Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly hacky writing, but true spirit shines through., January 2, 2006
The lyrics on this album, written by Ricky and Marty Wilde, sometimes have the inevitable feeling of older men trying to approximate the feelings of a teenage girl. But then again -- and you really can't underestimate this -- they knew their stuff musically. And damn, the woman could sing. I can't give this the five stars of a purely perfect album, but it's an astonishingly good representation of the spirit of the early 80s.
There's no fault with the production, given the limitations of the era -- a bit brittle, perhaps. Guitars are well represented along with the typical synthezied bass and strings.
Even the true clunkers ("2-6-5-8-0"; "Young Heroes") are amusing and direct.
If you liked "Kids In America", there's several more tunes that are nearly as good. "Our Town" and "Everything We Know" feature themes of world-weariness, which is somehow perfect in young Kim's voice (I remember being sick of the world at 16 too, ha!) "You'll Never Be So Wrong" is simply amazing, full of musical and lyrical conflict (ending a bad relationship, is my understanding) -- and it's also the best singing on the album. "Tuning In Turning On" makes a great closer, a slow-burn groove with some cheeky dissonance (and an ADORABLE philosophical soliloquy over the fade.)
It's undoubtedly Ms. Wilde's voice that made her popular, but some may find these ten songs are the only ones worth having, as I do.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Kim Wilde" by Kim Wilde, May 18, 2006
Glorious early-1980s power-pop, suffused with just enough energy from the post-punk era to make this a lasting gem of those years. Driving drums, energetic guitars, shimmering keyboards and Ms Wilde's still unpolished but beautifully urgent voice of youth are fused together in a mercifully no-nonsense production package, its simplicity making it still sound surprisingly undated and fresh as the day 25 years ago (crikey!) when I first listened to it. It easily kicks her later glossy and overproduced material into touch and as a representative of sing-along ballads and big tunes it still stands the test of time. Not an all-time classic, but if you're unembarrassed about music and like it driven and urgent it's certainly worth risking your hard-earned for it. Cheers & take care!
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Three songs and out, February 9, 2009
Bottom line on this album - download three songs, the rest is marginal filler that never harms the album but isn't particularly memorable either.
When I think of albums that haven't worn well over time, this is one of them. I've always loved bubblegum music but some bubblegum is good for a longer chew than others. Anthems about being twelve years old generally don't wear well as the artist (and the audience) grows up. Just as it would be kind of creepy to hear Donny Osmond sing "Too Young" or "Young Love" now, there would just be something out of sync about Kim Wilde as a jiggly sixty-something in a yellow jumpsuit still working "Kids In America" on some oldies revue.
"Kids In America" is littered across almost every 80s bubblegum compilation you'll find, I can't imagine a person owning a couple 80s hits CDs and not having that song and "I Want Candy" twice over. If you like the big hit from this album, the next track to download would be "Water On Glass". A catchy pop single, by all rights it should have been a top forty followup hit in the US. If that suits your musical taste buds, "Chequered Love" would be the next one to try.
You may have noticed that this appends a couple of bonus tracks that weren't on the original ten song US release. If you're sufficiently sentimental about reliving the era, most or all of this album - apart from the bonus tracks - is included on a couple of compilations. The only reason to buy the songs in this configuration would be that you'd rather have the cover art than another entire album's worth of music.
And finally..."East California"? What is that, Barstow, Brawley, Baker and Boron? Such a line could only be written by one of two people - either someone who doesn't live here, or someone who is trying to promote tourism for the World's Tallest Thermometer. Send me a post card from the Bun Boy when you get there.
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