Kylie Minogue - Rhythm of Love (Anniversary Celebration)

UK release date: November 12th 1990
UK album chart peak: #9
Australian album chart peak: #10

Buy Rhythm of Love here (Amazon UK)
Read my #RhythmofLove30 singles project here
Read my Kylie Minogue album anniversary posts here

Another year, another Kylie anniversary (see also, 15 years since Light Years, 5 years since Aphrodite). This time it's her third studio album from 1990, Rhythm of Love. Considered by many to be a turning point in her career, it yielded what still may be the greatest run of singles from an album ever (start debate here). It saw Kylie embrace her sensual side, her sexuality and take more control over her career in a way that has perhaps shaped the enduring star she is today. I think the album resonates with me after all this time is because it came at a time when I was unsure about my own sense of being - those difficult mid-teen years when you are trying to break out of your parents shadow and become your own person. Add to this coming to terms with being gay in a Mormon household and Kylie's Rhythm of Love tracks were not only an escape but also an education. Thus, I was very upset when the album debuted at number nine in the UK (after two chart topping projects) and never bettered that peak, although it was a perennial seller that went onto achieve platinum status. It sits in the history books for many other reasons too - it was the first time Kylie was working with other producers outside of Stock, Aitken and Waterman; it was her most critically acclaimed work to date; it features Kylie's first writing credits; and most importantly it yielded the greatest Kylie single ever written. FACT. More on that later...

The reason I found Rhythm of Love so bold and liberating was because I identified with and yearned for the transition that Kylie had made. Everyone initially associated Kylie with her Neighbours character Charlene - and her musical persona was constructed to play off the success of that character. It's an eternal battle for the successful pop star - people want more of the sound that made you famous, but criticise you if you stay within that genre for too long. Change too soon and it's too much for the general public to take - they want the illusion of change, not actual change. ROL saw Kylie shake off her girl-next-door image and fully embrace life as a grown up pop star. It wasn't just the visual imagery of Kylie quite literally casting off the clothes of her old self, it was how the music was the natural progression for her - exploring new sounds and genres while still retaining the essence of what had given her 9 top 5 singles so far. Why there was such a gap between the first two singles (and the first single and the album), I'm not entirely sure - but if it was to perfect the process then I'm all for it. So here's what songs made this the "golden quartet" of singles...

• Better The Devil You Know ~ released in April 1990 and instantly replaced Wouldn't Change A Thing as my favourite Kylie track, a title it holds to this very day (despite some stiff competition). It was a radiant, exhilarating breath of fresh air - from those shuddering opening synth chords through to the compulsive beat and the addictive chorus refrain, Kylie was a woman on a mission. S/A/W infused the song with elements of electronica, dance, pop and rave with Kylie guiding the melody with a giddy abandon I'd not heard from her before. The accompanying video proved that this was a brand new Kylie and it was intoxicating. I mean, who can forget that see-through plastic mac she was running around in?! The song peaked at 2 in the UK (Damn you Adamski's Killer!) but has lived on long beyond it's life on the chart. It features on every hits compilation and is sung on most of her tours. It's rightly become an anthem for her and it still sounds breathtaking to this day.
• Step Back In Time ~ You know, I always wondered if this was S/A/W's retort to their very own song I'd Rather Jack (by the Reynolds Girls). On their song, they bemoaned that they wanted new music on the radio, but here Kylie decided that she was happy to embrace the sounds that influenced her recordings. There's no denying that it was a compelling proposition - and that mixing old with new created another timeless classic. I still love the f-f-u-f-u-n-k moments as a little daring tease that surely inspired Britney to "if you seek amy"... The song peaked at number four in the UK giving her a whopping 11 consecutive top 5 hits to open her career. The video may also have been the first time that Kylie wore hot pants (black). As we all know, it certainly wasn't the last...
• What Do I Have To Do ~ Now THIS is how you do a single remix. One of my favourite remixes from an album track to single of all time (alongside the triumphant re-swizzling of We Want The Same Thing by Belinda Carlisle). Amped up to the nth degree via a new drum track, textured vocals and the Sam Kinison samples, it gave the song an entirely new energy that was nigh on impossible to resist. It was Kylie's most dance orientated single to date and just made you want to wave you hands in the air like a ninny. The accompanying video is an absolute hoot with Kylie playing as many Hollywood movie stars as she can in three minutes (and a quick cameo from Dannii! Hey! Love and kisses Dannii!) - was just as carefree and satisfying as the music that surrounded it. It ended Kylie's run of top 5 hits by peaking at 6 (nothing to be sniffed at) but definitely deserved to place higher.
• Shocked ~ And the remixes continue. Not content to just pull tracks from the album, Shocked became the second single in a row to add something new to entice fans to purchase the 7", 12" and CD releases. Remixed by DNA it featured some glorious house-piano, funky beats and of course that Jazzie P rap that we all lip sync for our lives to every Saturday night. It was the only (I think) Kylie single to be released as a 7" picture disc and I still kick myself for choosing the CD single over that in Woolworths that Monday 20th May after school. Please note that the Harding/Curnow remix is also very excellent indeed and just as necessary to listen to. It completed an absolutely flawless run of singles from the album - and actually led to whispered rumours in the school playground ("Oh my gosh, is she singing f**ked to her very foundations"). Kids, eh? It was (rightly) another number six smash for Kylie and a fitting end to an excellent project.

Of course, the album wasn't all about the singles and - just like Enjoy Yourself had single ready smashes like the title track, I'm Over Dreaming and Nothing To Lose - there's some choice cuts here too. Secrets is perhaps the biggest nod to the sound that made Kylie famous and acts as a nice bridge between her Enjoy Yourself era and Rhythm of Love days. One Boy Girl veered into the world of New Jill Swing and though it may not ever have worked as a single, it was nice to hear Kylie experimenting with new genres and sounds. That conversational rap in the middle 8 is a bonkers stroke of genius. Things Can Only Get Better is a definite album highlight and absolutely could have been a single that lured everyone onto the dance floor for one more shimmy. It's a great collection of songs to revisit and remains a pivotal moment in the evolution of Kylie.