mixed)
Rolling Stone     [10]

The Best of Kylie Minogue received generally positive reviews from most contemporary music critics. The Best of Kylie Minogue received a score of 75/100 on Metacritic, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[8] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone gave the compilation four out of five stars, writing that it "plays like a crash course in the history of international club style—from the aerobic corn of her fluke 1988 hit 'The Loco-Motion' to 2010's feistier French house-inspired 'Get Outta My Way.'"[10] AllMusic's Tim Sendra gave it four-and-a-half out of five stars and concluded, "This collection is proof that Kylie is arguably the best pop singer of her era and more importantly, is fun from beginning to end."[9] OK! magazine called the compilation "[a]mazing" and stated that "Kylie collects together some of her finest moments."[11]

However, Robbie Daw of Idolator commented that "while we were hoping for something more along the lines of a box set compiling her complete singles discography (sigh), we'll have to settle for the 21-track The Best of Kylie Minogue".[12] Q gave it a favorable review, but said "Part cipher, part siren, Minogue's odd power is underlined: it's not always clear quite what she does, but she does it brilliantly."[8] PopMatters also gave it a favourable review. However, they said "If there were crimes committed against pop many moons ago, there is redemptive evidence on The Best of Kylie Minogue to warrant her a full reprieve 'n' pardon and perhaps even freedom of the city." They later concluded with a mixed reaction saying, "Misleading title, dopey sequencing and occasional 'Just crap'-ness aside, The Best of still offers much masterclass in perfect pop."[13]

Commercial performance edit

The Best of Kylie Minogue debuted at number eleven on the UK Albums Chart, selling 9,703 copies in its first week.[14] However, in its third week, the album descended out of the top forty to number forty-seven. It then descended to number ninety-seven for its last week, staying there for four weeks in total.[15] The compilation managed to peak inside the top forty in countries including Scotland, Ireland, Czech Republic and Spain. In the U.S., the compilation debuted at number thirteen on the U.S. Dance/Electronic Albums. However, in its second week, the compilation descended to number twenty-three and fell out the next week.

Track listing edit

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
1."Can't Get You Out of My Head"Fever3:49
2."Spinning Around"Light Years3:27
3."I Should Be So Lucky"Kylie3:24
4."Love at First Sight"Fever3:57
5."In Your Eyes"
  • Minogue
  • Stannard
  • Gallagher
  • Howes
Fever3:18
6."Kids" (with Robbie Williams)
Light Years4:18
7."Better the Devil You Know"
  • Stock
  • Aitken
  • Waterman
Rhythm of Love3:54
8."All the Lovers"Aphrodite3:20
9."Give Me Just a Little More Time"
Let's Get to It3:06
10."Celebration"Greatest Hits3:58
11."Slow"Body Language3:13
12."Red Blooded Woman"
Body Language4:22
13."I Believe in You"Ultimate Kylie3:19
14."On a Night Like This"
Light Years3:31
15."Confide in Me" (Radio Mix)Kylie Minogue4:26
16."Get Outta My Way"
Aphrodite3:39
17."The Loco-Motion" (7" Mix)Kylie3:13
18."Tears on My Pillow"
Enjoy Yourself2:30
19."Wow"
X3:12
20."In My Arms"
X3:31
21."Never Too Late"
  • Stock
  • Aitken
  • Waterman
Enjoy Yourself3:22
Japanese edition
No.TitleWriter(s)AlbumLength
21."Better than Today"Aphrodite3:25
22."Never Too Late"
  • Stock
  • Aitken
  • Waterman
Enjoy Yourself3:22
Special edition (DVD)
No.TitleDirectorLength
1."Can't Get You Out of My Head"Dawn Shadforth3:47
2."Spinning Around"Shadforth3:27
3."I Should Be So Lucky"Chris Langman3:24
4."Love at First Sight"Johan Renck3:56
5."In Your Eyes"Shadforth3:17
6."Kids" (with Robbie Williams)Simon Hilton4:46
7."Better the Devil You Know"Paul Goldman3:57
8."All the Lovers"Joseph Kahn3:19
9."Give Me Just a Little More Time"Greg Masuak3:04
10."Celebration"Masuak4:01
11."Slow"Baillie Walsh3:55
12."Red Blooded Woman"Jake Nava4:08
13."I Believe in You"Vernie Yeung3:24
14."On a Night Like This"Douglas Avery4:06
15."Confide in Me"Paul Boyd5:56
16."Get Outta My Way"AlexandLiane3:41
17."The Loco-Motion"Langman3:16
18."Tears on My Pillow"Pete Cornish2:28
19."Wow"Melina Matsoukas3:09
20."In My Arms"Matsoukas3:30
21."Never Too Late"Cornish3:22
Japanese special edition (DVD)
No.TitleDirectorLength
21."Better than Today"William Baker3:26
22."Never Too Late"Cornish3:22

