Kim Wilde (album)

Kim Wilde is the debut studio album by English singer Kim Wilde, released on 29 June 1981 by Rak Records. Fronted by the top 10 singles "Kids in America" and "Chequered Love" and greeted with a generally positive response from critics, the album launched Wilde into stardom and remains one of her most popular recordings.

Kim Wilde
Studio album by
Kim Wilde
Released29 June 1981
Recorded1980–1981
StudioThe Lodge and RAK Studios (London, UK).
GenreNew wave
Length37:09
LabelRak
ProducerRicky Wilde
Kim Wilde chronology
Kim Wilde
(1981)		 Select
(1982)
Singles from Kim Wilde
  1. "Kids in America"
    Released: February 1981
  2. "Chequered Love"
    Released: May 1981
  3. "Water on Glass"
    Released: July 1981

Background and recording

The songs on the album were all written by Kim's father, the successful 1950s rock and roll singer Marty Wilde, and her younger brother Ricky Wilde. The symphonic rock band The Enid served as the backing band.[1] According to Enid leader Robert John Godfrey, the Enid got along well with Wilde but were paid "a pittance" because the album was recorded in their studio.[2]

Production duties were fulfilled by Ricky Wilde. The cover portraits were taken by renowned British photographer Gered Mankowitz.

Musically, the album is mainly new wave and rock-oriented, but it also features a reggae track ("Everything We Know"), and a brass section appears 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").

Critical response
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Record Collector[4]
Record Mirror[5]
Smash Hits6½/10[6]

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".[7] Donald Robertson of Roadrunner called the three singles "masterpieces" and concluded that the "pure pop" album was "fun to listen to when you're having fun".[8] Eric Chappe called the album an "immediately striking disc", citing the "'60s girl group mannerisms" and "Spector-esque drum sound" of "Water on Glass" while drawing comparisons to both Dusty Springfield and Debbie Harry.[9]

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."[10] David Hepworth of Smash Hits 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.[6] 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] Record Mirror critic Mike Nicholls 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", Nicholls suggested that the track provided "requisite experimentation" and could indicate a new synth-driven direction for the singer;[5] a prescient prediction with regards to the sound of her subsequent albums.

Kim Wilde entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 10, moving into the Top 3 the next week;[12] the album was certified Gold by the BPI for sales exceeding 100,000 copies.[13] 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 accused of 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[14] and No. 42 in Canada.[15]

Track listing

All songs written by Ricky Wilde and Marty Wilde, except where noted.

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" (R. Wilde) – 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
  • Ricky Wilde – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
  • Miffy Smith – keyboards
  • James Stevenson – guitars
  • Alan Cowley – bass
  • Trevor Murrell – drums
  • Jake Sollo – percussion
  • Gary Barnacle – saxophone (7)
  • Luke Tunney – trumpet (7)

Production

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[24] Gold 42,006[24]
Germany (BVMI)[25] Gold 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Gold 100,000^
Summaries
Europe
as of September 1981 		— 500,000[26]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Hann, Michael (1 November 2013). "Bowie backed by Pixies? Stranger hirings have been made …". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  2. Stump, Paul (1997). The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock. Quartet Books Limited. p. 260. ISBN 0 7043 8036 6.
  3. Sendra, Tim. "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  4. Elliott, Mark (February 2020). "Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde / Select / Catch as Catch Can". Record Collector. No. 502. London. p. 110.
  5. Nicholls, Mike (11 July 1981). "I'm Just Wilde About Kim". Record Mirror. London. p. 16.
  6. Hepworth, David (23 July – 5 August 1981). "Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde". Smash Hits. Vol. 3, no. 15. London. p. 41. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  7. Michael (29 August 1981). "Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde". The Chronicle. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  8. Robertson, Donald (September 1981). "Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde". Roadrunner. Vol. 4, no. 8. Adelaide. p. 38. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  9. Chappe, Eric. "Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde". Unknown. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  10. Niester, Alan (3 April 1982). "Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  11. Cohen, Mitchell (June 1982). "Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde". High Fidelity. Great Barrington. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  12. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  13. "British album certifications – Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  14. "Kim Wilde Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  15. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4148". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  16. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 337. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  18. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  20. "Charts.nz – Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  21. "Swedishcharts.com – Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jaaroverzichten – Album 1981" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1981" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  24. "Kim Wilde" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  25. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kim Wilde; 'Kim Wilde')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
  26. Jones, Peter (19 September 1981). "Wilde Route to Success Is Different" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 93, no. 37. New York. pp. 42, 72. Retrieved 1 August 2020 – via World Radio History.
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