CD-Charts Position 1
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Broken English

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date May 24, 1989
I became familiar with this album in my late teens and was going thru a wild time of my life. It is a very depressing album but for some reason I love it, It shouldn,t be listened to when you're feeling low but if your problems are minor and you fancy a good cry then this is the one. It's definitely not the kind of music I'd normally listen to but I'm glad I did.

CD-Charts Position 2
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Live At The BBC

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date July 21, 2008
This is a really fascinating collection, for all devotees of Marianne, but especially for those fans that are keener on her early work. All the 60's hits are here except `Is this what I get for loving you?' The collection runs in chronological order, and even includes the interviews Marianne gave prior to the live sessions which are interesting in their own right, with Marianne coming across as shy and well spoken.

The first session on the disc is a little tentative, but Marianne's voice is on the whole strong, confident and pure throughout; indeed, several of the performances go beyond what was committed to disc. Notably `Yesterday', which is performed without the orchestral backing, `Cockleshells' with its lovely harmony vocals and ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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The Very Best of Marianne Faithfull

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date June 28, 1989
Although I already owned Marianne Faithfull's Greatest Hits album that contains thirteen of these tracks, I had to acquire this one too for her exquisite interpretations of two folk classics: Tom Paxton's The Last Thing On My Mind and Tim Hardin's Reason To Believe with which Rod Stewart later had a huge hit. It was well worth it!

Other sixties classics here include Monday Monday and Yesterday plus the two famous Stones songs As Tears Go By and the lugubrious Sister Morphine. The informative sleeve insert provides an interesting overview of her career, even giving the UK and US chart positions of her singles and ep's. I was surprised to learn, for example, how firmly she stood in the folk tradition in those early years, always having considered ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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The Collection

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date January 24, 2005
Having bought a fair few Marianne Faithfull collections, I was initially impressed by the range of material on this double album. Containing hits, b-sides and rarities from Faithfull's 60s recordings, it provides the most comprehensive compilation available of Faithfull's early output. I'd particularly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoyed the early material from albums such as 'Faithfull', as the heavily folk-influenced songs allow Faithfull's voice to shine while displaying less of the commercialised 'Decca sound' of singles such as 'Reason To Believe' and 'As Tears Go By'. These 40 songs showcase the best of the start of Faithfull's career, and form a beautiful, fragile, essential collective.

CD-Charts Position 5
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Before the Poison

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date September 27, 2004
It's one of those few albums i listen to all the way through without skipping a track. Marianne has never sounded better and the songs are of a very high quality. Not enough credit is given to Faithfull, the songs which feature her lyrics are the best on the album. It's such a shame that because she once fucked a rolling stone she isn't taken seriously. Buy this gorgeous album, it's better than both "Strange Weather" and "Broken English" put together.

CD-Charts Position 6
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A Secret Life

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date August 15, 2002
I thought I would take a punt on this because it was cheap but have had a suprise. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but for me this is a beautiful piece of work. I would describe the music as a dense rhythmic sound that moves between 2nd and 4th gear. M does not have a great voice by any stretch of the imagination but she keeps within its boundaries. Many better known female singers could take a leaf out of her book regarding diction as you can actually understand all the words. The lyrics are intelligent and thought provoking very poetical.

Do not put this on if you want the party to go with a swing but if you feel in a reflective relaxing mood then this is the one.

CD-Charts Position 7
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Easy Come Easy Go

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date December 09, 2008
I thought I would take a punt on this because it was cheap but have had a suprise. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but for me this is a beautiful piece of work. I would describe the music as a dense rhythmic sound that moves between 2nd and 4th gear. M does not have a great voice by any stretch of the imagination but she keeps within its boundaries. Many better known female singers could take a leaf out of her book regarding diction as you can actually understand all the words. The lyrics are intelligent and thought provoking very poetical.

Do not put this on if you want the party to go with a swing but if you feel in a reflective relaxing mood then this is the one.

CD-Charts Position 8
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Kissin Time

by: Marianne Faithfull, Beck, Billy Corgan, Dave Stewart, Jarvis Cocker, Blur

Release Date March 04, 2002
The amazing list of collaborators on this album drew me to buying it as I wasn't too familiar with any other Faithfull songs except "Broken English". The input from Beck, Dave Stewart and Blur gives the album a great deal of musical authority and depth, but each of the songs is very careful not to swamp the overall 'theme' of the album, Marianne's retrospective and bitter-sweet lyrics. The album hangs together very well, it's surprisingly coherent considering it has had so many different producers involved.

My main problem with it though is that it is too introspective, in my opinion. The Jarvis Cocker co-write "...Charm" is pretty much the only even vaguely upbeat track on the album, the rest of the songs are all ballady. Not that I've got anything against ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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Blazing Away

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date September 22, 2004

On this 1990 album Marianne Faithfull tells the story of her life up to that moment in time through a series of songs that is more or less autobiographical, in front of an appreciative audience. Most tracks are long and expansive; the first ones being especially slow and mournful. This gives the musicians the opportunity to demonstrate their instrumental prowess, particularly on a track like Guilt.

A melancholy French ballad with a medieval feel opens the album, representing one of three styles found on Blazing Away: the haunting ballad full of gravitas, like the bluesy Strange Weather from the album of the same name, Sister Morphine, As Tears Go By and the traditional folk song She Moves Through the Fair.

The other styles are up-tempo rock, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 10
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Perfect Stranger

by: Marianne Faithfull

Release Date November 02, 1998
This compilation features Marianne Faithfull mark 2, concentrating on her work from the groundbreaking album Broken English to the mid 90s A Secret Life, plus some previously unreleased material.

Disc One is by far the best as it draws on the brilliant trilogy of Broken English, Dangerous Acquaintances and A Child's Adventure. All her rock-pop classics are here, from the controversial Why D'ya Do It, the moving Ballad Of Lucy Jordan and the catchy Intrigue, to The Blue Millionaire. The song Tenderness from Dangerous Acquaintances is a regrettable omission.

Disc Two contains a lot of her bluesy and art-song material, like Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, plus previously unavailable numbers like her exquisite interpretation of Gloomy Sunday. My other favourites ... Read More: