Customer Reviews

Another Step

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally, in 1986, Kim Wilde scored her biggest hit on both sides of the Atlantic since "Kids In America." The song was a rocking cover of the Supreme's "You Keep Me Hangin' On." It topped the charts in both countries, and when I first heard bits of it on the UK Top Ten segment of MTV's Top 20 Countdown, I fell in love.

When the album made its way Stateside, I was quick to snag it. Kim Wilde's vocals are stronger here than on Teases & Dares, more in a pop vein rather than the youthful power-pop/near-punk vein of her eponymously-titled debut.

The songs here can be divided into two halves, with one exception. The first half consisting of the first seven songs, featuring hard guitar and zappity-pow pop, and the second the last five songs, of ballads. The song in the middle, "Say You Really Want Me," doesn't really fit with either half, and its inclusion here, as well as it being the followup single to "You Keep Me Hangin' On" baffled me.

Apart from the hit single, songs like the title track and "The Thrill Of It," and "Victims" have that hard guitar sound. A pity the musicians weren't listed here, because whoever did that guitar deserves a mountain of credit for making this wonderful.

Songs 3 through 6 could easily form a rock block, beginning with the title track, which utilizes the most of the hard driving sound. Guest vocalist Junior sounds somewhat like Michael Jackson and the ambience of the latter's "Beat It" is brought over. The song segues into "The Thrill Of It," with hard guitar riffs accompanied by a bass synthesizer. "I've Got So Much Love"
has got a kicking guitar solo in the middle along with the guitar riffs. Kim then really gets rough and ready singing, "I've got so much love for yeah yeah yeah yeah you!" "Victim" has some of the rebellious bite from her first album with yet another killer guitar solo. The title track was the third single from this album. The other three songs could easily have followed suit.

Of the ballads, "She Hasn't Got Time For You" and "Don't Say Nothing's Changed" can easily be sung in a smoky dimly lit bar. The former with a synth beat and soulful backup vocals.

"Brothers" starts out soft, but somewhere in the middle, launches into power ballad mode with its drums and rock guitar. She really powers up when she sings "That's another feeling. That's another place in your heart."

"Missing" opens with a ripple of Spanish guitar. The song seems to be about a girl, maybe one driven to crime, or a runaway, who needs spiritual help. Along with the line "Somebody help her," there is distorted dialogue as if from a police radio mixed with a snatch of orchestra strings.

In the ballad section, I get the same sense of loneliness and isolation from her that I did in Teases & Dares. In addition, there's always that someone who's lost in love more times than one wishes to remember.

The album's closer, "Don't Say Nothing's Changed" is the most wistful of Another Step. It's a nice slow dance song, maybe the last song from the band before the bar closes. It's also the most polished in the lot. A pity that this wasn't a single.

There's something about this album that I can't put my finger on, but all I can say at this point is that it would only work with Kim Wilde and no other artist. And that's what makes this special.

Now that I have finally received my remastered 2 cd edition of Kim Wilde's Another Step, I think it is time to make a review of it.

I believe, some fans will be interested to know some details like the timing of the songs, especially the special tracks like the B-sides or the remixes that Amazon didn't include, so here they are : Songs about love 4:55, Loving you 4:56, Hold back 3:57, Another step 7 inch 3:30, Say you really want me 7 inch U.K. 4:03, 7 inch U.S. 3:30, extended version 6:34, the video remix 9:46, david todd remix 5:44, radio edit 5:09, instrumental 4:22, urban version 3:57, Megamix (hangin'on+step+really want me) 8:05 and now here's my judgement of it.

First and foremost, the booklet is truly marvelous, it contains an amazing picture of Kim Wilde I've never seen before and the lyrics of all the songs, including the B-sides with finally a readable font and not the original one who looked like a really bad written and undecipherable manuscript, kudos for that.
It also features all 3 covers of the album : the drawn map one, the new map one and the sexy one and all the covers of all the singles and 12 inches with European, American and Japanese different covers for Schoolgirl (2 covers) You keep me hangin'on (6 covers), Another step single (4 covers) & Say you really want me (nothing less than 8 different covers !) and the always insightful 3-page essai written by Steve Thorpe who tells us all about the original release dates, chart scores and meaningful anecdotes of the 80's.

