Pitchfork

Even zoot suit-wearing "Tropical Gangsters" have childhoods, as evidenced by the appearance of a Kid Creole retrospective called Going Places: The August Darnell Years 1974-1983.

Over the course of 15 tracks, Going Places chronicles Creole's progress as a musician, producer, and writer, from his beginnings under the given name August Darnell-- as a member of Dr. Buzzard's Savannah Band-- through his development into the Coconut-fronting genre-masher known as Kid Creole.

DJ Guido of Paris DJs compiled the selections on Going Places, which include rare and extended versions of tracks finally making their first CD appearances. You might recognize Dr. Buzzard's "Sunshower" as the basis for M.I.A.'s "Sunshowers".

To top it all off, journalist Vivien Goldman wrote the liner notes included in the package.

Going Places: The August Darnell Years 1974-1983 comes out April 14 in the UK via Strut Records. Kid Creole has a handful of UK shows scheduled for this summer, and he is still finalizing other shows around the world.

Going Places: The August Darnell Years 1974-1983:

01 Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band: "Sunshower"
02 Don Armando's Second Avenue Rumba Band: "Goin' to a Showdown"
03 Kid Creole & the Coconuts: "Going Places (Zemix Version)"
04 Cristina: "Is That All There Is?"
05 Gichy Dan's Beachwood No. 9: "On a Day Like Today"
06 Machine: "There But for the Grace of God Go I (LP Version)"
07 Don Armando's Second Avenue Rumba Band: "I'm an Indian Too (12" Version)"
08 Aural Exciters: "Marathon Runner"
09 Coati Mundi: "Pharaoh (Can't Take It to the Grave)"
10 Aural Exciters: "Emile (Night Rate)"
11 Kid Creole: "He's Not Such a Bad Guy After All (12" Version)"
12 Ron Rogers: "Don't Play With My Emotions"
13 Kid Creole & the Coconuts: "Double on Back"
14 Aural Exciters: "Paradise"
15 Kid Creole & the Coconuts: "Off the Coast of Me"

Going places:

07-19 Norfolk, England - Blinking Hall
07-26 Exeter, England - Powderham Castle
07-27 London, England - Excel
08-09 London, England - Ascot Racecourse
09-13 Salisbury, England - Breamore