original vinyl LP Mary Margaret O'Hara Miss America '88 PROMO (tom waits related) rare vinyl w/lyric, nm lp, vg+ shape cover with edge notch and promo stamp. with lyric inner sleeve, 912741 virgin.

Mary Margaret O'Hara is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress, who has been hailed as one of the greatest cult heroines in rock music despite having released very few of her own recordings. She is best known for the critically acclaimed album Miss America, released in 1988.

Early stages

O'Hara was born in Toronto, Ontario to a large Irish family. She is the sister of comedic actress Catherine O'Hara. Her early musical tastes included Van Morrison, Dinah Washington, and her father's jazz records.[1] She was a student at the Ontario College of Art and Design in the 1970s, and was involved in the music scene as a member of Toronto bands Dollars, Songship and Go Deo Chorus.[2]

In 1983, O'Hara left Go Deo and was signed by Virgin Records. Andy Partridge of XTC was scheduled as her producer but resigned after his first day due to his reported difficulties with O'Hara's musical approach. Her contract with Virgin continued and eventually led to the 1988 release of Miss America. O'Hara later reflected on the production experience, noting ""I loved the Celtic crosses and the sheep rolling around the hills by the studio in Wales. But for Virgin to go from, 'You can do whatever you want', to 'What have you done?' - that was tough."[1][3]

In addition, she did some work as a graphic artist, including lettering for the cover of Dalbello's album whomanfoursays.

Debut album Main article: Miss America (album)

In 1987, Michael Brook saw O'Hara in performance and was captivated by her unique style, and soon took on the job of producing O'Hara's attempts at an album. He ultimately added new vocals to and remixed material that was originally recorded by Joe Boyd in 1984.[4] At least one of the songs, "To Cry About", had been written as early as 1980.[1] According to the liner notes of a later reissue, six of the tracks were recorded in 1984, four in 1988, and one in 1983 and mixed later.[5]

When Miss America was finally released in 1988, O'Hara's songwriting (a fusion of jazz, country, rock and pop) and distinctive vocal style — which can move from a pure, angelic croon to a loud wail in seconds — quickly won her raves from critics and fellow musicians alike. It was hailed in many quarters as one of the best and most distinctive records of the decade, and has in fact made an appearance in some music magazines' polls of the best records of the 20th century. The British music magazine Mojo sings her praises regularly.

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Vinyl grading is usually based on the Goldmine standard and is as follows:

“SS” Still Sealed – For the collector that demands nothing but perfection.

“M” Mint - a near perfect, or unplayed record.

“NM” Near Mint - in factory fresh condition, like new.

EX+ - close to like new with only superficial signs of use that don't affect play. Will satisfy all but the most vain and demanding collector.

EX - a used, reasonable copy. Shows slight signs of wear.

VG+ - There will be obvious signs of wear and the possibility a few skuffs and/or light surface noise between tracks or during quiet passages, but still quite nice.

VG - significant wear and marks and usually quite noticeable surface noise,still plays great.

Good - In the record world, "Good" is not good! From here on down, we're talking about beat-up records!