Kirsty MacColl

[Mr BHT]

Following on from a discussion in the 'who have you seen live' thread.

I cry every year! And of course it's coming up to the anniversary again. When we go into London I always find the bench in Soho square and sit on it for a bit. Sometimes I have to move a tramp on his way to do so.

There's a joke in Alan Partridge where he answers the question "What's your favourite Beatles album" with: "I think I'd have to say... The Best Of The Beatles!". There's no such album of course, but these days I find the Kirsty album I play most is the anthology, "Croydon to Cuba". I just love it. You can either choose some snappy early feel-good fodder like "Patrick" or "Terry", or put on Disc 3 for some melancholy tracks like "Caroline", "Manhatten Moon", "Can't Stop Killing You". "Dear John" is THE ultimate heartbreak song of course.

Of the regular albums, I'd agree "Titanic" is perhaps her most emotionally deep and complete; the times I've walked down the street to "You Know It's You" or "Soho Square". It does tend to get a bit disposable towards the end, so sometimes you just have to put on the Bonus Disc on the re-issue and have "Fabulous Garden", "King Kong" and "Touch Me" instead. If I'm not playing "Croydon to Cuba", it'll be "Titanic Days".

Or "Electric Landlady", which contains my favourite ever Kirsty song "He Never Mentioned Love".

Si.

It's funny that you should joke about 'The Best of the Beatles' because for a long time my favourite Kirsty album was Galore! It's what kick started my interest in all things Kirsty way back in 1995, but it was towards the Millennium that Kirsty's music really hit me in all the right places, along with so many albums.

From Croydon to Cuba is a beautifully put together anthology. I think the powers that be did a brilliant job with the reissues a few years back - they were so well co-ordinated. The remasters of Titanic Days, Kite and Electric Landlady contained 'extras' that weren't duplicated on the Croydon to Cuba set. Although one of the head people at ZTT did ask on the Kirsty forum what we wanted on Titanic Days, especially with regards to Dear John to which I replied that it would be a shame for it to miss the album twice! So maybe that's why that appears on the anthology and Titanic Days reissue.

I think I'm going to have to dig out my Kirsty albums and have a listen over the following weeks. I have to admit its been a while, but I guess I am trying to be sparing. If she was still here there would have been about three more albums now and several more tours under her belt. It's such a tragedy that she's gone and yet so many mediocrities remain.

As for her albums I would rank them like so

1. Titanic Days
2. Tropical Brainstorm
3. Kite
4. Electric Landlady
5. Desperate Character (desperately needs to be reissued, along with the never released second album)

[Si Hunt]

I used to say that there wasn't a bad Kirsty song, though I was probably being optimistic. In fact, the only really dire patch on "Cuba" is the bit with the unreleased second album songs - "Berlin", "Camel Crossing" and so on - I just find them dreary!

The one thing I would like to have been on the box set that wasn't, if it exists, is a Kirsty version of "You Broke My Heart In Seventeen Places" which is on The Best of Tracey Ullman. Do you have that, Mr BHT? It's a Kirsty fan essential, not least for the afformentioned lost Kirsty-penned track, also for Kirsty's BV's on a lot of her songs. She uses the same backing track as Kirsty on lots of the Kirsty songs she covers, leading to the memorable moment when she gets a line on "Terry" wrong, and Kirsty's backing track soldiers on with the correct version regardless!

I would probably rate "Brainstorm" as better than "Titanic" in so much as "Titanic" peters out a bit in the last third, where-as Brainstorm has enough songs for a complete album but is a bit overlength - I always wish it ended with "Wrong Again" and lopped off stuff like "Head".

So I think:

1. Brainstorm
2. Titanic Days
3. Electric Ladlady
4. Kite
5. DC

In truth, "Kite" is probably better than EL, but I'm too used to the songs and I feel oddly fond of EL in a wistful sort of way.

Si.

[Mr BHT]

Yes, I have the Tracey Ullman CD, and for my sins enjoy quite a lot of the stuff on it, not just the Kirsty songs, although You Broke My Heart in Seventeen Places is a forgotten pop classic. I think there is a Kirsty demo of it, but I could be wrong.

