The Essential Collection

This is basically a collection of singles and B-sides prior to Kite's release. It's pretty hard to get this now, it's been deleted for a while. A largely similar track listing appeared in 2001 as The One and Only. Kirsty called it "The Inessential Collection". Here are the sleeve notes:

Kirsty is the daughter of Ewan MacColl, composer of the million-selling First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and longtime pillar of the British folk scene. Like most rockers she was a product of the art college route to fame (what would rock do without these legendary breeding grounds of talents?) and played her first serious gigs with the Addix, the high point of whose many gigs in 1978 was as support to Graham Parker and the Rumour.

Getting nowhere fast, she quit the Addix shortly before Christmas 1978 and spent the early part of 1979 writing the songs with which to launch a solo career. The Addix had already sent a tape to Stiff but nothing came of it until Kirsty submitted her demos. Liam Sternberg heard it, liked what he heard and arranged for the Edge (also known as the Belvederes) to work as the backing band.

The results are as fine an example of 'girl-group' pop as you could wish to hear. Her later career is memorable for the novelty hit There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears Me's Elvis, but there is more to young Kirsty than mere gimmickry and she should fulfil her undoubted potential. She used to work as a tele-sales girl on Exchange and Mart.

Musicians: nobody is credited, check out the original sources.

There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis
Kirsty MacColl & Philip Rambow LYRICS, CHORDS
"but he's a liar, and I'm not sure about you"
A new England
Written by Billy Bragg LYRICS, CHORDS
"Are you looking for another girl?"
Patrick
Kirsty MacColl LYRICS, CHORDS
"he went over and started to talk, she looked a bit like his sister in Cork"
I'm going out with an eighty year old millionaire
Kirsty MacColl LYRICS, CHORDS
"He says that he'll leave all his empire to me, and sitting on top is the best place to be"
See That Girl
Written by Kirsty MacColl LYRICS, CHORDS
"I'll still be loving you till you see that girl"
Until The Night
Kirsty MacColl & Johnstone LYRICS
"It's alright until the night, when you can't forget she went away"
Just One Look
Doris Payne & Gregory Carroll LYRICS
"Say you will, you will be mine forever"
He Thinks I Still Care
Roysden D Lipscombe & Stephen Duffy LYRICS
"Just because I called his number by mistake last night, he thinks I still care"
They don't know
Kirsty MacColl LYRICS, CHORDS
"They don't know about us .. and they've never heard of love! "
Turn my motor on
Kirsty MacColl LYRICS
"It ain't every day that you get a chance like this baby"
Please, go to sleep
Kirsty MacColl LYRICS
"Aaaaaah"
Terry
Kirsty MacColl & Gavin Povey LYRICS, CHORDS
"Terry's not the kind to mess around and change his mind ..."
Quietly alone
Kirsty MacColl LYRICS, CHORDS
"the synthesizer's playing 'Johnny B Goode', so I'd rather go home and stay quietly alone"
Teenager In Love
Kirsty MacColl LYRICS, CHORDS
"I'm just a lonely alcoholic teenager in love"
A new England (12" version)
Written by Billy Bragg LYRICS, CHORDS
"When at last it didn't ring, I knew it wasn't you "
Terry (12" version)
Kirsty MacColl & Gavin Povey LYRICS, CHORDS
"Terry is as tough as Marlon Brando"
There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis (country version)
Kirsty MacColl & Philip Rambow LYRICS, CHORDS
"but he's a liar and I'm not sure about you (twang)"

Albums

Other albums - Desperate Character - Kite - Electric Landlady - Titanic Days - Tropical Brainstorm
Other compilations - The Essential Collection - The One and Only - Galore - What do pretty girls do?

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The Essential Collection

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