Strange Weather
Studio album by
Marianne Faithfull
ReleasedJuly 1987
Recorded1987
StudioA&R Recording Studios, New York City; Bearsville Studios, Bearsville, New York; Record Plant Studios, New York City
GenreBlues, dark cabaret, rock
Length38:44
LabelIsland
ProducerHal Willner
Marianne Faithfull chronology
Rich Kid Blues
(1985) 		Strange Weather
(1987) 		Blazing Away
(1990)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Record Mirror[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]
The Village VoiceA−[4]

Strange Weather is a 1987 studio album by British singer Marianne Faithfull, recorded after recovering from a 17-year addiction to heroin in 1986. The album's three predecessors on Island Records were all recorded while Faithfull confronted personal struggles, and contained a majority of lyrics and some music penned by Faithfull herself. In contrast, Strange Weather is a striking mix of rock, blues and dark cabaret, and though none of the songs were written by Faithfull, all are tied together by the spare and nuanced production of Hal Willner, using a notable group of contributing musicians, such as Bill Frisell. The title track has since become a Faithfull concert staple and has appeared live in three additional recordings.

Overview

In 1985 Faithfull contributed a single track, "Ballad of the Soldier's Wife", to Lost In The Stars, a tribute to the music of Kurt Weill by various contemporary artists. In response to the success of the project and to favourable reviews for Faithfull's contribution, producer Hal Willner suggested the potential of an expanded project of classic compositions, but, according to Willner in Strange Weather's liner notes, he believed it was "one of those projects which usually never comes to fruition."

Just prior to her recovery, Faithfull began work on a new album of rock songs, but Island Records scrapped the project[5] Instead, Willner re-entered the picture and the concept of the album of classic standards was expanded to include not only material contemporary to Weill's Weimar Republic era but a more recent song by Bob Dylan, two early folk-era spirituals, traditional piano blues with accompaniment by Dr. John (credited as Mac Rebennack), and all new material was written specifically for the project. The album’s title track was written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, and "Hello Stranger" was written by Rebennack and Doc Pomus. Faithfull also re-recorded her 1964 hit, "As Tears Go By," in a markedly different arrangement using a slower tempo, and sung a full octave lower than the original.

Strange Weather failed to make it to the US Album charts (it did chart in both the UK and Australia), and never charted its only single "As Tears Go By".

Track listing

  1. "Stranger Intro" (Bill Frisell) – 0:31
  2. "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (Al Dubin, Harry Warren) – 3:04
  3. "I Ain't Goin' Down to the Well No More" (Huddie Ledbetter, Alan Lomax, John Lomax) – 1:07
  4. "Yesterdays" (Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern) – 5:20
  5. "Sign of Judgement" (Kid Prince Moore) – 2:54
  6. "Strange Weather" (Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan) – 4:05
  7. "Love, Life and Money" (Julius Dixon, Henry Glover) – 4:40
  8. "I'll Keep It With Mine" (Bob Dylan) – 4:13
  9. "Hello Stranger" (Doc Pomus, Dr. John credited as Mac Rebennack) – 2:30
  10. "Penthouse Serenade" (Will Jason, Val Burton) – 2:34
  11. "As Tears Go By" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Andrew Loog Oldham) – 3:42
  12. "A Stranger On Earth" (Sid Feller, Rick Ward) – 3:56

Personnel

Technical personnel

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[6] 48
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[7] 71
Dutch Mega Albums Chart[8] 45
New Zealand Albums Chart[9] 16
Swedish Albums Chart[10] 32
UK Albums Chart[11] 78

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ Culp, Nancy (8 August 1987). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 14. ISSN 0144-5804.
  3. ^ Evans, Paul (2004). "Marianne Faithfull". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 292. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Relevant portion posted in a revised version at "Marianne Faithfull: Strange Weather > Consumer Guide Album". RobertChristgau.com.
  5. ^ Faithfull, Marianne. Faithfull: An Autobiography Boston: Little, Brown; 1994. ISBN 0-316-27324-4
  6. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 January 2012
  8. ^ "dutchcharts.nl Marianne Faithfull - Broken English" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  9. ^ "charts.nz Marianne Faithfull - Broken English" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  10. ^ "swedishcharts.com Marianne Faithfull - Broken English" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  11. ^ "The Official Charts Company - Marianne Faithfull - Broken English" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
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