Best of the 80's | Kim Wilde CD Collection

UPC: 0724389938524

Overview

"Best of the 80's" is a comprehensive collection showcasing the early career highlights of British new wave and pop star Kim Wilde. Released in 2000 through Disky Communications, this 20-track compilation brings together Wilde's signature hits and album tracks from her most successful period in the early-to-mid 1980s. The album features her breakthrough international hit "Kids in America" alongside other chart successes like "Cambodia," "View From A Bridge," "Chequered Love," and "Water On Glass." This collection provides a thorough overview of the distinctive synth-pop sound and catchy melodies that established Kim Wilde as one of the UK's most successful female solo artists of the 1980s.

Product Features

• Format: CD Compilation
• Release Year: 2000
• Label: Disky Communications Europe B.V. (Catalog #: SI 993852)
• Genre: New Wave, Synth-Pop, 80s Pop
• Total Runtime: Approximately 73 minutes
• Artist: Kim Wilde
• Cover Photo: Redferns
• Cover Design: Studio Van Dijken, Enschede

Track Listing

1. Kids in America - 3:27
2. Chequered Love - 3:21
3. Water on Glass - 3:35
4. Everything We Know - 3:43
5. Young Heroes - 3:16
6. 2-6-5-8-0 - 3:10
7. You'll Never Be So Wrong - 4:11
8. Falling Out - 4:03
9. Tuning In Tuning On - 4:24
10. Ego - 4:11
11. View from a Bridge - 3:28
12. Words Fell Down - 3:31
13. Action City - 3:23
14. Just a Feeling - 4:10
15. Chaos at the Airport - 3:19
16. Take Me Tonight - 3:51
17. Can You Come Over - 3:35
18. Wendy Said - 3:49
19. Our Town - 3:47
20. Cambodia (Reprise) - 3:20

Interesting Facts

Family Musical Legacy

Kim Wilde's entry into the music industry was a family affair. Her breakthrough hit "Kids in America" was written by her brother Ricky Wilde and her father, 1950s British rock and roll star Marty Wilde. This family collaboration continued throughout her career, with Ricky producing and co-writing many of her songs during the period covered by this compilation. The Wilde family musical partnership proved tremendously successful, crafting a distinctive sound that blended new wave energy with commercial pop appeal during the height of the British synth-pop movement.

"Kids in America" Impact

Opening this compilation is "Kids in America," Kim Wilde's debut single from 1981 that became an international hit, reaching #2 in the UK charts and making the Top 40 in the USA. Despite the song's American references, Kim Wilde had never actually visited the United States when she recorded it. The track has become one of the defining songs of the early 1980s new wave scene and has been covered by numerous artists including The Muffs (whose version appeared in the film "Clueless") and One Direction. Its enduring popularity has made it a staple of 80s-themed playlists and retro radio formats decades after its release.

"Cambodia" Innovation

"Cambodia," featured as a reprise closing this compilation, represented a sonic evolution for Wilde when released in 1981. The song incorporated more atmospheric synthesizers and a mysterious narrative about a Vietnam War pilot who disappears in Cambodia. It demonstrated Wilde's versatility beyond straightforward pop and became a significant European hit, reaching #1 in several countries including Sweden, Switzerland, and France, while peaking at #12 in the UK. The song's exotic theme and atmospheric production helped establish Wilde as more than just a one-hit wonder.

Career Resurgence

After the period covered by this compilation, Kim Wilde's international chart success continued with hits like "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (a cover of the Supremes classic that reached #1 in the US in 1987) and "You Came" (1988). Following a period away from music, Wilde experienced an unexpected career revival in the 2000s, particularly in continental Europe, where she remains popular on the 80s nostalgia circuit. In more recent years, she has successfully reinvented herself as a gardening expert and television presenter in the UK while still recording and performing music.

Publishers

Released through Disky Communications Europe B.V. in 2000. Cover photo credit to Redferns with cover design by Studio Van Dijken, Enschede.

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