You'll have to forgive me for taking 20 years to discover this, but I just found two clips of Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame performing at a 2002 tribute concert at Royal Festival Hall for Kirsty MacColl. The gifted singer/songwriter had died two years earlier in Cozumel, Mexico, after being struck by a powerboat and this event was just what my aching heart could have used at the time. (Still feels good all these years later.)
I'm reading Sheila Weller's "Girls Like Us" and it got me thinking of Little Eva, whom I discovered used to be Carole King and Gerry Goffin's babysitter before being given the chance to sing. Although she is best remembered for the No. 1 smash "The Loco-Motion," she also had six other singles that charted, including this gem. (I actually first heard of the song via Kirsty MacColl's equally wonderful version.) In addition to learning the sad news that Eva died of cervical cancer at just 59, I was always heartbroken to find out that Goffin and King wrote their infamous "He Hit Me (and It Felt Like a Kiss)" after finding out that Eva was being beaten by her boyfriend. When they asked why she put up with it, she reportedly replied -- without batting an eyelid -- that her boyfriend's actions were motivated by his love for her. (Ouch.)
Still reeling from watching that documentary about this fallen hero. Perhaps my favorite song from "Electric Landlady," which is saying a lot. Her work with Johnny Marr was bar none.
A friend reminded me that it's the anniversary of the death of Kirsty MacColl, one of Britain's most underrated singer/songwriters of all time. Haven't had a chance to watch this yet -- wanted to throw it up while it was still the official date -- but my friend warns "you'll cry at the end...doesn't matter that we know what's coming. sigh. only the good ones get killed by fucking speedboats." RIP, sweet lady.
UPDATE: Just watched this hourlong documentary and cried my eyes out, as promised. Damian wasn't familiar with Kirsty and was also blown away, especially when he heard the song "Dear John." xo
Kirsty was just 41 when she died in a freak accident. She was survived by two sons by her music producer ex-hubby, Steve Lillywhite.
Just realized it's the 14-year anniversary of the tragic death of Kirsty MacColl, one of the best pop stars who ever lived. In remembrance of what a treasure she was, I give you this classic holiday song.
Spent a considerable amount of time over the weekend organizing my massive Kirsty MacColl collection in iTunes, which for an anal compulsive weirdo like me is no small feat. For the uninitated, Kirsty was the British singer/songwriter responsible for the pop gem "They Don't Know," and the woman who stood up to Shane McGowan in the Pogues' holiday classic, "Fairytale of New York." But she was so much more than that. Before her death in a freak jet-skiing accident in Mexico back in 2000, MacColl recorded dozens of singles and five highly diverse albums -- featuring everything from pop, reggae and post-punk to Spanish, folk and country -- plus numerous tracks that were caught up in legal limbo between records one and two, as well as various collaborations. (If you're going through a breakup, might I kindly suggest staying away from razorblades while listening to "Titanic Days"?) Why she never became a superstar is beyond me. Bursting onto the scene in 1979 with infectious pop singles that harkened back to the girl-group era's smartest moments, she seemed like a natural. But while she never hit the big time, she became one of the music industry's most respected artists. If you're not familiar with the Freeworld website, I strongly suggest you check it out HERE. I used it to help me chronologically organize the roughly 130 tracks I have of hers, which includes an attempt at compiling the songs of her shelved sophomore album, "Real" -- as in "The Real MacColl." (If anyone has access to the missing five, please e-mail HERE.) My song for today is "See That Girl," a perfect example of Kirsty's simple yet lush style. With lyrics like "you won't see me no more if you see that girl" and "I don't want to interfere ... but that girl seems so insincere," it hard to imagine you won't fall in love, too. Enjoy!
Admittedly, my love and devotion for Kim Wilde is a tad bit overstated. (Does anyone else listen to "Cambodia" on autorepeat at the gym???) But I don't think many can deny that she does Kirsty MacColl's classic "They Don't Know" justice -- both live at the 2010 tribute show for the late singer/songwriter, as well as in the studio on her "Snapshots" album. Enjoy!
