Danny Wilson - "Mary’s Prayer"

I just found that there are two different mixes of this song, which is a favorite of mine from the late '80s.

The first version is the US 45 version. On the intro, the only percussion is a tamborine on the 4-beats (count 1-2-3-4), which is centered between left/right.

My US promo 45 has "STVR 51458-1" in the deadwax on both sides, has "3:52" printed on the label and runs about 3:53. The label says "Produced by Dave Bascombe" and has no remix credit. There is a 1987 copyright credit on the label. I was in college radio when this came out, and it arrived in the mail from Virgin on May 5, 1987 (Lucky for me, I wrote the date on the inside of the picture sleeve.) I don't have the commercial 45 or the LP, but I suspect that this version was on both of those as well.

This 45 version appears on:

Modern Rock - Lost Hits of the Mid '80s (Time-Life R828-15, released 2001; I don't like the mastering, which is extremely compressed/maximized)
Smash Hits Party 88 (Chrysalis/Dover [UK] CCD 5, 1988)
The "A" List Disc 36 (Swaitek a/v, 1994)

The second version is a remix, with the same length. On the intro, there's a rim shot on the 2-beat (count 1-2-3-4), and a tamborine on the 4-beat in only the right channel.

I believe that this remix was done by Paul Staveley O'Duffy, according to some online sources, and I also believe that this remix was the British hit version. While the song was only a modest hit here in the US, it hit #3 in the UK in 1988.

From the notes of my Smash Hits CD, "In 1987, 'Mary's Prayer' was released twice without success but when released once more and - shazam! - became an enormous hit."

This remix appears on:

Now That's What I Call Music 12 (1988)
Now 1988 (Virgin EMI Polygram [UK] 8 27074 2, released 1993; excellent mastering, terrific levels and EQ)
Now 1988 The Millennium Series (Virgin EMI Polygram [UK] 5 20277 2, released 1999; mastered too loud - some clipping)

The Now CDs give a copyright credit of 1988 for the song, as opposed to 1987 for the other CDs. I don't think this remix ever appeared in the US.

anytime the 45 version is available on an import, i'm sure most of us would like to know about it.....

The remix mentioned above as appearing on Now That's What I Call Music 12 does not appear on the U.S. version of this cd so as far as I know CFTP must be referencing an import version of this cd.

If I do come across a cd that has a foreign single version such as "I'll Be There" by Gerry And The Pacemakers I will enter that comment in the database if it is called to my attention. If a song is "neither the 45 nor LP version" I will not go out of my way to figure out if it is a British, German, French, Austalian, Canadian.....version.

Trying to keep up with the domestic cd releases is a big enough task and I am not interested in trying to track down import cd's and match the content to foreign 45 or LP versions as it is just too costly and time consuming.

Edited by Pat Downey

Excellent work documenting the differences between the "hit" version and the remix of "Mary's Prayer", crapfromthepast (and being an audiophile myself, I do find your CD sound quality descriptions very useful). Once Pat updates the database, it'll be interesting to see which CDs contain the hit version and which do not.

Meanwhile, domestic CD appearances of the song to date run 3:46-3:53. Crap has documented that the promo 45 runs 3:53. Judging by the CD release of Danny Wilson's parent album Meet, the LP run time for "Mary's Prayer" is also 3:53. Can anyone confirm the actual commercial 45 time to see if it perhaps resembles the shorter 3:46 length that has frequently appeared on CD?

Edited by Todd Ireland

LOL! Hear, hear... Down with the "early dumpers"!

So it appears official then that 3:53 is the correct run time across the board (45/LP/DJ).

Question for crapfromthepast (or anyone else who might know), does the remixed version of "Mary's Prayer" also run approximately 3:53 or does it run a different length?