The Albums

Although Kirsty began recording in 1979, the casual observer could be forgiven for assuming that she didn't record an album until 1989's Kite. In fact, she did record one original album for Stiff entitled Desperate Character and one for Polydor called Real which was never released; neither is yet available on CD. The first appearance of any of this material was on the Stiff CD entitled The Essential Collection, which collects together singles, album tracks, B-sides and remixes from this period (although it strangely skips the single 'He's On The Beach'). The subsequent compilation The One And Only mined a similar vein, though less effectively, while the key tracks from Stiff are also now on the From Croydon To Cuba box set. I've dealt with these two compilations before the run of albums proper.

The Essential Collection (1993, now out of print) 1. There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis (Kirsty MacColl/Phil Rambow) 1981 2. A New England (Billy Bragg) 1984 3. Patrick (Kirsty MacColl) 1984 4. Eighty Year Old Millionaire (Kirsty MacColl) 1984 5. See That Girl (Kirsty MacColl) 1981 6. Until The Night (Kirsty MacColl/Phillip Johnstone) 1981 7. Just One Look (Payne/Carrol) 1981 8. He Thinks I Still Care (Royden D Lipscomb/Steve Duffy) 1981 9. They Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl) 1979 10. Turn My Motor On (Kirsty MacColl) 1979 11. Please, Go To Sleep (Kirsty MacColl) 1985 12. Terry (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 1983 13. Quietly Alone (Kirsty MacColl) 1983 14. Teenager In Love (Kirsty MacColl/Phil Rambow) 1981 15. A New England (12" Mix) (Billy Bragg) 1984 16. Terry (12" Mix) (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 1983 17. There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis (Country Version) (Kirsty MacColl/Phil Rambow) 1981 Production details not credited; 'They Don't Know' produced by Liam Sternberg (who also probably produced 'Turn My Motor On'); 'There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis' produced by Bazza; 'Terry' produced by Kirsty MacColl and Gavin Povey; 'Patrick' produced by Kirsty MacColl; 'A New England' produced by Steve Lillywhite. CD catalogue number: STIFFCD 17.

COMMENT: A nice selection of Kirsty's early material for Stiff, oriented towards her poppier, sixties-emulating side. Lyrically, there's much enjoyment to be had, especially on 'Eighty Year Old Millionaire' and the immortal 'Terry' (included here in two versions). 'Please Go To Sleep' also touches on territory that wouldn't be revisted until the Titanic Days period, with its wordless vocal and harmonically discordant mix of instruments. Galore and What Do Pretty Girls Do? are both more representative compilations, but this neatly covers much of Kirsty's first career phase.

The One And Only (2001) 1. A New England (Billy Bragg) 1984 2. They Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl) 1979 3. Terry (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 1983 4. Libertango (Sharon Shannon featuring Kirsty MacColl) (Piazollo) 1997 5. Turn My Motor On (Kirsty MacColl) 1979 6. I'm Going Out With An Eighty Year Old Millionaire (Kirsty MacColl) 1984 7. Patrick (Kirsty MacColl) 1984 8. He's On The Beach (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 1985 9. The Manchester Rambler (Ewan MacColl with Kirsty MacColl) (Ewan MacColl) 1983 10. Quietly Alone (Kirsty MacColl) 1983 11. Please, Go To Sleep (Kirsty MacColl) 1985 12. Terry (12" Mix) (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 1983 13. Greetings To The New Brunette (Billy Bragg with Kirsty MacColl) (Billy Bragg) 1986 14. A New England (12" Mix) (Billy Bragg) 1984 Production details not credited; 'They Don't Know' produced by Liam Sternberg (who also probably produced 'Turn My Motor On'); 'Terry' produced by Kirsty MacColl and Gavin Povey; 'Patrick' produced by Kirsty MacColl; 'A New England', 'Turn My Motor On', 'Eighty Year Old Millionaire', 'He's On The Beach', 'Please, Go To Sleep'' produced by Steve Lillywhite. CD catalogue number: METRCD063.

COMMENT: Something of a mixed bag. This neatly collects up all of Kirsty's Stiff-era recordings, but then pads them with other releases which, while interesting, don't make for a very cohesive whole. The recording of 'Libertango' is worth having, but the Ewan MacColl track seems fairly gratuitous and Kirsty fans seeking her collaborations with Billy Brag would be better off seeking his compilation Must I Paint You A Picture, which also includes her stellar work on 'Sexuality' and his original take on 'A New England'. Still, at the price this normally sells for (around four quid), it's not too hard to justify buying.

