Kim Wilde (album)

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.{{cite news|last=Hann|first=Michael |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/nov/01/bowie-pixies-strange-backing-bands|title=Bowie backed by Pixies? Stranger hirings have been made …|newspaper= The Guardian|location=London|date=1 November 2013|access-date=7 August 2017}} 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.{{cite book |last=Stump |first=Paul |title=The Music's All that Matters: A History of Progressive Rock |date=1997 |publisher=Quartet Books Limited |isbn=0 7043 8036 6 |page=260}}

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").

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Sendra|first=Tim|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/kim-wilde-mw0000202769|title=Kim Wilde – Kim Wilde|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=21 February 2021}}

| rev2 = Record Collector

| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Elliott|first=Mark|title=Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde / Select / Catch as Catch Can|magazine=Record Collector|location=London|issue=502|date=February 2020|page=110}}

| rev3 = Record Mirror

| rev3score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Nicholls|first=Mike|title=I'm Just Wilde About Kim|magazine=Record Mirror|location=London|date=11 July 1981|page=16}}

| rev4 = Smash Hits

| rev4score = 6½/10{{cite magazine|last=Hepworth|first=David|author-link=David Hepworth|url=https://www.wilde-life.com/articles/1981/review-kim-wilde-5|title=Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde|magazine=Smash Hits|location=London|volume=3|issue=15|date=23 July – 5 August 1981|access-date=21 February 2021|page=41}}

| rev5 = Sounds

| rev5score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine|title=OK trash |last=Robertson |first=Sandy |date=25 July 1981 |magazine=Sounds |page=31}}

}}

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".{{cite news|author=Michael|url=https://www.wilde-life.com/articles/1981/review-kim-wilde-11|title=Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde|newspaper=The Chronicle|date=29 August 1981|access-date=21 February 2021}} 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".{{cite magazine|last=Robertson|first=Donald|url=https://www.wilde-life.com/articles/1981/review-kim-wilde-14|title=Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde|magazine=Roadrunner|location=Adelaide|volume=4|issue=8|date=September 1981|access-date=21 February 2021|page=38}} 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.{{cite web|last=Chappe|first=Eric|url=http://www.wilde-life.com/articles/1982/review-kim-wilde|title=Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde|publisher=Unknown|access-date=21 October 2012}}

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."{{cite news|last=Niester|first=Alan|url=https://www.wilde-life.com/articles/1982/review-kim-wilde-0|title=Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|location=Toronto|date=3 April 1982|access-date=21 February 2021}} 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.{{cite magazine |last=Cohen|first=Mitchell |url=https://www.wilde-life.com/articles/1982/review-kim-wilde-1|title=Kim Wilde: Kim Wilde |magazine=High Fidelity|location=Great Barrington|date=June 1982|access-date=21 February 2021}} 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; 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; 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, 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.

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

• Kim Wilde – lead and backing vocals

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

• 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)

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

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Kim Wilde|type=album|artist=Kim Wilde|relyear=1981|region=Finland|award=Gold|certyear=1983|salesamount=42,006|access-date=21 February 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Kim Wilde|type=album|artist=Kim Wilde|relyear=1981|region=Germany|award=Gold|certyear=1991|access-date=21 February 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Kim Wilde|type=album|artist=Kim Wilde|relyear=1981|region=United Kingdom|award=Gold|certyear=1981|id=3629-3303-2|access-date=21 February 2021|refname="BPI"}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|title=Kim Wilde|type=album|artist=Kim Wilde|relyear=1981|nocert=true|region=Europe|salesamount=500,000|salesref={{cite magazine|last=Jones|first=Peter|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1981/BB-1981-09-19.pdf|title=Wilde Route to Success Is Different|magazine=Billboard|location=New York|volume=93|issue=37|date=19 September 1981|access-date=1 August 2020|pages=42, 72|via=World Radio History}}|note=as of September 1981}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

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Category:1981 debut albums

Category:Albums recorded at RAK Studios

Category:Kim Wilde albums

Category:New wave albums by English artists

Category:Rak Records albums