I suppose Titanic Days does outstay its welcome a tad, but it finishes on a fine song in Tomorrow Never Comes, and Big Boy On A Saturday Night reminds me of a prat I know!

Tropical Brainstorm fizzles out a little bit too, although I like the overlooked Designer Life - I wonder if it was a deliberate thing with Kirsty. Apparently she chose the tracklisting for U2's The Joshua Tree and all she did was simply put the songs in order of her favourite to least favourite. I wonder if she did that with her own albums.

I love the last four songs on Electric Landlady. It was funny as I didn't play that album as much so they really came to me after Kirsty had died and it made the lyrics to My Way Home, The Hardest Word and The One and Only so more poignant as a result.

[Si Hunt]

You could be right! There's only one song I really dislike on EL and that's "Lying Down" which is just dirge. It's an odd album I always think; "Madison" is a great song but doesn't fit on the album at all; I personally love "Halloween". You can see why it wasn't a great seller though, it's extremely melancholic but not very sing-along. It's telling they completely re-did "All I Ever Wanted" for single release.

"Big Boy" is great and a welcome lively moment at that point in the album, even if it has a horrid nasty 'crowd cheering' sample going in in the background. I like "Tomorrow Never Comes" but it tends to get a bit lost right near "Just Woke Up" and ends the album on a somewhat depressing note. Again it's a shame "Dear John" isn't in there. The album starts so wonderfully too, with six or seven songs that are up there with her best.

Si.

[Mr BHT]

You could be right! There's only one song I really dislike on EL and that's "Lying Down" which is just dirge. It's an odd album I always think; "Madison" is a great song but doesn't fit on the album at all; I personally love "Halloween". You can see why it wasn't a great seller though, it's extremely melancholic but not very sing-along. It's telling they completely re-did "All I Ever Wanted" for single release.

Electric Landlady has a lighter more thrown together feel than her other albums. It's almost like a Walking Down Madison single with 11 B-sides! That's no bad thing though, as it makes for more diverting listening when you fancy Kirsty, but nothing too heavy.

Having a Kirsty fest today. I started with the Tracey Ullman best of (!!) and am just wrapping up Tropical Brainstorm and had forgotten how brilliant Nao Esperando is. Been great to get up, stretch my legs and camp it up to In These Shoes?, Treachery, Here Comes That Man Again, AutumnGirlSoup and Designer Life.

[Si Hunt]

"Treachery" is definately a (to quote the song) "dancing around in your socks" song, and I often do. Hilarious! I was lucky enough to get an e-mail from Kirsty when she first got on-line and discovered her web site (now her official one) and I guess it was these experiences which influenced songs like "Treachery" and "Here Comes That Man Again".

Tracey Ullman is a guilty pleasure. You feel like a bit of a traitor listening to her because this woman basically just got Kirsty to do all the hard work and write the songs, sang crap vocals over the top, then got the hits (and she's hideous in real life too). What was wrong with Kirsty being the pop star? Then again, I guess it was money for her at the time and, yes, lots of Ullman's songs are actually.... GREAT! "In and Out Of Love" is brilliant for one, not least because of the glorious moment when the backing vocals take over at the end and you realise that, is it... yes, it's Kirsty again!

Si.

[WhiteCrow]

I think when someone dies in such a tragic and wasteful way, it's probably never something people get over. We're still mulling over the death of Marc Bolan for instance 30+ years on.

And when the person who dies is tallented then there's a whole other awkwardness. There's the body of work they created. And there's a kind of mourning for all the work they'll never be able to add to their legacy. The films James Dean never made, compared to the potential he did show in just 3 movies.

There's a kind of irony - she died in December, but also her most famous song gets the most airplay in December too.

[Mr BHT]

There's a kind of irony - she died in December, but also her most famous song gets the most airplay in December too.

It's hard to believe that Kirsty recorded that song with Shane MacGowan, a man infamous for not looking after himself and yet he's still alive and Kirsty isn't.