The albums which she has released since then (on IRS in the US, and Virgin and later Liberation pretty much everywhere else, with a latter mysterious involvement by Trevor Horn's ZTT and more recent intrusions by Hux and V2) are:

Kite (1989, reissued 2005) 1. Innocence (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 2. Free World (Kirsty MacColl) 3. Mother's Ruin (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 4. Days (Raymond D Davies) 5. No Victims (Kirsty MacColl) 6. Fifteen Minutes (Kirsty MacColl) 7. Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim! (Kirsty MacColl) 8. Tread Lightly (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 9. What Do Pretty Girls Do? (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 10. Dancing In Limbo (Kirsty MacColl) 11. The End Of A Perfect Day (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 12. You And Me Baby (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) BONUS TRACKS 13. You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby (She's Having A Baby Soundtrack Version) (Morrissey/Johnny Marr) 14. Happy (Kirsty MacColl) 15. Am I Right? (Kirsty MacColl) 16. El Paso (Marty Robbins) 17. La Foret De Mimosa (Kirsty MacColl; French assistance by Juliett Guiot) 18. Complainte Pour Ste Catherine (Anna McGarrigle/Philip Tatartchieff) 19. Free World (Radio Version) (Kirsty MacColl) 20. Innocence (Guilt Mix) (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 21. No Victims (Guitar Heroes Mix) (Kirsty MacColl) 22. The End Of A Perfect Day (Demo) (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) Produced by Steve Lillywhite except 'Happy' produced by Kirsty MacColl, Colin Stuart and Johnny Marr, 'Am I Right?' and 'El Paso' produced by Kirsty MacColl and Colin Stuart. 'You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby', 'La Foret De Mimosa' and 'Complainte Pour Ste Catherine' did not appear on the original LP (vinyl) release, but were on the first CD issue. CD catalogue number: CDKM1/KMREM1.

COMMENT: Wow. If you wait almost ten years between albums, I guess it's not surprising that you have a lot to say. A dozen tracks was a lot for an album in 1989, and some of the gems of the period (like 'Still Life') aren't even on it! Kite is notable on many other levels: for bringing that voice well to the fore in the production, for the fact that Kirsty's melodic inventiveness is now matching her lyrical bite; for the marvel that is 'Fifteen Minutes'; for the neat alternation between jangly guitar pop and the sparser arrangement of 'Dancing In Limbo'; and for the sensitive choice of cover versions (Smiths, the Kinks, and the McGarrigle sisters). Not a dud track on it, and a great way to familiarise yourself with Kirsty at her most accessible. The 2005 reissue collects up most of the significant B-sides that didn't make it onto From Croydon To Cuba, along with some remixes and one unheard demo. Nice additions, though I wish that they'd left the two French tracks at positions 14 and 15, as they were on the original CD release.

Electric Landlady (1991, reissued 2005) 1. Walking Down Madison (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 2. All I Ever Wanted (Kirsty MacColl/Marshall Crenshaw) 3. Children Of The Revolution (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 4. Halloween (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 5. My Affair (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 6. Lying Down (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 7. He Never Mentioned Love (Kirsty MacColl/Jem Finer) 8. We'll Never Pass This Way Again (Kirsty MacColl) 9. The Hardest Word (Kirsty MacColl/Hamish MacColl) 10. Maybe It's Imaginary (Kirsty MacColl) 11. My Way Home (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 12. The One And Only (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) BONUS TRACKS 13. Don't Go Near The Water (Al Jardine/Mike Love) 14. One Good Thing (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 15. Darling, Let's Have Another Baby (featuring Billy Bragg) (Fred Berk) 16. My Affair (Bass Sexy Mix) (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 17. Walking Down Madison (6AM Ambient Mix) (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) Produced by Steve Lillywhite. CD catalogue number: CDV 2663/KMREM2.

COMMENT: Having listened obsessively to Kite over several years, this album surprised me a lot when I first got it. Sure, tracks like 'Maybe It's Imaginary' and 'He Never Mentioned Love' followed the same model as previous Kirsty material, but then there was the surprise rap on 'Walking Down Madison', the flirting with Celtic rhythms on 'The One And Only', and the extension of that very English world view to take in Americana ('Halloween') and Cuban rhythms ('My Affair'). Over time, though, the material grew and grew on me, and now it's a firm favourite. The reissue catches most of the B-sides from the period, including Kirsty's hilarious duet with Billy Bragg on 'Darling Let's Have Another Baby'. Not sure why they didn't use the single remix of 'All I Ever Wanted' though!

