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The Kirsty MacColl web site
COVER VERSIONS
This page lists all known artists who have committed Kirstysongs to vinyl or any other media, or who have even just performed them in the public arena. It's a suitably eclectic list.
Tracks marked with an asterisk (*) have never been issued by Kirsty herself.
Based on what we list here, the most popular Kirstysongs to cover are:
Alisha
was a New York teenager when she recorded this in the mid 80s.
Despite being labelled as a "Madonna clone",
and she was clearly influenced that way, her debut album is bright and
pleasing enough in a minor way. The more successful tracks are
the most Madonna like ones. She doesn't do anything too significant
with the MacColl/Fisher song One Little Lie
(written for Frida), and it features a fairly unremarkable production
by Mark Berry, typical of the era. Alisha,
1986
A Swedish cover of Chip Shop for you. Elisabeth was half of Eurovision outfit Bobbysocks - she also represented Norway in 1994. 20 Basta (20 Greatest), Mariann Grammofon, 1997. Source: PM
Performed live on Kirsty's May 2000 tour alongside Hi-Fido (Dog on Drugs), in a style "not unlike the Lemonheads trashing of He's on the beach". Kirsty liked it! Sadly her webmaster can't comment further having been in a bar drinking Czech beer at the time.
The
Kirstysong was her 'own favourite' from her
debut album (recorded at the age of 14) but then so was 'Like
Wow (featured on the "Shrek" soundtrack) cuz its my first
single and its just a really fun song.' The Blender
considered her "Well below Britney (Spears),
though a few notches above Jessica (Simpson)." Her
mom said "She's great" in a London
Free Press review when she opened for brother Aaron (her other brother
is Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys). The recording? Pretty
straightforward and competent cover of "Tracey's song", though
she's a bit lost in the production.
Like Wow, 2001.
The
wonderful singer with top folk music connections did some justice to this song on the
tribute programme. Not recorded, but we throughly recommend Eliza's
albums and live appearances. If not of a particularly folkie bent
start out with Angels and cigarettes
or Red/Rice. In promoting the
virtues of Englishness in music, she is a soulmate of Billy Bragg in
some respects. Performed on the BBC2 tribute
program in March 2001.
It's
12 songs from 9 very cool Japanese bands playing various forms of cute,
catchy underground pop. Turns out the Characters are a solo effort from
Hirokazu who used to be in Dizzy Joghurt. Only 500 pressed!?
@ Monarch Records, Japan, quotes from Feb 2002 issue of Shredding
Paper. Chaan!
Ban! Thank you Ben! Compilation album 2001 (Source: PK )
I wondered if you have heard of a new jazz singer called Chantz? He has a CD out called Stories Of Me and he does a
version of In These Shoes? It's kind of like the male reply to Kirsty's original. I wonder what she would have made of it!! MP3 Source: TS
"Departure
Lounge seems to be jumping the bandwagon of popular four-piece harmonies.
Frontman/guitarist Tim Keegan's soft vocals are coyly similar to Robyn
Hitchcock, and brooding lyrical cries mimic Morrissey's heartfelt excursions.
But Departure Lounge want to do it their own way. These guys are multi-instrumentalists,
yet call for mixing assistance from Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde and
French DJ Kid Loco. Experimentation is everything. They turn to
Kirsty MacColl's "They Don't Know" to revive themselves from
pop monotony. Tracy Ullman's 1983 version was humorous, but Departure
Lounge's take is a bit depressing. Four-part harmonies are a bit
overdone in this case" MacKenzie Wilson.
Out of there, 2000.
A
fairly loose and fast rendition of Kirsty's first song backed by the
Anderson Council, click on Dawn's name to visit her personal web page
including a soundbite from the track. Causing a bit of a stir
locally, Dawn said "I Made the Top Ten! What
a thrill last week to hear WFMU's Bill Kelly announce that my version
of They Don't Know
was #9 on his Teenage Wasteland show (wfmu.org)."
The
Stiff Generation: If It Ain't Stiff It Ain't Worth A Tribute 2002
- Groove Disques (P.O. Box 221, Haddonfield, NJ 08033).
