Marianne Faithfull Albums (20)
What The Critics Say
Songstress Marianne Faithfull last collaborated with producer Hal Willner on her iconic Strange Weather album in 1987. Though Faithfull has continued to record sporadically -- and has written and published her memoirs -- it's odd to think that she hasn't worked with Willner again until now, because then as now, the match feels effortless and natural. Like Strange Weather, Easy Come Easy Go is a covers collection, featuring Faithfull in different musical settings and interpreting the songs of everyone from Merle Haggard to Smokey Robinson to Duke Ellington to Randy Newman to the Decemberists to Morrissey with a killer guest list including Antony Hegarty, Rufus Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Jarvis Cocker, Jenni Muldaur, Sean Lennon, Warren Ellis, Nick Cave, and Keith Richards. The core band on this set includes old friends like Marc Ribot and Greg Cohen as well as drummer Jim White, Rob Burger, Doug Weiselman, Steve Weisberg, Barry Reynolds, Steven Bernstein, Marty Ehrlich, and Lenny Pickett. The sense of stylistic sprawl on these 12 songs is incredible. The album opener, a cover of Dolly Parton's "Down from Dover," features the full band and guests numbering 18 strong! Faithfull's trademark deep-throated, whiskey-and-cigarettes-ravaged voice is in better shape than it's been in a decade at least. It's full and expressive, and she brings up a depth of passion for this sad tale that almost soars. The band, arranged by Weisberg, plays with beautiful space and elegant harmonics with nice work by Ribot and Burger. Cave sings backing vocals on the Decemberists' "The Crane Wife 3," its lithe rock arrangement shaded by a beautiful British folk-style melody and gorgeous bass work by Cohen, celeste by Burger, and a three-piece string section. While Wainwright's signature backing vocals grace a jazzy arrangement of Espers' "Children of Stone," and the chart is eight minutes of pure, nocturnal lounge lizard eros, it does go on a bit too long, emptying it somewhat of its power. Ellington's "Solitude" works far better, as Faithfull's command of sparse phrases drives the tune, expressing more in the spaces between words than the words themselves -- or even her voice. Other highlights include an excellent version of Judee Sill's "The Phoenix," and a deeply emotive, almost startling cover of Morrissey's "Dear God Please Help Me. There is a fantastic--if surreal--faux-soul reading of Robinson's "Ooh Baby Baby," as a duet with AntonyThe disc closes with Richards adding both his guitar (to those of Ribot and Reynolds) and his raggedy croak of a vocal to Faithfull's on Haggard's "Sing Me Back Home." It's sad and slow, but feels more contrived than honestly emotional. While this is a long journey with a couple of missteps Ms. Faithfull shows up in excellent form throughout this offering. If you are patient, there is more than enough here to hold your attention and take you on journeys through love, lust, tragedy, and longing and bring you home again.(The British version of this CD, contains an extra CD with six extra tracks--the Morrissey and Judee SIll covers on this version came from the British one--and a bonus DVD with a documentary about the making of the album.) ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Each time Marianne Faithfull issues a recording, fans and pundits hold their breaths waiting for another outing as iconoclastic as Broken English. Before the Poison isn't it for a number of reasons, quality not being one of them. Simply put, Before the Poison is an album that concerns itself with both sides of love, friendship, and redemption, not desolation or desperation. That said, there is plenty of human shadow in these ten songs. Polly Harvey wrote three songs here, co-wrote a pair with Faithfull, and is present on all of them. Nick Cave co-wrote three with the singer and his Bad Seeds back her on these tracks. She also co-wrote one apiece with Blur's Damon Albarn and composer Jon Brion. Along with Harvey and Cave, Rob Ellis and Hal Willner aided in production. Therefore, Before the Poison, like its predecessor, Kissin' Time, is an album of collaborations. But unlike that offering, this one is seamless; its songs are sequenced impeccably and all feel of a piece linked by emotional thematics. Harvey's songs are all moving and beautiful. Faithfull's reading of "No Child of Mine," a track that appeared on PJ's own last album, Uh Huh Her, has more depth and texture than the original. Harvey is pushing it on, underneath, her signature guitar sound ushering in each line as Faithfull -- in fantastic voice throughout -- does a call and response with herself until the refrain, when Harvey harmonizes and adds dimension to the stark loss and resignation uttered with great empathy and even tenderness. On "The Mystery of Love," which opens the set, Faithfull brings the weight of her life experience to Harvey's poetic lyric and opens its fathomless heart. On Cave's "Crazy Love," the lyric could have accompanied the footage in Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire. As Faithfull paints the skeletal portraits of the song's protagonists who move around the chessboard of life, she gets to the refrain where the tune splits wide and, as Warren Ellis' raggedly elegant violin sweeps above the rest, the singers offers a poetic truth from her own life: "Crazy love is all around me/Love is crazy, love is kind/But I know somehow you'll find me/Love is crazy, love is blind." On Albarn's "Last Song," possibility has passed into memory amid the swell of strings, tambourines, and acoustic pianos. It's a devastating track, and Faithfull sings with an authority that can only be borne by a witness. The disc closes with "City of Quartz," written with Brion. It's a fractured, slightly off-kilter waltz that could have easily appeared on Blazing Away or even as an outtake from 20th Century Blues. The notion of time's passage is in the present tense here, as strings enter amid the chimes underscoring longing, and the acceptance of human need. Before the Poison is poetic and unnerving; it stands alone in her catalog in the same way that Broken English did -- but this time, on the other side of the mirror. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One of the most endearing things about Marianne Faithfull is how well and often she reinvents herself as an artist, all the while remaining true to her rebellious, defiantly independent nature, enduring whatever changes the industry undergoes with her restless, and often reckless, vision intact. Kissin' Time has been billed as Ms. Faithfull's collaboration album because of the appearances and production talents of numerous artists, including Beck, Billy Corgan, Jarvis Cocker, Pulp, Dave Stewart, Blur, etc. The truth of the matter is that this is just the latest installment in a series of collaborations, but one that includes far bigger names from the world of postmodern pop. Ms. Faithfull's 1990s recordings with producer Hal Willner, and collaborations with composer and producer Angelo Badalamenti, were just that. Ms. Faithfull was involved in every part of the recording process. Her collaboration with Peter Trueblood on 20th Century Blues, an album of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht songs was in the most literal sense a cooperative arrangement. If anything, this project, her first new material in three years, is closely linked to her last album, the beautiful and moving Vagabond Ways, produced by Daniel Lanois. There Ms. Faithfull co-wrote all the material on the record and helped to choose the players. Here, she co-wrote most of the material and commissioned all the artists to work with her. The sound on Kissin' Time is thoroughly contemporary, deconstructive pop. That Ms. Faithfull is able to make this set sound as if it were recorded in one studio with one band is a minor miracle; that she can put such searing soul into sonic constructs that are sometimes only marginally "songs" is a major artistic achievement. Faithfull also deserves kudos for maintaining her various collaborators' identities throughout the album. Thus, Beck Hansen signs the dark, frenetic rhythms on "Sex With Strangers" and "Nobody's Fault," with its bluesed out, country lilt. But neither of these songs would have been convincing without Ms. Faithfull's voice carrying them. On "Being Born," another Beck track, the production and pace are pure Leonard Cohen, but Faithfull turns the lyric into something almost sinister, and it lands just this side of perverse. But it's Billy Corgan who gets the highest marks here for capturing Faithfull's dominant strengths with "I'm On Fire." A large, timberline rhythm, slowed to a crawl, covered in keyboard and synthed strings become a processional for the anthem Faithfull calls forth from the center of her being as her words come hurtling from the depths: "...And love did come but in such disguise/That I could hardly recognize!/So with trust in fate and love of life/Take my chance and roll the dice/And whatever sent me...I'll still be there/Whatever happens, it's true/And I'm standing still/Try to show the way..." Likewise on "Wherever I go," Corgan captures the pace of her delivery, and the dynamic her lyrics demand -- "You can see I've come so far/So kiss me quick/I swear upon the stars they're mine..." -- strings, synths, shimmering drums, warbling guitars, all of them are draped lovingly around Ms. Faithfull's voice. Her collaborations with Dave Stewart in a heartfelt tribute on the "Song for Nico" register as honest and bare of all sentimentality. But in "Love and Money" and "Sliding Through Life on Charm," Ms. Faithfull's sense of irony and Jarvis Cocker's sonic architecture don't match; they overstate one another and cancel each other out of the mix, leaving no room for either lyric or pop sensibility to redeem them. The title track, a collaboration with Blur, is in the pocket, with its droopy, dubby texture that threatens to swallow Faithfull's voice, but doesn't get the chance as Damon Albarn slithers in under the guitars to stretch her lyric in the refrain, creating a hypnotic, sexy drone that envelops both singers. The album closes with another collaboration, with Corgan on a cover of a Goffin & King tune called "Something Good." Its sweetness is initially off-putting, until the listener makes the connection that this is Faithfull singing a song that would have been a natural for her 35 years ago. It sounds so alien, so gauzy, like a ghost from memory past coming to illustrate why things change. It's positively tender, not ironic. Ultimately, Kissin' Time is another achievement, another raise of the bar, another welcome and necessary addition in the strange and beautiful catalog of Marianne Faithfull. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Following a pair of albums that delved into cabaret and one which paired her with Angelo Badalamenti (an affair that yielded mixed results), the Grande dame of rock & roll returned with her most striking effort in a while. Faithfull, an amazing interpreter of others' material, co-wrote most of the songs here, including the haunting title track. In fact, haunting is the best way to describe the first several cuts. "Incarceration of a Flower Child," written by Roger Waters, is emotionally wrenching, and "File It Under Fun From the Past" has an air of wistful resignation. Some of the material wavers a bit ("Marathon Kiss," the somewhat overly dramatic, spoke word "After the Ceasefire"), but Faithfull is never anything less than riveting. For long-time fans, Vagabond Ways is a worthy addition to her body of work. For newcomers, it's a suitable introduction to one of the true icons of rock history and one who has become more relevant with age. ~ Tom Demalon, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
