Off the Coast of Me

Off the Coast of Me
Studio album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts
Released	August 1980
Studio	Chappell Hall and Blank Tapes, New York City
Genre	Disco, latin, rock
Label	ZE [1] Island
Producer	August Darnell
Kid Creole and the Coconuts chronology
Off the Coast of Me (1980) Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places (1981)
Singles from Off the Coast of Me
"Maladie D'Amour" b/w "Adnaloy" Released: August 1980

Off the Coast of Me is the debut album by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, released in 1980. ^{[2] [3]} The album was reissued in 2003 with additional bonus tracks by Universal Island Records.

Production

The album kicked off a loose narrative—Kid Creole's search for good times and his "dream babe," Mimi—that continued over the course of the next few albums. ^{[4] [5]} It was produced by August Darnell. ^[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Robert Christgau	B+ [8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]
Smash Hits	8/10 [11]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	9/10 [12]

Trouser Press wrote that the album's "uniqueness and danceability, along with the Kid's occasionally risqué wordplay, are enough to suggest the band's potential." ^[13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by August Darnell, except where indicated.

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mister Softee"		4:25
2.	"Maladie d'Amour"	Darnell, Andy Hernandez	4:59
3.	"Yolanda"		4:23
4.	"Off the Coast of Me"		4:51

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Darrio..."		4:02
2.	"Lili Marlene"	Hans Leip, Norbert Schultze, Tommie Connor	3:55
3.	"Bogota Affair"		4:29
4.	"Calypso Pan American"	Darnell, Stony Browder	5:22

2003 reissue bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
9.	"There But for the Grace of God Go I" (12" mix)	Darnell, Kevin Nance	5:27
10.	"He's Not Such a Bad Guy After All" (12" B-side)		5:13
11.	"Darrio..." (12" disco mix)		5:12
12.	"Yolanda" (12" mix)		6:42
13.	"Maladie d'Amour" (Mutant Disco Version)	Darnell, Hernandez	6:15

Personnel

Performers Kid Creole – vocals The Coconuts (Adriana Kaegi, Brooksie Wells, Fonda Rae, Lourdes Cotto) – vocals Peter Schott – piano Franz Krauns – guitar Coati Mundi – vibes Andrew Lloyd – percussion Winston Grennan – drums Tommy Browder – bass

Technical credits August Darnell – producer Michael Zilkha – directed by (executive producer) Sugar-Coated Andy Hernandez (1–6, 8) – orchestrations Stony Browder Jr. – orchestrations (7) Bobby Blank and Jules McBrown – engineering August Darnell and Robert Blank – mixing Tony Wright – art direction George Dubose – photography Richard Cramer – typography and graphics

References

1. "Kid Creole – a classic NME feature from the vaults". The Guardian. March 6, 2012.
2. "Kid Creole & the Coconuts Biography & History". AllMusic.
3. "Kid Creole". Record Collector.
4. "Props". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. May 20, 2000.
5. Tucker, Ken (April 2, 1986). "Kid Creole Is Out to Conquer America". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E1.
6. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 628.
7. Ruhlmann, William. Review: Off the Coast of Me. AllMusic. Retrieved on 2010-01-06.
8. "Kid Creole and the Coconuts". Robert Christgau. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
9. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 812.
10. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 392.
11. Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits . No. July 24 – August 6, 1980. p. 29.
12. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. pp. 207–208.
13. "Kid Creole and the Coconuts". Trouser Press. Retrieved May 20, 2021.