Ultimate Kylie

Background

Ultimate Kylie is Minogue's ninth greatest hits album, and her first compilation through Parlophone. The release follows her eight previous greatest hits albums, The Kylie Collection (1987), Greatest Hits (1992), Hits+ (2000), Confide in Me, Greatest Hits 87–97 and its re-release (2002), Greatest Hits: 87–99 (2003), and Artist Collection (2004). Greatest Hits and Hits+ are her only compilations released through her signed labels; Greatest Hits was released through her 1987-1992 record label, PWL, and Hits+ was released through her 1993-1998 record label, Deconstruction Records. Ultimate Kylie is her first greatest hits album under her contract with Parlophone; her final greatest hits release through the contract was The Albums 2000–2010 (2011). On Minogue's website, she shared her thoughts on the release:

Since my first hit, I can’t believe how quickly time has passed. This collection is very dear to me and holds a lifetime of memories. There is nothing like time to give you a sense of perspective and I hope the listener gets as much enjoyment out of these tracks as I do. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to experiment throughout the years and that my fans have embraced the need in me to try new approaches. I am just as excited about the new tracks featured here as I am about all the others on the record. At this point in my career, I am happy to celebrate the past and look forward to the future.

On 22 August 2004, Ultimate Kylie was released as a standard two-disc set. Three versions were issued; the standard two-disc set, and a digital release through Amazon.com and iTunes Store; as of May 2011, the digital release has been removed from digital stores. The third format was a triple-disc package, with the original two-discs and a bonus DVD, including music video content; this was released in Australia through HMV stores in 2006. A DVD with the same name was released which included several music videos of Minogue that have never appeared on a DVD before. It includes the completed video of the single "I Believe in You", but no video of "Giving You Up" was produced at the album and DVD's release.

Critical response

Ultimate Kylie received a generally positive response from music critics. PopMatters gave it a positive review, saying: "Ultimate Kylie, which seems condensed even at its double-disc length, is one of the best collections of dance music available, even while including her ‘80s pop hits. It is enough to get her MP3s permanently out of my "guilty pleasures" bin" and gave the album an 8 out of 10 rating, which means that the album was of excellent status and "among the best work of the given artist, or among the best in the given genre". Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic gave it a very positive review, awarding it four and a half out of five stars. At first he said "There certainly hasn't been a shortage of Kylie Minogue hits compilations", but finished the album with a positive review and ending saying "it nevertheless gives all the hits, both big and small, in one place, which means that this not only makes this ideal for fans for all levels of dedication, it means that Ultimate Kylie lives up to its billing."

Jason Shawahn from About.com gave it a positive review, awarding it four stars out of five. He praised the album for its inclusion of two new songs, which he feels were "among the finest tracks that Kylie has recorded in years" and show her at her best. He later finished saying "but as far as providing the comprehensive Kylie, the folks at EMI have done a pretty good job." In a review for Stylus Magazine, Mark Edwards called the first disc "horribly naff" and full of "squeaky songs". The review also mentioned "every year or two she’ll release another pop gem, sell a squillion more calendars and finally retire as a multi-millionairess with a greatest hits compilation in every household. Because everyone loves Kylie, even if half of this album is terrible." Jaime Gill from Yahoo! Music gave it a positive review, saying "But why not accept it as merely the brand for a shiny double CD of brilliant pop tunes? If she disappeared tomorrow few would really care, but if songs like this did we really, really would." In 2007, The Guardian included the album in their "1000 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list.

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, Ultimate Kylie debuted at number four, staying in for thirty-one weeks. The album was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 900,000 units. The album entered at number five on the Australian Albums Chart, and stayed in the top fifty for forty-two weeks, Minogue's longest charting greatest hits album. Ultimate Kylie was certified quadruple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), selling over 280,000 copies in the country. In New Zealand, the album entered at thirty-nine on the New Zealand Albums Chart, and reached thirty-three.

Ultimate Kylie had other success in other countries as well. The album managed to peak at number fourteen and thirty-five in Belgium (Flanders) and Belgium (Wallonia), being certificated Platinum there. The album debuted at number forty-nine in Spain, and it eventually peaked at number thirty-four after fifteen weeks in the charts. The album was certificated Gold in the country, selling over 50,000 copies. The album also peaked at number eight on the Irish Albums Chart, and was certificated Platinum by the Irish Recording Music Association (IRMA).

Promotion

"I Believe in You" was released as the first worldwide single from the compilation. The song was released in the UK on 6 December 2004, and was heard on radio stations from 19 October 2004. Jake Shears and Babydaddy from the Scissor Sisters are credited as co-writers and producers. "I Believe in You" reached the number two position in the UK behind "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid and received generally positive reviews from music critics. In December 2005, the song gained Minogue her fourth Grammy nomination for the Best Dance Recording category. It was announced that "Giving You Up" will be released as the second and last single from the compilation. It was released as a single on 28 March 2005 in the UK. It peaked at six, giving Minogue another top ten hit and received mixed reviews from music critics. It featured "Made of Glass" as a b-side, a song that was leaked to the internet in December 2004. "Giving You Up" was written and produced with Xenomania.

In March 2005, Minogue commenced her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour. After performing in Europe, she travelled to Melbourne, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer and was forced to cancel the tour; she intended to extend the tour to Asia. She resumed the tour, entitled Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour, in November 2006 with a performance in Sydney. Her dance routines had been reworked to accommodate her medical condition, and slower costume changes and longer breaks were introduced between sections of the show to conserve her strength. The media reported that Minogue performed energetically, with the Sydney Morning Herald describing the show as an "extravaganza" and "nothing less than a triumph". The Greatest Hits Tour grossed more than US$19.97 million from 23 shows in the UK alone, and the Homecoming Tour grossed $40.11 million.($46.33 million in 2017 dollars)

Track listing

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ultimate Kylie.

Japanese edition

Showgirl Homecoming special edition

Album credits