MARIANNE FAITHFULL/GIVE MY LOVE TO LONDON NV 832061 (-14) FRANCE

Looking back at her sometimes troublesome life it's amazing she has survived, dealing with serious drug abuse, homelessness, health problems and even managed to cope with Mick Jagger and the boys for a period in the sixties. Though the carrer sometimes has appeared offhand she's always managed to renew herself and land on her feet. This album, released fifty years after the debute LP, is an example of that. Production and arrangements arty and up-to-date with enough flashbacks to keep balance. Like in the title track or the cover of Everly Bros. "The Price Of Love", done with an obvious wink to Bryan Ferry's version. The Roger Waters-penned "Sparrows Will Sing" pumping dark with warped vocals. The two Nick Cave contributions "Late Victorian Holocaust" and "Deep Water" peeled-off ballads. The Leonard Cohen cover "Going Home" with a pastoral feel including Brian Eno on vocals. She even does a Hoagy Carmichael cover with "I Get Along Without You Very Well", here very still with orchestral backing going from sweet to organized mayhem. Far from easy listening, instead one of those records that can be hard to grip initially but then grows with every spin. Issued on CD in Europe, Japan (P-Vine PCD 24369) and US (ES 012-2). To my knowledege only on vinyl in France and US (Easy Sound ES 012-1). French first had label as shown here on thick unflexible vinyl in a glossy fold/out cover including both LP and CD. (FÄV*) (MFÄX*)