Track Listing

1. Broken English
2. Witches' Song
3. Brain Drain
4. Guilt
5. The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan
6. What's The Hurry
7. Working Class Hero
8. Why'd Ya Do It

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7700 in Music
• Released on: 1989-05-24
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 37 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Marianne Faithfull had been effectively written off as a one- hit wonder when she reappeared in 1979 to shock everyone with this dark masterpiece. Gone was the bland choirgirl voice of "As Tears Go By", replaced by an instrument that, although ravaged by drink, drugs, and hard living, had gained in expressiveness. The music, which sounded like a synthesizer phalanx hijacked by depressed punks, was perfectly suited to these songs of disillusionment ("Ballad of Lucy Jordan") and loss (the title track). Most powerful was a "Working Class Hero" that matched John Lennon's original sneer for sneer, and an X-rated response to infidelity ("Why D'Ya Do It") that could've been torn from Bill Clinton-inspired headlines. --Ben Edmonds

CD Description
Widely considered Marianne Faithfull's best album, BROKEN ENGLISH has a hazy, bleary-eyed expressiveness that matches atmosphere with emotional impact. Throughout the 1960s and '70s Faithfull was generally considered a shooting star in thepop firmament, a passing flavor not to be taken seriously by serious music listeners. But 1979's BROKEN ENGLISH changedthat with its stylistic curveballs and dark, disconcerting vibe. The album is steeped in the synthesizer sounds typicalof the era; but where this tends to date most releases fromthe time, it works beautifully here. The pulsing surge of the synths balances nicely with Faithfull's sluggish, tattered-sounding voice (the title track is a perfect example). Other album highlights include the bluesy, off-kilter "Brain Drain," and her slicing cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero." While compilations will provide a comprehensive look at her work, BROKEN ENGLISH is the Faithfull studio album toget.

Customer Reviews

A classic slice of the 70s
This album astonished listeners when released, and still has the power to shock. The classic sound that ties it to label mates like Grace Jones is still fresh, particularly on the opener and title track, Broken English. The instrumentation is bare and pure, leaving space for Marianne's voice - much changed since her last major outing on record - to enchant and beguile. Her voice is like nothing you've heard, but is all the better for it - like late, late Billie Holliday, though you feel the pain you also feel the experience, and it takes the songs to a different and superior place. A classic slice of the 70s.

Blonde Aggression
Although the boundaries have shifted in the decades since this album’s release, Broken English has lost none of its trenchant appeal. And despite Courtney Love and many angry grrrl groups using explicit lyrics, Why d’Ya Do It? still sounds fresh, perhaps because it originally was written as a poem by Heathcote Williams. Her version of Lennon’s Working Class Hero sounds as sharp as ever, while the brooding title track is still relevant today. On the melodic side, Lucy Jordan has become quite a standard and could easily be considered a country weepie, while Witches Song remains eerie and anthemic. The sound is typical 80’s rock with tight musicianship supporting this classic monument to decadence and despair. This is probably her best selling album of all time for all the wrong reasons! The other two works from the same period, A Child’s Adventure and Dangerous Acquaintances, are equally excellent and will richly reward the listener. Nevertheless, Broken English stands tall as a masterpiece of broken taboos, subversive poetics and timeless songs.

As a teenager this album meant nothing but 15 years on !
I first heard this album 15 years ago in my late teens and all I could hear was depression.Now in my mid thirties I realise that it is depressing in one sense but it puts into words and music all the feelings and emotions that we all feel at some point. This album is not to be listened to when you are feeling right in the gutter but when you are on the way back up. The Ballad of Lucy Jordan is not only haunting but beautifully orchestrated. Buy this album and try it and ignore the twee music that Marianne produced in the 60's because this is different gravy