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The Kirsty MacColl web site
MEMORIAL
The Independent
Chris Welch
As
the daughter of the legendary Irish folk singer Ewan MacColl, it was only to
be expected that she would develop a style based on passion and conviction.
Certainly it was her vocal character that endeared her to a wider public with
such performances as the raucous Fairy-tale of New
York, her biggest
hit, sung with Shane MacGowan and the Pogues in December 1987.
But it was her skills as an imaginative and evocative song writer that won her most respect and admiration. Sometimes her propensity for covering other artists' songs suggested she lacked confidence in her own material. MacColl was capable of shifting moods and directions as she absorbed new musical influences.
Kirsty MacColl was born in Croydon, Surrey, in 1959. Her mother was a choreographer and her half-brothers were Neil (of the Bible) and Callum (of MacColl and Seeger).
Early on her musical career she sang in the punk band at the Drug Addix under the name of Mandy Doubt. She was signed with Stiff records in 1979 at the age of 19 and released her debut single, They don't know, which just missed being a hit. Several years later, the actress and comedienne Tracey Ullman took a cover version of the song to number two in the UK charts.
MacColl's first chart hit was the witty There's a guy walks down a the chip shop swears he's Elvis, which peaked at number 14 in July 1981. The following year, she successfully covered Billy Bragg's "A New England", a Top 10 hit in February 1985.
As her songwriting career developed, Kirsty MacColl was greatly admired by the pop literati, including David Byrne from Talking Heads, who enthused over her voice and once said, "She has the wit of Ray Davies and harmonic invention of the Beach Boys." Morrissey also lauded her songs, while Bono called her "the Noelle Coward of her generation". Although consistent chart success seemed to elude her, MacColl commented: "I've never been fashionable, but I've never been unfashionable either. My work is quite well known," she admitted, "but people don't necessarily know it's me. And I haven't been particularly prolific."
She delighted in paying tribute to the works of others, recording versions of the Kinks Days and Lou Reed's Perfect Day (with the Lemon heads Evan Dando). She also provided backing vocals for Talking Heads on their LP Naked, for the Smiths on Ask and Morrissey's Interesting drug. She wrote songs with Johnny Marr, notably Can't stop killing you and Walking down Madison. Some claimed that, with all these collaborations and cover versions, MacColl "sold herself short", but self-penned works such as Free world and the gloomy Titanic Days received critical approval.
In 1984 she had married the producer Steve Lillywhite, and subsequently gave birth to two children. Although she had to quit touring she still found herself in demand as a backing singer. She guested on records with Simple Minds, the Smiths, the Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Robert Plant, Van Morrison and Morrissey.
In 1989, she has turned with a new solo album, Kite, which included Free world and her version of the Kinks Days, which brought her back to the UK top 20. The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr guested on several of the album's tracks and appeared on the follow-up released in 1991. Electric landlady, a pun on the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Electric lady land, was another strong album that revealed MacColl's diversity. The dance influenced Walking down Madison gave her another top 40 UK hit. The retrospective album Galore celebrated for album she had released over 15 years.
Kirsty MacColl eventually split from her husband and spent seven years travelling in Cuba and Brazil, drawing inspiration from Latin music. The first of an eight-part series on Cuban music from Havana, Kirsty MacColl's Cuba, was due to be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 today, featuring key figures from Cuban music such as Ry Cooder and two musicians from the Buena vista social club.
She began to think more seriously about her future and the LP, Tropical Brainstorm (1999) reflected her new way of living. At one point she said she even considered giving up music altogether. However there was no doubt MacColl had much more to give an and her musical legacy is one of refreshing inconsistency, rebellion and bursts of brilliance in an often predictable pop world.
Chris Welch
© freeworld 1995 - 2008 [ www.kirstymaccoll.com ]
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