Electric Landlady [Import]

Kirsty MacColl | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 20, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Gold
• ASIN: B00000I25G
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,636 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Walking Down Madison

2. All I Ever Wanted

3. Children Of The Revolution

4. Halloween

5. My Affair

6. Lying Down

7. He Never Mentioned Love

8. We'll Never Pass This Way Again

9. The Hardest Word

10. Maybe It's Imaginary

11. My Way Home

12. The One And Only

Editorial Reviews

Out of print in the U.S., this is her 1991 album forVirgin. The recipient of four & a half stars (out of fivepossible) from the All-Music Guide, 'Electric Landlady'features 12 tracks, including 'My Affair', 'Walking DownMadison' and 'Children Of The Revolution', which sheco-wrote with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated Brilliance, January 12, 2001

By 

Timothy J. Slivinski - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electric Landlady (Audio CD)

Kirsty Maccoll never achieved the kind of notice in the US that she deserved, and now, unfortunately, this extremely talented woman will be missed and we should all mourn the loss of her music as well. "Electric Landlady," her CD from 1991, has always remained near the top in my collection of music. "Walking Down Madison," the opening track, is stupendous. It shows Kirsty branching out, trying her hand at a little rap with a solid beat, but the words are what make the track brilliant. The song is a stinging indictment of all those who refuse to acknowledge the social ills that they encounter on the streets daily. Completely different is "My Affair," a song that never fails to bring a chuckle. It's clever play on words is sheer poetry. "Children of the Revolution" has more of a folk rock feel to it, and again, the lyrics are hard hitting. "He Never Mentioned Love" could have and should have been a huge pop hit, though it far surpasses anything that passes for pop music today. And "Maybe It's Imaginary" will appeal to those for whom environmental issues are a cause. Overall, with its eclectic styles and moods, this CD has something for all listeners. Taken as a whole, it is a brilliant collection of music from a talented woman, a woman whom the music community will greatly miss. There will be no more new Kirsty Maccoll CD's, but "Electric Landlady" will let the beauty and talent of this lady live with us for a long time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better to Fly Kite, June 20, 2000

By 

Alison McSweeny (Baltimore,MD.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Electric Landlady (Audio CD)

After the focussed and heart-felt brilliance of "Kite", it was initially off-putting to find Kirsty experimenting freely with so many different styles on this album. Not that experimentation is a bad thing,per se, but so much energy seems to have been spent mastering the various musical genres (the latin samba of "My Affair", the socially-aware pseudo rap of "Walking Down Madison")that basic songcraft seemed to have fallen by the wayside. For a singer /songwriter who had finally found her own voice on "Kite", this seemed to be a retreat, hiding her vocal talents and singular world-view behind high-gloss production and superficial genre conventions.Even "Children of the Revolution", an obviously sincere attack on leftist dilettantism seems unbecomingly obvious when compared with scathing indictment of Thatcherism that developed from the accretion of small, personal details throughout "Kite". Still, superficial Kirsty is better than deepest profundities of most pop artists, and the record has several wistful pop gems ("He Never Mentioned Love","All I Ever Wanted"), and even the aforementioned rap and samba tunes are infectious and danceable.("My Affair" has the added advantage of being hilariously funny.) One gets the impression that the record was written quickly, to capitalize on the success of its predeccessor, and that the forced,inorganic feel that pervades the record is simply the result of inadequate gestation. She would bounce back artistically with the lush and sad "Titanic Days" (like "Kite", shamefully out of print in the U.S.), which would meld her wistful pop to state of the art dance tracks and full orchestration in a more seemless presentation. And as the new "Tropical Brainstorm" proves, her interest in latin rhythms was nothing if not genuine.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A worthy discovery, July 27, 2000

By 

C. J. Hormann (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Electric Landlady (Audio CD)

Kirsty Maccoll has been plying her trade in Britain for a couple of decades. Many of her songs contain acidic lyrics but these are always off-set by her pitch-perfect voice. While not as good as its predecessor "Kite", this is a perfect start for anyone new to the Maccoll oeuvre.

The album contain some experimentation, with some rap beat over "Walking Down Madison" and a light Latin samba to "My Affair". While it is good to see her diversifying they are not the album's strengths. These come in a couple of lovely ballads, "Hallowe'en" and "The Hardest Word" as well as the magnificently acerbic "He Never Mentioned Love".

This is a very good example OF Kirsty Maccoll's style and one that could blow anything that Alanis and Tori have produced out of the water. Discover this genius, tell your friends and BUY THIS ALBUM NOW!