If you're looking for the angelic Marianne Faithfull of As Tears Go By, or the angry diva of Broken English, or the lush but piercingly acute imagery of her work with Angelo Badalamenti, you will not find it here. What you will find is a fully orchestrated work that she has been selling out houses with in Europe -- a parable of commerce called The Seven Deadly Sins, with the Vienna Radio Orchestra and Dennis Russell Davies conducting. These are the songs of Kurt Weill, composer, and Bertolt Brecht, lyricist. This work is a perfect match of voice timbre and sound wished for by the composer. The husky and weary-voiced Faithfull does these songs as they were intended to be done. Weill's music tends toward a formality and somberness that shadows the concerns of the songs. Here, Brecht's lyrics tell the moribund story of a girl placed on a tour by her family to earn money for their luxury; her voice reflects the weariness that becomes the ideal vehicle for her travails and lacerations. According to the tabloids, if they are to be believed, Faithfull has spent her life researching this work. She displays that rare intelligence that allows all "misfortunes" to be converted to her benefit. There is a detachment that allows one to be intimately involved with, but not consumed by this type of work. This is her best work in quite some time. She deserves all the accolades that come her way as a serious singer who can pull off the piece. A wonderful disc from one whose live presence must be counted as miraculous considering what she has lived through. ~ Bob Gottlieb, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As the liner notes to this intriguing release tell, Faithfull had a long-simmering interest in German cabaret, particularly the work of Kurt Weill. It came fully to life via her role as Pirate Jenny in a staging of The Threepenny Opera in Dublin as translated by Frank McGuinness and her attendance at a workshop organized by Allen Ginsburg. After a series of initial performances with pianist Paul Trueblood, Faithfull took her revue of many classic songs from the mid-century, titled "An Evening in the Weimar Republic," to the road. This particular recording is from a performance in Paris in 1996, showcasing both a smart selection of songs to work with and Faithfull's own dramatic, interpretive skills with them. Kicking off with the aggressive-then-smooth bite of the Brecht/Weill standard "Alabama Song," Faithfull and Trueblood show they make a great team -- her distinct vocals seem almost born for the material, while Trueblood is a sure hand on the keys, both playful and polished. Weill remains the centerpiece of the show, in both his various collaborations with Brecht -- standout tracks include withering versions of "Pirate Jenny," "Salomon Song," and "Surabaya Johnny" -- and with other partners, including "Complainte de la Seine" and "Mon Ami, My Friend." Friedrich Hollaender gets the nod twice, with a take on the eternal classic "Falling in Love Again" almost rivaling Marlene Dietrich's original interpretation. The title track, a noted Noel Coward number, gets a fine performance, as does the one nod to more contemporary times, a rendition of Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me." One nod to Faithfull's previous recording past appears via a new version of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," originally covered by her on Strange Weather. Faithfull throughout introduces songs with humor and reflection, a perfect MC for her own performance. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For her first studio album comprised of mostly original material in over a decade, Faithfull enlisted noted composer Angelo Badalamenti (who collaborated with David Lynch for the Twin Peaks TV soundtrack) to write music for her lyrics and produce. Faithfull is still in rippingly fine voice, and her words still penetrate. But while Badalamenti's densely orchestral arrangements can be effectively noirish, they can also create an inappropriately cold and detached ambience, despite standout tracks like "Flaming September" and "She." ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Fully established as a dramatic, innovative singer with astonishing appeal and energy thanks to her string of excellent '80s releases, Faithfull concluded her renaissance decade with Blazing Away, an excellent live album recorded in New York's St. Anne's Cathedral. The crackerjack backing band deserves note in and of itself, including members ranging from the Band's Garth Hudson to Dr. John, plus regular collaborators Marc Ribot, Fernando Saunders, and her key partner Barry Reynolds. Faithfull and the players fit hand in glove track for track, with the emphasis on subtler arrangements and performances suiting the hushed, striking atmosphere of the performance. When the band shows its muscle, as with the snarling strut of "Guilt," there's no question of this being anything like easy listening. In general, though, the sense of cabaret meets modern nightclub dominates, with Faithfull's singing capturing the cracking tug of her vocals just so. The selection of songs ranges from the intriguingly obscure to the familiar enough -- "As Tears Go By" and "Broken English" take unsurprising bows, as does a lengthy brood on "Sister Morphine," "She Moved Through the Fair," and a commanding rip through the harrowing "Why'd Ya Do It?" There are two new numbers as well. The title track is the one song recorded in studio, with Reynolds and Saunders, plus a number of other musicians; it's got a nice steel guitar twang to it, and Faithfull tries for the high lonesome sound in her own wonderful way. Other flat-out highlights include a grand take on "Times Square" and a slow crawl through "Working Class Hero" that seethes with fire, both from the musicians and Faithfull. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Faithfull's 1987 release recast her as a nicotine-stained chanteuse, approaching such standards as "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and "Penthouse Serenade" with a ravaged, world-weary demeanor that recalls the latter-day recordings of Billie Holiday. She also tackles some blues and jazz material and turns "As Tears Go By" into the gut-wrenching torch ballad neither the Stones nor Faithfull could ever have done in the '60s. A dark, challenging masterpiece. ~ John Floyd, All Music Guide
