Remixes & Alternative Versions

A New England

Kirsty's biggest solo hit, reaching number 7 in the UK chart.

Original version (3:51) eponymous single from 1984, featured on Galore.
12" Version (7:55) eponymous single 1984, featured on The Essential Collection, The One and Only and The Stiff Years from iTunes. Only versions of Angel and He's on the beach have been longer. To extend Mr Bragg's original 2 minute song to almost 8 requires a lot of padding, and after opening with a brief chorus of multitracked Kirsty, we then sit through a minute or so of powerful drums and guitars before being led into the song by another blast of the Kirsty choir. Into the second minute the backing becomes recognisable, though it meanders a bit before hitting an introductory chorus around two minutes and the first verse at about 2:20. From then in, Kirsty sings some different harmonies to the original, and we get some stops, changes and restarts, with Kirsty choir and chiming highlife guitar prominent at mid distance before everything comes together for the powerpop finale. Miraculously, despite it's pronounced length, it's a blast.
Radio Session #1 (3:27) All I ever wanted single, and the BBC recordings (What do pretty girls do?).
An acoustic duet with the songwriter Billy Bragg from 1991! Kirsty and Bill trade verses and Bragg even sings harmony on his own song.
Radio Session #2 (3:29) What do pretty girls do? CD of BBC radio recordings.
An acoustic version with minimal accompaniment. What you get however is Kirsty's 1995 vocal, with no multitracking in sight and right up in the mix in all its vulnerable and beautiful glory.
The really original version (by Billy Bragg, 2:13) Life's a riot with Spy vs Spy 1983.
Opening side 2 of Bill's magnificent debut, this song came straight out of some ancient well of classic songwriting. Catching his '83 tour with just one plugged in guitar and one big nosed bastard from Barking was a revelation, coming as it did while punk had become new wave and given way to new romantic. As you should all know by now, Bill and Kirsty signed their repective first record deals on the same day and seemed somehow destined to become intertwined along the way. Of course, Kirsty had Bill rewrite this song to her liking. Bill steadfastly toured the song proclaiming it as his song, minus extra verse, until her death when he started to use the full lyric by way of tribute. He performed the song at her public memorial service, transformed once again into an agonising lament.

All I ever wanted

Not a vast difference between the two released versions.

Original version (3:51) Electric Landlady album
Single version (3:30) Rerecorded.

Am I right?

This time the original was taken apart and rebuilt!

Original version (1:28) "Don't come the cowboy with me, Sonny Jim!" single
French & Saunders version (1:47) known as Ride with different lyrics to accompany the "motorbiking" sketch.

Angel

Remixing into overdrive.

Original version (5:10) Titanic Days album
Gregg Jackman Remix (3:40) CD single
The "single" version, credited simply as Angel on the release, but clearly different from the longer album version.
Apollo 440 Remix (8:08) CD single
Traces of harps, violins and bagpipes mingling with an electronic trancey mood and a really cool ending
Into the Light Mix (5:34) CD single
The most dance oriented of them all, highly percussive
Jay's Edit (3:53) CD single
Subtly differing from the main versions but not too wildly
Stuart Crichton Piano Edit (3:19)
A peaceful version of the song, for the chillout room.
Stuart Crichton Remix (6:26) CD single
Relaxing version with a driven thrum throughout

Bad

Original version (2:45) Titanic Days album
Live version (2:00) CD recording of The Difference American radio show.
These used to be available from The Finest Records & CDs. Look out for recording 95-24. Not sufficiently different to the Radio Session to worry about, a simple rendition. There is also a live version on a CD called KGSR 107.1 Austin Broadcasts CD Volume 2 though it is quite possibly the same recording.
BBC Radio session (1:58) What do pretty girls do?

Can't stop killing you

Original version (4:10) Titanic Days album
BBC Radio session (3:53) What do pretty girls do?

Caroline

Original version (2:57) eponymous single (and Galore)
Live version (2:48) CD recording of The Difference American radio show, along with an interview. Not sufficiently different to the Radio Session to worry about, a simple rendition.
BBC Radio session (2:48) What do pretty girls do?

Darling, let's have another baby

Original version (3:28) Walking down Madison single
BBC Radio session (2:39) What do pretty girls do?

Don't come the cowboy with me, Sonny Jim!

Original version (3:47) Kite album
BBC Radio Session (3:40) What do pretty girls do?

Don't run away from me now

Original version (2:59) Innocence single
BBC Radio Session (2:56) What do pretty girls do?

England 2 Colombia 0

Original version (3:45) Tropical Brainstorm album
Radio Version (3:51) radio friendly version, the dirty miscreant is referred to as a "scumbag" rather than the original and much more evocative "bastard" lyric!

Free world

Original version (2:38) Kite album
Radio Version (2:38) - another censored song, on the radio friendly and engagingly numbered promo KIRSTY1, you are advised to "get it up and wag it" rather than the original lyric! Also on Kite reissue.
Live Version (2:44) US only promo CD single for Titanic Days, recorded by Westwood Mobile Studios at the Belly Up, Solana Beach, California (the CD sleeve incorrectly calls it Solano Beach - thanks to Lance)
BBC Radio Session (2:44) What do pretty girls do?

He's on the beach

Original version (3:31) eponymous single
Extended Version (12" Mix) (8:06) B side of the single, and The Stiff Years from iTunes. This is the real extended mix with the vocals not coming in until 2 mins 30 seconds into the track carried along on sweeping strings.
Extended Version (CD MIX) (5:52) Perfect Day CD single, The one and only and The Stiff Years from iTunes. This one is simply longer than the normal track, featuring a long instrumental closing section.
BBC Radio Session (3:27) on What do pretty girls do?, ten times better than the original in my view. You might have a different view but who's got the keyboard?

Innocence

Original version produced by Steve Lillywhite (4:09) Kite album.
Single Remix by Pete Glenister & Nigel Brockbank (4:02) is the main CD single version, and is also the version which appears on Galore. It's not radically different from the original, but some of the guitar parts are definitely redone and it fades earlier to become a shorter track for radio.
The Guilt Mix by Fred DeFaye & Colin Stuart (5:56) CD single, Kite reissue: this is the rather fine version which starts with the sawing of violins before the drums come in and acoustic guitar kicks off the main melody before the vocals come in at 34 seconds. The song lolls along at a more countrified pace and even has a couple of dub effects thrown in for good measure.

In these shoes?

A somewhat propular track to fiddle about with!

Original version (3:39) Tropical Brainstorm album. This version also appears as Master Mix on the same promo CD that has the Instrumental.
Le Rosbifs (4:38) mixed by Le Rosbifs. CD single. Opening with vocals, adding funky bassline and some fetching vocal phasing. Quite fun, not quite as four to the floor pumping as some of the remixes. This whole track has a drum & bass vibe going on. Uno, dos, tres, quattro!
P. Mix (4:43) mixed by Steve P. CD single, The "Ah, aah" mix. It doesn't do a whole lot for me, it doesn't mess with the song's narrative excessively, wanders along for nearly three minutes after the vocal stops and I can't think of too much else to say about it.
R U Crazy Remix (6:02) mixed by Jeremy Wheatley. German release of the CD single, the mix used in the Adidas ad featuring Anna Kournikova. Mucho phasing and tubthumping beats, goes on and on, you know the sort of thing.
R U Crazy Edit (3:25) mixed by Jeremy Wheatley. see above
Instrumental (3:39) An un-numbered promo CDR was issued which has a previously undocumented instrumental mix. It's almost exactly the backing track minus the vocal, and completely unlike the other mixes. Source: JO
Extended Moba Club (8:02) Released on an Italian Promo VVR5014256. Remix and additional production by Max Baffa and Maurizio Pini at BPM Studio Milano. This was a 12" which also had UR crazy remix (though with a slightly faded in opening), UR crazy remix edit and the Album version. Source: JO. This one is quite fun. You get a full minute of "whoo whoo"s and a lot of "Gusta Caminar" before Kirsty comes in with a delicious sparsely backed vocal leading back into the bouncey dancey stuff. An extended trombone break in the sixth minute rescues it from sinking into boredom, followed by some heavily processed vocals before it meanders gently to a close at just over the eight minute mark with some cut up phrases from the song.
Moba Cut (4:20) Released on an Italian Promo VVR5014256. Source: JO. The Moba Cut opens with Joe de Jesus' horn line and Kirsty's vocal and the "whoo whoo"s and Gustas start up at around 50 seconds. From then on it's pretty much the same story as the extended version.
'The first version that I heard of In These Shoes was different. Instead of the Spanish chorus it was Kirsty singing an English chorus. Something to the extent of "We can dance until morning, we can do this here- but I won't leave in these shoes."' Source: SG ... can anyone help to identify this version?

