Discusses Kylie Minogue’s reception by critics as “too formulaic” or “too commercial,” and interrogates the way that commercial pop albums are remembered in both the popular music press and in academic research.

Kylie Minogue’s self-titled debut album produced hits, controversy and a perfect mainstream storm. The then soap and children’s television star ‘crossed over’ to music with hit writer/producers SAW — and the shamelessly commercial approach of all involved saw the ‘real’ music industry get its back up. This book interrogates the way that commercial pop albums are remembered in both the popular music press and in academic research. Is there a way of dealing with ‘mainstream’ pop without denigrating the music and (just as importantly) without validating it according to the terms of a ‘high art’ canon? This text sheds light on the way that notions of ‘mainstream’ and ‘other’ play out in a local context—specifically, Australia and New Zealand music on a global stage.