Just looked at my phone and realized it's Dec. 18 and remembered it was 10 years ago today that singer/songwriter Kirsty MacColl -- one of my all-time favorite artists -- was killed in a tragic jet ski accident (turned international coverup) in Cozumel, Mexico, while on holiday with her two sons and her partner, musician James Knight. This is a dark day in my memory. For me, this was "my" John Lennon -- a moment when a pop culture hero of mine died unexpectedly -- and unlike Dec. 8, 1980, I can remember exactly where I was when I got the news. I had taken the day off from work to do some Christmas shopping and was home logging on to my AOL account (needed those M4M chatrooms!) when I saw the shocking headline in the news. It was a horrible and extremely isolating feeling because I knew no one I was friends with would even know who she was, much less understand how I felt. I'll never forget how happy I was, though, when I quickly realized there were message boards filled with thousands of people feeling exactly like I did, posting heartfelt messages, sharing their thoughts about what Kirsty had meant to them and trying to make sense of the tragedy before us. It was about an hour later that Joe Sigona -- a friend of a friend who shared a similar interest in new wave music -- reached out and called me. I'll forever appreciate that call -- he was equally crushed and it was even better having a live person on the other end of the phone -- and will always be haunted knowing that just five years later I would be calling Joe with the news that our mutual friend, Larry, had died in a similar freak situation on vacation to Europe.
So here we are a decade later and, as predicted, Kirsty's music lives on -- especially at Christmas time when her classic song with the Pogues, "Fairytale of New York," is played nonstop around the world. We miss you, Kirsty. But you'll forever star in my fairtyale of New York. ...
To mark the upcoming 10th anniversary of the tragic accidental death of singer Kirsty MacColl -- best known in America for the song "Fairytale of New York" with The Pogues -- friends and musicians from around the globe will come together for a tribute concert at Shepherd's Bush in London on Oct. 10 (Kirsty's birthday). The lineup includes Kim Wilde, Johnny Marr, Alison Moyet, Billy Bragg, Shane MacGowan, Catherine Tate, Clare Maguire, David Gray, Eddi Reader, Ellie Goulding, James Walsh, Jackie Clune, Phill Jupitus, Omar Puente and many others. Just reading about this warms my heart -- and breaks it that I cannot be in attendance. To lose such an incredible talent -- I consider "Titanic Days" to be her masterpiece -- at 41 years of age was truly one of music's greatest losses. For tickets, please click HERE.
With the release of "War Child presents Heroes," a new album of cover songs to benefit children affected by war that features Duffy doing the Wings classic "Live and Let Die," it got me thinking of some of my all-time favorite gender-bending covers. While I understand why some people think covers are an cop out, I've always felt there's something magical about a transgender cover, the way the new point of view always makes me hear the song as if it were completely new. (How often do you get to fall in a love with the same thing twice?) Occasionally, I will know the "new" version first -- as in the case of Blondie's "Tide Is High" -- and will enjoy discovering it in reverse (an equally thrilling proposition).
Off the top of my head, I came up with this list of winning gender-reassigned cover tunes. While I prefer female vocalists, there are a few FTM songs that might surprise you. Now tell me some of yours.
"Crimson and Clover" (Tommy James and the Shondells)
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Arguably the greatest cover song of all time.
"Tougher Than the Rest" (Bruce Springsteen)
Everything But the Girl
My favorite song from my favorite Bruce album, "Tunnel of Love."
"All I Want" (Lightning Seeds)
Susanna Hoffs
"The Tide Is High" (The Paragons)
Blondie
This clip uses the original 1965 Paragons version and sets it to the 1980 video of Debbie Harry & Co.
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" (Carpenters)
Paul Weller
"Don't Worry Baby" (Beach Boys)
Ronnie Spector
Brian Wilson apparently wrote this song for Ronnie, but Phil Spector wouldn't allow her to record it (so the Beach Boys did). She finally got to do it as a solo artist many years later.
"If Not for You" (Bob Dylan)
Olivia Newton-John
Hard core Dylan fans make fun of this, but I still say it's the definitive version of this masterpiece.
"You've Got a Friend" (Carole King)
James Taylor
"When You Were Mine" (Prince)
Cyndi Lauper
"Baby, I Love You" (Ronettes)
Andy Kim
Thought of as a one-hit wonder for the 1974 No. 1 smash "Rock Me Gently," the Montreal-born Andy Kim actually had a Top 10 hit with this rollicking cover of the Ronettes' "Baby, I Love You," making the song all his.
