JUST as David Beckham is about so much more than just football, so the allure of Kylie far transends pop music.

The build-up to the launch of Princess Minogue’s 11th LP last week was a major marketing extravaganza.

Not only blanket coverage on every high-profile chat show, and double-page spreads in the Sundays, but last Friday GMTV became KMTV. Genius!

Kylie Minogue is no ordinary pop artist, and Aphrodite is not merely a new CD, but a full multi-media experience.

It comes resplendent in a deluxe hard-backed book crammed with delicious William Baker photographs, a CD, a DVD featuring previously unseen footage of Kylie’s North American Tour and the making of her new video, a collectible sticker and an exclusive On-Line Experience allowing access to Kylie.

Under all the paraphernalia, there actually is an album in the mix.

Kicking off with All The Lovers, one of the strongest singles of the year and among Kylie’s greatest ever hits, it shoots straight into Get Outta My Way, which is almost as infectious as Spinning Around. But thereafter only the title track saves the day.

Not even co-writes with Scissor Sister Jake Shears (Too Much) or Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley (Everything Is Beautiful) come close to matching the magnificence of All The Lovers. Hardly the summer glory we expected, but at least Aphrodite has three killer tunes, and is beautifully packaged.

Like Kylie, Marc Almond has come through a physical trauma and maybe her fellow gay icon has been checking out her closet.

For Variete is also exquisitely presented in deluxe detail. But whereas KM relies totally upon sequins and rhinestones, Almond’s work sparkles with gems, forged from the mines of despair and depravity.

Variete is hardly for the faint-hearted, nor the uninitiated. But for those willing to discover the darker side, Variete is an absolute treasure trove of laments and observational torture.

Best listened to as a whole, rather than individual downloads, check out The Exhibitionist, Trials Of Eyeliner and Unlovable.

Of course, Almond’s devotees are very loyal, and on occasions very connected. Wasn’t that Stephen Sondheim and Liv Tyler at the Leeds Grand Theatre, in the Royal Box, watching Almond’s November concert last year?