In 1964 Marianne Faithfull made a rather innocuous decision that would forever change the course of her life. Marianne accepted an invitation to a swanky shindig in London one night and very soon after arriving she’d attracted the attentions of one Andrew Loog-Oldham who wanted to know if the pretty young lass could sing. Andrew was the manager of The Rolling Stones and after hearing the young Faithfull sing he wasted no time in having her singed to the Decca label.
The first few years of Faithfull’s career were pretty tame to say the least. She was the darling of the pop world and quickly gained the respect of the folkies who were charmed by her stunning folk LP’s Come My Way and North Country Maid. After her brief marriage to artist John Dunbar dissolved, Marianne soon shacked up with Mick Jagger and thus begun one of the most public and tragic downfalls in rock history.
On a lazy Sunday afternoon in February 1967 Marianne and Mick were holed up at Keith Richards’ Redlands estate with an assortment of friends for a weekend spent relaxing and taking acid. The local cops obviously had nothing much on that particular weekend and decided to perk up their day by heading out to Redlands for a good old fashioned raid. The aftermath saw The Stones reputation as the ultimate rebel band of outlaws solidified but completely destroyed Marianne’s career and reputation within days. She was of course wearing nothing but a fur rug after taking a bath and after the press had added their own twisted tales to the mix, the humble Mars Bar had made itself known as Mick’s confection of choice.
The affair with Mick was forever doomed and after attempting suicide during a trip to Australia, Marianne left to only sink further into a deep and dark depression that would last years. The light at the end of the tunnel appeared in the form of a surprise number one hit in Ireland with “Dreaming My Dreams” released in 1975. Four years later Marianne recorded and released her masterpiece Broken English and her future all of a sudden looked promising for the first time in over a decade.
Throughout the eighties Faithfull refused to be pigeon-holed and had her greatest success with a haunting covers album Strange Weather that was a definite departure from the angry rock that peppered her previous albums. Her acting career flourished both on the screen and the stage and by the time she released her killer live LP Blazing Away in 1990 Marianne had finally cemented her place as rock royalty in her homeland as well as abroad. Never one to rest on her laurels, Faithfull took her obsession with the Weimar Republic to extraordinary heights releasing two projects devoted to that era in the mid-nineties with 20th Century Blues and The Seven Deadly Sins.
More recently Marianne has penned two best selling books about her life, the uncompromising Faithfull and the reflective Dreaming My Dreams. Her reputation alone has attracted a wealth of modern day collaborators who have her at the top of their wish lists, folks like Nick Cave, PJ Harvey and Beck have all worked on recent albums for Marianne. Another test of her intestinal fortitude came along in recent years in the form of breast cancer but like all the challenges before it, Faithfull dealt with it in a dignified and hasty manner before continuing her incredible journey by starring in the soon-to-be cult classic, Irina Palm.
So what to make of the incomparable Marianne Faithfull? Her name alone congers up all sorts of vivid imagery and the legacy she will one day leave behind will now thankfully be her wonderful music that has stood the test of time far better than that of several of her peers. Even with her new album, the stunning Easy Come, Easy Go, Marianne has once again proven herself a masterful interpretive singer using that ravaged, battle weary voice to astonishing effect.
So, the journey is far from over but there’s never been a better time to reflect upon the life and times of September 2009 Artist Of The Month Marianne Faithfull through her fittingly eclectic catalogue. Beginning on September 2 and running every weekday through the end of the month, The Daily Vault will publish reviews of every studio album of Marianne Faithfull’s career, plus the occasional collection and DVD.
Founded in January 1997, the Daily Vault has featured more than 6,000 reviews of more than 2,800 artists from all across the musical spectrum, written by a volunteer staff from around the world. Previous Artist Of The Month retrospectives have spotlighted the work of artists from Tori Amos to Frank Zappa, including the Beatles, Depeche Mode, Garth Brooks, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Yes and many others. Themed retrospectives have included punk, hip-hop, classic soul, classic jazz, Broadway musicals, Christian Contemporary Music, live albums, modern prog and Woodstock At 40.