"The second release on the bizarre Council Folk label. There's an avant pop solo voice / organ cover of Kirsty MacColl's Head on side A, with some weird dark electronic avant rock on side B alongside cLOUDDEAD's Dose One". There's an m3u snippet on http://www.councilfolk.com (click on the third ^ in the little window at the top right). 2003 single.
Co-written
with Daniel Balavoine, Frida and Simon Climie, a collection of fairly
average songs performed by Frida in fairly average fashion. That's
tough now appears only on the Agnetha
& Frida compilation, the other three are on Frida's solo
album. I don't mean to sound so negative since I love most of Abba's
output and some of the solo stuff too, but these are not exceptional
songs in the grand scheme of things. Shine,
1984. Note that Kirsty also sang backing vocals on the album including
(if you can find a copy) a special appearance on the 12" version
of the track Shine.
Note: Catherine Ferry recorded a single called Quelqu'un quelque part (Someone, somewhere) in 1986. This song had its roots in The face (co-written with top French artist Daniel Balavoine): Daniel wasn't too happy with the production of the original song, and decided to make a French version with new lyrics because Catherine doesn't speak English. He was used to working with Catherine and wrote for her a lot of songs during many years. She appeared in his "Abracadabra" stage show and he was a backing singer when she was runner up for France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976 with the song 1,2,3.
"Daniel
found in Catherine's voice, so much force and tenderness like in his
own voice .. a sparkle, a softness, a purity, a shiver making vibrating
our bodies on rock music and our hearts on ballads of sweet travels
colored with humanity... colored with Love with a big L."
After Balavoine's death in a helicopter crash in 1986, fellow musician Jean-Jacques Goldman eventually wrote a set of French lyrics (Goldman must have liked the title -- he wrote another, entirely different, song called 'Quelque part, quelqu'un' in 2000). Ferry retired from the music business for nearly 20 years thereafter to concentrate on motherhood.
A
German language cover of Chip Shop. On
being told about this one, Kirsty said "What
A Laugh!". Gunter Gabriel was a quite famous German
country singer who had a bunch of big hits in the 70s. Today he
lives in a caravan and earns his money playing his old songs on schlager-festivals.
This version translates as "Today we're drinking
on everything we love" so no straight cover from our Gunter.
The picture is from his mid price Gesucht Wird...
(Best Of) CD on BMG. Try
getting THAT outside Germany. Also a 7" single. Source: AE.
The Gas Giants
feature Robin Wilson & Phillip Rhodes of the Gin Blossoms.
The title song is not bad, and their rendition of Kirsty's first single
is ok. Quitter, CD single
Performed live on KEXP Radio, the front man from Death
Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service delivers a gentle version of the Kirsty staple.
Another find by PM.
This was on the CD/Magazine Volume (Issue 10) Volume was (apparently) "a UK magazine/cd concept which provided, often exclusive and unreleased, tracks accompanied by a a cd size booklet with biographies". Issue 10 featured an article listing their all-time top 100 recording concepts. The list was littered with rockers Kiss, Mott The Hoople, Boston and Aerosmith at the lower end of the 'hot' 100 and the Byrds, Teenage Fanclub, Big Star and the Beatles at the top end. The CD included a cover version of They Don't Know "and the band turn the quirky, throwaway ditty into a heartrending, melodic pop beast of titantic proportions! No, really!" - Ready Steady Go.
"We are influenced by anything we think is good. Some of it is modern but a lot of it is older" says Steve Hurley, "There is good stuff out there but you've got to search for it". Thanks again to PM.
Hailing from Arlington, Virginia, Devon Green (Gavin & Owen Conner, Donald Toney), "is the area's most promising pop/rock band. With quick and catchy songs that grab your attention, they deliver smart pop music like no one else. Jangly guitars and clever lyrics make Devon Green a throw back to such pop genius as The Cars, Elvis Costello, and The Replacements. If it's rock and roll with an attitude you're longing for, than search no more."
