Broken English - Marianne Faithfull > Reviews > Evocative Landmark Album By Mick Jagger's Ex

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	raunchy and emotional
Disadvantages:	may be a liitle dark for some

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This is such a classic album from the late 70's (1979:re-release 1989) that I'm very surprised nobody has written a review on it yet. If you haven't got it in your collection or, worse, have never heard it check it out. If you've got a soul you'll be moved, at least by half of its content. It's what journalists like to call a 'landmark' album in that it was recorded at the end of the punk explosion of the 70's and was made by Marianne Faithfull who was a personality with a great deal of influence, and high profile in the pre-punk days of the late sixties. I certainly remember that every house had a copy along with the ubiquitous bean bags in the early eighties. It has an overall dark emotionally troubled
Jazzy feel, with moments of slow punk and also a touch of reggae.

Marianne Faithfull started out as the girlfriend of Mick Jagger back when the Stones were at the height of their notoriety and were busying themselves getting busted and generally causing moral outrage in middle England. She is thought to have had a hand in the writing of a number of Stones standards and also been the inspiration for others, notably; 'Sister Morphine' and 'Wild Horses'. As well as this and being Mick's girlfriend she was something of an avante guarde figure in her own right. She was frequently photographed having an ethereal girlish but provocative beauty, much of which she has maintained into middle age. She also made a few arthouse films, the most well known being 'Girl on a Motorcycle' for which I am eternally grateful. The sight of Marianne in a skin-tight leather biker's suit was a great help to me as an adolescent. After breaking up with Jagger and dabbling heavily in drugs, she took the usual spiral down into breakdown and self-destruction. This album is often thought to be an expression of her escape from that period. Yes, it's dark, but it's good.

Track 1: Broken English
Title track and a slow jazzy raunch of a song inspired by the Baader Meinhof terrorist gang. Recommended.

Track 2: Witche's Song
Kind of an early feminist rant to an upbeat guitar backing. Good.

Track 3: Brain Drain
Slow blues, have a glass of something, very laid back.

Track 4: Guilt
Song about female guilt. Raunchy electric piano, jazzy.

Track 5: The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
Superb and best version of the song about a woman having a nervous breakdown, originally recorded by Dr. Hook. Sends shivers every time I hear it.

Track 6: What's the Hurry
Personally, this is the weakest on the album. Lot of synthesiser sounds a bit dated.

Track 7: Working Class Hero
Spooky evocative version of the John Lennon classic. Accompanied by a thumping walking bass. Builds to a crescendo.

Track 8: Why D'ya Do It
Song inspired by a poem by Heathcote Williams. The most accurate portrayal of female jealousy and vengeance I know of. The best on the album in my opinion. Amusingly obscene lyrics and an anarchic backing track. The lyrics are so obscene I'm wary of repeating even one line here!

You may have got the impression that I love this album and you'd be right. Faithfull is no songbird but the combination of her husky well used voice and a very proficient backing group, including Steve Winwood, makes this a spine tingler. Just download track 8 from a peer-to-peer site to get a taste.
 

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