''Despite Straight Lines'' is the only studio album by British singer-songwriter
Marilyn, released in 1985.
Overview
Although Marilyn had scored three top 40 hits throughout the 1983–84 period, his debut album was not released until mid-1985, 18 months after his biggest hit "
Calling Your Name" was a top 10 hit. Possibly due to a loss of momentum, the album only charted in Australia,
[ and subsequent singles taken from it were also unsuccessful.
The album was reissued on CD in 2008 as ''Despite Straight Lines: The Very Best of Marilyn'', by Cherry Pop (a division of ]Cherry Red Records
Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...
). The reissue includes several bonus tracks, consisting of B-sides and alternative versions, though it excludes the single "Pray for That Sunshine".
Track listing
# " Calling Your Name" ( Marilyn, Paul Caplin) – 4:06
# "Mountain to the Ocean" (Roger Jackson) – 3:46
# "Surrender to Your Love" (Marilyn) – 4:04
# "Pray for That Sunshine" (Marilyn) – 4:00
# "Third Eye" (Marilyn) – 3:24
# "Baby U Left Me (In the Cold)" (Marilyn) – 3:51
# "You Don't Love Me" (Marilyn) – 3:24
# "Give It Up" (Eric Robinson) – 3:58
# "Wear It Out" (Marilyn, Eric Robinson) –2:17
# "Cry and Be Free" (Marilyn) – 3:34
CD re-issue (bonus tracks)
# "Calling Your Name" (Midnight Party Mix) (Marilyn, Paul Caplin) – 4:42
# "Move Together" (Marilyn) – 3:36
# "Calling Your Name" (Extended Version) (Marilyn, Paul Caplin) – 6:54
# "Running" (Marilyn) – 3:06
# "Cry and Be Free" (Gospel) (Marilyn) – 5:43
# "Cry and Be Free" (Streisand Style) (Marilyn) – 5:19
# "Raining Again" (Dub Version) (Marilyn) – 7:08
# "Baby U Left Me (In the Cold)" (Extended Version) (Marilyn) – 7:08
Personnel
;Producers
* Alan Winstanley
Alan Kenneth Winstanley (; born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.
Early life
He was born in Fulham in November 1952 to parents Ken and Doreen. ...
(tracks 1, 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15)
* Clive Langer
Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards.
He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' Brothers of the Head''.
Biog ...
(tracks 1, 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15)
* Don Was
Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was (), is an American musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker and radio host. Since 2011, he has also served as president of the ...
(tracks 2, 5, 17)
* Eric Robinson (tracks 4, 7, 8)
* Roger Jackson (tracks 11, 13, 16)
*Julian Mendelsohn
Julian Mendelsohn is an Australian record producer, audio engineer and mixer.
Early life
After completing school in Australia, Mendelsohn moved to the United Kingdom. He secured his first job in 1974 at Milner Sound Fulham Rd. Chelsea, run by ...
- mixing (tracks 8, 9)
*Clare Muller - photography
*Bobby Rae, Carol "Sugar Lips" Hall, Claudia Fontaine, Eric Robinson, Sweet Pea "Python" Atkinson - backing vocals
Charts
References
{{Authority control
1985 debut albums
Albums produced by Alan Winstanley
Albums produced by Clive Langer
Albums produced by Don Was
Mercury Records albums
Marilyn (singer) albums
New wave albums by English artists