Prior to Kylie's 2000 career revival, she released two albums under the dance label, Deconstruction. Though contrary to the title of the album as the songs weren't exactly hits, they present the best of Kylie in the past decade or so. Breaking free from the Stock-Aitken-Waterman factory, the sexy gal glamed herself up, released her first proper dance hit Confide in Me which reached #2 on the UK chart. A sensual song revelled in mystism, the lady followe up with one of her best hits ever, the sexy mid-tempo Put Yourself In My Place, a very favorite of mine. It didn't hurt when Kylie was orbiting nude in space in the video. Other gems from the album simply titled Kylie Minogue includes Where Is The Feeling and Automatic Love, a collaboration with Pet Shop Boys. A duet with Nick Cave also lent more credibility to Kylie.

Kylie went experimental on Impossible Princess (re-titled Kylie Minogue due to Princes Diana's untimely death) in 1997, working with some of the best in the industry including a member of the Maniac Street Preachers. the album was a mix of modern dance and electronic coolness and Kylie shines on Did It Again and another career milestone Breathe.

Other gems found here include several unreleased tracks that were b-sides to the released songs. Though a blatant cash-in on the part of the record company, it's a good way for old and new fans to own all these songs on one CD. Unfortunately, the US edition left out the Nick Cave collaboration Where The Wild Roses Grow and This Girl.

Buy this to discover Kylie! You wont be disappointed. You wont get Kylie out of ur head!

I have been a huge fan of Kylie Minogue since I heard "Light Years" almost two years ago, before anyone in this country has rediscovered Kylie with "Can't Get You Out Of My Head". I wasn't sure if I wanted to get "Hits Plus" but when I saw that I haven't heard the majority of the songs, I decided to buy it. I am rather disappointed that on the copy that I have didn't include her duet with Nick Cave "Where the Wild Roses Grow" from Nick's album "Murder Ballads". That is truly one of Kylie's best songs although it is a duet. I believe the version of "Hits Plus" that includes "Where the Wild Roses Grow" is on the import version. Anyways, all of the songs on "Hits Plus" are songs prior to "Light Years" when Kylie's music was less popular than today. The only songs I have heard on this cd is "Some Kind of Bliss", "Did It Again", and "Did It Again", and "Breathe". Those songs are from "Impossible Princess", probably my personal favorite Kylie cd. The rest of the album is new to me. A lot of the older songs have that jazz/torch influence. They don't sound anything like what I have heard on "Impossible Princess", "Light Years", and "Fever". There some excellent club tracks like "Tears" and "Put Yourself In My Place". My one problem with this album is that towards the ends of the album, the songs started to sound alike. I think it could have been shorter but that is just my opinion. Overall, this is a really good compilation of Kylie's earlier songs pre-"Light Years" and "Fever".

This rare Kylie Collection of hits,is from her first two deconstruction albums,Kylie Minogue '94 and Impossible Princess,both now available as remastered versions.Kylie has come a long way - buy other albums,Light Years,Fever and Recent album Body Language to see how far kylie has come.This is not the 'old' kylie,where we saw hits like I Should be So Lucky.Locomotion,Got To Be Certain,Hand On Your Heart etc... This was the introduction to a new kylie.At the 1993 Brit awards,kylie announced that she'd signed up wuth the label 'Deconstruction' - a rare dance company and one of the best around.My Version of Hits+,has 16 tracks on it - not 14.

Tracklisting:

1 Confide In Me 5.56/5/5/A Single Release
2 Put Yourself In My Place 4.11/5/5/A Single Release
3 Where Is The Feeling? (BIR Dolphin Mix) 4.13/5/5/Originally,a single release
4 Some Kind Of Bliss 4.14/5/5/A Single Release
5 Did It Again 4.18/5/5/A Single Release
6 Breathe 3.39/5/5/A Single Release
7 Where The Wild Roses Grow 3.56/5/5/A Single Release
8 If You Don't Love Me 2.10/4/5/B-Side
9 Tears 4.30/5/5/B-Side
10 Gotta Move On 3.37/5/5/Unreleased
11 Difficult by Design 3.44/5/5/Unreleased
12 Stay This Way 4.35/4/5/Unreleased
13 This Girl 3.07/5/5/Exclusive UK Track
14 Automatic Love (Acoustic) 4.25/5/5/Unreleased
15 Where Has The Love Gone? (Roach Motel Mix) 9.24/5/5/Unreleased
16 Take Me With You 9.10/5/5/Taken From 'Other Sides',a c-d free when you bought 'Impossible Princess' (original)

Hits+, the "Best Of" album from her second record label, is spawned from her best records to date. Her singles from the two albums in this period are all present - each of them fantastic, each of them quite different in sound and style. After all, the deConstruction label is known for its indie and dance sounds. Included in the package are some rarities and little treasures... "Automatic Love" (acoustic) is breathtaking and truly the highlite of the album. "If You Don't Love Me" (a beautiful piano ballad) "Stay this Way" (a jazzy slink-around-on-the-piano track), "Tears" (a driving indy-dance gem), and "Take Me With You" (an epic, moody piece with a middle-eastern flare) are also fantastic reasons to give the album a listen. The deletion of "This Girl" (the track was included on the import versions) is just short of tragic, but it was replaced by a previously unreleased version of "Where Has the Love Gone" which is really a plus.

For those who have all of Kylie's albums up through Fever, the release of Hits+ may or may not elicit a "Wha...?" reaction. This contains material from her two albums under Deconstruction Records, her eponymous fifth album and the techno/industrial misfire of Impossible Princess, as well as rare tracks not on any album.

At the very least, the best songs from each of those albums are here. From Kylie Minogue, we have "Confide In Me," which introduced the new Kylie, from dolorous violin and strings, and then the programmed industrial drum machines forming a backbeat. As a prelude to the title, she sings, "We all get hurt by love, and we all have a cross to bear, and in the name of understanding now, a problem should be shared."

An airy and dreamy aura is heard in the soulful ballad "Put Yourself In My Place" where the protagonist asks for empathy before being told she's no longer in someone's life. One of the better tracks from that album.

The BIR Dolphin Mix of "Where Is The Feeling" ensconces the original in a mix more at home from Impossible Princess rather than the original's nouvelle disco. Not too happy with this version.

However, there's an acoustic version of "Automatic Love," consisting of piano, guitar, and strings instead of the synths and drum machines of the original. I'm kind of getting attached to this version more. The Roach Motel remix of "Where Has The Love Gone?" consists of loud techno and bouncy bass synth beats which I have no complaints over.

From Impossible Princess, we have "Some Kind Of Bliss," which despite the industrial crunch is helped by a jangly guitar, brass section, and strings that are meshed into a weird wall of sound. "Did It Again" incorporates a sitar along with the industrial techno, while "Breathe" is a worthy shot at ambient utilizing Moby and Massive Attack sounds.

Of the new songs, "If You Don't Love Me" is a great Bacharach-like piano only ballad with Kylie trying to sound like Mariah Carey in her higher octave. Love this one and the moody nightclub piano jazz of "Stay This Way." "Tears" is a rapid BPM techno number that belongs on Impossible Princess, with a guitar-like synth blaring on occasions.

With the early-Madonna sounding, "Gotta Move On," along with Swing Out Sister-like jazziness mixed with bubblegum-type drumming, I say "no kidding." Another hidden treasure! "Difficult By Design" fits squarely in her self-titled album, a sister track to the original strings/bubblegum version of "Where Is The Feeling?" with an SOS-like AM jazzy piano. Finally, "Take Me With You" is another Massive Attack-like song with female tribal chants inbetween verses.

I wonder if a schism was created between two sets of Kylie fans, those who first fell for her during her Stock-Aitken-Waterman era (like me), and those who were introduced to her via her brief sojourn away from disco. Whatever the case, this compilation at least serves to close the brief second chapter of the continuing story of Kylie Minogue, and herald the glimmering chapter 3, beginning with Light Years. As for those new piano ballads, rare gems indeed!