And finally, THE SOUND is amazing here. You can definitively shelve your previous cd edition because you won't be needing it anymore since this one almost recaptures the lost energy and power of vinyl records, especially when you listen to the drums. For all the hi-fi systems, it's Christmas in July !

But as I've said it in the title, there is a BUT because there is a flaw, but a very little one. For the Say you really want me (urban version) that I personally have never heard of before - so it must be a very rare remix and the extra-track Songs about love (original b-side of the European only single Schoolgirl) the source can't be an original tape recording because it's obvious, especially in the end that those 2 tracks have been recorded from a vinyl record source and for Songs about love, even my own 7 inch single from 1986 is less damaged than the one they have used, so it saddens me a little because this was almost the perfect edition (this explains my 4 stars only rating).

I can't believe MCA records U.K. couldn't have come up with a better source than this one, especially for this b-side, but as I've said it, it's a very minor flaw, because the sound of even those tracks is amazing but none the less, it spoils a little my pleasure as a true Kim Wilde fan, but since the sound of all the other tracks is wonderful, I'm inclined to forgive them anyway because I'm hoping they will also release a 2-cd edition of Close, Love moves and Love is and also because having the amazing WCH club mix of You keep me hangin' on and 9 different mixes of Say you really want me on CD is like a dream come true.

And one thing is for sure, if I ever lose all editions of this album or if they are stolen from me, I would surely buy this edition again instead of the original one because Cherry red records have made a very good job with it, that's for sure, so, well done guys and see you soon, I hope.

Kim Wilde had a pretty big hit in 1986 with her remake of the Supremes' You Keep Me Hangin' On. That song alone was enough to make me go out and buy the CD, and I greatly enjoyed the album at the time. Heaven only knows how many years since I have listened to Another Step, but I recently put in back in for another spin, and the appeal is still there. This album is thoroughly steeped in the sound of the 1980s, and I must admit it took awhile for everything to start clicking again, but after a few tracks I began to remember why I used to like this album so much. Another Step is not perfect, though - there are a few weak tracks, but the good outweighs the bad. Those who came of age after the 1980s may have trouble appreciating this music, but those who love 80s music - and you know who you are - can have a lot of fun with this album.

After the chart-topping dance hit You Keep Me Hangin' On, Hit Him falls pretty flat - at least we're getting one of the least enjoyable songs over with early. Then you get Another Step (Closer to You), a duet with Junior Junior (who sounds uncomfortably like Michael Jackson), and suddenly you're riding back through the mid-80s on cruise control. The Thrill of It has a lot to offer, as well, and it really gets the joint jumping (unfortunately, the choruses drain the song of significant amounts of energy). There is no such problem with I've Got So Much Love, an energetic, guitar-driven crowd-pleaser that is, as far as I'm concerned, the best song on the album. I can close my eyes and almost believe I'm back in 1986. Victim has a different sound from the preceding songs, possessing something of a rebellious nature in its more sultry lyrics (those who bought the LP were out of luck, as this song was only included on the cassette and CD versions - hey, that was important back in 1986). Schoolgirl takes on something of a jaunty air, punctuated by horns, making Victim look like a small respite along the way to an energetic 80s pop rock festival.

Methinks there's some funky synthesizer work in play for Say You Really Want Me. I think this song was also released as a single, and - if it was not - it should have been. At this point, in the wake of eight energetic tracks, Kim decides to take things down a beat and make a turn on to Ballad Street. A soulful saxophone helps create the mood of She Hasn't Got Time For You, but the backup vocals on this song really annoy me for some reason and serve to ruin the effect of the entire song. As a whole, I don't think the slow ballads work as well as the energetic dance tracks - especially today. Brothers is the longest song on the album, and, despite an impressive bridge in the middle, it seems about twice as long as it really is - no matter how much you shake this one up, there's just not much fizz to be found. The same can be said of the next track, Missing.

