Close | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 13 June 1988 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1987–1988; Select Sound Studios, Knebworth, Hertfordshire | |||
Genre | Pop · Hi-NRG · Synth-pop | |||
Length | 51:22 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer | Ricky Wilde, Tony Swain | |||
Kim Wilde chronology | ||||
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Singles from Close | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Number One | [3] |
Record Mirror | [4] |
Close is the sixth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in June 1988.
Produced by Ricky Wilde and Tony Swain, Close was the final album on which Marty Wilde had co-writer credits. The album is widely perceived by fans and critics (and Kim herself) as Wilde's most well-balanced, with many kinds of pop represented: dance, ballad, rock and midtempo.
The album's lead single was "Hey Mister Heartache", featuring backing vocals from Junior Giscombe – but its success was dwarfed by the follow-up single, "You Came", which hit the Top 10 in many countries and just missed the US Top 40.
"Never Trust a Stranger" and "Four Letter Word" also reached the UK Top 10, although a fifth single "Love in the Natural Way" was less successful. Attention for the album was bolstered by Kim's support slot on Michael Jackson's European tour.
Close reached the Top 10 in the UK, almost all Scandinavian countries, Austria and Germany and went on to become Wilde's biggest selling album, being certified platinum in the UK. In Australia, the album was less successful, peaking at #82 on the ARIA albums chart. [5]
A 2-CD 25th Anniversary Edition of Close was released in the United Kingdom in September 2013, with the album's original 10 tracks bolstered by an additional 21 B-sides and remixes. [6]
Anne Lambert, noting the ups and downs of Wilde's career, concluded that Close was "proof that Kim will still be around when her rivals are fighting it out in the bargain bins." Despite expressing hope that the singer would "experiment and take some chances", the reviewer singled out both the "luscious ballad" "Four Letter Word" and the "brilliant funk" of "Hey Mister Heartache". [7] Smash Hits gave a mixed review, expressing dislike for the tracks "Four Letter Word" and "Lucky Guy" but again describing "Hey Mister Heartache" as "brilliant" and "Love in the Natural Way" as "steamy". [8] Caroline Sullivan of Melody Maker gave a mostly positive review but noted the similarities of the production to recent work by SAW and wrote "Many songs here could be Bananarama Wow! tracks with Kim's voice superimposed." [9] Q , while describing Wilde as an institution in British pop (along with Bananarama), wrote that "You Came" sounded "dated" and "like an out-take from Human League's Dare ". However, praise was reserved for a "really special moment"; Wilde's faithful version of Todd Rundgren's "Lucky Guy". [10] "Writing for Sounds , Peter Kane compared the "pure pop" album unfavorably to the work of Pet Shop Boys and Belinda Carlisle, specifically citing "Four Letter Word" as "having been discarded by Sheena Easton while clearing her wardrobe of Crimplene jumpsuits."
Side One
Side Two
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hey Mister Heartache" | |
2. | "You Came" | |
3. | "Four Letter Word" | |
4. | "Love in the Natural Way" | |
5. | "Love's A No" | |
6. | "Never Trust a Stranger" | |
7. | "You’ll Be The One Who’ll Lose" | |
8. | "European Soul" | |
9. | "Stone" | |
10. | "Lucky Guy" | |
11. | "Tell Me Where You Are" | |
12. | "Wotcha Gonna Do" | |
13. | "She Hasn't Got Time for You ’88" | |
14. | "Hey Mister Heartache (Single Version)" | |
15. | "You Came (Single Version)" | |
16. | "Never Trust A Stranger (Single Version)" | |
17. | "Love in the Natural Way (Video Edit)" | |
18. | "You Came (Shep Pettibone US Single Version)" |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hey Mister Heartache (12″ Version)" | |
2. | "Hey Mister Heartache (Kilo Watt Remix)" | |
3. | "Hey Mister Heartache (Bonus Beats) *" | |
4. | "Hey Mister Heartache (Acapella With Percussion) *" | |
5. | "You Came (12″ Version)" | |
6. | "You Came (Shep Pettibone 12″ Mix)" | |
7. | "You Came (Dub Version #1)" | |
8. | "You Came (Dub Version #2)" | |
9. | "Never Trust A Stranger (12″ Version)" | |
10. | "Never Trust A Stranger (Sanjazz Mix)" | |
11. | "Four Letter Word (12″ Version)" | |
12. | "Four Letter Word (Late Night Mix)" | |
13. | "Love in the Natural Way (Extended Version)" |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Austria (IFPI Austria) [27] | Gold | 25,000 [28] |
France (SNEP) [29] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [30] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [31] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [32] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [33] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe | — | 1,200,000 [28] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single "Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Award for Best British Female solo artist. In 1986, she had a UK No. 2 hit with a reworked version of the Supremes' song "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1987. Between 1981 and 1996, she had 25 singles that charted within the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart. Her other hits include "Chequered Love" (1981), "You Came" (1988), and "Never Trust a Stranger" (1988). In 2003, she collaborated with Nena on the song "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime", which topped the Dutch and Austrian charts.