They have an MP3 of this acoustic "tribute to Kristy" on their website. Thanks to PM.
Denise
is best known as a former member of pop group Tight Fit, who actually
managed four Top 40 hits in 1981-2. The
lion sleeps tonight hit No. 1 in January 1982. This
is a slice of classic pop music and should certainly have been a huge
hit. The B side Why don't you call me
is almost as good. On the jacket it says "File
under popular: pop satire". Co-produced by Pete Waterman,
it really is as good as Terry says, and well worth tracking down. Here
at Freeworld Towers we love both sides with a fiery passion. Loose End
LE112, 1984 single. Sources: Ben & Terry.
This
1999 version appears on the CD Covers & Others -
an Irish collection on Immortal Recordings, catalog MWJ007. The Holsteins
are Chris, Davy, Brian, Pete & Naimh. It's a good run through of
the song, a bit punchier than some of them, and Naimh to her credit
makes no attempt to hit the "baybee" note! Spotted by PM.
Kenny
Howes and the Yeah! are a critically acclaimed power pop group from
Atlanta, Georgia. The band is known for its catchy hooks, strong melodies,
thick harmonies, sincere lyrics, and direct and powerful delivery.
Read popmatters review of the album here.
"One of the disc's biggest pleasant surprises
is a cover of Kirsty MacColl's They Don't
Know. Yes, the bubblegum pop tune made famous
by Tracey Ullman. Sticking to the song's classic pop style, and sounding
a bit like Billy Joel's doo wop phase, Howes and company play the song
without a trace of irony. If you weren't already aware of Ullman's version,
you wouldn't know that it wasn't written by and for a man in the first
place. If anything, this song goes the furthest in showing that Howes'
affection for pop music is completely genuine and one that takes its
fun seriously." Until Dawn,
2002 - Tall Boy Records TB102. Source: PM
Island
Texas hail from Austin/ San Antonio, and play "Texas music with a Carbbean
flavor". Released early in 2005,
version appears on the CD Sailing
again -
one reviewer says, "Listeners can't help but smile
with In These Shoes" while
the band themselves say, "This funky song is
a crowd favorite... It takes you to a Mexican beach overlooking the
tropical water from a local bar stool as you watch the local characters
live it up. " Singer Jaymie does a decent job, though from the delivery
one suspects they sourced the song from the Better Midler version rather
than Kirsty's original. CD released on Lone Star Music.
Jane
Doe were a mostly female neo rockabilly group from London, Ontario,
Canada. The singer and bassist Jane Cooligan had been in "seminal
London punk group" The Zellots. On this - their only release
- they do a cover of Etta James's Roll With
Me Henry in the bowdlerized version Dance
With Me Henry popularized by Georgia Gibbs, and Kirsty MacColl's
There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears
He's Elvis. Bulldog Records BD-1 WRC3-4924; 198? Source:
PM
These
covers are on the flip side of I Have Got
To Love Me by
Belgian band
Kamino. Kamino is a five piece, 4 of which are based in Antwerp, Belgium and
1 in Amsterdam, Holland. The A Side was taken from the album Universal
Love Music (pictured) though the Kirstysongs are not included on the album. EAN/UPC:
5425001460298, released 08.03.2001. A "classic 5-piece popband".
The
publicity blurb says "Buzz Artist Esza Kaye releases a LEX remix (Dj
Eddie X & Luigie
Gonzalez) of a song from the late Kirsty Macoll, the cult classic “Walking
down Madison”.
This brand new progressive tribal house track is a hot spin in dj sets around
the world." Her MySpace profile lists her as "Alternative
/ Gothic / Electronica", and you can listen to the track itself. Difficult
to know what to make of it really.
Key
of She are a New Jersey based six piece acappella outfit (complete
with killer harmonies and vocal percussion -
vocals are "transformed, through
electronic amplification, into a drumming sound."). This version of In
these shoes? is adapted from
the Bette Midler "peace corps" version
and gets a boisterous treatment complete with excellent horse noises.
Well worth a listen - from In The Key of She (2004).
'Primarily A Cappella' found it to be "a
hilarious send-up of the whole Romance Novel mindset".
Source: BR
After
all these months of hearing about Ginger Leigh, I finally got myself
down to see her in concert at a club in downtown Austin. She covered In
These Shoes
followed straightaway by Mambo,
and not too badly either. Stylistically, she is a shapeshifter and
as eclectic as advertised (her first couple of songs were rockers,
and she reminded me more than anything of Chrissie Hynde, with her
low register and soulful bite; then came the blues and jazz and a
tango number). It's good to hear some MacColl music live once in a
while, especially in the heart of Texas. Source: WE. Tracks
not available on any recordings - album cover shown for illustration
only.
A spirited rendition of Beach
performed when the boys were "out of their
tree" in Rio. Kirsty of course later sang with Evan
Dando on the single Perfect Day. From
the Big Gay Heart single, 1993. Source:
KM
In the same year Evan also released a dreamy Miss Otis Regrets in Kirsty's "Irish death ballad" style as a track on their Into your arms single.
Former
lead singer with Katrina & the Waves (of Walking
on sunshine fame),
this cover is from Katrina's first solo album Turn
the Tide, released
in 2004. It
is "a sparse version with just voice, guitar, & strings
(probably synthesiser). It just doesn't have the bounce and joy I
feel in the other versions. But
it was still good that she did include a Kirsty song on her CD."
Source: David (also found by JC). There is a brief MP3 snippet on her
web site.
"I heard They Don't Know by Katrina Leskanich played on Wogan's show in the week and was completely blown away. Let's have MORE of this on Radio 2!" Marky, BBC forum, March 2005
Christy
McWilson is an alt-country singer-songwriter from Seattle, whose Picketts
did a fairly straightforward cover of Chip Shop
on Shotgun Barbecue, released by a label
called "Bands we like" (source: JE). Eminent Kirsty
fan Wes Eichenwald says, "It was delightful
to meet and chat with Christy before and after her set; I've been lucky
(and in a few cases, unlucky) enough to have talked with quite a few
musicians in my life, but she has to be one of the nicest, most unpretentious
and most human of those beings I've ever encountered. Which isn't that
surprising, really, since she's a huge Kirsty fan too (her words); she's
also, as befits a songwriter, perceptive and sharp as a fresh X-Acto
knife. Her album is titled The Lucky One (pictured
- it's on the HighTone label in the US) and it's fine stuff: country
with bite, lyricism and a touch of the mystical." Appears on the 1996 compilation
CD Shotgun Barbecue and the occasional
solo live performance!
Another
German language cover of Chip Shop!
This translates weirdly as "And Father Christmas
is claiming he is Elvis". Maggie (real name Andrea
Carle) had her first hit in Germany in 1974 when she was 14 - a German
language version of My boy Lollipop.
She tried twice to get into the Eurovision Song Contest but failed to
get through the pre-selection process both times. This Kirsty
cover was a complete flop, and she yelps irritatingly throughout.
Then again you don't really care what this sounds like,
do you? Just enjoy the fact it was recorded! 7" single
on Jupiter Records 3379. Source: AE
A
somewhat controversial version which many Kirsty fans didn't take to
at all. Others loved it, including here at Freeworld Towers.
The guest artists on the tribute programme were not obvious choices
apart from Eddi Reader, though Cerys has since duetted with Eliza Carthy
on traditional Welsh language folk songs, and may yet produce a Welsh
folk album to rival the excellent Julie Matthews and Fernhill. Performed
on the BBC2 tribute program in March
2001.
Kendall
is a former member of Helium and Sparklehorse, the New York Times wrote, "If
Aimee Mann had fended off cynicism, she might sound like Kendall Meade,
the songwriter and singer of Mascott. The serenely tuneful songs on
Dreamer’s Book turn folk-rock into
stately pop, wrapping vulnerability and longing in quietly radiant
arrangements.” She is a
New York artist "with a sound steeped in 60’s folk and 70’s
pop".