Titanic Days (1993, reissued 2005) 1. You Know It's You (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 2. Soho Square (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 3. Angel (Kirsty MacColl) 4. Last Day Of Summer (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 5. Bad (Kirsty MacColl) 6. Can't Stop Killing You (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 7. Titanic Days (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 8. Don't Go Home (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 9. Big Boy On A Saturday Night (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 10. Just Woke Up (Kirsty MacColl/David Ruffy) 11. Tomorrow Never Comes (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) BONUS DISC 1. Angel (Piano Mix) (Kirsty MacColl) 2. Fabulous Garden (Kirsty MacColl) 3. King Kong (Kirsty MacColl) 4. Dear John (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 5. Miss Otis Regrets (Live) (Cole Porter) 6. Free World (Live) (Kirsty MacColl) 7. Touch Me (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 8. Irish Cousin (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 9. Angel (Single Mix) (Kirsty MacColl) 10. Angel (Stuart Chrichton Remix) (Kirsty MacColl) 11. Angel (Into The Light Mix) (Kirsty MacColl) 12. Angel (Apollo 440 Remix) (Kirsty MacColl) Produced by Vic Van Vugt and Baboon Farm (who are in turn credited as Kirsty MacColl and Mark E. Nevin or just Kirsty MacColl on Galore, see below); 'Angel' produced by Steve Lillywhite; 'Tomorrow Never Comes' produced by Kirsty MacColl and Mark E. Nevin; live tracks produced by Peter Kaye. CD catalogue number: D31070/ZTT197CD.

COMMENT: Wow again. A darker, more introspective work than its predecessors, Titanic Days is brimming with invention and atmosphere, lilting from jaunty pop ('You Know It's You') to nightmare visions of bondage (the title track) via the infamous housewife insanity of 'Bad'. Rarely has a cor anglais been used in rock so effectively. As a co-writer and producer, Mark E. Nevin brings out new sides of our favourite singer. And 'Tomorrow Never Comes' is one of those songs destined for playing in a semi-lit room at midnight. ZTT went all out with the 2005 reissue, adding a whole disc of extra material. While including every released version of 'Angel' might test the patience of many, getting the sparse demo of 'Dear John', the never-before heard 'King Kong', the uber-rare Australian B-sides and the live tracks makes it totally worthwhile.

Galore (1995) 1. They Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl) 2. A New England (Billy Bragg) 3. There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 4. He's On The Beach (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 5. Fairytale Of New York (with The Pogues) (Shane MacGowan/Jem Finer) 6. Miss Otis Regrets (with The Pogues) (Cole Porter) 7. Free World (Kirsty MacColl) 8. Innocence (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 9. You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby (Morrisey/Marr) 10. Days (Raymond D. Davies) 11. Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim! (Kirsty MacColl) 12. Walking Down Madison (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 13. My Affair (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 14. Angel (Kirsty MacColl) 15. Titanic Days (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 16. Can't Stop Killing You (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 17. Caroline (Kirsty MacColl) 18. Perfect Day (with Evan Dando) (Lou Reed) 'They Don't Know' produced by Liam Sternberg; 'There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis' produced by Bazza; 'Titanic Days' produced by Vic Van Vugt, Kirsty MacColl and Mark E. Nevin;'Can't Stop Killing You' and 'Caroline' produced by Vic Van Vugt and Kirsty MacColl; 'Perfect Day' produced by Kirsty MacColl and Boz Boorer; all other tracks produced by Steve Lillywhite. CD catalogue number: 7243 8 30257 25.

COMMENT: Variety is the spice of life, and this has variety aplenty. For the casual listener, it covered most (although not all) of Kirsty's career highlights through to 1995, touching on most of the major singles and the best of the albums. For the fans, the hard-to-come by tracks (such as 'He's On The Beach') and rare single mixes (on 'Free World', for instance) are reason enough to buy. And that's before you even consider the glory that is 'Caroline', practically everything that's good about Kirsty packed into one heck of a tune, and her stirring duet with Evan Dando on 'Perfect Day'. Sure, this song's been covered a million times before and since, but this is still something special. Also has the best cover of any Kirsty album. Since superseded by the Best Of compilation.

