Kirsty Maccoll - Kite (22 tracks) +Album Reviews

Time only carries this album's reputation higher and higher

Wayne Klein | My Little Blue Window, USA | 05/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When "Kite" first came out in the US, I was mystified when it didn't become a hughe hit. It was catchy, intelligently written with the ringing tones of power pop and witty lyrics to boot. I was dumbfounded to find out that hardly anyone bought it. I was even more surprised when I heard that this was trading for big bucks on Ebay. I'm pleased to see that it's available again (if only as an import)to be rediscovered by a world that's undeserving if they don't make this a huge seller.

I miss Kirsty's wit, songwriting chops and singing. There's few songwriters that were at the top of their craft so soon. This expanded edition mirrors the original US version in that it features "You Just Haven't Earned It Baby", "La Foret De Mimosas" and "Complainte Pour Ste Catherine" which were also on the US released in additon to the original 12 tracks of the album. Also included are a killer B-side "Happy", "Am I Right?", a cover of Marty Robbin's "El Paso" three remixes of album tracks and the original demo of the MacColl/Marr original song "The End of a Perfect Day".

There's a note by producer/ex-husband and friend Steve Lilywhite about the recording of the album as well as the original album lyrics. So if you have the original US release (like myself), this is worth upgrading for the four songs not on the original CD. The three remixes are OK the real gem, though, is the original album. Sadly, Kirsty MacColl was killed at the young age of 41 while swimming. She was hit by a boat in waters where boats were restricted. I miss her wit and I only spoke to her once in an interview by phone. I can't imagine what those who were close to her feel. Pick up this great album, enjoy her music and enjoy."

Used to merely love it, now in my top 10

Charles Wilson | Dallas, TX USA | 09/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This re-mastering, re-sequencing and re-visiting of this unbelievably fulfilling album has made me understand how much I missed the first time I loved it. Musically and lyrically there is not a weak link here. Kirsty's own songs are probably the strongest, despite the amazing co-scriptings by Johnny Marr and Pete Glenister. I want to know who, besides Joni, can write such densely involving and engaging lyrics, with traditional rhyming patterns, where no rhyme is forced, no cliché is unintended, and you recognize the life around you in every image, sound and inflection. Let's please not even talk about the vocal harmonies, that's a novel right there. What you come away with more than anything is a tiny pie slice of who this woman must have been. I admit it, when I listened to it before, I thought, the world can't be that bad, if it has Kirsty in it. Without her, the world is still better for her, and for this unbelievable record. As soon as I finish listening to it right now, I'm going to listen to it again."

Soaring "Kite"

Gena Chereck | Nebraska, USA | 12/19/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Album:

Some rock fans have tended to accuse their favorite artists of becoming insufferable softies in the wake of marriage and parenthood, as if any perceived decline in the quality of the artist's music is blamed on the artist losing his or her mysteriousness and "cool," instead of on the listener's own inability to identify with the artist's new mental state. That said, singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl made 1989's Kite -- only her second full-length album of all-new material to be released in her first 11 years as a recording artist -- after marrying record producer Steve Lillywhite in 1984 and then devoting the next few years to raising their two young sons... The former pub-rocker mostly works in Smiths-style Brit-pop here, except for detours into country (the weary-but-hopeful single "Don't Come the Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim!") and jazz ("Fifteen Minutes"), and a sweet cover of the Kinks' "Days" (one of MacColl's biggest UK hits); HOWEVER, a look through the lyric sheet should assure you that becoming a wife and mum didn't turn Kirsty soft.

Kite kicks off with the 1-2 punch of "Innocence," a bouncy single packed with wickedly funny put-down lyrics ("Your pornographic priestess left you for another guy / You frighten little children and you always wonder why"), and the ferocious single "Free World," an attack on Margaret Thatcher's England. Other standouts include: "Fifteen Minutes," a wry comment on the crassness of fame ("In Sunday papers every week / The silly words you love to speak / The tacky photos and the phony smiles / Well, it's a bozo's world and you're a bozo's child ... Your 15 minutes start now"); its less-snide flip-side, the jangly "What Do Pretty Girls Do?", which ponders the plight of an It Girl once her 15 minutes are up and she can no longer coast on looks or popularity; "The End of a Perfect Day" (co-written with Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr), on which MacColl advises us that good times can't last forever; and "Tread Lightly," on which she warns us that getting what we wish for may not be all it's cracked up to be. To audiences who prefer blander and more sugar-coated sentiments in their pop music, many of Kirsty's lyrics here may seem extremely cynical, but I consider them refreshingly honest.

The Extras:

Kite was the first of two albums MacColl released on the Virgin label; earlier this year, EMI/Virgin reissued both this album and 1991's Electric Landlady, expanding them with bonus tracks. One of the extras on Kite is a slightly cleaned-up radio edit of "Free World" (minus the epithet "shag"); the remaining 9 bonus tracks are B-sides, including a cover of the Smiths' "You Just Haven't Earned it Yet, Baby" (which she had recorded for the soundtrack of John Hughes' 1988 comedy She's Having A Baby), a lively cover of Anna McGarrigle's "Complainte Pour Ste. Catherine," the self-penned French number "La Foret De Mimosas," a cover of Marty Robbins' country hit "El Paso" (!), a pair of so-so remixes, and a demo of "End of a Perfect Day."

