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The Essential Collection is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, released by Stiff Records in 1993. It contains seventeen tracks covering MacColl's early recording career for Stiff and includes those released as singles and B-sides, as well as selections from her debut album Desperate Character (1981). The last three tracks are included as bonus tracks.
Chris Woodstra of AllMusic described the compilation as a "fine collection", with "some of the best singles ever ". He added: "She wrote melodic pop singles that managed to recast the classic girl-group sound of the '60s into a style that was contemporary and timeless."