Backing Vocals 1986 (Billy Bragg, The Smiths, Rolling Stones, Tot Taylor, Jake Burns, Crossfire Choir)

Billy Bragg

Greetings to the New Brunette

Billy Bragg – Greetings To The New Brunette (Official Video)

‘New Brunette’ is included on the 2023 box set See That Girl.

Billy Bragg

Also, ‘The passion’ on his 1986 album ‘Talking with the Taxman about Poetry’ and ‘Bad penny’ on the 1991 album ‘>Don’t try this at home’. Plus ‘Cindy of a thousand lives’ :

Cindy of a Thousand Lives ~ Billy Bragg (1991)

‘Bad penny’ appears only on the CD single and also features KM doing one of her sha-la-la-la shuffles on the fade (the song’s also available on the B-side collection ‘Reaching to the converted’ but beware! They’ve edited Kirsty right out of the mix by chopping it off 20 seconds before the end so for the full Kirsty & Bill experience you need to hunt down that CD single – thanks to RM2).

Jake Burns

Kirsty appears on the ex Stiff Little Fingers man’s 1986 single ‘She grew up, later captured on his 2002 compilation On Fortune Street’.

Crossfire Choir

"Whats It To Ya" by Crossfire Choir

Kirsty is credited with backup vocals on ‘The last word’ from 1986’s self-titled release ‘Crossfire Choir’. The band recall having fun hanging out with Kirsty, Steve and the boys. The track doesn’t seem to be online but here they are from the same album.

Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones - One Hit (To The Body) - OFFICIAL PROMO

1986 No. 4 album, ‘Dirty work featured a single ‘One hit (to the body)’. On the whole it’s impossible to hear Kirsty at all on the track – she said “it was like a big party with lots of people in the studio, so when they needed backing vocals, they just said: ‘Everyone who could sing, come in here’.”

Tot Taylor

Tot Taylor And His Orchestra – The Girl With Everything

She appears on ‘The girl with everything’ (compiled on the album ‘Jumble soul’). Source: JE
“Tot Taylor was the man behind Compact Records and Compact Composers (publishing) and gave me my first publishing deal (a very bad one indeed – though he did do me the favour of turning down Perfect – which he could have had for £50 advance – securing 40% of the royalties for the rest of my life – phew!) – he (as ‘Teddy Johns’ wrote Mari Wilson’s songs including ‘I Got Just What I always Wanted’) – I was looking at his stuff on YouTube and saw this – I do vaguely remember Kirsty mentioning that she knew him” – Mark Nevin

The Smiths

The Smiths - Ask (Official Music Video)

A No.14 hit in 1986, ‘Ask’ and ‘Golden lights’. Rumoured backing vocals on the song ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ stem from a session she did for the song (confirmed by Kirsty herself) though, according to Mozipedia, for the final version Morrissey used his own vocals, speeded up and credited to ‘Ann Coates’. There may still be an uncredited “Aah” in there… Source: RW/ LB/ TH