"

The Late Great Kirsty MacColl

inhighspeed | Orlando; Washington DC | 02/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before the Internet, before sampling stations at the major record chains, the only way to judge a cd was either a recommendation or by judging a book by its cover and just buying it and listening to it. I bought this cd when it first came out just because I liked the cover, and boy what a find. This is a great pop cd by an extremely talented artist whom we lost too soon. Soaring pop, some pseudo-country ("Don't Come the Cowboy"), plaintive ballads. Highlights are "The End of a Perfect Day," "Free World" (which zooms by at a breathtaking pace), "Innocence," "Tread Lightly," "Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim." Excellent and highly recommended."

You Should've Seen Her With Her Head Held High

Mike B. | 05/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That's a line from "What Do Pretty Girls Do?". In Kirsty MacColl's case, they write brilliant songs and sing like an angel. MacColl is a "singer's singer", revered by many. I had the good luck to see her in concert, and Lou Reed was in the audience (no doubt thrilled with her version of his "Perfect Day", which she had recorded as a duet with Evan Dando of The Lemonheads). She had a regal stage presence, and would casually toss her thick long red hair while dancing in place in front of her microphone stand with unerring rhythm.

I guess she came by her talent naturally. She was the daughter of British folk pioneer Ewan MacColl (the son of Scottish immigrants) and dancer Jean Newlove. Her father was the U.K. equivalent of Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger. In a supreme twist of irony, he married Pete's singing sister Peggy Seeger, while Kirsty and her brother were raised by their mother. One can't help but wonder if this pivotal event is at the root of her general disenchantment with men and relationships - a recurring theme in her songwriting. Her lyrics are often melancholy, even when couched in a happy arrangement. They are also witty, sardonic, and sometimes even funny.

After a false start in 1979 with a couple flop singles, Kirsty gained some attention with the 1981 album "Desperate Character", which yielded her first British hit single. Record company travails kept her from recording another album ("Kite" came out in 1989). During the in-between years she was much in demand as a background vocalist, often in sessions conducted by Steve Lillywhite. Steve was her husband and remains a famed producer to this day.

She scored big with some singles during this time. Billy Bragg's "A New England" was a hit for her in '85, and she duetted with Shane MacGowan on The Pogues perennial Christmas smash "Fairytale Of New York" (1987). Kirsty always had a large following in Ireland, and her singles did well there over the years.

Most appropriately, she sang with Morrissey on The Smiths single "Ask", and it's B-side "Golden Lights". This single was produced by her husband, who later produced a few of Morrissey's solo albums. It's correct when people say she's "the female Morrissey". Both dealt directly with themes of alienation, despondence, and self-loathing. They were, however, smart enough to be engaging about it.

Every once in a while it's necessary to haul out the word "masterpiece". "Kite" is one such occasion. In my opinion, it's one of the greatest albums of all time. A treat from start to finish. Steve Lillywhite produced it, and calls it her "most cohesive and continuous album". Many hits came off of it, especially her luminous cover of the Kinks song "Days". It's a rare artist that can surpass the power of a great original recording, but here Kirsty makes it seem effortless.

She does it again on her version of The Smiths' "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" (one of 10 outstanding bonus tracks). "What Do Pretty Girls Do?" is my favorite, with a swinging groove that would've suited Lulu in the 60's. She ventures into international chanteuse territory (like Petula Clark) on 2 fantastic French numbers. Kirsty wrote the beautiful and dramatic "La Foret De Mimosas", and more than does justice to the Kate and Anna McGarrigle track "Complainte Pour Ste. Catherine". There's rock songs, a couple country numbers, grandiose pop with Beatlesque harmonies and production, a couple ballads, and jangly upbeat dance pop. This CD has it all. The bonus tracks are as good as the main album.

After the success of "Kite", Kirsty issued "Electric Landlady" in '91. The Blondie-ish "Walking Down Madison" cracked our Top 40 - the closest she came to an American hit. My second favorite album by her, "Titanic Days", came out in '94 - and some of the songs reflected on her divorce from Lillywhite. 1995 saw the release of her "greatest hits" CD "Galore", which gathered together hard-to-get early singles, the major hits, and 2 singles recorded just for that package - "Perfect Day" and "Caroline". In 2000 she put out "Tropical Brainstorm", which featured many calypso/island rhythms. Her interest in those worldbeats first surfaced on "Electric Landlady". For me, a little of that goes a long way. Consequently, I don't enjoy Landlady or Brainstorm as much as her other efforts. I prefer when she stays within the realms of pop and rock.

MacColl is a study in contradictions. She's sad yet happy, she revels in her freedom yet wishes she wasn't alone. She was a fascinating character. Her untimely death at 41 (in December 2000) from a boating accident was a great loss to the music world. Check out "Kite", "Titanic Days", and "Galore" - and see what you've been missing. Kirsty MacColl deserves to be remembered.

"

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