Kim Wilde (album)
| Kim Wilde | ||||
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Cover design by John Pasche, photo by Gered Mankowitz
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| Studio album by Kim Wilde | ||||
| Released | 29 June 1981 | |||
| Recorded | Lodge Studios and RAK Studios, London | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 37:09 | |||
| Label | RAK | |||
| Producer | Ricky Wilde | |||
| Kim Wilde chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Kim Wilde | ||||
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Kim Wilde is the eponymous debut studio album by British singer Kim Wilde, released in June 29, 1981 via RAK label.
The songs on the album were all written by Kim's father and successful 50s rock and roll singer Marty Wilde and by 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. 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; 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.
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". 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". 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.
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