Broken English

Nothing stood out to me

I knew about this woman from Metallica's The Memory Remains. I never heard any of her solo stuff. I have to say, her voice is interesting. But other than that, I didn't really like the songs that much. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't listen again.

This site has too many post-punk derived albums. I don’t want this. I didn’t want yesterday’s album. I want something that is genuinely important in music. This… well I don’t know if it is. It has a real tight cover, and I like some of the songs. It’s certainly interesting, which I always appreciate. Looking more into this album’s background and Failthfull as a person, her having started out as a baroque pop singer and then falling into a life of excess and homelessness, and then putting this out, it’s admirable. A song such as “Guilt” is evocative and interesting in the context of her circumstance, and her cover of Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” is chilling and freakish in a way I really fucking love. This album overall is really well done and I liked it more than I expected to.
8.2/10

Marianne you ain't a traitor to good music fr fr. Didn't know all of these songs beforehand, enjoyed the witch one and the final one a lot, not sure about the Working Class Hero.

What a cool album! The songs are interesting and did a good job capturing my attention.

This woman sounds like a witch in a Disney movie.

Ніколи не слухав її альбомами, було досить цікаво насправді. Непоганий кавер на Ленона до речі.

I'd say the story of Marianne Faithfull is one marked by endurance. She was one of the leading female vocalists during the British Invasion of the 1960s, alongside roles in drama films, and even a publicized romance with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger. Then things started crashing down. Her relationship with Jagger ended after she started an affair with someone else, and lost custody of her son in the midst of it. She retracted from the spotlight and succumbed to problems with heroin addiction, drug and alcohol abuse, and anorexia nervosa. Probably the most notable aspect of this was that after years of smoking, drinking, drug use, and severe laryngitis, Marianne's once melodic vocals became raspy, cracked, and lower in pitch. Gone was the innocence of the woman who once sang "As Tears Go By". She tried a comeback with the country-influenced Dreamin' My Dreams, but it was only a minor success. This was her make-or-break moment.

Fortunately, she started surrounding herself with help. She formed a partnership with songwriter Barry Reynolds and found a producer in Mark Munday, who offered her the break she needed. Mundy then suggested taking her music in a "more modern and electric" direction, bringing in Steve Winwood for keyboard duties. The resulting record was Broken English, a radical departure for Marianne as she embraced the burgeoning punk and new wave scenes.

I enjoyed this record, and it's admittedly surprising for me to say that. Obviously, because of the damage done to Marianne's voice, there are noticeable cracks in her performance that I wouldn't normally be into. But in this case, her fragile vocals made for a more world-weary perspective, reflecting not only on her own problems with addiction outlined on "Brain Drain" and her Catholic upbringing on "Guilt", but also observing the larger world. The musings on terrorists with the opening title track, the reckless abandon of "Witches' Song", and the passage of time on "What's the Hurry" are all presented with such jaded character over a palette of jerky rhythm guitars, supple bass, stiff percussion, and Steve Winwood's eerie keyboard playing, with occasional embellishments of violin and saxophone. Even the cover of Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show's "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan" sounds darker and twisted, offering a new interpretation that the woman struggling with mental health would get sent to a psychiatric hospital to get the help she needed, rather than falling off the edge of a building to her death like in the original.

Probably the most striking tracks for me were the two closing numbers. Marianne's take on John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" has much more conviction and frustration than John could muster on the original. That commitment to the performance further deepens on "Why'd Ya Do It", where her recitation of Heathcote Williams's outlandish poem over a heavy reggae backdrop is the kind of closing statement that makes a lasting impression.

Broken English is the kind of reinvention that's hard to achieve, yet Marianne Faithfull did just that against all odds.

Couple of good songs on here but it's a bit wonky.

I just love this version of "Working Class Hero"; pluas, it has "Broken English", "Why D'Ya Do It"... I mean, yeah, I'll definitely feel better for listening to this before I die

5/5

Not what I expected at all! I thought it would be jazzy torch songs, not essentially a Grace Jones art pop/new wave album

Good music, wild lyrics. An interesting listen.

A top 20 album for me and one of the better releases in the 1970’s. The combination of world weary anger, intelligent political commentary and great playing and production is just brilliant.

Influencial. But I'm not listening to it regularly

best English blues album I've heard. no joke, the keyboards save this album.

Pretty basic, everything that one hit wonder

I was kind of put off by Marianne's voice at first. Ik sounded a lot rougher than her famous earlier hit. Reading the backstory explains it however. This has some great songs though, Working Class Hero was one of my favorite John Lennon songs and this cover does it justice. New wave production here is great, the slow pounding drums really bring forth the intensity on some tracks here. Still don't really know whether I like it or am medium on it.

Hey that's the woman that sings in Metallica: The Memory Remains.

Was quite good

Well that was something. I liked the synths.

Her vocals just irritated me, the lyrics were generally repetitive and the music just a bit safe to lift this from the doldrums.
The Ballad of Lucy Jordan at least adds some interest and storytelling, but the music doesn’t match this, so still falls flat for me. The least said of the cover of working class hero the better.