[Si Hunt]

There are many reasons why Kirsty's death was such a tragedy. Firstly she was, and is, criminally underrated. I MAY have said this about other acts, but I genuinely believe that of all the musical people I like, she is the most genuinely talented, witty and gorgeous sounding. The re-appraisal following her death simply hasn't come. "Cuba" was a good start, but really it's still just a compilation - they bemoan 'scraping the barrel' for other sadly dead artists, yet Kirsty's debut album isn't even out on CD!

Secondly the way she died. People probably don't realise but it was horrible. Truly horrible. Make no mistake, she must have died in pain, and her kids WATCHED. Anyway, I don't think anyone needs the details, but on the law of averages you would be unlucky to die like that anyway. For it to happen to someone who should be a national treasure should at least have led to justice for the purpatrator. But people barely know.

Thirdly she was at her absolute peak musically, and had just found happiness in life too.

It was all just so terrible, and such a waste. She was the most humble person, the most beautiful voice and probably the only laugh-out-loud witty songwriter we've got. I wouldn't wish her fate on anyone, but sometimes I just think WHY HER?

Si.

[Mr BHT]

The 'freak' nature of Kirsty's death definitely leaves a mark. As the Karen O'Brien book states you tend to fixate on the circumstances of such an event. If she'd gone diving ten minutes earlier or later it wouldn't have happened. You think of all the events in her life leading up to that moment - kind of like the death of Princess Diana.

Kirsty was appallingly under rated as a musician, and still is. I guess thats the price you pay for making thoughtful, intelligent music, and not wanting to sing your songs in a bikini. I can't agree more that she was at a peak in her career and one can only guess at what would have come next. I often think about the future albums and tours and maybe even meeting her by the stage door. People tell me I should be grateful that I saw her once and at such a great time in her career, but it isn't enough.

[WhiteCrow]

We were out last night with my parents - can you believe they played Fairytale 3 times?

It's ironic that it's one of the favourite Christmas song, but it represents a very dark kind of Christmas. The kind they always seem to have in Walford!

But everyone I was with didn't know Kirsty was dead. But then I think there are certain people who aren't up there with the mega-celebs, and if you're looking the wrong way on a news day, you totally miss that they have died.

I remember similarly finding out a few people like G'Kar from Babylon 5 had died years ago, but when they'd died I'd just not seen the right webpage/bought SFX at the time to realise.

[Si Hunt]

It's odd, as there have been at least two documentaries about her death on TV. But it's telling that she isn't getting the exposure via released material. I don't care if it's cash-in, at least it would be getting her recognition. What we got when she died in terms of a tribute was appalling - a cheap compilation of Stiff material including, amazingly and inexplicably, a song of her Dads!

But someone here didn't know either. Maybe we're due another Best Of. Or maybe if people haven't taken to Kirsty's songs by now, they never will.

Si.

[Si Hunt]

10/10/59 - 18/12/00.

Si.

[Mr BHT]

Days I'll remember all my life
Days when you can't see wrong from right
You took my life
But then I knew that very soon you'd leave me
But it's alright
Now I'm not frightened of this world believe me

Thank You for the days Kirsty.

[Si Hunt]

Nine years on, they've given up the fight.

Justice for Kirsty Campaign

5 December 2009

The committee which has led the fight to achieve justice for Kirsty MacColl has agreed to cease campaigning. It will disband and stop collecting money to fund its activities. The remaining funds will be distributed to charities of which Kirsty would have approved.

The committee recently received news that the Mexican government have closed their case file on Kirsty’s death, and regard this as the end of the matter. They said they had exhausted all avenues of investigation and taken statements and affidavits from many witnesses. None of these had led to further information as to who may have been implicated, apart from the boat hand Cen Yam, who had already been convicted of causing the accident.

Once the case was closed there was virtually nothing left for the committee to campaign for. We are not able to bring any more pressure on the Mexicans than we have achieved already.

I suppose it was about time, but it's sad that justice wasn't served - money bought escape from it.

Si.