Charts edit

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Argentine Albums (CAPIF)[16] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 45
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 58
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[19] 22
French Albums (SNEP)[20] 69
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[21] 85
Irish Albums (IRMA)[22] 22
Italian Albums (FIMI)[23] 49
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[24] 76
Mexican Albums (Top 100 Mexico)[25] 44
Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] 10
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[27] 26
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 63
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 11
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[30] 13
Venezuelan Albums (Recordland)[31] 15
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[32] 39

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[33] Silver 60,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history edit

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Italy 28 May 2012
EMI [34]
France 30 May 2012
[35]
Germany 1 June 2012
[36][37][38]
France 4 June 2012 Digital download [39]
Italy [40]
Japan
  • CD
  • digital download
[41][42]
United Kingdom
  • CD
  • CD+DVD
  • digital download
[43][44][45]
United States
  • CD
  • digital download
[46][47]
19 June 2012 CD+DVD [48]
New Zealand
  • CD
  • CD+DVD
Warner Music Australasia [49][50]
27 June 2014 Digital download [7]
Australia
  • CD
  • CD+DVD
  • digital download
[51][52][53]

Notes edit

References edit

  1. ^ K25 Timeline Archived 26 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ "Lovers!!!! K25 launches tomorrow. Glad u love the sneak peek" (PNG). 4.bp.blogspot.com. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Kylie Anti Tour Shows Announced | Kylie Minogue". Kylie.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  4. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (4 May 2012). "New Kylie Minogue Greatest Hits Album Due in June". Billboard. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  5. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue". Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  6. ^ "Kylie Minogue - The Best of Kylie Minogue". Discogs. June 2012.
  7. ^ a b "The Best of Kylie Minogue by Kylie Minogue". iTunes Store. 27 June 2014.
  8. ^ a b c "The Best of Kylie Minogue by Kylie Minogue". Metacritic.
  9. ^ a b Sendra, Tim. "The Best of Kylie Minogue – Kylie Minogue". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  10. ^ a b Walters, Barry (19 June 2012). "The Best of Kylie Minogue". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Kylie: The Best of Kylie Minogue". OK!. Northern & Shell. 12 June 2012. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  12. ^ Daw, Robbie (4 May 2012). "'Kylie Minogue' Best of Collection Features Scattered Hits But Nothing New". Idolator. Buzz Media. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  13. ^ "Kylie Minogue: The Best of". PopMatters.com. 25 July 2012.
  14. ^ Jones, Alan (11 June 2012). "Official Charts Analysis: Gary Barlow tops Album and Singles lists". Music Week. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  15. ^ "the best of | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company.
  16. ^ "Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue". Argentine Albums. CAPIF. On Fecha, select 03/06/2012 to see the correspondent chart. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  19. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 23.Týden 2012 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  21. ^ "Officialcharts.de – Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  22. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2012". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 8 June 2012 2012.
  23. ^ "Artisti: Classifica settimanale dal Classifica settimanale dal 04/06/2012 al 10/06/2012". Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  24. ^ "カイリー・ミノーグのアルバム売り上げランキング". ORICON STYLE. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  25. ^ "Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue". Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  26. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 June 2012.
  27. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  30. ^ "Kylie Minogue Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  31. ^ "RecordLand Top 20 Albums" (in Spanish). Recordland. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  32. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kylie Minogue – The Best of Kylie Minogue". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  33. ^ "British album certifications – Kylie Minogue – The Best Of". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  34. ^ "Best of Kylie Minogue" – via Amazon.
  35. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue". 30 May 2012 – via Amazon.
  36. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue". 1 June 2012 – via Amazon.
  37. ^ "ITunes - Musik – "The Best of Kylie Minogue" von Kylie Minogue". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  38. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue". 1 June 2012 – via Amazon.
  39. ^ https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/the-best-of-kylie-minogue/id726386030 [dead link]
  40. ^ https://itunes.apple.com/it/album/the-best-of-kylie-minogue/id726386030 [dead link]
  41. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue" – via Amazon.
  42. ^ https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/the-best-of-kylie-minogue/id726386030M [dead link]
  43. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue". 4 June 2012 – via Amazon.
  44. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue". 4 June 2012 – via Amazon.
  45. ^ "ITunes - Music - the Best of Kylie Minogue by Kylie Minogue". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  46. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue". 28 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2022 – via Amazon.
  47. ^ "ITunes - Music - the Best of Kylie Minogue by Kylie Minogue". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  48. ^ "Best of Kylie Minogue". Retrieved 28 March 2022 – via Amazon.
  49. ^ "Kylie Minogue The Best of Kylie Minogue on WOW HD NZ". Wowhd.co.nz.
  50. ^ "Archived copy". www.wowhd.co.nz. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  51. ^ "Best of Kylie Minogue". Sanity.
  52. ^ "Best of Kylie Minogue (deluxe Edition Cd+dvd), The". Sanity.
  53. ^ "The Best of Kylie Minogue by Kylie Minogue". iTunes Store.