Trying to distil the late Australian singer’s varied archive is like trying to avoid the Grease Megamix at a wedding – but superfan Kate Waldegrave is giving it a red hot go
. While her philanthropic work and cancer research fundraising through the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre is her greatest legacy, she also leaves behind an abundant catalogue of music from a singing career that spanned six decades.Grease Megamix
at every wedding, Christmas party and birthday celebration you’ve ever attended. Grease was a defining moment of Newton-John’s career; for many, she will for ever be remembered for her good-girl-gone-bad transformation as Sandy. But like Sandy, Newton-John was constantly reinventing herself and each of her albums shows insight into different stages of her life.
The cold, industrial synths are a sublime contrast to her silky, warm vocals. The album art featured a famously provocative photoshoot by Helmut Newton, in yet another reinvention of Newton-John’s image. However, it was a tough sell commercially and, with Newton-John pregnant at the time, it ultimately fell victim to a lack of publicity. The whole album is still a firm favourite of mine.Pure pop perfection.