Although the daughter of British folkie Ewan MacColl (perhaps best known for writing “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”), Kirsty MacColl employed a much broader musical palette – mostly pop-rock, but veering into world music and even a touch of hip-hop. She wrote or co-wrote 12 of the 18 tracks on this compilation: the others draw on a wide range of songwriters, including Lou Reed, Cole Porter, and Ray Davies of the Kinks. “Chip Shop”, a 1980s WHFS favorite, was my first exposure to her, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Somewhat oddly, her discography lists only 5 studio LPs, but 12 compilation albums, mostly released after her untimely death in December 2000. (She was run over by a powerboat while she and her two sons were diving off the Mexican coast.)
Johnny Marr of the Smiths summarized her songs as follows: “These strange stories of people, relationships & life, with all the wit of Ray Davies & the harmonic invention of The Beach Boys. Only cooler.”
For more information, visit https://www.kirstymaccoll.com/.
Favorite tracks:
There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis
Walking Down Madison
He’s On The Beach
Can’t Stop Killing You
Fairytale Of New York*
A New England
Free World
Don’t Come The Cowboy With Me Sunny Jim
You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet Baby
Innocence
* -- a Christmas classic, done with The Pogues
