Entertainment For Lively Minds
Kirsty MacColl
Readers who pay attention to my Twitter timeline will be aware that I bought a few CDs this weekend, one of which was The Best of Kirsty MacColl.
Now, I'm not completely ignorant in regards to Kirsty MacColl. I'm aware of a hanful of her songs, including her cover version of 'Days' recorded in the mid 90s (probably my first introduction to her (via a Now CD)). I know she's the female lead in one of the greatest Christmas songs of the last thirty years and that she tragically died in a boating accident.
Apart from that, however, that's all I knew. Still, it was enough to tempt me into buying the aforementioned Best Of. Often I'm aware that a compilation album can be misleading and doesn't necessarily tell the complete story of an artist, but if her studio albums are this joyful then she's earnt herself another fan.
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Her studio albums
could be a bit variable, but you should make a place in your collection for "Kite" and "Tropical Brainstorm"; "Electric Landlady" was a bit patchy and you probably have the best tracks on the "Best Of"; "Titanic Days" can be hard going but only those with a heart of stone would not be teary-eyed after listening to "Soho Square"
A lot of her early albums are difficult to get hold of but you may find some for download on emusic.
I'm a big fan, her death robbed us of a great singer
Just the one
I think only her first, for Polydor, is out of print.
The box set is the best place to start. It has everything you will need on it. It's not too dear. Brand new on Amazon for £16.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Croydon-Cuba-Anthology/dp/B0007KLLBU/ref=sr_1_5?...
Kite
...is probably the most accessible, though none of them are particularly impenetrable. She was a marvellous lyricist and owner of a truly distinctive voice...
Kite
Wonderful record, helped me through some bad times. Worth it for Don't Come the Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim! alone, enough to make a grown man cry.
Humphrey pretty much sums it up
My favourites are the marvellous 'Free World' and 'They Don't Know'.
And she makes a great contribution to 'Ask' by The Smiths, as well as many other records around that sort of time.
My favourite, from Kite
Dont Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim. Typifies her fantastic way with a lyric.
In these shoes?
Ace. I'd agree with the emerging consensus that Kite and Tropical Brainstorm are the best. In These Shoes? is the song that gets me grooving around on the floorboards though. In the privacy of my own living room, obviously.
My Affair
What an accomplished piece of music. And fun. That's a hard combination to make.
Call me heretic, but
I wasn't a fan of the Cuba-influenced material at all. Much preferred the early poppy stuff - "He's On The Beach" is one of my favourite tracks of the 80s, and the likes of "Terry" and "A New England" follow shortly after.
At the risk of sounding Partridge-like, I'd nominate "Galore" as an album to go for.
Brilliant stuff
Innocence is in my all time top 10 played songs, and there is shall remain.
Great Lives
She was recently the subject of Great Lives on Radik 4 - probably still on iPlayer. Did you know her dad was the prime mover in the British folk revival in the 50s and wrote "The first time ever I saw your face"?
Ewan MacColl?
I didn't actually. Though perhaps I should've put two and two together. I love his rendition of 'Dirty Old Town'.
and it's about Salford
not Ireland...
True dat
Written in the 40's for a play (can't remember the name) and performed in front of tabs to facilitate a scene change. That's what it was written for. To fill in some time. Fantastic.
I hate that it's now got sectarian baggage though.
What sectarian baggage is this?
I've missed this one and am genuinely bemused. What's the story?
For some
It's a Pogues song, so it must be an Irish Rebel song. (Fairytale just about crosses over the green/blue line). I wouldn't sing Dirty Old Town in a Glasgow pub unless I was very sure of my audience.
I am well aware just how stupid that all is, but I can ken fine the songs that are on the banned list. An innocuous, forgotten, Roy Orbison hit from the late 60s - Penny Arcade - falls into the same bag. Sing the wrong song in Glasgow at your own risk!
I honestly don't know
whether to laugh or cry.
You are
as the kids say, shitting me ?
Yes
..
Buy From Croydon to Cuba
....and then debate me as to whether Kirsty was the best female songwriter to ever come out of these islands. And those harmonies! Oh god.....................
What he said
get the box set - it does the job. Her demo of Dear John is worth it all on its own. Just heartbreaking
I have her albums on CD n vinyl and Kite is undoubtably her slice of pop perfection but all the others have much to offer.
What I love about 'Tropical Brainstorm' is the sense of humour and joi de vivre - which makes what happened next even harder to accept. Songs like 'England 2 Columbia 0' and 'Here Comes That Man Again' still makes me laugh on the umpteenth listen.
She had that Cuban tinged sound going on elsewhere and this is just a brilliant pop record from 'Electric Landlady'
Miss her more and more by the year
The Massive have nailed it...
..as you may expect.
Kite is a dashed fine album, and the rest aren't half bad. All my faves are mentioned above.
Her version of A New England is definitive, Free World is a fine tune, and the pick of the rest for me is probably In These Shoes?
I saw her live at a Heineken "tent gig" in Wollaton Park, Nottingham (where I live) years ago (probably early 90s?) and I'm so glad I made the effort, she was excellent.
Crippled by stagefright at times, apparently.
A great loss.
A New England
I love her take on A New England, but for me Billy Bragg's original will always be the definitive version.
He changed it
to make it longer for Kirsty at her request and still performs the "extended" version as a tribute to her. So I guess this is the definitive version now.
but together is even better
I saw two shooting stars
I saw two shooting stars last night
I wished on them, but they were only satellites
It's wrong to wish on space hardware,
I wish, I wish, I wish you cared.
That bit has always got me for some reason.
Billy sang Kirsty's version
at the tribute gig
I always thought there was a profound truth
In "when at last it didn't ring I knew it wasn't you"
They Don't Know
Talking of definitive versions why did it take Tracey Ullman to make a hit out of a great song? The original will always be the better version to me.
The original was played to death on the radio
but just didn't take for some reason. Tracey Ullman's version is just as good, if not better.
That said I'm a huge fan. I saw her live once just before she died. As Vorgongod said, the box set Croydon To Cuba is a must have.
Roman Gardens: now there's a song.
"Walking Down Madison" and "Tattoo"
Forgive me if I'm repeating something that has been mentioned elsewhere, but has anybody else present noticed a similarity between the chorus of the new Van Halen Single "Tattoo" and the wonderful "Walking Down Madison" ?
Much missed
I have the "best of..." and it has been played to death.
Could this song be improved upon? I think not.
Titanic Days
I just made a liar of myself
After spending a good half hour on Youtube, I've invested a number of $$ in the albums.
I wondered about calculating how much money I've spent on downloads based on recommendation either from the magazine, or from the Massive. A significant amount of my discretionary spend has come from you-all, and not a bum song among them. Thanks.
(note: Mahavishnu Orchestra not yet available at iTunes)