Desperate Character

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Smash Hits	[2]

Upon release, Robin Denselow of The Guardian commented: "MacColl enlivened the hit parade earlier this summer with the witty "There a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", but hasn't quite developed the range necessary to fill an LP. The melodies are mostly pleasant and straightforward but even more adventurous lyrics are needed. She's certain got songwriting potential."[3] Aberdeen Press and Journal stated: "Having successfully got herself into the public gaze with her unlikely single, Kirsty sounds as if she could make a bigger name for herself with this album. There is not much original in the content, but she has an interesting delivery and sounds as if she could do great things with better material."[4]

Johnny Black of Smash Hits felt the "well-respected" musicians playing on the album ensured a "musically competent outing", but added "the melodies are so derivative that it seems Kirsty has nothing original to offer."[5] Simon Mares of the Reading Evening Post wrote: "It's not that her country-rock totally lacks style, it's that so many others do it better."[6]

All tracks composed by Kirsty MacColl; except where indicated

Desperate Character (1981)

1. "Clock Goes Round" – 2:33
2. "See That Girl" – 2:59
3. "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" (MacColl, Philip Rambow) – 3:04
4. "Teenager in Love" (MacColl, Philip Rambow) – 2:33
5. "Mexican Sofa" (MacColl, Lu Edmonds) – 3:11
6. "Until The Night" (MacColl, Phil Johnstone) – 3:07
7. "Falling For Faces" (MacColl, Lu Edmonds) – 2:28
8. "Just One Look" (Doris Payne, Gregory Carroll) – 2:17
9. "The Real Ripper" (MacColl, Lu Edmonds) – 3:20
10. "Hard To Believe" – 2:17
11. "He Thinks I Still Care" (Royden D. Lipscombe, Steve Duffy) – 2:54
12. "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" (country version) – 3:42

Kirsty MacColl (1985)

Kirsty MacColl is essentially a reworked version of Desperate Character, with the following changes:

• "Mexican Sofa", "Just One Look" and the country version of "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" were dropped.
• The previously unissued tracks "Annie", "Roman Gardens" and "Berlin" were substituted in their places.
• For a "Special Edition" release of the album, two additional previously unissued tracks were added: "Man With No Name" and "Sleepless Nights".

1. "Clock Goes Round" – 2:33
2. "See That Girl" – 2:59
3. "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis" – 3:04
4. "Teenager in Love" – 2:33
5. "Annie" – 4:33
6. "Until The Night" – 3:07
7. "Falling For Faces" – 2:28
8. "Roman Gardens" – 3:57
9. "The Real Ripper" – 3:20
10. "Hard To Believe" – 2:17
11. "He Thinks I Still Care" – 2:54
12. "Berlin" – 3:34
13. "Man With No Name" *
14. "Sleepless Nights" *

(* Special Edition only)

• Kirsty MacColl – vocals
• Lu Edmonds, Billy Bremner, Malcolm Morley, Phil Rambow, Barry "Bazza" Farmer – guitar
• Glyn Havard, Paul Riley – bass
• Lee Partiss – drums
• Gavin Povey – piano
• Ben Mandelson – fiddle
• "Irish" John Earle – tenor & baritone saxophone
• Chris Gower – trombone
• Dick Hansen – trumpet
• Lew Lewis – "vamping"
• Blanche McAdorey, Billy – background vocals

• Desperate Character at Kirsty MacColl.com
• Kirsty MacColl at Kirsty MacColl.com