Dana Gillespie - Box Of Surprises 1968

Although Dana Gillespie is probably best known for her early-'70s spell among David Bowie's most visible cohorts, her own career dates back almost as far as Bowie's himself, with the pair even sharing a record label (Decca) and producer (Mike Vernon) during the late '60s. Whereas Bowie was more intent on aping Anthony Newley and the English music hall traditions, however, Gillespie was turning in an album that stands as the missing link between period Marianne Faithfull and future Elastica. An angular pop edge dominates Box of Surprises, one that utterly defies the decades that have passed since its recording, while the gentler songs such as "For David, the Next Day" (not surprisingly written for Bowie) and "Grecian Ode" pack an alluring impact of their own. The years since Box of Surprises have seen Gillespie undergo any number of musical changes, from her flirtation with glam, through blues and folk, and even a spell of near-symphonic rock, alongside sometime-Mike Oldfield collaborator Tim Cross. This album predicts most of those moves and still sounds astonishingly fresh because of that. AMG.

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