Kim Wilde (album)

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

Kim Wilde
Cover design by John Pasche, photo by Gered Mankowitz
Studio album by Kim Wilde
Released	29 June 1981
Recorded	1980-1981
Studio	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
"Kids in America"" Released: February 1981 "Chequered Love"" Released: May 1981 "Water on Glass" Released: July 1981

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]

Overview

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 and most of the music was played by the then current line-up of the symphonic rock band The Enid.[2] 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;[3] the album was certified Gold by the BPI for sales exceeding 100,000 copies.[4] 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[5] and No. 42 in Canada.[6]

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".[7] Donald Robertson of Roadrunner magazine 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] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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;[13] a prescient prediction with regards to the sound of her subsequent albums.

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

6. "Chequered Love" – 3:21
7. "2-6-5-8-0" – 3:12
8. "You'll Never Be So Wrong" – 4:18
9. "Falling Out" (R. Wilde) – 4:05
10. "Tuning in Tuning On" – 4:27

Bonus tracks (2009 remastered CD edition)

11. "Shane" ("Chequered Love" B-side) – 4:11
12. "Boys" ("Water on Glass" B-side) – 3:31
13. "Water on Glass" (7" Version) – 3:32

Personnel

• Kim Wilde – vocals

The Enid

• Steve Stewart – guitars, engineer
• Francis Lickerish – guitars
• Robert John Godfrey – keyboards
• Martin Russell – bass
• Chris North – drums

Additional musicians

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

Production

• John Pasche – cover design
• Gered Mankowitz – cover photo

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1981	UK Album Chart[3]	3
	German Albums Chart[14]	1
	Swedish Albums Chart[15]	1
	Finnish Albums Chart[16]	4
	Dutch Albums Chart[17]	5
	New Zealand Albums Chart[18]	39
1982	Billboard 200 (USA)[5]	86
	RPM100 Canada[6]	42

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[19]	Gold	42,006[19]
Germany (BVMI)[20]	Gold	250,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Gold	100,000^^
Summaries
Europe	—	500,000[22]
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Stone, Doug. "Kim Wilde - Kim Wilde review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
2. Hann, Michael (1 November 2013). "Bowie backed by Pixies? Stranger hirings have been made …". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
3. "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde". The Official Charts Company.org. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
4. "BPI Certified Awards Searchable Database". BPI. Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2013. Search Keywords Kim Wilde
5. "Kim Wilde Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
6. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 36, No. 12, May 01 1982". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. 1 May 1982. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
7. "Review – Kim Wilde". The Chronicle. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
8. Robertson, Donald. "Review – Kim Wilde". Roadrunner. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
9. Chappe, Eric. "Review – Kim Wilde". Unknown. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
10. Niester, Alan. "Review – Kim Wilde". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
11. "Review – Kim Wilde". Smash Hits. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
12. Cohen, Mitchell. "Review – Kim Wilde". High Fidelity. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
13. Nicholis, Mike. "Review – Kim Wilde". Unknown. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
14. "Album – Kim Wilde, Kim Wilde". Charts.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
15. "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde (Album". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
16. Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
17. "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde (Album". Gfk Dutch Charts.com (in Dutch). Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
18. "Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde (Album)". charts.nz. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
19. "Kim Wilde" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
20. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kim Wilde; 'Kim Wilde')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
21. "British album certifications – Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Kim Wilde in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
22. Jones, Peter (19 September 1981). "Wild Route to Success Is Different" (PDF). Billboard. p. 72. Retrieved 1 August 2020 – via World radio History.