The Singles Collection 1981–1993 is a greatest hits album by English singer Kim Wilde, released on 6 September 1993 by MCA Records.
The Very Best of Kim Wilde is a compilation album by British singer Kim Wilde. It was released in November 2001 and contained 15 Top 20 hits from the UK and German charts and was virtually identical to her 1993 hits collection. Also included was a new song, "Loved", which was released as a single in a number of countries - her first in six years, reaching the Top 10 in Belgium and Top 20 in Finland. Remixes of her two hits: "Kids in America" and "View from a Bridge" completed the collection - the former also released as a single in some territories. The Very Best of Kim Wilde was a hit in the Scandinavian Countries, where it made the Top 20.
"Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her self-titled debut studio album. Largely inspired by the synth-pop style of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan, the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks and number one in Finland and South Africa, and charted in the top 10 of many European charts as well as Australia and New Zealand. In North America, the song reached the top 40 in Canada and the United States. It was certified gold in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Sweden; and has sold over three million copies worldwide. The song has been covered by many artists from different genres.
"Hey Mister Heartache" is a song by English pop singer Kim Wilde, released as the first single from her sixth studio album, Close (1988). The song features vocals by Junior Giscombe; this part of the song was edited down for the single version. The song was also extended for the 12-inch and CD-single formats, and a second 12-inch featuring the "Kilo Watt" remix by Timmy Regisford was also released in the UK. Although a minor hit in Wilde's native UK, "Hey Mister Heartache" was a top-20 entry throughout Europe. The music video contains an appearance by actor Jesse Birdsall.
"You Came" is a song by English singer Kim Wilde from her sixth studio album, Close (1988). It was released on 4 July 1988 as the album's second single. The song was written by Wilde and Ricky Wilde, after the birth of his first child, Marty.
"Four Letter Word" is the fourth single from English pop singer Kim Wilde's sixth studio album, Close (1988). The song was issued as a single in November 1988, marking Wilde's last release of a track written by her father and brother, who had written the majority of her early hits together. "Four Letter Word" became Wilde's third consecutive UK top-10 single from Close, reaching number six. It also peaked within the top 10 in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, and the Netherlands. An extended version as well as a "late night" remix of "Four Letter Word" were released on the 12-inch and CD singles.
Kim Wilde is the debut studio album by English singer Kim Wilde, released on 29 June 1981 by Rak Records. Fronted by the top 10 singles "Kids in America" and "Chequered Love" and greeted with a generally positive response from critics, the album launched Wilde into stardom and remains one of her most popular recordings.
Select is the second studio album by English pop singer Kim Wilde, released on 10 May 1982 by RAK Records. The album was not released in North America, neither were the singles off the album.
Catch as Catch Can is the third studio album by Kim Wilde, released in autumn 1983. The album was not released in North America, though the first two singles were.
Teases & Dares is the fourth studio album by the English pop singer Kim Wilde, released on 5 November 1984 by MCA Records. The song "Is It Over" is featured in the film Fletch (1985).
Another Step is the fifth studio album by English pop singer Kim Wilde, released on 3 November 1986 by MCA Records. The album contained her comeback worldwide hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which reached No. 1 in the US, as well as the UK top 10 hit "Another Step " and "Say You Really Want Me".
Love Moves is the seventh studio album by Kim Wilde, released in May 1990.
Love Is is the eighth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in spring 1992.
Now & Forever is the ninth studio album by Kim Wilde, released in autumn 1995 via MCA Records.
Never Say Never is the tenth studio album by Kim Wilde and was released in September 2006. It was a comeback album after being away from the music business for a number of years and her first studio album for eleven years. The album features several of Wilde's hits that have been updated with modern dance beats, interspersed with eight new songs.
Can't Fight Fate is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Taylor Dayne, released on October 7, 1989, by Arista Records. The album continued her chart success and was certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It includes the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles "With Every Beat of My Heart" (#5) and "I'll Be Your Shelter" (#4), the number one "Love Will Lead You Back" and the top 20 hit, "Heart of Stone" (#12).
Give Me the Night is a 1980 album by American jazz guitarist and singer George Benson.
English singer Kim Wilde has released 14 studio albums, one live album, five compilation albums, one remix album, 66 singles, six video albums and 60 music videos.
Here Come the Aliens is the fourteenth studio album by English pop singer Kim Wilde, released on 16 March 2018 by Wildeflower Records. It is her first studio album since Wilde Winter Songbook (2013). It contains the singles "Pop Don't Stop", "Kandy Krush" and "Birthday", while a deluxe edition released in October housed the single "Amoureux des rêves". The album was produced by her long-time producer Ricky Wilde. In the United Kingdom, the album became her first charting album for 25 years, peaking at number 21.