Marianne Faithfull - Broken English
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Free Music Notes for Broken English
Free Music Review: One of the most essential albums of all time
Hit: 5 Stars
Free Music Review: A jarring comeback...
Hit: 4 Stars
Marianne emerged in the mid-60's as a nervous soft voiced songstress with folk inclinations, which separated her from the more pop oriented female artists of the day (Petula Clark, Cilla Black, etc.). Her couple of albums were largely folk song covers with sparse instrumentation (comparable to Pentangle a few years later). The endearing image was her singing perched on a stool on the show Shindig! with John Mark (later of Mark-Almond) at her feet plucking his acoustic guitar.
Then came the ravages of her battle with the dark side. When seemingly she had disappeared entirely, she emerged with this dark but definitely musically modern work. And her voice! A contemporary rock writer compared it to Tallulah Bankhead in the middle of, well, a bad day. Rasp personified. "Why'd Ya Do It" was the mysterious album track that got all the attention, she appeared on Saturday Night Live with a shirt showing the song title, but did not perform it for obvious reasons. People had to listen for, I guess, the same reason they listened intently to "Louie Louie" but in this case the vulgarity in the message was pretty plain. All this aside, there was much here to simply enjoy, such as the magnificent "Ballad of Lucy Jordan." Marianne parlayed this LP into a much longer career than she originally seemed destined to achieve, as quite a few albums followed. Her involvement with Kurt Weill works is probably the closest match of her talents to material.
Free Music Review: A Woman With Attitude!
Hit: 4 Stars
I had forgotten all about this album until recently when a leading US business magazine recommended Marianne Faithfull's newest CD, Before the Poison, as a worthwhile listen. When I ordered that, I ordered Broken English as well.
The first time I heard Broken English years ago I liked it, but had in the back of my mind the idea it might be the last gasp of a wallowed-out, washed-up one hit wonder who is but one musical footnote to the many musical footnotes to the sixties. But now that Faithfull is back with an acclaimed release, her back catalogue deserves another listen.
One run through this CD, and you will hear that Marianne Faithfull is indeed a woman with attitude, the PJ Harvey of her generation. While not every song on Broken English is anywhere near a masterpiece, it is a CD that is sure to grow on you. My favorites are the title cut, The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, a sneering, mocking rendition of John Lennon's sardonic Working Class Hero, and the album's tour-de-force, Why D'Ya Do It? That last song is a woman's graphic expression of anger at being cheated on. Faithfull's snarling delivery makes me glad I'm not her target.
Forget about her version of the Stone's hit As Tears Go By. Listen to this, Faithfull will surprise you. And if you like your favorite female singers earthy and gritty, you are bound to like this. Check it out!
Free Music Review: The edge of a straight razor
Hit: 4 Stars
Most popular music is meant to be entertaining. You can enjoy it while pedaling a stationary bicycle, play it in the background during a friendly barbecue, or perhaps pick a few tunes for a wedding reception. Broken English is not entertaining, and I wouldn't recommend it for any of the these situations.Marianne Faithfull chooses to exorcise her demons on Broken English. Her voice is one of raw conviction: anguished and wasted. Heavy on the synthesizer and Euro-dance tempo, the music is deceptively comforting. The lyrics, on the other hand, are vindictive and desperate. The album opens with the menacing bass lines of `Broken English': an angry anti-war cry. The light acoustic guitars and romantic melodies of `Witches Song' hide the anguish of isolation. Depression and drugs are the center of the loathsome `Guilt.' Again, on `The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan,' the light staccato synthesizer notes and tender melody conceal this composition's fatal conclusion. The severe guitar crashes on `Working Class Hero' are as potent as Marianne's condemnation of Puritan ethics. The closing song `Why D'Ya Do It' is a vulgar throwaway - the pornographic descriptions reek of junior high school sex humor. Broken English is a crude and disturbing saga by a lady precariously balanced on the edge of a straight razor. Play this with the lights on.
Free Music Review: Finally some honest reviews
Hit: 4 Stars
This is the first time I see some honest differences in opinion on an album that should be highly considered in ones collection.For me Broken English is a solid 4 or 5 star performance. I love her whiskey and cigarette voice. The songs have a dark attitude that work well together. You may want to keep the kids out of the room on the last track (and remember, this is 1979 when she was "laying the smack down" on her ex). Read the other positive reviews, they say it well, and by all means buy it!