What Do Pretty Girls Do? (1998) 1. Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim (Kirsty MacColl) 1989 2. What Do Pretty Girls Do? (Kirsty MacColl) 1989 3. Don't Run Away From Me Now (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 1989 4. Still Life (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 1989 5. There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 1991 6. Walk Right Back (Sonny Curtis) 1991 7. Darling Let's Have Another Baby (featuring Billy Bragg) (Fred Berk) 1991 8. A New England (featuring Billy Bragg) (Billy Bragg) 1991 9. My Affair (Kirsty MacColl/Mark Nevin) 1994 10. Bad (Kirsty MacColl) 1994 11. Can't Stop Killing You (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 1994 12. Caroline (Kirsty MacColl) 1995 13. Free World (Kirsty MacColl) 1995 14. He's On The Beach (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 1995 15. A New England (Billy Bragg) 1995 'My Affair', 'Bad' and 'Can't Stop Killing You' no producer credited; 'Caroline', 'Free World', 'He's On The Beach' and 'A New England' produced by Chris Whatmough; all other tracks produced by Peter Watts. CD catalogue number: HUX 001.

COMMENT: Stripped of their multi-tracked vocals and complex guitar arrangements, Kirsty's material (and, naturally, voice) still shine on this selection of BBC radio sessions. 'Unplugged' has become a term of abuse in certain circles, but put Kirsty, Billy Bragg and a couple of guitars in a studio and you can see where the magic came from. As well as the reinterpretations of Kirsty classics like 'A New England', there's also the only album appearance of the truly amazing 'Still Life', and the fun and games of 'Darling Let's Have Another Baby'.

Tropical Brainstorm (2000) 1. Mambo De La Luna (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister/Dave Ruffy) 2. In These Shoes? (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 3. Treachery (Kirsty MacColl/Graham Gouldman) 4. Here Comes That Man Again (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 5. Autumngirlsoup (Kirsty MacColl) 6. Celestine (Kirsty MacColl) 7. England 2 Columbia 0 (Kirsty MacColl) 8. Nao Esperando (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 9. Alegria (Kirsty MacColl/Dave Ruffy) 10. Us Amazonians (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 11. Wrong Again (Kirsty MacColl) 12. Designer Life (Kirsty MacColl/K Crouch) 13. Head (Kirsty MacColl) Produced by Kirsty MacColl, Pete Glenister and Dave Ruffy. CD catalogue number: WR1009872.

COMMENT: Stunning, just stunning. Kirsty embraces the fun and sensuality of Latin rhythms, but doesn't lose any of her own trademark personality and verve in the process. Not a dud track in place, and the lyrics still put practically every other writer on the planet to shame. Picking high points is hard, but 'In These Shoes' and 'Celestine' testify to Kirsty's desire not to make a record unless she could make a happy one, while 'Treachery' has a special poignancy for us long-term Kirsty obsessives. Everyone should own this CD.

