| From Croydon to Cuba: An Anthology | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Box set by | ||||
| Released | 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–2000 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:56:23 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Kirsty MacColl chronology | ||||
| ||||
From Croydon to Cuba: An Anthology is a three disc box set by the British singer and songwriter Kirsty MacColl, released by Virgin in 2005. It reached No. 98 on the UK Albums Chart. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| musicOMH | favourable [3] |
| The Telegraph | favourable [4] |
Upon release, Dave Thompson of AllMusic described the set as a "marvel" and one which leaves listeners "wondering precisely how MacColl's genius passed so many people by". [2] John Murphy of musicOMH considered it a "long overdue retrospective" and summarised: "Although there are some omissions, this anthology is still a compulsory purchase for anyone who wants to know more about one of the more cruelly over-looked figures of British music." [3]
Robert Sandall of The Telegraph commented: "This box set offers a comprehensive reminder of just how characterful a talent departed the planet when Kirsty MacColl [died] in 2000. Not all of the 65 tracks here are classics - like most box sets, this contains a sprinkling of rare or unreleased what-nots which collectors love but others skip. But the story they tell is riveting." [4]
Adapted from the box set liner notes. [5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "They Don't Know" | Kirsty MacColl | Non-album single, 1979 | 3:02 |
| 2. | "You Caught Me Out" | MacColl, Pete Briquette, Simon Crowe | Abandoned single, 1979; [upper-alpha 1] previously unreleased | 3:24 |
| 3. | "Keep Your Hands off My Baby" | Carole King, Gerry Goffin | Non-album single, 1981 | 2:59 |
| 4. | "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" | MacColl, Philip Rambow | Desperate Character , 1981 | 3:08 |
| 5. | "Hard to Believe" | MacColl | Desperate Character | 2:19 |
| 6. | "See That Girl" | MacColl | Desperate Character | 3:00 |
| 7. | "Queen of the High Teas" | MacColl | B-side of "You Still Believe in Me", 1981 | 2:28 |
| 8. | "I Want Out" (Matchbox feat. Kirsty MacColl) | Brian Hodgson, Ray Peters, Tony Colton | Crossed Line, 1982 | 2:42 |
| 9. | "You Still Believe in Me" | Brian Wilson, Tony Asher | Non-album single, 1981 | 2:57 |
| 10. | "Rhythm of the Real Thing" | MacColl, Simon Climie | B-side of "Berlin", 1983 [upper-alpha 2] | 4:58 |
| 11. | "Berlin" | MacColl | Non-album single, 1983 [upper-alpha 3] | 3:34 |
| 12. | "Camel Crossing" | MacColl | From the Real sessions, 1983; [upper-alpha 4] previously unreleased | 5:21 |
| 13. | "Roman Gardens" | Hamish MacColl, Gavin Povey | Kirsty MacColl , 1985; from the Real sessions | 4:57 |
| 14. | "Sticked and Stoned" | MacColl | From the Real sessions; previously unreleased | 3:46 |
| 15. | "Terry" | MacColl, Povey | Non-album single, 1983 | 3:51 |
| 16. | "A New England" | Billy Bragg | Non-album single, 1984 | 3:48 |
| 17. | "Patrick" | MacColl | B-side of "A New England" | 3:04 |
| 18. | "He's on the Beach" | MacColl, Povey | Non-album single, 1985 | 3:30 |
| 19. | "Innocence" (Single remix) | MacColl, Pete Glenister | Kite , 1989 | 4:02 |
| 20. | "Don't Come The Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim" | MacColl | Kite | 3:46 |
| 21. | "Closer to God" | MacColl | B-side of "Free World", 1989 | 3:54 |
| 22. | "Fairytale of New York" (The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl) | Shane MacGowan, Jem Finer | Single, 1987; If I Should Fall from Grace with God , 1988 | 4:33 |
| Total length: | 79:14 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Free World" | MacColl | Kite | 2:37 |
| 2. | "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" | Morrissey, Johnny Marr | Kite | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Tread Lightly" | MacColl, Glenister | Kite | 3:17 |
| 4. | "The End of a Perfect Day" | MacColl, Marr | Kite | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Mother's Ruin" | MacColl, Glenister | Kite | 3:55 |
| 6. | "Dancing in Limbo" | MacColl | Kite | 2:51 |
| 7. | "Days" | Ray Davies | Kite | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Still Life" | MacColl, Rambow | B-side of "Days", 1989 | 2:51 |
| 9. | "Clubland" | MacColl | B-side of "Innocence", 1989 | 2:59 |
| 10. | "Other People's Hearts" | MacColl, Povey | B-side of "Don't Come The Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim", 1990 | 2:59 |
