Kim Wilde - Another Step (1986) {1987, Japan 1st Press}

Another Step is the fifth studio album by British pop singer Kim Wilde, released in November 1986. 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 (Closer to You)" and "Say You Really Want Me". The album contained 12 tracks (13 on the CD and cassette) and a varied team of songwriters, as well as Wilde herself co-writing more than half of the tracks. The first half was uptempo, whereas the second consisted of ballads. Most of the tracks were produced by Ricky Wilde, but there were also production duties fulfilled by Rod Temperton and Bruce Swedien known for working with Michael Jackson and there were also Reinhold Heil, Richard James Burgess and Dick Rudolph.

The album's first single was "Schoolgirl", which was released only in Australia and several European countries (although not the UK). This single was the first Kim Wilde had co-written herself. The first single released globally was a cover of the Supremes hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On". In the United States it became Wilde's first number one on Billboard Hot 100 chart, in the summer of 1987. It also reached No. 1 in Canada and Australia, and was almost equally successful in the UK, where it peaked at no. 2.

The next single was "Another Step (Closer to You)", a duet with British soul singer Junior, which went to top 10 in the UK. The third globally and final single off the album was "Say You Really Want Me", which caused a minor controversy when the video was banned from children's programming because it showed Kim writhing on a bed having fun with a pearl necklace. Despite the raunchy image and publicity which accompanied the specially-remixed song, it didn't set the charts alight and the album saw no further single releases. The album reached US No. 40, her only album to do better in America than in the UK, where it only hit No. 88 on the first release. Elsewhere, the album was a massive success in Norway, where it hit No. 2, and in Canada, where it hit No. 11, and selling Gold.

All of the tracks on Another Step were a departure from the synth sound of the previous albums. There were more guitars than before: "The Thrill of It" and "I've Got So Much Love" had a distinctive 'rock' feel. The final five songs were ballads, the most noteworthy being Kim's self-penned and produced "Don't Say Nothing's Changed" which closed the album. A re-package of this album was released a few months after the initial launch, with a new sleeve design and the addition of bonus tracks, and this time the album made it to #73 on the UK album chart. Although this failed to reignite interest, it has since become a collectors item for fans.

Kim Wilde cemented her reputation as a singles artist with this album, as again overall sales were disappointing despite the huge success of the songs released from it. She has since voiced her regret that she did not put more effort into cracking the US market after she had scored her first number one hit there.