Review of Dannii Minogue: The Video Collection

Introduction

Despite being overshadowed by her extremely successful sister Kylie, Dannii Minogue has still managed to have an extremely productive career, spanning 16 years and with a Gold disc in the UK, as I`ve learned from the DVD. What I don`t know about her could fill the Grand Canyon, so I watched this DVD and only recognised one song (`This Is It`, if you`re interested!), but whether this is due to my cultural retardation or Dannii`s lack of exposure is hard to say. I would hazard a guess that if this had been a collection of Kylie`s videos that a larger number of songs would have rung a bell.

The DVD contains 20 videos (the tracklisting is above), plus some bonus videos, `makings of` and two documentaries. None of the videos will challenge Bohemian Rhapsody, Thriller or Sledgehammer when it comes to `Greatest Ever Music Video` lists, as they generally feature Ms. Minogue with backing dancers showing great choreography whilst lip-synching the words, but a few, like `Put The Needle On It`, are slightly more inventive.

Video

Presented fullscreen on an NTSC disc compatible with regions 2, 3, 4 and 5, the videos all look very good, with no noticeable artifacts. The fullscreen presentation means the few videos that were shot in widescreen are letterboxed.

The videos are available to watch individually or play in sequence, in chronological order, so you can see how her weight and hairstyle changed through the years.

Audio

The PCM stereo soundtrack is nice and clear, with good balance between the music and vocals. A 5.1 option would`ve been welcome, but this is more than sufficient.

Features

Nine bonus videos, each introduced by Dannii herself, for Rescue Me, Coconut, Everlasting Night, Love Live for the One I Love (as Esmeralda in West End production of Notre Dame), Begin to Spin Me Round, Don`t Wanna Lose this Groove, I Can`t Sleep At Night, He`s the Greatest Dancer (on Children in Need) and Kids (as a duet in Kylie`s Showgirl Homecoming Tour).

There are `Behind the scenes of` the videos for Put the Needle On It, I Begin to Wonder and You Won`t Forget About Me, which are short but showed how the videos were made.

Also included are two documentaries: `Dannii Minogue - Neon Nights` and `Dannii Through The Years`. The first is a 15 minute feature on her publicity tour for her Neon Nights album, with the second a three minute video montage spanning her entire career.

The DVD comes with a booklet with information on each video. This review copy came with her `Unleashed` CD, although I`m not sure whether this will come with the retail version.

Conclusion

Given my lack of familiarity with Dannii Minogue, I`m probably not the best person to offer an opinion on this disc and what I think will have absolutely no bearing on whether you should buy it or not. Having said that, this DVD does contain so many videos and other Dannii-related material that it is a `must buy` for fans of hers and those who like disco/pop music will find much to enjoy here.

Please note that this is an NTSC disc and may not play on every TV, so please check if your TV is NTSC compatible before buying the DVD.