Date: 1 November 1984
Originally published in: Muziek Parade (Netherlands)
Written by:
Kim is not standing still. The family business Wilde B.V. has exchanged RAK/EMI for MCA/WEA. The first employer concluded the employment contract with the digital collection “THE VERY BEST OF KIM WILDE”, the new one launches a futuristic looking Kim. And an album: “KIM WILDE TEASES & DARES”. Stimulating and daring.
Family
The story is well known: in the fifties, England was looking for an answer to the American rock ‘n’ roll invasion and found Marty Wilde, among others. Over a quarter of a century later Marty is a careful family man with two promising children: son Ricki and daughter Kim. When dad still performs occasionally in the twilight years of his rock life, Kim, born in 1960, sings in the choir.
Ricki is meant to become a pop idol just like his father. When he is eighteen, Marty manages to get him a contract at RAK. But everything turns out differently than expected, because when Kim enters the studio to support her brother with some backing vocals, the idea arises to put Kim in the spotlight in his place. The family business was born: Rick composes and produces, Marty writes the lyrics and Kim sings them. The first single “KIDS IN AMERICA”, released in 1981. The debut, like the follow-up “CHEQUERED LOVE”, immediately hits the charts. The success is due to the combinations of fast poppy top forty music, the colorful videos and Kim’s typical thin voice.
The Wilde sound reaches a peak for the time being in the fourth and fifth single: “CAMBODIA” and “VIEW FROM A BRIDGE”. It seems impossible to imagine the charts without Kim, but then silence strikes.
Vamp
It takes quite some time before the third album appears after ”KIM WILDE” and “SELECT”. First of all, with the release of “CATCH AS CATCH CAN” it is striking how Kim’s image is changed. No longer is her trademark worn-out jeans. Illustrating the sultry-jazzy “LOVE BLONDE,” Kim appears as a leather vamp. The music is quite different from what we were used to and can be seen as an approach to the disco crowd. The danceability is now partly determined by electronic drums and horns. The single “DANCING IN THE DARK” is recorded under the watchful eye of Nile Rodgers.
When “THE VERY BEST OF KIM WILDE” appeared a few months ago, it turned out to be about the end of the RAK period. The plate gives a good overview of the three previously released LPs; the eight singles, supplemented with eight of the better LP tracks.
T&D
The new album “TEASES & DARES” was preceded by the single SECOND TIME”. The video of it became a regular in the MUSIC BOX living rooms and featured a futuristic-looking Kim. The Wilde family appears not to be insensitive to trends; “SECOND TIME” relies heavily on a Frankie Goes To Hollywood-esque bass rite. The vocals are unmistakably Kim and all instruments on this single are played by brother Ricki – from a 1950s guitar to modern synthesizers and drum machines.
In recent months, Kim has focused on composing and playing the keyboard. Dad and brother have made one song together with her, two others are completely for Kim’s account. The purpose of this album is to find a relationship between contemporary dance music and old-fashioned energetic rock ‘n’ roll, which leads in the first place to a remarkable mixture of old and new musical instruments. On “RAGE TO LOVE”, unmistakable fifties music, you can hear both the sync keyboard and a Gibson from 1955. Not just any, but an original Scotty Moore (Elvis) guitar.
The family business Wilde B.V. is working intensively again and it looks like Kim will continue to find a place in the charts in 1985 as well.