Mambo de la Luna

More scope for the knob twiddlers...

Original version (4:40) Tropical Brainstorm album
Mint Royale Edit (3:45) CD single. Added percussion and a shuffly mood. Cheesy, somewhat reminiscent of Dmitri from Paris' excellent "Une very stylish fille". A bit of a Hawaiian feel to the thing as well, whether it merits more than the odd listen?.
Mint Royale Version (3:33 or 5:09 depending on source) CD single. Rather similar to the MR Edit, but ... unfortunately Kirsty does not appear at all!
Mint Royale Mix (5:09) This was an extra track on some promo releases of the album (and the Japanese commercial release). It's slightly longer than the MR Version, but has Kirsty vocals similar to the (shorter) MR Edit. Pity none of them is noticeably better than the original in any way... Source: JO. 12" Promo VVR5010986P

Miss Otis regrets

Original version (4:44) Red Hot & Blue Cole Porter tribute album (AIDS benefit)
Live Version (3:01)) US only CD single for Titanic Days, recorded by Westwood Mobile Studios at the Belly Up, Solana Beach, California

My affair

This song was a Kirsty staple, and appeared in most live shows and sessions since its release in 1991. We've had it all the way from almost solo with a couple of guitars on radio broadcasts to the blown latin blast, with all manner of backing musicians, Spanish speaking and otherwise, getting to grips with the chorus. There were also a bunch of studio remixes issued along the way:

Original version (5:25) Electric Landlady album
Olive Groove Mix (6:28) CD single and 12" single
Jaunty remix with a more upfront latin sound. Vocals up front and much "Ba-pa-ra-ba-pa-ra-ba-ra"ing
Ladbroke Groove Mix (6:05) 12" single and Caroline CD single
The Olive Groove mix taken to extremes with more percussion, more Spanish feel and all stripped down into a dance groove
Bass Sexy Mix (7:01) 12" single
Introduced by a rather Latin sounding gentleman, featuring (yes) a prominent bassline and indeed a rather sexy groove. The longest and best of the remixes, all the verses are gone and all we get are the recurring "ba-pa" motif, some Spanish chorus lines and some free floating Kirsty scat singing. All on a shimmering latin back beat complete with rampant percussion and whistles. That's the way I like it.
BBC Radio Session (3:44) on What do pretty girls do?
Live Version (8:17) on In these shoes? CD1, live at the Jazz Cafe in London in 1999, but it includes the band introductions which probably make its repeat listening rating fairly low. Storming version mind you even though you can tell Kirsty's voice was breaking up a bit due to illness.

No victims

Original version (3:50) Kite album
Guitar Heroes Mix (4:25) Innocence CD single, Kite reissue, Dave Gilmour friendly version

Still life

Original version (3:04) Days single
BBC Radio Session (3:05) on What do pretty girls do?

Terry

Original version (3:56) single
12" Mix (5:20)

There's a guy works down the chip shop swears he's Elvis

Original version (3:07) Desperate Character album
Country Version (3:45) Desperate Character and The Essential Collection
BBC Radio Session (3:48) All I ever wanted single, and the BBC recordings.
A fine, largely solo, reworking of the old chestnut from Radio 1's Nicky Campbell show recorded in June 1991.
American Version (Polydor PD2201 DJ): Because the concept of a "chip shop" is not totally familiar to American listeners ("There's a guy works down at Wendy's thinks he's Elvis" might make sense), there was a promo version of the country version released in the US entitled cunningly There's a guy works down the truck stop thinks he's Elvis.
Even more oddly there is a Spanish release of the song titled Hay un chico que trabaja en la Tienda de Patatas Fritas que jura que es Elvis. It's not in Spanish or anything, it's just retitled sleeve and the disk!

Walking down Madison

Another major favourite of the remixers!

Original version (6:35) Electric Landlady album
6am Ambient Mix (4:58) CD single (my favourite - stripped back to largely vocals)
Club Mix (6:35) CD single (and the second Days single)
Urban Mix (6:36) alternate CD single
Ye Olde Original Mix (4:33) CD single
7" Mix (4:38) CD single
Instrumental Demo (4:21) everything played by Johnny Marr, really good. Not available commercially at all. Check out Smiths web sites to track down a copy. Apparently Kirsty heard this and promptly nicked it out of Johnny's hands and attaching words she already had waiting for a tune!

What do pretty girls do?

Original version (2:37) Kite album
BBC Radio Session (2:36) What do pretty girls do?

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