In the late 70’s, veteran rocker Marty Wilde had the idea of co-writing songs with his failed pop star son, Ricky, for his not-unattractive daughter Kim.
Kim was signed to Mickie Most‘s RAK label in 1980 after the producer heard one of their demos.
Her first single, an exuberant collision of synth-pop and New Wave entitled Kids In America (1981) was composed by Ricky and co-produced by Marty and climbed to #2 on the UK charts.
It launched a run of hits; Chequered Love, Water On Glass, View From A Bridge and the deliriously weird Cambodia in which Kim sang about the micro-sociological effects of US foreign policy.
By 1982, Kim had already sold more records than her father had done in his entire career.
Her second technofied phase (see 1986’s You Keep Me Hanging On) wasn’t nearly as interesting but, after appearing on the Ferry Aid charity single, Let It Be, Kim was back in the Top 10 with Another Step (Closer To You), a surprise duet with soul singer Junior Giscombe.
In 1988, the dance-oriented You Came kicked off another string of Top 10 hits, including Never Trust A Stranger and Four Letter Word.
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