''Select'' is the second
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by English pop singer
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award f ...
, released on 10 May 1982 by
RAK Records. The album was not released in North America, however the singles were.
Overview
The first single from this album, "
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
", 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 previous studio 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
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
" 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 Wilde's debut studio 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 reception
''Select'' was initially received less favourably than Wilde's debut studio album. Stephen Waldon of ''
Juke'' complimented Wilde's vocals and Marty and Ricky's songwriting, despite finding the production too "stylised in the current pop mode". He described "Just a Feeling" as "a beauty" and deemed "Cambodia" the album's best song. Elly McDonald from ''The Record'' critiqued 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".
Track listing
All songs written by
Marty Wilde and
Ricky Wilde, except where indicated
Side one
# "Ego" – 4:11
# "Words Fell Down" – 3:31
# "Action City" – 3:25
# "
View from a Bridge
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
" – 3:32
# "Just a Feeling" – 4:12
Side two
# "Chaos at the Airport" – 3:20
# "Take Me Tonight" – 3:56
# "Can You Come Over" – 3:35
# "Wendy Sadd" – 3:49
# "
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
+ Reprise" – 7:13
Bonus tracks (2009 remastered CD edition)
#
"Watching for Shapes" ("Cambodia" B-side) – 3:42
# "Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
" (Single Version) – 3:57
# "Child Come Away
"Child Come Away" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released as a single on 4 October 1982.
Though its subject matter was dark, it was similar in sound to previous synth-driven successes like "Cambodia" and " View from a Bridge", and it was ...
" – 4:05
# "Just Another Guy" ("Child Come Away" B-side) – 3:19
# " Bitter Is Better" (Masami Tsuchiya
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician, coming to prominence in the late 1970s as the lead vocalist and guitarist in the group Ippu-Do. His subsequent output includes solo work and collaborations.
Tsuchiya's career in music started with ...
, Bill Crunchfield) – 3:43
Track list (2020 Deluxe Edition)
CD1
# "Ego"
# "Words fell down"
# "Action City"
# "View from a Bridge
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
"
# "Just a Feeling"
# "Chaos at the Airport"
# "Take Me Tonight"
# "Can You Come Over"
# "Wendy Sadd"
# "Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
"
# "Reprise"
# "Child Come Away
"Child Come Away" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released as a single on 4 October 1982.
Though its subject matter was dark, it was similar in sound to previous synth-driven successes like "Cambodia" and " View from a Bridge", and it was ...
"
# " Bitter Is Better"
# "He Will Be There"
# "Watching for Shapes"
# "Just Another Guy"
# " Bitter Is Better" (Instrumental)
CD2
# "Ego" (Rough Mix)
# "Words Fell Down" (Original Mix)
# "Action City" (Instrumental Demo)
# "Just a Feeling" (Rough Mix)
# "Chaos at the Airport" (Rough Mix)
# "Take Me Tonight" (Original Mix)
# "Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
" (Matt Pop Extended Version)
# "View from a Bridge
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
" (Luke Mornay Remix)
# "Child Come Away
"Child Come Away" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released as a single on 4 October 1982.
Though its subject matter was dark, it was similar in sound to previous synth-driven successes like "Cambodia" and " View from a Bridge", and it was ...
" (Matt Pop Remix)
# "Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
" (Luke Mornay Urbantronik Mix)
# "View from a Bridge
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
" (Raw Remix)
# "Child Come Away
"Child Come Away" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released as a single on 4 October 1982.
Though its subject matter was dark, it was similar in sound to previous synth-driven successes like "Cambodia" and " View from a Bridge", and it was ...
" (Matt Pop Instrumental)
# "Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
" (Matt Pop Instrumental)
# "View from a Bridge
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
" (Luke Mornay Instrumental)
# "Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
" (Luke Mornay Urbantronik Instrumental)
DVD
The Videos
# "Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
"
# "View from a Bridge
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
"
# "Child Come Away
"Child Come Away" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released as a single on 4 October 1982.
Though its subject matter was dark, it was similar in sound to previous synth-driven successes like "Cambodia" and " View from a Bridge", and it was ...
"
Kim at the BBC
# "Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
" (On Top of the Pops)
# "View from a Bridge
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
" (On Top of the Pops)
# "View from a Bridge
"View from a Bridge" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde, released internationally as the second single from her second album, '' Select'' (1982). The song tells the story of a girl committing suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionall ...
" (On Nationwide Special: The British Rock & Pop Wards)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1982 albums
Kim Wilde albums
Rak Records albums
New wave albums by English artists