Select (album)

Select is the second studio album by Kim Wilde, released on 10 May 1982 via RAK label.

Select
Cover photo by Gered Mankowitz
Studio album by
Kim Wilde
Released10 May 1982
GenreSynth-pop, new wave
Length40:44
LabelRAK
ProducerRicky Wilde
Kim Wilde chronology
Kim Wilde
(1981)		 Select
(1982)		 Catch as Catch Can
(1983)
Singles from Select
  1. "Cambodia" / "Watching for Shapes"
    Released: November 1981
  2. "View from a Bridge" / "Take Me Tonight"
    Released: April 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Overview

The first single from this album, "Cambodia", was released in November 1981 and signalled a different sound from the Wilde camp, with an electronic and synth sound different from the rock sound of her last album. The songs were again written by Marty and Ricky Wilde and produced by Ricky Wilde. The lyrics of the songs were similar to the first album: the second single "View from a Bridge" and the album track "Wendy Sadd" seemed to be about suicide, "Chaos at the Airport" described a nightmare about flying and "Ego" was quite the opposite of a love song. "Can You Come Over" was recorded at the Wilde's home. The cover image was a photograph from Gered Mankowitz.

This sequel to the debut album topped the charts in a host of European countries and reached number 8 in Australia, although it did not surpass the success of its predecessor.

Select has been re-released twice on CD, once in 2009 as a remastered and expanded edition and once in 2020 as a deluxe edition, including one unreleased track, a second CD with new remixes and a DVD. The original album was re-released on vinyl in 2020, including the original track list. Both 2020 CD and LP editions include new remasters.

Critical response

Select was initially received less favorably than Wilde's debut album. Stephan Waldon of Juke praised Wilde's vocals and Marty and Ricky's songwriting, despite finding the production too "stylised in the current pop mode". Nonetheless, he describes "Just a Feeling" as "a beauty" and "Cambodia" as "the albums best track".[2] Elly McDonald from The Record described Wilde's voice as "amazingly vacant" but praised Marty and Ricky for having "a wonderful sense of dramatic tension and an ear for soap operas within three verses".[3] Writing for The Sun, Nick McFie called "View from a Bridge" a "clever little song" but described the rest of the album as "dull".[4]

Track listing

All songs written by Marty Wilde and Ricky Wilde, except where indicated

Side one
  1. "Ego" – 4:11
  2. "Words Fell Down" – 3:31
  3. "Action City" – 3:25
  4. "View from a Bridge" – 3:32
  5. "Just a Feeling" – 4:12
Side two
  1. "Chaos at the Airport" – 3:20
  2. "Take Me Tonight" – 3:56
  3. "Can You Come Over" – 3:35
  4. "Wendy Sadd" – 3:49
  5. "Cambodia + Reprise" – 7:13
Bonus tracks (2009 remastered CD edition)
  1. "Watching for Shapes" ("Cambodia" B-side) – 3:42
  2. "Cambodia" (Single Version) – 3:57
  3. "Child Come Away" – 4:05
  4. "Just Another Guy" ("Child Come Away" B-side) – 3:19
  5. "Bitter Is Better" (Masami Tsuchiya, Bill Crunchfield) – 3:43
Track list (2020 Deluxe Edition)
CD1
  1. "Ego"
  2. "Words fell down"
  3. "Action City"
  4. "View from a Bridge"
  5. "Just a Feeling"
  6. "Chaos at the Airport"
  7. "Take Me Tonight"
  8. "Can You Come Over"
  9. "Wendy Sadd"
  10. "Cambodia"
  11. "Reprise"
  12. "Child Come Away"
  13. "Bitter Is Better"
  14. "He Will Be There"
  15. "Watching for Shapes"
  16. "Just Another Guy"
  17. "Bitter Is Better" (Instrumental)
CD2
  1. "Ego" (Rough Mix)
  2. "Words Fell Down" (Original Mix)
  3. "Action City" (Instrumental Demo)
  4. "Just a Feeling" (Rough Mix)
  5. "Chaos at the Airport" (Rough Mix)
  6. "Take Me Tonight" (Original Mix)
  7. "Cambodia" (Matt Pop Extended Version)
  8. "View from a Bridge" (Luke Mornay Remix)
  9. "Child Come Away" (Matt Pop Remix)
  10. "Cambodia" (Luke Mornay Urbantronik Mix)
  11. "View from a Bridge" (Raw Remix)
  12. "Child Come Away" (Matt Pop Instrumental)
  13. "Cambodia" (Matt Pop Instrumental)
  14. "View from a Bridge" (Luke Mornay Instrumental)
  15. "Cambodia" (Luke Mornay Urbantronik Instrumental)
DVD

The Videos

  1. "Cambodia"
  2. "View from a Bridge"
  3. "Child Come Away"

Kim at the BBC

  1. "Cambodia" (On Top of the Pops)
  2. "View from a Bridge" ([On Top of the Pops)
  3. "View from a Bridge" (On Nationwide Special: The British Rock & Pop Wards)

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[5] Gold 20,000[5]
France (SNEP)[6] Gold 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Silver 60,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Mason, Stewart. "Kim Wilde - Select review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2012-05-10.
  2. Waldon, Stephan. "Review - Select". Juke. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  3. McDonald, Elly. "Review - Select". The Record. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  4. McFie, Nick. "Review - Select". The Sun. Retrieved 2012-10-21.
  5. "Kim Wilde" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  6. "Les Certifications depuis 1973: Albums". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 26 November 2019. (select "Kim Wilde" from drop-down list)
  7. "British album certifications – Kim Wilde – Select". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Select in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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