Dana Gillespie first made a splash on the U.K. charts with a run of singles for Pye and a couple albums on Decca and London in the mid-'60s.  In 1971, the actress-singer-musician signed to RCA under the aegis of MainMan, the management company headed by Tony Defries that famously included David Bowie on its roster.  Gillespie had first befriended the future superstar as a teenager in Swinging London before reconnecting with him in a major way in the early 1970s.

It was Bowie who had introduced Gillespie to Defries, setting the stage for a fertile period of musical creativity at RCA/MainMan.  All of Gillespie's RCA/MainMan recordings and a wealth of previously unissued material feature on a new artist-approved 2-CD compilation from Cherry Red, What Memories We Make: The Complete MainMan Recordings 1971-1974, which arrives on March 29.

Gillespie's first RCA long-player Weren't Born A Man was recorded as Gillespie was starring on the West End as Mary Magdalene in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar.  Released in 1973 after a long gestation, it features a mix of pop- and soul-inflected tracks, including eight original compositions or co-writes.  A highlight of the album was a cover of Bowie's "Andy Warhol," a song he wrote especially for her.  Mick Ronson lent his typically scorching guitar to the track.  In fact, "Andy Warhol" dated back to a rare 1971 promo LP overseen by Bowie and Ronson that included seven Bowie Hunky Dory-era rough mixes and five Gillespie songs (four originals and a demo of the aforementioned "Andy Warhol" with background vocals and 12-string guitar by Bowie).  Fans will be pleased to know that the five Gillespie cuts from the promo LP are featured on the new set, including Gillespie's original demo of the Bowie track.  Also included are alternate versions of "Lavender Hill" and "Never Knew," which date back to that 1971 promo, as well.

Gillespie followed up her debut with Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle, a bluesier set that's just as compelling as her debut and which hinted at the musical direction she'd move toward after her affiliation with RCA.  The album is supplemented on What Memories We Make with a Second Fiddle outtake called "Man Size Job" and five previously unissued demos from October of 1974 which were made in preparation for a third album that never arrived thanks to MainMan's collapse.

Altogether, What Memories We Make:  The Complete MainMan Recordings 1971-1974 provides the most comprehensive look at Gillespie's '70s material with her cult classic albums and a healthy dose of vault material.  Oli Hemingway has remastered both discs.  Aside from the music, the attractive digipak set includes a 24-page booklet with new sleeve notes by David Wells and a wealth of striking and often risqué photographs supplied by the artist.

All told, the set proves that there's more to Dana Gillespie than just her oft-covered Bowie connection.  It's due out on March 29 in the U.K. (and one week later in the North America!) from Cherry Red and is available for pre-order now at the links below!

Dana Gillespie, What Memories We Make: The Complete MainMan Recordings 1971-1974 (Cherry Red CDBRED745, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

(*) denotes previously unissued track

Disc One:
1971 Promo LP:
1. Mother, Don't Be Frightened *
2. Andy Warhol
3. Never Knew *
4. All Cut Up On You *
5. Lavender Hill *

Weren't Born A Man LP: 
6. Stardom Road Part I/Stardom Road Part II
7. What Memories We Make
8. Dizzy Heights
9. Andy Warhol
10. Backed A Loser
11. Weren't Born A Man
12. Mother, Don't Be Frightened
13. All Cut Up On You
14. Eternal Showman
15. All Gone

Alternative Versions:
16. Lavender Hill
17. Never Knew

Libido Single:
18. Hold Onto Your Fire
19. Weren't Born A Man

Disc Two:
Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle LP:
1. Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle
2. Really Love the Man
3. Hold Me Gently
4. Don't Mind Me
5. Pack Your Bags
6. No Tail to Wag
7. Get My Rocks Off
8. Wanderlust
9. Getting Through to Me
10. Never Knew

Ain't Gonna Play ... Outtake:
11. Man Size Job *

October 1974 Demos:
12. Stoke the Engine *
13. Goin' Crazy With the Blues *
14. Say Goodnight to the Night *
15. Do the Spin *
16. Gone at the Game *

Original Demo:
17. Andy Warhol *