From Croydon To Cuba . . . An Anthology (2005) DISC ONE 1. They Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl) 2. You Caught Me Out (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Briquette/Simon Crowe) 3. Keep Your Hands Off My Baby (Gerry Goffin/Carole King) 4. There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 5. Hard To Believe (Kirsty MacColl) 6. See That Girl (Kirsty MacColl) 7. Queen Of The High Teas (Kirsty MacColl) 8. I Want Out (Matchbox featuring Kirsty) (Hodgson/Peters/Colton) 9. You Still Believe In Me (Brian Wilson/Tony Asher) 10. Rhythm Of The Real Thing (Kirsty MacColl/Simon Climie) 11. Berlin (Kirsty MacColl) 12. Camel Crossing (Kirsty MacColl) 13. Roman Gardens (Hamish MacColl/Gavin Povey) 14. Sticked And Stoned (Kirsty MacColl) 15. Terry (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 16. A New England (Billy Bragg) 17. Patrick (Kirsty MacColl) 18. He's On The Beach (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 19. Innocence (Remix) (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 20. Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim (Kirsty MacColl) 21. Closer To God (Kirsty MacColl) 22. Fairy Tale Of New York (The Pogues feat. Kirsty) (Shane MacGowan/Jem Finer) DISC TWO 1. Free World (Kirsty MacColl) 2. You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby (Morrisey/Johnny Marr) 3. Tread Lightly (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 4. The End Of A Perfect Day (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 5. Mothers Ruin (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 6. Dancing In Limbo (Kirsty MacColl) 7. Days (Ray Davies) 8. Still Life (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 9. Clubland (Kirsty MacColl) 10. Other People's Hearts (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 11. Don't Run Away From Me Now (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 12. Please Help Me I'm Falling (Don Robertson/Hal Blair) 13. Miss Otis Regrets/Just One Of Those Things (w/ The Pogues) (Cole Porter) 14. All The Tears That I Cried (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 15. Walking Down Madison (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 16. London Bridge Is Falling Down (Devine Winsford, additional lyrics Kirsty MacColl) 17. My Affair (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 18. All I Ever Wanted (re-recorded single version) (Kirsty MacColl/Marshall Crenshaw) 19. Halloween (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 20. We'll Never Pass This Way Again (Kirsty MacColl) 21. Count On Me (demo) (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 22. Dear John (demo) (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) DISC THREE 1. Angel (Kirsty MacColl) 2. Soho Square (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 3. Bad (Kirsty MacColl) 4. Can't Stop Killing You (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 5. Titanic Days (edit) (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 6. Tomorrow Never Comes (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 7. Caroline (Kirsty MacColl) 8. I Am Afraid (Dave Couse) 9. The Butcher Boy (Traditional) 10. As Long As You Hold Me (Billy Bragg) 11. Perfect Day (w/ Evan Dando) (Lou Reed) 12. Sail Away (Ghostland & Kirsty MacColl) (Randy Newman) 13. Libertango (Sharon Shannon featuring Kirsty MacColl) (Kirsty MacColl) 14. Golden Heart (Kirsty MacColl/Neil MacColl) 15. Mambo de La Luna (edit) (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister/Dave Ruffy) 16. In These Shoes? (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 17. England 2 Columbia 0 (Kirsty MacColl) 18. Celestine (Kirsty MacColl) 19. Good For Me (Kirsty MacColl/James Knight) 20. Manhattan Moo (Philip Chevron) 21. Sun On The Water (demo) (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) More producers than I have space to list! CD catalogue number: 7243 8 74946 2 6.

COMMENT: The long-awaited Kirsty anthology delivers on a number of fronts. For avid fans, the first disc is probably the highlight, collecting several of Kirsty's early 1980s singles onto CD for the first time and marking the first official release of the legendary 'You Caught Me Out'. Five tracks from the aborted Real album also appear, demonstrating just how divergent Kirsty's approach to music was at this time. There are plenty of unexpected treats on the other discs too, including Kirsty's fragile demo of 'Dear John', the late treats 'Manhattan Moon' and 'Sun On The Water' and some robust cover versions. This is also the only disc that's likely to incorporate more or less every single A-side. Kirsty on CD isn't still quite complete -- there are tracks from the first two albums that are still impossible to legally come by -- but we're pretty close. The DVD of the same title is also a treat, albeit somewhat shorter!

The Best Of Kirsty MacColl (2005) 1. They Don't Know (Kirsty MacColl) 2. There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 3. Terry (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 4. A New England (Billy Bragg) 5. He's On The Beach (Kirsty MacColl/Gavin Povey) 6. Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim! (Kirsty MacColl) 7. Fairytale Of New York (with The Pogues) (Shane MacGowan/Jem Finer) 8. Free World (Kirsty MacColl) 9. Innocence (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 10. Days (Raymond D. Davies) 11. Still Life (Kirsty MacColl/Philip Rambow) 12. Miss Otis Regrets (with The Pogues) (Cole Porter) 13. Walking Down Madison (Kirsty MacColl/Johnny Marr) 14. My Affair (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 15. Soho Square (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 16. Titanic Days (Kirsty MacColl/Mark E. Nevin) 17. As Long As You Hold Me (Billy Bragg) 18. Perfect Day (with Evan Dando) (Lou Reed) 19. In These Shoes? (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) 20. England 2 Columbia 0 (Kirsty MacColl) 21. Sun On The Water (Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister) Various producers. CD catalogue number: CDV3008.

COMMENT: Deservedly strong chart placings for this comprehensive overview of Kirsty's career. Substantially the same track listing as Galore, but with some tweaks. Adding the Brainstorm-era tracks is a logical move, it's nice to have a full version of 'Sun On The Water', and it's great that 'Still Life' and 'Soho Square' will reach a wider public. My only quibble? 'Caroline' really should be on here (probably in preference to 'Miss Otis Regrets'). And a different cover image might have helped (though doubtless using this picture will help cross-promote the DVD).

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