Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue's debut single Locomotion was a global smash with a complicated story – now, a key figure involved in its making is speaking out. 4 min read.

“He’d had sent a copy of the record over, but I’d never listened to it, so, right there, at three o’clock in the morning I got up and put it on,” Waterman wrote in his book. Kylie herself was reported to be less than impressed with Waterman’s demand her debut hit be re-recorded. Recalling when Mike had called him in the middle of the I went in the next day, and on the table, there was a cassette with ‘The Loco-Motion’ written on it. “But everyone’s got their own memory, and hey, we all move on.” I just felt at that point, Pete was like my uncle, how could he do that to me? If that never happened, my version would have remained on the album.” But he found out the hard way that was not the case. “Like with anything, royalties play a big part. “I was probably too weak to confront Pete [Waterman] about it. Before producing Kylie, Mike had been working as an engineer for Stock Aitken Waterman in London, and was sent to work with Aussie label Mushroom Records for several months in 1987. The production trio (Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman), who were responsible for a string of classic hits by artists like Rick Astley, Bananarama and Mel & Kim, took full control of Kylie’s career and demanded she completely re-record the track with them for its hugely lucrative international release.