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Galore

I began buying music on cassette in the mid-'80s out of necessity: I couldn't afford a record-player, and I certainly couldn't afford a CD player. Cassette-players, however, were comparatively cheap, and, of course, tapes were compact & portable. When I was eventually able to switch to CD I didn't think twice about it and scarecely looked back: I sold or gave away all my tapes in '98 before an international move.

Earlier this year I spotted a hi-fi cassette player in my local charity shop: a good-quality model in good shape. The third, fourth and fifth times I saw it there, still unclaimed, I started to think I might buy it, which, at the sixth or seventh time, I did. With the player plumbed in to my hi-fi, I needed something to play on it. My purchases included a few 'Best Of' compilations from an ebay seller, including this one, Galore, a 1995 retrospective of Kirsty MacColl's career up to that point.

Its sound quality might best be termed 'adequate' but it's an enjoyable mix of MacColl originals and covers. Of the former, her debut solo single 'They Don't Know' is still a straightforward joy, and her '89 song 'Free World' retains its power & relevance. The covers include first-rate renditions of Billy Bragg's 'A New England', Morrissey & Marr's 'You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby' and Ray Davies' 'Days'. I'm less enamoured of her '90s material (from 'Walking Down Madison' onwards) but that's not entirely without its charm either.

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