Kim Wilde (album)

Kim Wilde

Cover design by John Pasche, photo by Gered Mankowitz
Studio album by Kim Wilde
Released 29 June 1981
Recorded Lodge Studios and RAK Studios, London
Genre New wave
Length 37:09
Label RAK
Producer Ricky Wilde
Kim Wilde chronology

Kim Wilde
(1981)		 Select
(1982)
Singles from Kim Wilde
  1. "Kids in America" / "Tuning In Tuning On"
    Released: February 1981
  2. "Chequered Love" / "Shane"
    Released: May 1981
  3. "Water on Glass" / "Boys"
    Released: July 1981
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Kim Wilde is the eponymous debut studio album by British singer Kim Wilde, released in June 29, 1981 via RAK label.

Overview

The songs on the album were all written by Kim's father and successful 50s rock and roll singer Marty Wilde and by her younger brother Ricky Wilde and most of the music was played by the then current line-up of the symphonic rock band The Enid. Production duties were fulfilled by Ricky Wilde. The cover portraits were taken by renowned British photographer Gered Mankowitz.

Musically, the album was mainly new wave and rock-oriented, but it also featured a reggae track ("Everything We Know") and a brass section appeared on "2-6-5-8-0". Lyrically, Marty Wilde included love songs and also a song ("Water on Glass") about tinnitus (a medical condition that causes ringing in the ears), a song about the deterioration of inner cities ("Our Town") and a song about a theory that sound is alive ("Tuning in Tuning On").

The album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 10, moving into the Top 3 the next week;[2] the album was certified Gold by the BPI for sales exceeding 100,000 copies.[3] During promotion, Kim's band consisted of Ricky Wilde, James Stevenson and later boyfriend Calvin Hayes, who also appeared on the sleeve of the album. Kim later commented that, at that time in the industry, it was passé for a female to attempt to launch a serious career in pop music on her own, and that the backing band had been shown on the sleeve to give credibility to the album. Still, she was attacked for trying to copy the allure of US band Blondie. The album was released in North America on 6 April 1982, reaching No. 86 in the US[4] and No. 42 in Canada.[5]

Critical response

Kim Wilde received generally positive reviews from contemporary critics. Commending the mix of up-tempo and slower tracks as well as Wilde's versatility, Australian publication The Chronicle found "Water on Glass" to be "reminiscent of some of the early 60s rock" and highlighted "Our Town" as "one of the best tracks", comparing the subject matter to Simon & Garfunkel's "My Little Town".[6] Donald Robertson of Roadrunner magazine called the three singles "masterpeices" and concluded that the "pure pop" album was "fun to listen to when you're having fun".[7] Eric Chappe called the album an "immediately striking disc", citing the "'60s girl group mannerisms" and "Spector-esque drum sound" of "Water on Glass" whilst drawing comparisons to both Dusty Springfield and Debbie Harry.[8]

Writing for The Globe and Mail, Alan Niester again compared Wilde to Dusty Springfield and Debbie Harry, but called "2-6-5-8-0" and "You'll Never Be So Wrong" "extremely promising", describing the latter as "a moody and captivating ballad that stands head and shoulders above all the Blondie and Pat Benatar simulations."[9] Smash Hits magazine sarcastically suggested "this is the best Blondie album for a couple of years" but expressed hope that the singer would assert herself more in the future.[10] High Fidelity's Mitchell Cohen found Wilde's voice alternately "plaintive" and "shrill" but described the album as "entertaining" and "a lot of fun", again drawing comparisons to the music of the 1960s.[11] Mike Nicholis praised Wilde's voice and individuality despite comparing the reggae-influenced "Everything We Know" to "The Tide is High" by Blondie, released the previous year. Calling "Tuning in Tuning On" a "clever closer", Nicholis suggested that the track provided "requisite experimentation" and could indicate a new synth-driven direction for the singer;[12] a prescient prediction with regards to the sound of her subsequent albums.

Track listing

All songs written by Ricky Wilde and Marty Wilde, except "Falling Out" written by Ricky Wilde.

Side one
  1. "Water on Glass" – 3:31
  2. "Our Town" – 3:49
  3. "Everything We Know" – 3:46
  4. "Young Heroes" – 3:13
  5. "Kids in America" – 3:27
Side two
  1. "Chequered Love" – 3:21
  2. "2-6-5-8-0" – 3:12
  3. "You'll Never Be So Wrong" – 4:18
  4. "Falling Out" – 4:05
  5. "Tuning In Tuning On" – 4:27
Bonus tracks (2009 remastered CD edition)
  1. "Shane" ("Chequered Love" B-side) – 4:11
  2. "Boys" ("Water on Glass" B-side) – 3:31
  3. "Water on Glass" (7" Version) – 3:32

Personnel

The Enid
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1981 UK Album Chart[2] 3
German Albums Chart[13] 1
Swedish Albums Chart[14] 1
Finnish Albums Chart[15] 4
Dutch Albums Chart[16] 5
New Zealand Albums Chart[17] 39
1982 Billboard 200 (USA)[4] 86
RPM100 Canada[5] 42

Certifications

Country Organization Year Sales
Germany BVMI 1981 Gold (+ 250,000)[18]
UK BPI 1981 Gold (+ 100,000)[3]

References

  1. ↑ Stone, Doug. "Kim Wilde Kim Wilde review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde". Chart Archive.org. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "BPI Certified Awards Searchable Database". BPI. Retrieved 10 March 2013. Search Keywords Kim Wilde
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Kim Wilde Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 36, No. 12, May 01 1982". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 1 May 1982. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Review – Kim Wilde". The Chronicle. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  7. ↑ Robertson, Donald. "Review – Kim Wilde". Roadrunner. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  8. ↑ Chappe, Eric. "Review – Kim Wilde". Unknown. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  9. ↑ Niester, Alan. "Review – Kim Wilde". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  10. ↑ "Review – Kim Wilde". Smash Hits. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  11. ↑ Cohen, Mitchell. "Review – Kim Wilde". High Fidelity. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  12. ↑ Nicholis, Mike. "Review – Kim Wilde". Unknown. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  13. ↑ "Album – Kim Wilde, Kim Wilde". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  14. ↑ "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde (Album". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  16. ↑ "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde (Album". Gfk Dutch Charts.com (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  17. ↑ "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde (Album)". Charts.org.nz. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  18. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kim Wilde)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 10 March 2013.