A Perfect Stranger - The Island Anthology

Marianne Faithfull’s 1979 comeback, Broken English, restarted a career that looked to be going nowhere. Suddenly, this passé ‘60s pop star was transcending the pleasant but artistically unchallenging singer-songwriter-country music of the ‘70s and acting every bit the angry middle-aged punk she’d become. Her life was a tough act to follow and she embraced its hard knocks with a cocky, assured delivery that gave extra power to songs like John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” and her own “Why’d You Do It” that’s as brutal and explicit a commentary on sexual jealousy as ever committed to tape. But Faithfull didn’t stop there and continued to record albums that challenged her own commitment. “Falling from Grace,” “The Blue Millionaire,” and “Running for Our Lives” were overlooked at the time, as it was her collaboration with esteemed producer Hal Willner for Strange Weather that received great attention as Faithfull recast her lot as a near cabaret singer. Further collaborations with Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks) yielded more great drama from this exquisite vocalist.