Blogger Jim Hanas writes, "A few days after Sept. 11, 2001, I was lured to a showcase in New York by the rumor that Magnetic Fields guest vocalist Dudley Klute would be covering David Bowie's haunting "Five Years." The Bowie song didn't come up. There was a light, however, in Kendall Meade's (Mascott) smoking cover of this smokey ode to loneliness and resignation from MacColl's final record. Meade's cover was worked up for an anticipated MacColl tribute which never happened, but it sent me searching. From lyrical imagery of 'flying over London with the trees on fire' to the 'endless search for summer' this track hyponotizes and surprises with restrained frustration and achy sensuality."
There
is nothing significantly different about the song or arrangement but,
it is the perfect song for The (original) Divine Miss M who did her
own 'song about shoes' in 1976. Bette performed the number complete
with big band on the David Letterman show, so it certainly got an audience
Stateside. The album was produced by Don Was. Apparently
when performing the song live, Bette has changed the words to "Then
I met a young Afghan, Oh he said I'm in the Taliban, Won't you walk
up and down my spine, And cover your face! It makes me feel strangely
alive, I said in these shoes? Oh hey You'll
never survive. I said ladies oh ladies, let's cha cha!" There
are also some changes lyrically in the recorded version: the Peace Corps
makes an appearance for starters. Bette,
2000 on Warner Bros 47843, and single on Warner Bros 42360, 2001. Source:
SB
"Of
Armenian descent, vocalist Stephanie Nakasian first gained prominence
in the mid-'80s when she hooked up with vocalese master Jon Hendricks.
Since then, she appeared in a number of venues including TV slots and
clubs. For her fourth album, she has selected an agenda of tunes which
include familiar classic standards, material that's not so well-known,
and new works. This CD is by no means a ground-breaking, earth-shattering
event. But it is an hour-plus of pleasant, relaxing vocalizing by a
consummate professional, one of the top members of her trade and backed
by a solid group of sidemen. Recommended." AMG. Invitation
to an Escapade, 2001. Source: PM
At
the end of 1981 the New Seekers dropped Why
Have You Left the One You Left Me For? from their live act, adding
in its place There's A Guy Works Down the Chip
Shop Swears He's Elvis.
On Songs
To Break God’s Heart, Vol. 1, a compilation released
in 2005 by indie label Acuarela, one can find singer-songwriter Tara
Jane O’Neil’s rendition of ‘They Don’t Know’.
Womenfolk sasy, "O’Neil’s version lacks the pep and tartness of Ullman’s humorous rendition, but stays surprisingly true to MacColl’s original, even reproducing the infamous ‘Baby!’ climax. It’s watered down, lo-fi delivery is a surprisingly welcome change and makes for a great cover of a great song." Freeworld is less convinced but you can decide for yourself with the song being available to hear on their website. Source: PM
Her site says, "Spotted in the Famous Spiegeltent (a stalwart of European Arts Festivals), Camille co-starred in Stephen Frears' film Mrs Henderson Presents, with Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins and Will Young. She has also appeared as guest with Damien Rice, Jack L, Jerry Fish, Shane McGowan. Possessed by a decadent European spell this raven-haired Irish chanteuse is a real star enthralling audiences with her stunning voice and passionate, dramatic performance." Source: PM
A
German language cover of They don't know.
In my opinion the best of the three German covers we know about, translating
as "They will never understand"
so presumably a reasonably faithful lyric. Fairly straightforward
copy, though Janine can't hit the "Bay-bee"
note and to her credit doesn't really go for it! Janine made two
or three German language covers, for example Ooh
Shooby Doo Doo Lang by Aneka. 7" single on Global
Records 106048-100. Source: AE
Their
label says, "In 1984 pianist Aaron Davis started
playing with bassist David Piltch playing original material and accompanying
singers on Toronto's Queen St. scene. They formed Blue Monday, a
trio with singer Molly Johnson, and in 1986 Piltch and Davis started
playing with singer Holly Cole, forming the Holly Cole Trio.
