Customer Reviews

What Do Pretty Girls Do

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
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Recorded between 1989 and 1995, this album consists of four sets of live BBC Radio 1 recordings of Kirsty -- and they are fantastic. New versions of several classic hits are included as well as some great catalog cuts. Two songs are duets with Billy Bragg, which, of course, makes for absolutely wonderful listening. The eight-page liner notes are weak on photos, but the text is informative and interesting (especially the letter from Kirsty).

A nice sampling of Kirsty's career through '99. Sparse arrangements of some of her better known songs. Do yourself a favor and splurge on 1999's exceptional "TROPICAL BRAINSTORM" or her out-of-print in the US "GALORE".

One of the truly great pop songwriters of our time. She will be sorely missed.

Ah, this is a sad day. Kirsty's MacColl's untimely demise deprives us of one of pop music's smartest singers and songwriters. While this isn't a substitute for finding her original CDs (or the excellent "best of" Galore), which are currently out of print, it does show off her voice and songwriting talents to fine effect.

In addition, Billy Bragg completists _need_ this CD for the duets, on the funny "Darling, Let's Have Another Baby", and Billy's "New England" (one of her early hits.)

Live, Kirsty's voice has a smoky quality not prevalent in the studio recordings. This works magic with the mostly acoustic arrangements here. "He's on the Beach", is a particular highlight in this regard.

The acoustic arrangements also let you savor the lyrics. One of Ms MacColl's strenghts is the quality of her writing. "Chip Shop", "Caroline", "Don't Come the Cowboy.." -- her lyrics are just smart and knowing.

Pop music has lost a fine, and woefully undercognized talent with her death. The perversity of the music business probably means that _now_ all of her CDs will be reissued, and she will achieve at least a small measure of the reknown she should have had in life. Whatever. You, however, should ignore all that, buy this CD now, and hunt for her others in your nearest used CD shop.

The NY Times reported Dec. 19, 2000, that Kirsty MacColl died in Mexico today. I'm really bummed. I bought two of her CDs several years ago and really enjoyed them. Her rendition of the Smiths' ""You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby'' was terrific. She'll sorely be missed.

Kirsty MacColl is kinda in the same boat as Carlene Carter: pretty women with first-rank songwriting brains and talent; great pipes, unmatchable musical pedigrees that gleams through their work (Kirsty's father and step-mother are Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger), several excellent albums each, serious respect and recognition from their peers and critics - and no big sales. Both should be major forces in their respective genres. But where Carlene will eventually get her full due (wait'll you see the Country Hall Of Fame list in 2050; there'll be some real shockers in there), Kirsty's latest work seems to disappear with the changing of the seasons. Only three of her catalog are available by my count (read: orderable), fortunately this is one of them. It's an excellent introduction to her work for the uninitiated, and a major addition for her fans. The songs span two decades, not a weak one among them, and the live, small band intimate setting - think "unplugged" - allows Kirsty's songwritng and singing skills to be highlighted, a natural setting for her talents and actually an improvement on the original larger productions. Get this collection and use it as a reasonable "best of" until the inevitable major retrospective comes out and lets you fill in the gaps. The woman's too gifted to be denied forever.