Marianne Faithfull recommendations

Of the Decca albums, my favourite is North Country Maid, but they're all worth having. The 2002 Japanese CDs are my go-to, although I've heard very good things about the 2013 SHM-CDs.

Rich Kid Blues is spectacular, especially when you consider the circumstances under which she recorded it. Skip the two NEMS albums, and go straight to Broken English and Dangerous Acquaintances. If you can, find the 2013 deluxe edition of Broken English, with the second disc of original mixes.

I have a very soft spot for A Child's Adventure, and Strange Weather and Vagabond Ways are both excellent. The more recent sequence of Horses and High Heels, Give My Love to London and Negative Capability is up there, too.

Also... I love the BBC collection, and search Youtube for tracks from her 1978 Music Machine show. It was talked about as something of a comeback, but the audience didn't know what hit them. The sound quality on the clips is poor, but you can hear what an amazing show it was.

 

Ever been such a thing as a multi-label compilation or box-set. (I already have the ACE disk.)

I would be vet interested in such a collection.

 

I went to see her at the Dominion in 1982 and she was fantastic



(Photo David Corio)

 

That was a great show.

 

Thanks for these comments. Curious to hear the follow-up to Broken English, so I have ordered Dangerous Acquaintances despite a not-very-impartial Wikipedia entry that reads:
“The album was seen by reviewers as a disappointing follow-up to Faithfull's Broken English, as the album trades the angry and controversial alternative new wave arrangements of the previous one for a more mainstream rock texture, using over a dozen session musicians and, for some, giving a certain anonymous feel to the songs.”

 

Thanks for posting the YouTube links.. First song (in a while, anyway) I ever heard of hers was "Broken English" which is a really good one. "Sweetheart" - pretty good.

 

Here's a pretty good one.

"Guilt"

 

"Intrigue" from Dangerous Acquaintances.

@Dave Gilmour's Cat - I hope you enjoy the album. Don't expect it to be Broken English - it has a very different feel, it doesn't have the underlying anger. I think much of the disappointment with Dangerous Acquaintances is that people were wanting - and expecting - another Broken English, and didn't give the album a chance.

 

To get into Marianne one really should start at the beginning, the US and UK albums are very different experiences. In the UK, her first 2 albums were released at the same time in '65, one folk and one pop. Both excellent. North Country Maid, the followup, is my personal fave and it's forward thinking psychedelia at points is a beauty to behold. Before the poison indeed.

 

Just saw where a deluxe version of VAGABOUND WAYS with bonus material is to be issued on March 4, on CD, vinyl and digital.

The deluxe version will have previously unreleased demos and an unheard studio track, plus new liner notes.

 

The Decca stuff is great. Too bad she didn't have a chance to develop more as an artist and songwriter back then. A combination of drugs and being Mick Jagger's boyfriend kept that from happening. Her Loveinamist album is a great collection.

 

Do you have a link for this information?

While I love BROKEN ENGLISH, I do think I love DANGEROUS ACQUAINTANCES even more!

 

Not sure what else is out there, got a notification from Marianne's FB page, below:

Marianne Faithfull’s Vagabond Ways reissue will be released on March 4th. The album includes a selection of previously unreleased bonus demos and an unheard studio track, plus new liner notes. Vagabond Ways will be available on LP, CD and digital. Pre-order your copy now: https://mariannefaithfull.lnk.to/VWExpandedFA

Great news as this is a terrific album, and for me was the start of her "modern" phase - pleasantly surprised about a deluxe edition since it doesn't have the rep of her "famous" records.


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In addition to MF's great 80s work, I'm a big fan of her 1995 album A Secret Life, which has Angelo Badalamenti (known for his work on David Lynch films) as arranger. Very lush, sometimes creepy, like the song She.

 

There's a video for the "new" demo of the song Incarceration of a Flower Child, the old Roger Waters song. Such a perfect song for Marianne to revisit with the album Vagabond Ways. I recall she had great success with songs by Waters on other albums too. The demo sounds pretty "finished" to me, I'll have to listen to the album version to hear what the differences are.

 

Looking back, I'd argue that Marianne is one of the few artists whose 80s output -- Broken English, Dangerous Acquaintances, Child's Adventure, Strange Weather, and the live album Blazing Away -- wasn't adversely affected by that decade's, uh, "musical challenges" (production, synths, etc.). She just kept doing her own thing.

 

Of course the bonus tracks are only on the CD…

Official Marianne Faithfull Store - Order Vagabond Ways Reissue Now - Marianne Faithfull - Vagabond Ways

 

The Faithfull single disc compilation (compiled by Chris Blackwell himself) relies too heavily on Broken English, which may be her overall best album but most people have it already.

I highly rate the recent Negative Capability.

 

I’m not sure how easy this is to get hold of, but it’s wonderful:

 

Likewise. I'm not sure why she needed to record As Tears Go By again when the rest of the material is so strong.

 

Another vote for "Strange Weather": "Love, Life and Money" (performed with Dr.John) and the remake of "As Tears go by" are my favourites I guess. From the same period (mid 80s) is her contribution ("Ballad of the soldier's wife") to the "Lost in the stars" Kurt Weill tribute album - great stuff as well!

 

This really is a brilliant performance… This soundtrack is absolutely worth it for this song alone! She also does a fine version of “Trouble In Mind” on it that is quite nice and the instrumentals are also worth hearing.

 

Girl On A Motorcycle?