Mel & Kim - Respectable

[VoR]

I've been living for this all over again since the Drag Race UK lip sync.



So fucking tragic what happened to Mel - she was essentially out of action immediately following the promotional cycle for this single, wasn't she? What might have been

 

[straightorbroken]

Their big singles were lightning bolts of pop.

 

[Sheena]

Mel & Kim was textbook how to launch a pop act. The first single was cool, the second was the commercial juggernaut. The imagery was right, they were poised to be utterly massive. You only have to see how their third and fourth singles both went top ten with zero promo and terrible videos. THEY WERE HUGE.

Also, it’s one of the few times SAW managed a truly great album. All the songs were written to be good enough to be singles. And for the most part, they truly were.

 

[VV]

Yes, they were great. Even Kim Appleby's first solo album was packed with potential singles too.

 

[Sheena]

I love that the first Kim solo album was actually half written by Mel as they wrote whilst she was ill, preparing for a second Mel & Kim album

 

[VoR]

Oh I adore Don't Worry, also a total 10/10. Though sadly there's not much else to recommend Kim's solo years...

 

[octophone]

Kim didn't stay at it for so long, did she? I remember "Don't Worry" and then her saying that it just didn't feel right without Mel after which, I don't remember much happening.

 

[octophone]

Respectable is a great record - I remember, of all, people, Mark E Smith saying he thought it was amazing. Later on, it turned out he was mates with Pete Waterman.

 

[Sheena]

Kim didn't stay at it for so long, did she? I remember "Don't Worry" and then her saying that it just didn't feel right without Mel after which, I don't remember much happening.

She had a full campaign for the first album and it did quite well (including two top tenners- G.L.A.D. is also great!) but the second never took off. The spark was never really there- Mel was the cheekier one and Kim the more sensible, older sister. Solo, she didn't have the same OOMPH and rebellious streak that Mel & Kim had together. Plus there was also the fact she dumped Stock Aitken and Waterman- her first album was done with Craig Logan from Bros (who was her boyfriend at the time). The second album didn't do anything as the singles flopped and she basically retired. She became a bit of a songwriter, but also lead the Ivor Novello awards for years- she was chair of the judging panel. It's only in recent years she's started doing the 80s circuit again...

 

[VoR]

I was listening to that SAW Podcast recently and it's interesting - it seems Kim was savvy enough to realise that SAW were on the outs and jump ship, but didn't quite know where else to go. Don't Worry is fabulous, but it still kinda sounds like a SAW song even though it isn't. Maybe her solo career would have lasted longer had she made a cleaner break and worked with some of the more credible London producers doing the rounds at the time.

But as Sheena says, ultimately without Mel the spark just wasn't quite there...

 

[VV]

'Mama' and 'If you cared' were both great too. In fact I think I liked every song on that solo album.

 

[Avob00]

delete

 

[Avob00]

I was listening to that SAW Podcast recently and it's interesting - it seems Kim was savvy enough to realise that SAW were on the outs and jump ship, but didn't quite know where else to go. Don't Worry is fabulous, but it still kinda sounds like a SAW song even though it isn't. Maybe her solo career would have lasted longer had she made a cleaner break and worked with some of the more credible London producers doing the rounds at the time.

But as Sheena says, ultimately without Mel the spark just wasn't quite there...

The spark definitely needed Mel. She was so bubbly, chatty, her laugh, her humour. Kim was amazing too, but she couldn’t replace the traits that Mel had. Kim, having a young daughter and being 5 years older was definitely the more responsible, mature, and grounded one.

 

[Avob00]

Kim’s second album will be re-released on streaming platforms. It was taken down last week to facilitate this. Seems to be the first of the plans for the 40th anniversary tributes of Mel & Kim.

Posting here for those who are not on the popjustice or Facebook site.

I always felt her 2nd album was a flop compared to the first.

I posted a short comment for Mel on the Kim Appleby FB page saying thinking of Kim and Rachel and my post was blocked by a super fan bloke for being personal? Like I don’t see how that is sensitive.

It would be great to see Kim come out and perform and be in the pubic eye a little more for the 40th anniversary. I only learned through the magazine archives she had a younger sister as well who would be in her 40’s now. It would be great for her to do a duet with Kim of the Mel & Kim songs.