| 11. | "Don't Run Away from Me Now" | MacColl, Rambow | B-side of "Innocence", 1989 | 4:04 |
| 12. | "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" | Don Robertson, Hal Blair | B-side of "Days", 1989 | 3:36 |
| 13. | "Miss Otis Regrets/Just One of Those Things" (Kirsty MacColl and the Pogues) | Cole Porter | Red Hot + Blue , 1990 | 2:58 |
| 14. | "All the Tears That I Cried" | MacColl, Mark E. Nevin | B-side of "My Affair", 1991 | 2:45 |
| 15. | "Walking Down Madison" | MacColl, Marr | Electric Landlady , 1991 | 4:39 |
| 16. | "London Bridge Is Falling Down" | Winsford Devine, add. lyrics by MacColl | Outtake from the Electric Landlady sessions, 1991; previously unreleased | 4:52 |
| 17. | "My Affair" | MacColl, Nevin | Electric Landlady | 5:23 |
| 18. | "All I Ever Wanted" (Re-recorded single version) | MacColl, Marshall Crenshaw | Non-album single, 1991; original version from Electric Landlady | 3:38 |
| 19. | "Halloween" | MacColl, Nevin | Electric Landlady | 3:39 |
| 20. | "We'll Never Pass This Way Again" | MacColl | Electric Landlady | 4:20 |
| 21. | "Count On Me" (Demo) | MacColl, Nevin | 1993 demo; previously unreleased | 2:39 |
| 22. | "Dear John" (Demo) | MacColl, Nevin | 1993 demo; previously unreleased | 2:43 |
| Total length: | 78:17 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Origin | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Angel" | MacColl | Titanic Days , 1993 | 3:51 |
| 2. | "Soho Square" | MacColl, Nevin | Titanic Days | 4:23 |
| 3. | "Bad" | MacColl | Titanic Days | 2:45 |
| 4. | "Can't Stop Killing You" | Marr, MacColl | Titanic Days | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Titanic Days" (Single edit) | MacColl, Nevin | Titanic Days | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Tomorrow Never Comes" | MacColl, Nevin | Titanic Days | 4:46 |
| 7. | "Caroline" | MacColl | Galore , 1995 | 2:55 |
| 8. | "I Am Afraid" | Dave Couse | 1995 session outtake; previously unreleased | 3:15 |
| 9. | "The Butcher Boy" | Traditional | B-side of "Caroline", 1995 | 3:56 |
| 10. | "As Long As You Hold Me" | Bragg | Mad Love soundtrack, 1995 | 4:34 |
| 11. | "Perfect Day" (Kirsty MacColl and Evan Dando) | Lou Reed | Galore | 3:49 |
| 12. | "Sail Away" (Ghostland and Kirsty MacColl) | Randy Newman | Beautiful People soundtrack, 1999 | 3:13 |
| 13. | "Libertango" (Sharon Shannon feat. Kirsty MacColl) | Astor Piazzolla, Barry Reynolds, Dennis Wilkey | Libertango, 2003 [upper-alpha 5] | 4:23 |
| 14. | "Golden Heart" | MacColl, Neill MacColl | B-side of "Mambo de la Luna", 1999; bonus track on Tropical Brainstorm US version, 2000 | 3:22 |
| 15. | "Mambo de la Luna" (Single edit) | David Ruffy, MacColl, Glenister | Tropical Brainstorm | 3:31 |
| 16. | "In These Shoes?" | MacColl, Glenister | Tropical Brainstorm | 3:38 |
| 17. | "England 2 Columbia 0" | MacColl | Tropical Brainstorm | 3:46 |
| 18. | "Celestine" | MacColl | Tropical Brainstorm | 3:34 |
| 19. | "Good for Me" | James Knight, MacColl | B-side of "In These Shoes?", 2000; bonus track on Tropical Brainstorm US version | 4:10 |
| 20. | "Manhattan Moon" | Philip Chevron | 2000 demo; [upper-alpha 6] previously unreleased | 3:34 |
| 21. | "Sun On the Water" (Demo) | MacColl, Glenister | 1999–2000 demo; [upper-alpha 7] previously unreleased | 4:09 |
| Total length: | 79:26 | |||
Adapted from the box set liner notes. [5]
|
|
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart (OCC) [1] | 98 |
Kite is the breakthrough second album by Kirsty MacColl, released in 1989. Produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, it was her first album for Virgin Records. The album included MacColl's hit cover of the Kinks' "Days", as well as two tracks written with Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. On 6 October 1989, it was certified silver by the BPI.
"Ask" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released as a single on 20 October 1986 through Rough Trade Records. Credited to vocalist Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, "Ask" is an ostensibly upbeat, positive pop song built around major chords. Its lyrics discuss shyness and encourage listeners to overcome their inhibitions. Its multiple guitar parts and complex production led to disagreements regarding its final mix. Craig Gannon, who at the time was rhythm guitarist for the group, has claimed he wrote – and was denied credit for – the song's chord structure.
