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Original, made in France

Knjizica od 4 str.


knjizica 5 Cd 3+ ima par povrsinskih linijica koje ne uticu na reprodukciju zvuka, radi besprekorno


Studio album by Marianne Faithfull
Released 2 November 1979
Recorded May – July 1979
Studio Matrix Studios, London
Genre New wave[1][2]
Length 36:25
Label Island
Producer Mark Miller Mundy
Marianne Faithfull chronology
Dreamin` My Dreams
(1976) Broken English
(1979) Dangerous Acquaintances
(1981)

Broken English is the seventh studio album by English singer Marianne Faithfull. It was released on 2 November 1979 by Island Records. The album marked a major comeback for Faithfull after years of drug abuse, homelessness, and suffering from anorexia. It is often regarded as her `definitive recording` and Faithfull herself described it as her `masterpiece`.

Broken English was Faithfull`s first major release since her album Love in a Mist (1967). After ending her relationship with Mick Jagger in 1970 and losing custody of her son, Faithfull`s career went into a tailspin as she suffered from heroin addiction and lived on the streets of London. Severe laryngitis and drug abuse during this period permanently altered Faithfull`s voice, leaving it cracked and lower in pitch. She attempted a comeback in 1976 with Dreamin` My Dreams, which achieved only minor success. Shortly afterwards, Faithfull began working with musician Barry Reynolds, who produced the songs `Broken English` and `Why D`Ya Do It?`. The demos attracted the attention of Chris Blackwell who signed Faithfull to his record label Island Records.

The album was recorded at Matrix Studios in London. Faithfull collaborated with producer Mark Miller Mundy on the remaining songs for the album. After the whole album was recorded, he suggested making the music `more modern and electronic` and brought in Steve Winwood on keyboards. Musically, Broken English is a new wave rock album with elements of other genres, such as punk, blues and reggae.

Broken English received critical acclaim. It peaked at number 82 on the Billboard 200, becoming her first album to chart in the United States since Go Away from My World (1965) and giving Faithfull a first nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. It reached number 57 in the United Kingdom and entered the top five in Germany, France and New Zealand. Broken English was certified platinum in Germany and France and sold over one million copies worldwide. Two singles were released from the album, with `The Ballad of Lucy Jordan` peaking at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart. The album was included on NME magazine`s list of `500 Greatest Albums of All Time` and in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Background
Faithfull`s immediately preceding albums, Dreamin` My Dreams and Faithless, had been in a relatively gentle folk or country and western style. Broken English was a radical departure, featuring a contemporary fusion of rock, punk, new wave and dance, with liberal use of synthesizers. After years of cigarette smoking and drug use, Faithfull`s voice was in a lower register, far raspier, and had a more world-weary quality than in the past that matched the often raw emotions expressed in the newer songs.

The backing band of Barry Reynolds, Joe Mavety (guitars), Steve York (bass) and Terry Stannard (drums) had been formed in 1977 to tour Ireland with Faithfull promoting Dreamin` My Dreams.

Marianne Faithfull recounted how Mark Mundy was brought on as the album`s producer: `I don`t think I could have handled Broken English without a producer. You can`t imagine what it was like. There I am with no respect at all within the music business. ... So I found somebody who wanted the break, and that was Mark Mundy. He wanted to be a record producer, and he had some great ideas.`[3]

Composition
The album`s title track took inspiration from terrorist figures of the time, particularly Ulrike Meinhof of the Baader-Meinhof group.[4] `Guilt` was informed by the Catholic upbringing of the singer and her composer Barry Reynolds.[4] `The Ballad of Lucy Jordan`, originally performed by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, is a melancholy tale of middle class housewife`s disillusionment; Faithfull`s version became something of an anthem[citation needed] and was used on the soundtracks to the films Montenegro (1981) and Thelma & Louise (1991). `What`s the Hurry?` was described by Faithfull as reflecting the everyday desperation of the habitual drug user.[4] Her cover of John Lennon`s `Working Class Hero` was recorded as a tribute to her own heroes such as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, David Bowie and Iggy Pop, and Lennon himself.[4]

The last track, the six-and-a-half-minute `Why`d Ya Do It?`, is a caustic, graphic rant of a woman reacting to her lover`s infidelity. The lyrics began with the man`s point of view, relating the bitter tirade of his cheated-on lover. It was set to a grinding tune inspired by Jimi Hendrix`s recording of Bob Dylan`s `All Along the Watchtower`. Poet and writer Heathcote Williams had originally conceived the lyrics as a piece for Tina Turner to record, but Faithfull succeeded in convincing him that Turner would never record such a number.[4] Its plethora of strong profanity and explicit references to oral sex (which earned the album a “Parental Advisory” label on some versions) caused controversy and led to a ban in Australia.[citation needed] Local pressings omitted the track and instead included a `bonus` 7` single of the extended version of `Broken English` . The ban did not extend to import copies, and the song was also played unedited on the Government-funded Double Jay radio station and Brisbane community broadcaster 4ZZZ.[citation needed] It wasn`t until 1988 when Island re-released the album in Australia that `Why D`Ya Do It` was finally included.
Track listing
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. `Broken English`
Marianne FaithfullBarry ReynoldsJoe MavetySteve YorkTerry Stannard
4:35
2. `Witches` Song`
FaithfullReynoldsMavetyYorkStannard
4:43
3. `Brain Drain` Ben Brierley 4:13
4. `Guilt` Reynolds 5:05
5. `The Ballad of Lucy Jordan` Shel Silverstein 4:09
6. `What`s the Hurry` Mavety 3:05
7. `Working Class Hero` John Lennon 4:40
8. `Why D`Ya Do It`
Heathcote WilliamsReynoldsMavetyYorkStannardFaithfull
6:45
Personnel
Marianne Faithfull – vocals
Barry Reynolds – guitar
Joe Mavety – guitar
Guy Humphries – guitar
Steve York – bass
Darryl Way – violin
Steve Winwood – keyboards
Jim Cuomo – saxophone
Terry Stannard – drums
Morris Pert – percussion
Dyan Birch - background vocals
Frankie Collins - background vocals
Isabella Dulaney - background vocals
Technical
Bob Potter – engineer, mixing
Ed Thacker – mixing engineer
Dennis Morris – sleeve photography
Mark Miller Mundy - arrangement and production