English songstress and actress Dana Gillespie is a deep-rooted folk/blues singer, a talent that conveys a hauntingly soulful voice. What makes this set of recordings standout, is actually given away in the title; The Complete Mainman Recordings. The connection is then made to the late David Bowie. That label Mainman was the rights management company set up by Bowie’s ex-manager Tony DeFries. Apart from David Bowie, Mainman also handled artists, and launched the careers of Iggy Pop, Mott The Hoople and in this instance, Dana Gillespie. Gillespie herself performs backing vocals on the track “It Ain’t Easy”, from Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
The recordings made within that early seventies time period were essential, and inspiring releases, all of which are represented here. This is a treasure trove, even if it seems slightly obscure, the surprise is in the sound. Those involved in the creative process, and the edge that Gillespie sought to become more relevant in the seventies makes What Memories We Make. This is, make no mistake a thoroughly enjoyable listen containing effervescent versions of the Bowie penned “Andy Warhol”. The track which Bowie himself would release on Hunky Dory (1971) makes three appearances. Reason in part is due to the fact that the song was written especially for Gillespie. She recorded it in 1971, but her version of the song was not released until 1973 on her album Weren’t Born a Man. That aforementioned album was produced by Bowie and Mick Ronson, given the same attention that was placed on Lou Reed’s Transformer.
CD1