"Shine" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Shannon Noll. It was released as the first single from his second studio album, Lift (2005), on 26 September 2005. It debuted at number one on the Australian Singles Chart, giving Noll his third solo number-one single, and earned a platinum sales certification for shipping over 70,000 copies in Australia. In April 2009, the song was released in the United Kingdom, coinciding with Noll's run in the stage version of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds.
This is the discography of British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl.
Tropical Brainstorm is the fifth and final studio album by Kirsty MacColl, released in 2000. It was inspired by her trips to Cuba, and many tracks include Spanish or Portuguese lyrics. The album was released with three extra tracks in the US.
Electric Landlady is Kirsty MacColl's third studio album. Released in 1991, it was her second Virgin Records release and second collaboration with producer/husband Steve Lillywhite. The title is a pun on Jimi Hendrix's album Electric Ladyland.
Titanic Days is the fourth studio album by Kirsty MacColl, released in 1993. Containing eleven tracks, Titanic Days was sometimes hard to get in years after its release, but it was remastered and re-released in 2005 by ZTT with a second CD of non-album tracks and some live recordings, including a version of "Miss Otis Regrets". In 2012, another remastered re-issue of the album was released by Salvo/ZTT, which again featured a second disc of bonus tracks. This is the final album to be produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, before they divorced several years after the release.
"They Don't Know" is a song composed and first recorded in 1979 by Kirsty MacColl. Though unsuccessful, the song was later recorded by Tracey Ullman in 1983. Ullman's version reached No. 2 in the UK and No. 8 in the US.
"Days" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by Ray Davies. It was released as a non-album single in June 1968. It also appeared on an early version of the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. It now appears as a bonus track of the remastered CD. On the original Pye 7N 17573 label, the name of the song is "Day's" owing to a grammatical error.
Desperate Character is the first solo album of British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, released in 1981. The album was re-released in March 1985 as Kirsty MacColl, with three tracks replaced with other songs. The album has been remastered and received a CD release for the first time on 8 October 2012 on the Union Square Music label and features the original twelve track listing.
Kirsty Anna MacColl was an English singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" and cover versions of Billy Bragg's "A New England" and the Kinks' "Days". Her first single, "They Don't Know", had chart success a few years later when covered by Tracey Ullman. MacColl also sang on a number of recordings produced by her then-husband Steve Lillywhite, most notably "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues. Her death in 2000 led to the "Justice for Kirsty" campaign.
"Free World" is a song by British singer and songwriter Kirsty MacColl, which was released in 1989 as the lead single from her second studio album Kite. It was written by MacColl and produced by Steve Lillywhite. "Free World" reached number 43 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for seven weeks.
"Dear John" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, which was released in 1994 as the third and final single from her second studio album Eddi Reader. It was written by Kirsty MacColl and Mark E. Nevin, and produced by Greg Penny. "Dear John" reached No. 48 in the UK and remained in the charts for two weeks. In 1995, the song was nominated for "Best song musically and lyrically" at the Ivor Novello Awards.
"Mambo de la Luna" is a song by British singer and songwriter Kirsty MacColl, which was released in 1999 as the lead single from her fifth studio album Tropical Brainstorm. It was written and produced by MacColl, Pete Glenister and Dave Ruffy.
The Best of Kirsty MacColl is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl. It was released by EMI in 2005 and reached No. 12 in the UK. The one-disc compilation, which was aimed at more casual fans of MacColl, followed the release of the three-disc set From Croydon to Cuba: An Anthology earlier in the year.
"He's on the Beach" is a song by British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, which was released in 1985 as a non-album single by Stiff Records. It was written by MacColl and Gavin Povey, and produced by Steve Lillywhite.
"All I Ever Wanted" is a song by English singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, released in 1991 as the third and final single from her third studio album, Electric Landlady. The song was written by MacColl and Marshall Crenshaw, and was produced by Steve Lillywhite. It peaked at number 91 in the UK Singles Chart.
"You Caught Me Out" is a song written by Kirsty MacColl, Pete Briquette and Simon Crowe. It was originally recorded by MacColl in 1979, with Liam Sternberg as the producer, but the intended single release later that year was shelved. In 2023, it was issued as a limited edition 7-inch single. Versions have also been recorded by Australian singer Christie Allen and British-American singer/actress Tracey Ullman.
See That Girl 1979–2000 is an eight disc box set by the British singer and songwriter Kirsty MacColl, released by Universal Music Group in 2023. The set contains 161 songs, recorded between 1979 and 2000, featuring 47 previously unreleased tracks, including the entirety of her 1983 unreleased second album Real, and sleeve notes by Jude Rogers. It reached number 49 on the UK Physical Albums chart and number 97 on the Scottish Albums Chart.
Real is the sixth studio album by English singer and songwriter Kirsty MacColl. It was recorded and intended for release in 1983, but Polydor Records shelved the album. It was released on 27 October 2023 as a standalone release on digital platforms and part of the box set See That Girl 1979–2000.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)