Transcript of an on-line chat
with Mari Wilson
The Neasden
Queen Of Soul, The Nymphet Of The Nail Varnish, Miss Bee Hive;
these are only a few of the acronyms used by the British press
to describe vocalist Mari Wilson. Taking her cue from Peggy Lee,
Julie London, Diana Ross, Freda Payne and several others, the
London Burrough Of Brent High Board Champion, followed by an ever-growing
entourage of backup singers and musicians took their act to the
offices of Compact Records and promptly hit it big. Her second
single, Beat The Beat, was heard on
the radio by Bryan Ferry who called it 'the strangest
thing I'd heard in five years,' and promptly invited Mari to support
the Roxy big band on the Avalon tour. Concerts and television
appearances continued, and Mari's Compact career peaked when she
recorded the theme to Dance With A Stranger, starring Miranda
Richardson and Rupert Everett. After Compact faded from the face
of the earth Mari began to pursue a career as a jazz singer, performing
anywhere and everywhere. She released a smooth-jazz oriented album
in 1991, from which two singles were released.
Discography:
7" singles
1982
Pink 1 Dance Card
Pink f4 (lyn 12055) Dance Card (clear flexi)
Pink 2 Beat The Beat
Pink 3 Baby It's True/You Look So Good
Pink 4 Just What I Always Wanted/Are You There (With Another Girl)
810 122-7 Just What I've Always Wanted (uk white label promo)
Pink 5 Beware Boyfriend/It's Happening
Beware Boyfriend (w/ color postcard of Marionettes)
1983
Pink 6 Wonderful
1984
Pink 7 Ain't That Peculiar (3 copies each w/ diff
color background)
Pink 8 Cry Me A River
1985
Pink 9 Let's Make This Last
Pink 10 Dance With A Stranger/Ruth's Bedroom
(dialogue)/Jazz Break (instrumental)
10 inch singles
T MARIS 003 I'm Coming Home/No Moon At All/Out Of
The Blue/It's Got To Be You
12
inch singles
1982
Pink x 3 Baby It's True (discotheque arrangement)/You Look
So Good/Baby It's True (7" mix)
Pink x 4 Just What I Always Wanted (extended)/Are You There (With
Another Girl)/Woe, Woe, Woe
mk 253 (2-57052) Just What I've Always Wanted (remix)/ Just
What I've Always Wanted (instrumental)
(UK, promotional sticker on sleeve)
Pink x5 Beware Boyfriend/It's Happening
1983
Pink x 6 Wonderful (long version)/I May be Wrong/One Day
Is A Lifetime
MK 253 (US Promo) Just What I Always Wanted (remix)/Just What
I Always Wanted (instrumental remix)
1984
Pinx x 8 Ain't That Peculiar/The Maximum Damage/Use
Him
1985
Pink x 9 Let's Make This Last/Let's Make This Last
A Bit Longer (stereo shift mix loop one & loop two)
Act 14 Dance With A Stranger (UK w/picture labels)
CD singles
1991
CD MARIS 001 The Rhythm (club mix)/Someone To Watch
Over Me/The Rhythm (radio edit)/The Rhythm (beats)
CD MARIS 002 My Funny Valentine/Cry Me A River/Got To Be You/My
Funny Valentine (instrumental)
CD MARIS 003 I'm Coming Home/No Moon At All/Out Of The Blue/It's
Got To Be You
Act 20 Dance Card/Stop And Start/She's Had Enough/Love
Man/Ectasy/If Thats What You Want (UK pic label)
l15p1154 Just What I've Always Wanted/Beat The Beat/Baby It's
True/Tu No Me Lores (Japanese w/ giant pic label)
Razormaid remix white label test pressing Mari Wilson b/w Nona
Hendrix (no identifying numbers)
Albums
1983 People COMP 2 (UK release)
Wonderful To Be With/The End Of The Affair/One Day
Is A Lifetime/Dr Love/Remember Me/Cry me A River/Just What I Always
Wanted/This Time Tomorrow/Are You There (With Another Girl)/I
May Be Wrong/Ecstacy/This is it?
1991 Rythm Romance (DIN CD 31)
Cielo/The Rhythm/I'm Coming Home/No Moon At All/For
Your Freedom/La La Peace Song/Cry Me A River/This Town/Yeh Yeh/And
I Love Him/Let There Be Love/Someone To Watch Over Me/Loverman/My
Funny Valentine
Cassette
Born Lucky (live, given away with the US release
of Show People)
Baby it's True/Beat The Beat/Love Man/The End Of The Affair/Dance
Card
CD Compilations
1989
1990
Marigold EVA 2018 (Japan)
Love Man/Dance Card/Stop And Start/She's Had Enough
Of You/Beat The Beat/Glamourpuss/Ecstacy/Baby It's True/Beware
Boyfriend/The End Of The Affair/Dr Love/Are You There (With Another
Girl)It's Happening/Rave/Wonderful To Be With/Ain't That Peculiar/Love
And Learn/Let Me Dream/Tu No Me Lores (Cry Me A River)
1992
Beat The Beat Great Expectations (PIPCD 032)
Dance Card/Beat The Beat/Love Man/Stop And Start/Ecstacy/If
That's What You Want/She's Had Enough Of You/Glamourpuss/Baby
It's True/It's Happening/You Look So Good/What's Going On/Ain't
That Peculiar/Rave/I'm Happy Just To Dance With You/The Maximum
Damage/Let Me Dream/Would You Dance With A Stranger/Cry Me A River
(solo piano version)
Just What I Always Wanted Great Expectations (PIPCD
034)
Wonderful To Be With/Just What I Always Wanted/The
End Of The Affair/Are You There (With Another Girl)/Dr Love/This
Time Tomorrow/Remember Me/One Day Is A Lifetime/Beware Boyfriend/I
May Be Wrong/Use Him/Love And Learn/This Is Is/Tu No Me Lores
(Cry Me A River)/Let's Make This Last
(note-- except
for the brief 'Woe, Woe, Woe', the two Great Expections CDs seem
to contain a version of nearly every song Mari recorded for Compact).
A Young Person's Guide To Compact
PIPCD 033 (Great Expectations)
Beat The Beat/Baby It's True/Dance Card/Stop And Start (with
the Compact Orchestra)*
*only Mari Wilson Tracks listed
Singlecompact EVA 3009 (Japan)
A sort of aural history of the Compact label, this disc
includes Baby It's True, Glamourpuss, Ain't That Peculiar, It's
Happening, Love And Learn, and Would You Dance With A Stranger,
along with tracks by other Compact artists, as well as interview
snippets with Ms Wilson, Tot Taylor, Floyd, Hank B Hive, and several
other luminaries.
Many thanks must go (in alphabetical order) to Craig, Dave
and Denny for their help in completing this discography. A special
thanks to Craig for confirming the existance of the Born
Lucky cassette.
Please write
me with any comments or additions!
