''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 "Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her Kim Wilde (album), self-titled de ...

" 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.

Background and recording

The songs on the album were all written by Kim's father, the successful 1950s rock and roll singer

Marty Wilde Marty Wilde, (born Reginald Leonard Smith; 15 April 1939) is an English singer and songwriter. He was among the first generation of British pop stars to emulate American rock and roll, scoring several 1950s hit singles including " Endless Sl ...

, and her younger brother

Ricky Wilde Ricky may refer to: Places * Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic * Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic *Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky ...

. The

symphonic rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initi ...

band

The Enid The Enid are a British progressive rock band founded by keyboardist and composer Robert John Godfrey. Godfrey received his main musical education from The Royal College of Music. He is previously known for his work with Barclay James Harvest, ...

served as the backing band. According to Enid leader

Robert John Godfrey Robert John Godfrey (born 30 July 1947) is a British composer, pianist and a founding member of The Enid. Early career Born on the Leeds Castle estate in Kent, England, Godfrey was privately educated in various prep schools prior to going to Fin ...

, the Enid got along well with Wilde but were paid "a pittance" because the album was recorded in their studio. Production duties were fulfilled by Ricky Wilde. The cover portraits were taken by renowned British photographer

Gered Mankowitz Gered Mankowitz (born 3 August 1946) is an English photographer who focused his career in the music industry. He has worked with a range of artists from The Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix, and in other divisions of the photography industry, i ...

. Musically, the album is mainly new wave and rock-oriented, but it also features a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

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 Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...

(a medical condition that causes ringing in the ears), a song about the deterioration of

inner cities The term ''inner city'' has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Sociologists someti ...

("Our Town") and a song about a theory that sound is alive ("Tuning in Tuning On").

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 "My Little Town" is a 1975 song by the American duo Simon & Garfunkel. It was written by Paul Simon, who produced the track along with Art Garfunkel and Phil Ramone. The song was included on the 1975 solo releases from both Simon ('' Still Crazy ...

". Donald Robertson of ''

Roadrunner The roadrunners (genus ''Geococcyx''), also known as chaparral birds or chaparral cocks, are two species of fast-running ground cuckoos with long tails and crests. They are found in the southwestern and south-central United States and Mexico, us ...

'' called the three singles "masterpieces" and concluded that the "pure pop" album was "fun to listen to when you're having fun". Eric Chappe called the album an "immediately striking disc", citing the "'60s girl group mannerisms" and "

Spector Spector is a guitar manufacturing company. It has been based in Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders ...

-esque drum sound" of "Water on Glass" while drawing comparisons to both

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

and Debbie Harry. Writing for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', 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 Patricia Mae Giraldo ('' née'' Andrzejewski, formerly Benatar; born January 10, 1953), known professionally as Pat Benatar, is an American rock singer and songwriter. In the United States, she has had two multi-platinum albums, five platinum al ...

simulations." 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. '' 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. ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'' critic Mike Nicholls praised Wilde's voice and individuality despite comparing the reggae-influenced "Everything We Know" to "

The Tide Is High "The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover vers ...

" 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; a prescient prediction with regards to the sound of her subsequent albums. ''Kim Wilde'' entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

at No. 10, moving into the Top 3 the next week; the album was certified Gold by the BPI for sales exceeding 100,000 copies. During promotion, Kim's band consisted of Ricky Wilde, James Stevenson and later boyfriend

Calvin Hayes Johnny Hates Jazz are a British band, currently consisting of Clark Datchler (songwriter, vocalist, keyboards) and Mike Nocito (guitarist, bassist, producer, engineer). In April 1987, they achieved international success with their first hit s ...

, 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 and No. 42 in Canada.

Track listing

All songs written by

and

, except where noted. ;Side one # " Water on Glass" – 3:31 # "Our Town" – 3:49 # "Everything We Know" – 3:46 # "Young Heroes" – 3:13 # "

" – 3:27 ;Side two #

" Chequered Love" – 3:21 # "2-6-5-8-0" – 3:12 # "You'll Never Be So Wrong" – 4:18 # "Falling Out" (R. Wilde) – 4:05 # "Tuning in Tuning On" – 4:27 ;Bonus tracks (2009 remastered CD edition) #

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

Personnel

* Kim Wilde – lead and backing vocals

The Enid

– keyboards * Stephen Stewart – guitars * Francis Lickerish – guitars * Martin Russell – bass * Chris North – drums

Additional musicians

– keyboards, guitars, backing vocals * Miffy Smith – keyboards * James Stevenson – guitars * Alan Cowley – bass * Trevor Murrell – drums * Jake Sollo – percussion *

Gary Barnacle Gary Barnacle (born 1959 in Dover, England) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts a ...

– saxophone (7) * Luke Tunney – trumpet (7)

Production

* Ricky Wilde – producer * Stephen Stewart – engineer * Joe Lemay – mastering at Capitol Mastering (Hollywood, California, USA). * John Pasche – cover design *

– cover photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim Wilde (Album) 1981 debut albums Albums recorded at RAK Studios Kim Wilde albums New wave albums by English artists Rak Records albums