Catch as Catch Can is the third studio album by Kim Wilde, released in autumn 1983. Having toured the UK and Europe in November and December 1982, there was a silence of six months. Kim Wilde returned with the single "Love Blonde", a jazz/swing-inspired track that lyrically mocked the blonde bombshell image that some media had dealt Kim in the previous years. But the sound was unique to the single; the rest of the album continued the electronic theme that was introduced on Select. Most of the songs were again written by Marty and Ricky Wilde, except the second single "Dancing in the Dark", which was written by Nicky Chinn and Paul Gurvitz. Ricky Wilde produced the album. Some of the songs seemed to be telling a story whereas "Dream Sequence" was one of Marty's more imaginative lyrics, describing what seems to be a random sequence of images. The cool blue cover image was provided by photographer Sheila Rock. The album suffered from mixed reviews in the press and the lack of successful singles. Even a second European tour could not help the decline in sales. At the time of release, the new compact disc format was introduced. In Japan, the album was released on this new format. In later years, this release became a much sought-after item among Kim Wilde fans, who often paid more than $100 to get their hands on a copy. Elsewhere in the world, the album has been released on CD only once, as part of a 3-CD box set named The Originals. Available for a limited period only, this also has become a collectable item. It was finally re-released on 18 May 2009 as a remastered special edition following Kim Wilde and Select in April.
Critical response
Catch as Catch Can received mixed reviews from contemporary critics. Record Mirror found the album to contain "something for everyone" and praised Ricky Wilde for "showing a constantly changing style and no two songs are the same". Kim's "'young and snotty'" voice was compared to Michael Jackson's on the "hot and funky" "Back Street Joe", while "Sparks" was described as "dangerously close to sounding like good old Cliff Richard himself". Smash Hits described Wilde's voice as "pretty-but-slight" and found the songs to be "a mass of uninspired synth patterns and plodding arrangements."
Track listing
All songs written by Marty Wilde and Ricky Wilde except where indicated. Side one