The album rebounds in time for an impressive ending. How Do You Want My Love is a strong ballad that stands the test of time, evoking a measure of passion missing in the previous few tracks. The closing track, Don't Say Nothing's Changed, is a really slow and sensual song that comes close to being beautiful.

In all honesty, I am not familiar with Kim Wilde's career before and after this one album. I was in fact rather surprised to see that she has had a reasonably successful career, as I simply haven't heard her name in many years. What I can tell you, though, is that this particular album is vintage, mid-80s pop rock, and as such Another Step deserves another look (and listen) all these years later.

Kim Wilde's fifth album is her attempt to break through into the dance market. "You keep me hanging on" is a great song that has already hit number one on the US charts. There are many more good songs on this albums, and it ranks as one of her best to date.

1 You Keep Me Hangin' On (4:15)
2 Hit Him (3:32)
3 Another Step (Closer To You) (3:25)
4 The Thrill Of It (3:55)
5 I've Got So Much Love (3:57)
6 Victim (4:01)
7 Schoolgirl (3:40)
8 Say You Really Want Me (3:59)
9 She Hasn't Got Time For You (4:02)
10 Brothers (4:48)
11 Missing (4:28)
12 How Do You Want My Love (3:57)
13 Don't Say Nothing's Changed (3:55)

Artist: KIM WILDE

Title: Another Step

made in Europe on the Cherry Pop label with bonus remixes including mixes of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and a megamix!

Tracks disc one:

1 You Keep Me Hangin' On
2 Hit Him
3 Another Step (Closer To You)
4 The Thrill Of It
5 I've Got So Much Love
6 Victim
7 Schoolgirl
8 Say You Really Want Me
9 She Hasn't Got Time For You
10 Brothers
11 Missing
12 How Do You Want My Love
13 Don't Say Nothing's Changed
14 Songs About Love
15 Loving You
16 Hold Back
17 Another Step (Closer To You ) (7" Version)
18 Say You Really Want Me (7" Version)

Tracks disc two:

1 Schoolgirl (Head Master Mix)
2 You Keep Me Hangin' On (W.C.H Club Mix)
3 You Keep Me Hangin' On (W.C.H Mix)
4 Another Step (Closer To You) (Extended Mix)
5 Say You Really Want Me (Extended Version)
6 Say You Really Want Me (The Video Remix)
7 Say You Really Want Me (David Todd Remix)
8 Say You Really Want Me (Radio Edit)
9 Say You Really Want Me (Instrumental)
10 Say You Really Want Me (Chr Version)
11 Say You Really Want Me (Urban Version)
12 Megamix

Another Step by Kim Wilde quality is amazing while sounding vibrant. Comparing the new sound to my original old album the sounds is so flat. Hope they do something about Kim's remaining releses between 1990-1994 soon to be re-issued because they bore the hell out of me their so FLAT. I regreted buying those 1990-1994 used Cd's 2yrs. ago. I don't listen to them anymore.

Reviewed by Desiree LaVey

I always buy Kim Wilde, no matter what it is. She is an icon!

Cherry Pop really knows what they're doing when they reissue cd's. As the other reviewer noted, the booklet is top notch with the story of the disc and Kim at the time, the lyrics and plenty of photos. The sound again is very, very good. The bounus tracks are excellent, however the 9 remixes of You Keep Me Hangin' On included on disc two may be a bit much for many. You can get the better known songs on this disc on hits collections, but there are tracks that are not available elsewhere that are certainly worthy of a listen! It says something that the demand for Kim's music all these years later has led to Cherry Pop reissuing her recordings and that original copies of her CD's which are long out of print were fetching such high prices before the reissues hit the market.