Rarities : everything that's not on a Kirsty album

Singles, TV appearances & Theme tunes, Film music, Live bootlegs

The songs included here have either been performed live or available in some format. There are of course other songs which exist only in demo format and never saw the light of day.

Boys
Written by Kirsty MacColl LYRICS
B side of the super rare single You caught me out, 1979.

This is a rocking song in the same mould as "Motor On" and stands up reasonably well amongst the B sides.

Brown eyed handsome man
Written by Chuck Berry
Recorded by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Wanda Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis.
Only available on bootlegs.

Performed with the Frankie Miller Band at Hackney Empire in 1991, as well as on the Galore UK tour in 1995.

Busy life
Written by Neil Innes LYRICS
Incidental music from The Adventures of Mole, 1995

From The Adventures Of Mole, a childrens animation on Channel 4 in 1995. You only get just over a minute though!

Harvest for the world
Written by Isley, Isley, Isley, Isley, Jasper LYRICS
Recorded by the Isley Brothers, the Christians, Ronnie Laws, Power Station.

Recorded as part of a 1999 Christmas Gospel show on BBC Radio 2, and thoughtfully captured by Ben. An excellent version with the Union Chapel Gospel Choir.

I wanna be sedated
Written by the Ramones LYRICS
Originally performed by the Ramones.
Only available on bootlegs.

A surprising encore song for the 1995 tour, the Ramones thrash classic. This was captured on the BBC Radio 1 broadcast from the 1995 Fleadh.

I don't need you
Written by Kirsty MacColl LYRICS, CHORDS
B side of Keep your hands off my baby single, 1981.

Early days, early days. This is amusing and fun to sing along to but it's actually really bad.

I don't want to play house
Written by Billy Sherill, Glenn Sutton
Unavailable on any audio recording. Broadcast on BBC2's Something Else in 1981.

The Tammy Wynette standard. Source - TH/DP.

Insensitive
Written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gimbel, de Moraes LYRICS
Recorded by Rosa Passos, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Charlie Byrd, Shirley Bassey, Astrud Gilberto, Peggy Lee, Liberace, Andy Williams.
Only available on bootlegs.

A moment of calm in the Tropical Brainstorm latin frenzy on tout, accompanied simply by Michèle Drees' Brazilian guitar

London girls
Written by Kirsty MacColl LYRICS
Television theme music for Dream Stuffing, 1983
[unheard]

"TV theme from a Channel 4 sitcom about two girls (both early 20's) one mixed race, one sort of punkish, who lived in a high rise tower block on a council estate in London. Also in the series was the sassy elderly mother of the mixed race girl, and their gay neighbour whom both girls initially had designs on. It was a great series, but sadly only lasted for about 6 episodes. Kirsty's theme track to it was EXCELLENT!" Source - Stevie. "Style - Medium paced rocker, variant on the standard 12 bar format, similar to Quietly Alone". Source - TH.

Long ago
Written by Neil Innes
From the soundtrack of The Adventures of Mole, 1995

Credited to "Tim Finn with Kirsty MacColl" but I can hear no trace of Kirsty on the very brief segment (mind you Rat and Mole are chattering over it too!). Buy the film on 2 CDROMs (in AVI format) which is novel if nothing else from GMBH Enterprises. I find Richard Briers, Paul Eddington and Peter Davidson rather annoying after a while myself.

Man with no name
Written by Kirsty MacColl
Bonus track on Kirsty MacColl album (Special Edition), 1985.

Only released as an extra track on the special edition of Polydor's Kirsty MacColl album, this was part of the sessions which should have produced her second album, Real. "I must tell you though, you are not missing much on Man With No Name as you can probably tell by the shoddy lyrics to the song. I would give this track **. CW2

Moving out
Written by Kirsty MacColl LYRICS
Television theme music for Moving Story, 1994

This song was only ever used as the theme tune for the British TV comedy Moving Story. As such we have only ever heard two verses - the opening and closing credits! It's a witty "pack up and get out" saga in keeping with the programme's theme of removal men.

Over you
Written by Kirsty MacColl LYRICS, CHORDS
B side of See that girl single, 1981.

Another fine pop cut (which claims to be from the Desperate Character album except it's not.)

People uniting
Written by Chucho Merchan LYRICS
Guest vocalist on Ocean Songs, 1998

Chucho Merchan (who later was the flamboyant leaping figure in the Tropical brainstorm touring band) was commissioned by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to write this collection of songs to commemorate the 1998 International Year of the Ocean and to help raise global awareness of 'planet ocean'. The song "People Uniting" features Kirsty and Chucho on lead vocals. Source: PM.

Picking up the pieces
Written by Kirsty MacColl
Television theme music for Picking up the pieces in 1998

The opening and closing theme music from the Carlton TV series of the same name. It's purely instrumental. According to Boz Boorer, "Kirsty got a call from a TV producer who wanted her to write a theme song for some hospital TV show. She asked how he'd heard of her, and he replied that he'd heard her song, 'Don't Come the Cowboy...' She asked if he wanted a countryish song then, and he answered that no, they were looking for something along the Northern Soul lines! She thought that was really funny, since she's not at all known for that sort of thing." Source: Elizabeth

Roll um easy
Written by Lowell George. LYRICS
Originally recorded by Little Feat, Dixie Chicken, 1973.
Also recorded by Linda Ronstadt, John David Souther, Bob "Catfish" Hodge.
Only available on bootlegs, never recorded in the studio.

Another encore song for the 1995 tour, this time a Little feat swamp-rock classic. You can find this on bootlegs.

Shutting the doors
Written by Kirsty MacColl, Alan Lee Shaw, 1983 LYRICS
Guest vocalist on Jools Holland's Jack of the Green, 2003

This super rare early track was unearthed by Jools for inclusion on the third in his Small World Big Band series.

"Kirsty MacColl was a genius. In 1983 I worked with her producing five tracks for a record label, which never used them. The one at the time that we both thought worked out best is the one you hear on the record. The other thing that happened on the session was that Kirsty introduced me to Rico Rodriguez who you can hear on this early recording. It was an awful tragic loss when she died and I'm pleased this track has now seen the light of day and I hope it will remind us all just how great Kirsty was. At that time in recording studios they used to have small speakers on top of the mixing desk called Auratones. People would check their mixes on these small tinny sounding monitors. I remember listening to something back on these Auratones when Kirsty came in the room and she said with a beaming smile, "Ah, you're using the horrid tones". This is how I will remember Kirsty." joolsholland.com

Sleepless nights
Written by Kirsty MacColl
Bonus track on Kirsty MacColl album (Special Edition), 1985.

Only released as an extra track on the special edition of Polydor's "Kirsty MacColl" album, this was part of the sessions which should have produced her second album, "Real". The track is an alternate take on the more commonly available "Please, go to sleep", but with an electronic backing track. "Sleepless Nights" is a masterpiece, a classic Kirsty recording which, I personally would give ****. CW2

Something stupid
Written by Carson C Parks LYRICS
Recorded by Frank & Nancy Sinatra, the Smithereens, Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman, the Mavericks and bags of others.
Performed on the French & Saunders TV show, 1990.

With Raw Sex (Rowland Rivron & Simon Brint) on the French & Saunders show (broadcast March/April 1990)

That'll be the day
Written by Buddy Holly, Allison, Petty
Recorded by the Crickets, Beatles, Carter Family, Sandy Denny, Linda Ronstadt, Foghat, Connie Francis, the Partridge Family.
Only available on bootlegs.

Performed with the Frankie Miller Band at Hackney Empire in 1991.

There's a guy works down the Truck Stop swears he's Elvis
Written by Kirsty MacColl, Phil Rambow
DJ promo version of single, 1981.

Because the concept of a "chip shop" is not totally familiar to American listeners there was a version of the 7" country version released in the US as a DJ only promo. Identically played apart from those two words - fun to have in your collection!

Things happen
Written by Kirsty MacColl, Graham Gouldman LYRICS
B Side of Mambo de la Luna CD single, 2000.

Written during a songwriters weekend in Oxfordshire, similar in feel to "Golden Heart" on the same release.

Train in vain (Stand by me)
Written by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones LYRICS
Originally recorded by the Clash, London Calling bonus track, 1979.
Only available on bootlegs.

Played on the 1992 tour, and broadcast in a radio broadcast from Glastonbury. To be frank it was a bit of a routine performance (on my tape at least) though if you listen to the words it's not such an unusual song for her to choose.

Trains and boats and planes
Written by Burt Bacharach, Hal David LYRICS
Recorded by Burt Bacharach, Billy J Kramer, the Box Tops, Astrud Gilberto, Anita Harris, Jimmy Page, Dwight Yoakum and Dionne Warwick.
Performed on the French & Saunders TV show, 1988.

This was broadcast in Series 2 of the French & Saunders TV show (18th March 1988). That's the series before she was on every week. Interestingly enough, this song gave its writer Burt Bacharach his only UK hit in 1965, reaching number 4.

You can have my husband
Written by Dorothy LaBostrie and recorded by the likes of Koko Taylor.
Unavailable on any audio recording. Broadcast on BBC2's Something Else in 1981.

"The song was performed most famously by Irma Thomas (who also performed "Time is on my Side" before the Stones did). I have seen it credited as "(You Can Have My Husband, But Please) Don't Mess With My Man". Great tune, and I can totally picture Kirsty having fun with it." (AD)

Note: this program also featured the aforementioned I don't wanna play house and Queen of the high teas!

Source: DP.

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Rarities : everything that's not on a Kirsty album

Singles, TV appearances & Theme tunes, Film music, Live bootlegs

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