Kite

Description

‘Kite’ flew out in the world in the spring of 1989, a whole decade after Kirsty MacColl had released her first single. It also came seven years after her last album, her debut, ‘Desperate Character’. In the interim, she had a top ten hit with her harmony and jangle-drenched version of Billy Bragg’s ‘A New England’ in 1985, an evergreen Christmas hit, 1987’s ‘Fairytale of New York’, with The Pogues and two sons, Jamie and Louis, with her producer husband Steve Lillywhite. ‘Kite’ arrived like a bold, glossy statement of intent, full of songs she had written herself and with dear friends like Pete Glenister and Johnny Marr, plus one glistening Kinks cover, which felt like an appropriate choice. In finger-clicking country, Smithsy pop, ballads and modern protest songs, Kirsty was Ray Davies’ natural successor in songwriting, observing fame, love and modern life with a sparkling, sensitive eye. ‘Kite’ also contains flourishes of what was to come later for Kirsty. ‘Dancing in Limbo’ hints towards her later work’s Latin flavours. Finale ‘You and Me Baby’ prefigures the glorious soundworld of 1993’s ‘Titanic Days’. Throughout the album, there is a confidence that bristles and burns, the sound of a woman finally seizing the day and having her time. This double CD deluxe edition features a bonus disc of alternate mixes, B-sides and singles.

Tracklisting

Disc 1
1. Innocence – Kirsty MacColl
2. Free World – Kirsty MacColl
3. Mother’s Ruin – Kirsty MacColl
4. Days – Kirsty MacColl
5. No Victims – Kirsty MacColl
6. Fifteen Minutes – Kirsty MacColl
7. Don’t Come the Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim! – Kirsty MacColl
8. Tread Lightly – Kirsty MacColl
9. What Do Pretty Girls Do? – Kirsty MacColl
10. Dancing in Limbo – Kirsty MacColl
11. The End of a Perfect Day – Kirsty MacColl
12. You and Me Baby – Kirsty MacColl
Disc 2
1. Closer to God? (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
2. The End of a Perfect Day (Demo) – Kirsty MacColl
3. You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
4. La F“ret De Mimosas (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
5. Happy (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
6. El Paso (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
7. Still Life (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
8. Please Help Me, I’m Falling (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
9. Innocence (Single Remix) (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
10. Clubland (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
11. Don’t Run Away from Me Now (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
12. Innocence (Guilt Mix) (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
13. No Victims (Guitar Geroes Mix) (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
14. Other People’s Hearts (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
15. Complainte Pour Ste Catherine (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
16. Am I Right? (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl
17. You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby (‘She’s Having a Baby’ Soundtrack Version) (Bonus Track) – Kirsty MacColl