Marianne Faithfull: “Faithfull” (Island)

Marianne Faithfull always gave good headlines. Even now, all these years later, tales of decadence and excess from her wild years still add a bit of spice to the Sunday supplements. What’s often overlooked, however, is that her remarkable life has also been chronicled by some pretty remarkable music.

Faithfull is a timely compilation that draws heavily from her best album, 1979’s Broken English. An ideal opportunity to hear again those unique satin and gravel tonsils as they slash their way through ‘The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan’, ‘Working Class Hero’, ‘Strange Weather’ and ‘Broken English’ itself. Indeed, it’s almost impossible to believe that the fragile, innocent voice which chirrups the flimsy whimsy of ‘As Tears Go By’ is the same one which raises such blisters on ‘Why D’ya Do It’. It may have caused her a great deal of personal heartbreak but, as a singer, all that booze, smack and sex was definitely her salvation.

Ironically for an album which won’t exactly be a hot ticket with the teenybopper community, the sleeve of Faithfull carries a Parental Advisory Warning sticker. Primarily, of course, this is to caution the unwary about the lyrics of the aforementioned ‘Why D’ya Do It’. An intimate howl of sexual jealousy, this unflinching litany of rage and abuse still stands as one of the most vitriolic assaults in rock. “Every time I see your dick, I see her cunt in my bed,” wails Marianne with lethal aristocratic scorn. “Why’d you do what you did, betray my little oyster for such a low bid.” The song was co-written by the English poet Heathcote Williams who was last seen hanging out with Fungi in Dingle. For its own sake, that dolphin had better not be screwing around.

Alternatively stark, uncompromising and bewitching, Faithfull is a fine collection of work from an erratic but occasionally brilliant career. Music from chaos has rarely sounded so good.

Liam Fay