The trend is not your friend.

If you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, what about a vintage record sleeve? One of the lost art forms of the twentieth century is LP cover art. As a visually aesthetic person, it is difficult for me to purchase a product that does not come in a beautiful package. And if your musical taste is a reflection of your personal style, how can you buy a commodity in an inferior wrapping? I used to spend hours wandering around Tower Records debating the merits of various artists. This was never more true than in the 80’s when fashion and music were indistinguishable from one another. You were what you listened to, and a clever cover was the ultimate accessory. Of course, this superficial mentality is exactly what makes critics dismiss the greed decade as a blur of haircuts and shoulder pads. This is a shame because it is probably the last time period to truly innovate musically without relying on an obvious retro sense of sound. But I have to admit that the definition of good taste was dramatically different back then. There was a sense that we were living through a bizarre moment in history. As the years flew by this generation whipped itself into a weird frenzy. It is hard to imagine that the participants in this sordid fashion show did not have one tongue planted firmly in cheek. Of course, this is exactly what makes the era ripe for a strange brand of nostalgia. In order to fully appreciate the cultural artifacts of the day, you have to acknowledge the absurd elephant in the room. Looking through my vinyl collection, you could count the fashion mishaps with wicked glee. It is in this subversive spirit that I present my next video. If image is everything, this type of self-reinvention could be considered positively masochistic. If only Kim Wilde weren’t so breathtakingly gorgeous, you could ignore the whole album. But there is a striking visual element to this LP that is hard to resist. In 1984, Miss Wilde changed from a girl wearing secondhand clothes and self-dyed hair to a Barbarella inspired sci-fi goddess. This was a dramatic departure from her previous style. Somebody call a fashion emergency for this singer, we need a talented stylist! Groomed within an inch of her life, Kim sports a cornucopia of bad trends. After this failure of this project, Kim switched back to an image she felt more comfortable in. And taking control of her own image seemed to be a wise choice, as the success of the next album would prove. But for 80’s trash connoisseurs, this record sleeve is in a league of its own. In an era of extreme excess, this graphic design stood out as particularly over-the-top. For one brief shining moment, this new wave vixen reveled in all of her Goth-Glam glory. After all, you should always put your best merchandise in the shop window!