Aaron & David have a unique way of playing & arranging together
that draws from many styles and has been an integral part of the Holly
Cole sound." Their Kirstycover comes across as a laid back
instrumental version, and it's an unusual song to pick so kudos to
them for doing it. The song has been playlisted on CBC Radio from Toronto.
Thanks to GB2 for hearing it (twice!) and tracking it down via the
station.
They
say, "...successful in the early 90's, Pale
swept the greater Bay Area and the Central Valley with their unique
and exciting sound. A large loyal fan base stems from the interest that
Pale generated in 1993. In 2003, Pale's updated sound and in depth song
writing will definitely satisfy loyal Pale fans, while opening the door
to a whole new generation of fans." They also say
that "They don't know" is their "Tracey Ullman cover"
but nobody's perfect! Hear their synth pop version on their website.
Pretty good really. Thanks to DC3
Written
by Kirsty at the end of her 10 year marriage to Steve Lillywhite,
but never released by Kirsty herself at the time. Kirsty fans
love this song, it regularly pops up whenever favourite Kirstysongs
are discussed. Kirsty's demo version will eventually be released on
the CD Box Set From Croydon to Cuba in
early 2005. Eddi performed the song on the BBC2 tribute program in
March 2001. Single on Blanco y Negro NEG75CD1, 1994.
website + 
Amy
has never recorded this track in the studio, but has performed it
live occasionally, including a pleasurable evening in the back room
of a bar in Edinburgh at Freeworld's request! Also, Mary
Lou Lord joined (her support act) Amy for They
Don't Know as a tribute in Northampton,
Massachusetts in Jan 2001. A version is available
on a limited edition live rarities CD - Faulkner,
Dylan, Heinz and me - available from gigs or Amy's website.
Amy's entertaining web site includes this comment: "I played what was my first solo show in quite a while, and the audience was very kind and supportive. I broke a string during my final song, a cover of Kirsty MacColl's They Don't Know and was urged to finish acapella, which I did - feeling for a second like Kirsty herself was actually giving me the nerve to do something I've always been terrified of."
Wes says: "Out of all the CDs I bought on my home stay, I must must mention The Sugar Tree by Amy Rigby. This album is so good it made me angry with myself for not discovering her earlier; it's both laugh-out-loud funny and incredibly touching. I think most if not all Kirsty fans would take to it immediately. Amy Rigby (who was, like Christy McWilson, born within a few years of Kirsty) is her own person, but, like Kirsty, she's got a wicked sense of humor, an eyes-open romantic streak and a love of classic pop structures (seasoned by country), and of course, has been known to cover They Don't Know in concert...so there ya go."
The
magnificent Ron Sexsmith performed They don't
know as part of a White Ribbon benefit concert in June 2005.
Reknowned as "a songwriter's songwriter", he knows a great
song when he hears one. He also has a fabulous voice, used to good
effect here. He followed it very effectively with Stevie Wonder's childhood
sweetheart tale of I was made to love her.
Source: NB
This is going to be pretty hard to track down folks! It seems that Hannela covered Chip Shop way back in 1982, nice and early. Freeworld definitely approves. In fact we adore Finnish music by the likes of Varttina and Angelit so we're definitely biased. 1982 album Oma Tie (or perhaps Rautalankamalli roughly translated as "Iron Wire Model") Finnlevy fl 5102 ( lp ) Source: PM
German
band, straightforward cover. This is taken from a 1988 single on Blurr
Records. The A side was REO Speedwagon's Keep
on loving you. Source: PM
"Last night I looked at a TV- show with one of the most popular Swedish female artists. Her name is Barbro 'Lill-Babs' Svensson. It was a '50 years in the entertainment-business' show. She was very young when she started out so she's still going strong. It was a mixture of classic archive clips, interviews and newly recorded show-numbers. She performed in the same TV show as The Beatles when they where in Sweden back in 1962. As the show goes on I suddenly hear a familiar intro and Lill-Babs is doing In These Shoes with Swedish lyrics and dancers and all. It was great." Source: AO
Did
you know that esteemed Irish rockers Thin Lizzy sequed one of their
songs into a brief chorus of Chip Shop
in a live show back home on 16th August 1981 at Slane Castle, source:
TH
Appears on a Japanese punk compilation. Source: AG
An
outfit described as "lefty comedy punk types",
Wat Tyler recorded two different versions of ...Chip
Shop in the early nineties. These were entitled There's
a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Saddam and There's
a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Satan. Mercifully
we have heard neither! Compilation I'm forever
blowing Bubbles - Rugger Bugger Records, 1992. Source: MH
Kirsty
collaborated extensively with Tracey in '83, and of course it was Tracey
who took They don't know to Number 2
in September 1983 (Number 8 in the US). Tracey's version
of You caught me out is the only one
readily available, since Kirsty's excellent original never made it to
the shops due to record company problems.
Phil Chapman, the engineer who mixed Tracey's version of They Don't Know, had this to say in a newsgroup reply:
"I've
listened to the two (versions again) and the backing tracks are similarly
arranged, but not identical. Tracey's is a semitone up on Kirsty's,
and, although Kirsty re-sang the backing vocals (the harmonies on the
last verse are different), neither of them could get the "Baby" to sound
as good as Kirsty's original, so it was pitched up and 'flown in'. "
"I
may well get corrected on this next point: Although the early TU tracks
were recorded with live musicians, the later ones were played to
drum machine, sometimes not adding a real drummer. Both versions of
They Don't Know sound like they could
be machines (the snare sound is pretty consistent), in which case
it could be the same basic programme with a different bass, guitar
and piano."
"Another of my habits from the early days was
to mix for radio, usually monitoring through a single loudspeaker
in mono. Consequently anything to the sides came out a little louder
when listening in stereo, and I kind of like that. Also, They
Don't Know is three part harmony, if
you include Tracey's melody as the middle part, and I guess I must
have balanced them equally (so Kirsty's background vocal appears as
prominently as Tracey's lead)."
You broke my heart in 17 places (1
& 2), 1983, You caught me out (4)
and the Very Best of Tracey Ullman (1
&3) Source: DA. Tracey Ullman Takes on
the Hits (1 & 2), 2000.
Born
in St. Louis, Missouri, Cathi Walkup is a San Francisco-based jazz
singer and songwriter taking as her starting point the vocal jazz of
the 30s and 40s. She delivers Kirsty's two big Latin shuffles in a
cool alto, backed by a bunch of the Bay Area's finest. 'Jazz Improv'
magazine said, "It's not just the voice; it's
what you do with it...she stays low and spins the lyric with dizzy
rhythms". Great to see Kirsty's later material spreading
out into the mainstream. From Cathi Walkup
playing favorites! in 2002. Source: BR
Kelly
Willis is a singer/songwriter based in Austin, Texas who has been on
the national scene since 1990 when her debut album Well
Traveled Love was released. On her 2002 CD Easy,
she covers Don't Come The Cowboy...
It is a song Willis had wanted to record for a long time, as she told Billboard magazine. "That's one of my favorite cuts," she says. "I love her music. I was drawn to it because she was so strong and confident, playing all those instruments. When Kirsty died, it was a renewed inspiration to record that song. It was on a record called Kite, and I wore that song out. I played it over and over. I had to think twice about doing this because of her death. I really wanted to do it justice, I had been biding my time until I thought I was mature enough to do it." Easy, 2002 on Rkyodisc
The
Young Fresh Fellows' cover of They Don't Know
appears on their 1996 album A Tribute To Music
(available only as a rare Spanish import, and long out of print. Record
label is "Rock & Rock Inc.", Madrid, Spain).
Scott McCaughey is also the leader of the group The Minus 5, and has been an auxiliary touring member of R.E.M. since 1994. Scott is now famously touted by Paul Westerberg as the greatest modern rock 'n' roll songwriter and Westerberg hand-picked The Young Fresh Fellows to tour with Westerberg's legendary Replacements. Decent article at In Music We Trust. Scott is married to fellow Kirstysong fan Christy McWilson, who covered Chip Shop (see this page). Source: WE/MM
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