Perfect Stranger Anthology [Best of]

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 here are Ghost Dance, the later version of As Tears Go By and Times Square, which really belongs on Disc One with the rest of the tracks from A Child's Adventure. The last four tracks come from the uninspiring album A Secret Life. A better choice would have been the sorrowful song Losing.

Perfect Stranger does an excellent job of displaying the two sides of the later Faithfull - the rock legend and the torch singer. As such it deserves 5 stars. But to be frank, only Disc One deserves that. It's a matter of taste, but I can only give Disc 2 three stars. Overall, the collection is an impressive showcase of the second part of her career.

It's about time the record industry smartened up. Marianne Faithfull is an artist who I always felt deserved to be better represented. And I must say, this is an excellent start. Included is the standard fare, music from the watershed "Broken English," plus it's follow-ups, "Dangerous Acquaintances" and "A Child's Adventure." In the middle is her post-"Broken English" return to "Sister Morphine," whose lyrics she wrote, and which she recorded before the Stones did.

Disc 2 kicks off splendidly with her biting rendition of Weill's "The Ballad of the Soldier's Wife." It is followed by Marianne's deep and dark interpretation of the old blues standard "Trouble in Mind." Then we get the slow and mellifluous beauty of the songs from "Strange Weather," another watershed. It is followed by some excellent unreleased tracks, "A Perfect Stranger," "Conversation on a Bar Stool," and "A Waste of Time." Plus there are some excellent selections from "A Secret Life." The whole collection is rounded out with that album's "She," a tear-inducing piece of orchestral beauty.

Marianne remains a favorite for me and for many others, and is an artist truly worth every accolade ever given to her, not the least of which was being voted the 25th greatest woman in rock history by her peers for VH1.

Marianne Faithfull's "A Perfect Stranger - An Island Anthology" ia a suburub retrospective of her musical journey while with Island Records. When Marianne released her autobigraphy "Faithfull" several years ago, Island Records rushed out "A Collection of Her Best Recordings". I always felt that Marianne, a uniquely talented and gifted artist, was cheated, that it was a poor representation of who and what Marianne was all about. While the main focus of her "Collections" was on her muscical masterpiece, "Broken English", I felt she and her fans deserved better. If anything, her "Collection" served as an introduction to Marianne and her music. But, "A Perfect Stranger - The Island Anthology" is a more fitting and proper retrospective for this truly great artist of her Island Years. Side 1 of the CD focusses on her musical Trilogy (Broken English, Dangerous Acquaintences, and A Child's Adventure). This side contains a wonderful collection of songs from these three wonderful albums from the eighties. Marianne muscial career is like a roller coaster ride with peaks and, yes, with valleys. The Trilogy era is a tru peak in Marianne's musical career. In addition, side 1 contains a wonderful remake of her sixties classic "Sister Morphine". Side 2 contains, again, a wonderful collection of songs from her "Strange Weather" her live "Blazing Away" and her "A Secret Life"". Though a change in musical direction for Marianne, these songs leave no doubt of her talent and artistry. Side 2 also includes a remake of her sixties class "As Terars Go By" and some new songs that are a real treat. This CD is a tribute to Marianne and her music from the late seventies through the nineties. I, personally, see it as a gift from Marianne to her fans. I play it often and never tire of it. Though her fans knew all long, Marianne artistry is finally being recognized. Just this year, she was voted 25th by her peers on the VH1 list of 100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll. Listen ti the Anthology and you will see why. Now, if we can only get Decca Records to release an Anthology of her early work from the sixties - that would be truly wonderful. Thankfully, Marianne is not done yet - check out her latest & wonderful "Vagabond Ways" too!