Neon Nights is the fourth studio album by Australian singer Dannii Minogue. It was released by London Records on 17 March 2003 and was primarily produced by Ian Masterson, Korpi & Blackcell, Neïmo and Terry Ronald. It was re-issued in November 2007 with a bonus disc of remixes and different artwork. In June 2018, to celebrate its 15th anniversary, the album was released on vinyl for the first time. An expanded 33-track reissue was released on 16 June 2023 in celebration of Neon Nights' twentieth anniversary.[1]
Background
Despite producing a top-five hit with 1997's "All I Wanna Do", Minogue was dropped by record label Warner Brothers after her third studio album Girl became a commercial disappointment, and she saw herself as effectively retired from the music industry.[2][3] She appeared in productions of Macbeth and Notre-Dame de Paris during this time.[4][5]
In 2001, Minogue was approached by DJ Pete Tong to record vocals for the trance instrumental "Stringer" by DJ duo Riva, which was becoming a hit in European clubs. The track became "Who Do You Love Now?", which peaked at number three and remains as her longest-charting entry with sixteen weeks on the UK Singles Chart.[6]
The success of "Who Do You Love Now?" led to a six-album record deal with London Recordings, and work on a new album soon began with London giving Minogue free rein of its production, with a goal that sounded like remixes of pop songs:[7] "[the blueprint was] to translate stuff that’s happening in the clubs and more underground onto a pop record. No other pop artists at big labels were getting that opportunity."[2]
The album's initial output mimicked "Who Do You Love Now?"'s trance sound, which was discarded in favor of an early '80s pop and French house direction. Neon Nights received a generally positive reception from music critics, some of whom complimented its mix of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility,[8] and some of whom felt as though its 1980s retro sound was too dated.
Commercial performance
In November 2001, Minogue released the single, "Who Do You Love Now?", a collaboration with Riva. Described by Sound Generator as a "nice serene and dreamy vocal on the dance floor anthem", the song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, and reached number one on the dance chart.[9] The song is widely regarded as Minogue's comeback song. In Australia, the song peaked at number fifteen, while in the United States the song was released to dance clubs, and reached number twelve on the BillboardDance Club chart.[10] In 2001, Minogue signed a six-album deal with London Records, a subsidiary of Warner Music International.[11]
Neon Nights became Minogue's most successful album release, and reached number eight in the United Kingdom, where it was certified Gold.[10] In Australia the album was initially a moderate success, reaching #25 on the albums chart. However, when re-issued for its 20th year anniversary, the album reached a new peak of #17 - the highest position for any of Minogue's albums, besting the chart position of her debut album in 1990.[12] The album was also nominated for Best Pop Release at the 2003 ARIA Music Awards, making it Minogue's only ARIA nomination to date.
Neon Nights was met with generally positive reviews. John Lucas of AllMusic described it as a "varied collection, a veritable pick and mix of the European dance scene at the turn of the century" and felt that it "flows better than any of Dannii's albums have before."[14] Jack Smith of BBC Music called it "a pleasant cocktail of pop sophistication, club culture and accessibility" that "goes a long way to remind the world of Dannii's powerful vocals."[15] Alexis Kirke of MusicOMH praised the singles "Who Do You Love Now?", "Put the Needle on It" and "I Begin to Wonder" and stated that "if Dannii cannot win and hold a position of new popularity with this album [...], she may never get another chance."[16] Ron Slomowicz of About.com felt that Neon Nights is "good pop music", though "generic in some songs" with some "obvious filler".[13] In a retrospective for the album's 10th anniversary, Mike Wass of Idolator wrote that "it's one thing to create an excellent three-and-a-half-minute dance-pop song, but another to sustain the appeal over an entire album. Kylie managed it with Fever, Madonna followed suit on Confessions on a Dance Floor. Dannii's contribution to the genre is every bit as good as those classics."[17]
20th anniversary reissue
On 1 April 2023, Minogue confirmed the deluxe, expanded anniversary issue of Neon Nights would be released later in 2023.[18]
On 16 June 2023, Minogue released Neon Nights 20; the 33-track album was made available on all digital outlets and CD and vinyl.[19][20][21] The reissue release saw the album re-chart at number 17 in Australia, higher than the original issue's peak of 25, and number 55 in the UK.
"Who Do You Love Now?" (Riva's Bora Bora Club Mix)
8:10
4.
"Put the Needle on It" (Jason Nevins Freak Club Creation Mix)
8:15
5.
"Hide and Seek" (Thriller Jill Original Extended Mix)
6:36
6.
"Come and Get It" (Jerome Isma-Ae Remix)
6:38
7.
"Put the Needle on It" (Tiga's Cookies Dub)
4:51
8.
"Creep" (Jon Dixon Club Mix)
6:38
9.
"I Begin to Wonder" (Almighty Transensual Club Mix)
7:57
10.
"Put the Needle on It" (Cicada Vocal Mix)
7:52
11.
"Come and Get It" (Sharam Jey Remix)
6:12
12.
"Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" (Jupiter Ace Speared Thru the Heart Mix)
4:15
15th anniversary edition (2018)
In March 2018, as part of the celebration of Neon Nights' 15th anniversary, Minogue announced a special reissue of the album on streaming, CD and, for the first time, on a limited edition 180g pink and blue double vinyl.[22] While the digital and CD versions followed the same tracklisting of the Deluxe Edition released on 2007, the double colored vinyl featured a slightly revised selection of bonus tracks, most notably omitting the B-side "Nervous".[23]
[13]