"Stormtrooper in Drag" (Gary Numan)
Saint Etienne
"I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" (Beatles)
Rosanne Cash
"September Gurls" (Big Star)
Bangles
How the girls could let Michael Steele sing lead on this pop gem but REMOVE the line "I was your butch"(!) is one of the great mysteries of pop music.
"You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" (Smiths)
Kirsty MacColl
"(Don't Go Back to) Rockville" (REM)
Natalie Merchant
"I Want You" (Marvin Gaye)
Madonna
Working with the incredible Massive Attack, Madonna was never more sensual.
"The Scientist" (Coldplay)
Aimee Mann
"Out of Control" (Rolling Stones)
Pal Shazar (download HERE)
"Hazy Shade of Winter" (Simon and Garfunkel)
The Bangles
"For What It's Worth" (Buffalo Springfield)
Holly Beth Vincent
"The First Cut Is the Deepest" (Cat Stevens)
Sheryl Crow
"My Guy" (Madness)
Tracey Ullman
Turning a girl into a guy, Tracey Ullman rode this Madness favorite to No. 23 on the U.K. charts back in 1984.
"Femme Fatale" (Velvet Underground)
Tracey Thorn
"I'll Keep It With Mine" (Bob Dylan)
Susanna Hoffs
"These Days" (Jackson Browne)
Nico
"Long Train Running" (Doobie Brothers)
Bananarama
I was never a fan of Doobie Brothers music, but after hearing this Youth-produced track by the Nanas, I sure was.
The music world hasn't been the same since that day in December 2000 when Kirsty MacColl was killed in a freak boating accident while on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico, with her two sons. Her death was doubly sad for me because unlike, say, the death of John Lennon, I didn't have anyone to grieve with here in America. (I wasn't very Web-savvy back then or else I probably could have reached out to her large U.K. fan base.) Although in England she was regarded as the female Elvis Costello and the Dorothy Parker of Pop, here in the United States she was perhaps best known as the chick on the Pogues' holiday classic, "Fairytale of New York," or as the writer of the Tracey Ullman hit, "They Don't Know." But MacColl was so much more than that. The daughter of Ewan MacColl ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"), she was a brilliant and accomplished songwriter, musician and performer with 20 years in the business under her belt at the time of her death. I've long regarded her dark 1993 masterpiece, "Titanic Days," as my favorite album of hers, although I've recently gotten the remastered and expanded versions of "Kite" and "Electric Landlady" and they all sound so good it's hard to pick one.
I had the good fortune to see her perform live at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Va., back on St. Patrick's Day 1995 and regard it as my favorite concert ever. With my 41st birthday just around the corner it's even clearer to me now than it was back in 2000 that she -- 41 also -- was far too young to die.
An almost breathtaking collection of dark and moody pop songs, beautifully produced and surrounded by lush orchestration . Easily my favorite album by the underrated singer/songwriter whose life was cut horribly short in a freak water accident on vacation in Cozumel, Mexico, in 2000. Pause & Play says of "Titanic Days": "In a way, it's her own 'Pet Sounds.'" Indeed. I saw Kirsty in concert at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, a year or two after this album came out and it was truly my favorite concert ever. What a horrible loss.
Especially: "Can't Stop Killing You," "Soho Square," "Angel" and, of course, the haunting title track.
(Recently, the album was gloriously remastered with bonus tracks for your listening pleasure.)
I sent this photo to my mom to prove to her that my hair hasn't "gotten darker with age," it's just a side effect of the...
Fake Jan Alert
My blog is featured in Susan Olsen's tell-all about the ill-fated "Brady Bunch Variety Hour"!
Little Kenny
Growing up in Madison Heights, Mich.
Back to the Old House
The Web leads to an unexpected return to a house I grew up in.
Oceans 11
Carlsbad, Calif. (2008)
1983
Go Behind the Music of my high-school band, A La Plage
A Death in the Family
Little Larry left us too soon.
Once I Had a Love
With Debbie Harry
'Jungle' Fever
With Robert Buckley
Roger & Me
With Roger Federer
Step Brother McMullen
With Ed Burns
Headline News
With Thomas Roberts
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