was reminded today that it was the 18t of December 2000 that we tragically lost the most majestic of voices Kirsty MacColl at least we hear her every Christmas but please share your favourite Kirsty moment be it as a lead vocalist or as a backing singer. i was lucky to get to see her on her last tour where her stage nerves that had prevented me seeing her on the Electric Landlady tour seemed to be less. she finished with a blistering Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis really embracing the fun. I miss her
a quarter century ,,, can’t believe it
One of my favourites
Loved Kirsty, Kite is a top 10 LP in my life.
And a great sense of humour … who else would invite Lemmy to mime guitar with her on TV
In these shoes? I don’t think so.
Still one of my all time favourites. Such a great singer and songwriter.
So many to chose from
Terry or He’s on the Beach
Top of the pops – backing on Always find me in the kitchen at parties
Kite is wonderful
I’m so glad she’s remembered but I wish it was more as a singer-songwriter in her own right, rather than as a backing vocalist, duetter and covers artist which were her highest profile roles. She was brilliant at those of course, but what a songwriter. And that voice.
Soho Square has already been posted (desert island disc for me) so instead here’s the Spector-on a budget sound of See That Girl. It’s magnificent and should have been massive. God I love Kirsty MacColl.
When I was courting the first Mrs P, They Don’t Know was “our” song, given her friends had warned her off me, given the company I kept and my thirsty “enjoyment” of life. Long before the later hit cover version. Sadly I no longer have the single. Or, for that matter, that wife.
Hey ho, still loved Ms MacColl…..
Echoing Retro above…
It may seem sacrilegious, but I actually prefer Tracey’s cover version, although Kirsty is still on hand to pipe in with the iconic “Baby!” moment.
I was lucky enough to see Kirsty perform at Hull Truck in the early 90s, with Mark Nevin on guitar if I recall correctly. It’s still in my all-time top 10 gigs of all time.
This one, and this particular demo version.
I was never a great fan of Kirsty MacColl, but I went to see her play live in the early 90s around the time of the Titanic Days album, not really expecting to be particularly impressed. She and her band were quite simply outstandingly good. This was one of the songs that she blew the socks off.
A brilliant voice, many of the good uns have been taken above. But I’m a largely booster of this one. Terrific picking which I’ve tried and no doubt failed to emulate over my years of playing. Simply beautiful.
Loved her sassiness and the obvious trait that she would take no prisoners so the stage nerves were something of a surprise.
My favourites were England 2 Colombia 0 and Walking down Madison. However she had a lot of other great songs.
Unfairly obscure this one. A lovely song and one of her loveliest vocals. The harmonies at around 2:30 are her single best moment.
Dear John, featuring an uncredited Mark Nevin on guitar, from the Titanic Days sessions. Kirsty thought the lyric was too close to the bone, so Eddi Reader recorded it for her hit album and released it as a single.
After Kirsty’s untimely passing I corresponded for years with her mum. Long story short: I paid for a piano to be installed in a Cuban school and went there to visit. One of my proudest moments.
I still remember where I was when I heard the news: northbound slip of M11 junction 10. I had to pull over and, eventually, a policeman turned up to check on me.
Can’t believe it’s been that long! I am now roughly the same age she was when she passed away & I would love to see what she would be doing now had this tragedy not happened.
I listen to this song numerous times a week – i think it is perfect
Some of my favourites above. I can add little but echo pretty much everything. A tragic loss.
“In these shoes? I doubt you’d survive…”
is my top lyric. Always makes me smile.
Kite is a worldy of an album.
Sure I’ve said this before here, but I saw her in a tent at Wollaton Park once in the early 90s (apparently 8 July 1993) at one of the Heineken shows, and even the guy who ran her unofficial website had never heard of that gig. I remember almost nothing of it except that she was fabulous.
For those of a certain age she will however be remembered more for ushering in the nineties and one of the all time great TOTP ‘shock of the new’ appearances.
I very nearly posted that myself. Same episode of ToTP as Fools Gold, of course.
I can still remember sitting on the sofa of my student digs as my Queen and Mike & the Mechanics fans housemates asked “what is this shit?” We’re no longer in touch…
Having been down a Kirsty rabbit-hole on YouTube, I emerged with this thought “this is a great song, even with Rowland Rivron in the video”.
of course Kirsty was often on the French & Saunders show which featured Rowland Rivron as half of Raw Sex
a connection that helped Kirsty’s performance anxieties
Been having a Kirsty Saturday morning and this popped up. Lovely song.
A Kirsty night is starting on BBC4 right now, and the programmes presumably are or will be on iPlayer.
There was an article in my mum’s Daily Torygraph about the incident. Apparently it’s suspected that the speedboat was being driven by a Mexican politician of note but some lackey became the fall guy for it. Lovely eh?
I was at Man City v Ipswich when we heard the news. My boss, a huge Kirsty fan was devestated. Funny what stays with you as I can remember the evening so well
This was the only night I got to see Kirsty live. I may have got one of the first tickets but I remember the hall not being as full as I thought it would be, she was brilliant though and so wee I struggled to see her above the heads of folk in front of me and I’m over 6 foot!
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I only saw her once too, at the Fleadh in 2000. I suppose it must have been one of her last shows as she was killed a few months later. The acoustic stage had some great acts, with Bert Jansch, Lonnie Donegan and Richard Thompson taking the afternoon spots. Kirsty was the only act on the main stage who stood out for me all day. (The Corrs headlined, and the crowd mobbed the exits.)
I was there too. I had tickets for The Town and Country earlier in the year but a combination of being booked on a later than necessary flight from Dublin and delays meant I got to the T&C for the encore so I was keen to see her at The Fleadh with full Cuban band IIRC and I wasn’t disappointed. I also saw her at Clapham Grand around 96 I think but missed a final chance a couple of months before she died. Shepherds Bush Empire I think, we didn’t go because my wife was pregnant.