''Dangerous Acquaintances'' is the eighth studio album by English singer
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...
. It was released on 1 September 1981 by
Island Records. The album was seen by reviewers as a disappointing follow-up to Faithfull's ''
Broken English'', as the album trades the angry and controversial alternative
new wave arrangements of the previous one for a more mainstream rock texture, using over a dozen session musicians and, for some, giving a certain anonymous feel to the songs. The title is a reference to the
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (; 18 October 1741 – 5 September 1803) was a French novelist, official, Freemason and army general, best known for writing the epistolary novel '' Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (''Dangerous Liaisons'' ...
1782 novel ''
Les Liaisons dangereuses
''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (; English: ''Dangerous Liaisons'') is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782.
It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and ...
''.
The main singles of the album were "Intrigue", penned by the singer's then-husband, Ben Brierley, and "For Beauty's Sake", written by Faithfull and
Steve Winwood.
Background and recording
Marianne Faithfull described the album's recording as a long and arduous process, marked by numerous instances of miscommunication between herself, the instrumentalists, and the producer.
She particularly commented that bassist Steve York and drummer
Terry Stannard
Terence Philip Stannard (28 June 1949 – 25 October 2019) was an English drummer. Born in Plaistow, West Ham, he moved to Wiltshire with his family at age 12. When he was 17 he returned to London to play drums for The Freddie Mack Road Sho ...
did not gel properly, and that producer Mark Mundy made inappropriate production decisions, such as the inclusion of horns on "Intrigue".
She was also unhappy with the way Mundy interacted with the performers: "We went through some amazing scenes. He was treating the band like they couldn't play and didn't know what they were doing - and in a way, me too, but particularly the band. It was a divide and conquer trip. I don't think he meant to do it. He just did it naturally."
Critical reception
In their retrospective review,
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
's Richie Unterberger criticized the album for backing down from the musical and lyrical boldness of ''
Broken English'' in favor of more conventional and accessible material, though he did state that there was "at least one commercially viable track", in "For Beauties Sake" (a Faithfull-
Steve Winwood co-write).
Track listing
Personnel
* Marianne Faithfull – vocals
*
Barry Reynolds
Barry Reynolds (born 27 October 1949, in Bolton, Lancashire) is a British guitar player, songwriter, composer and producer, best known for his long-lasting collaboration with Marianne Faithfull.
Reynolds first emerged with the band Pacific Drift ...
– guitar
* Steve York – bass
* Joe Maverty – guitar
*
Terry Stannard
Terence Philip Stannard (28 June 1949 – 25 October 2019) was an English drummer. Born in Plaistow, West Ham, he moved to Wiltshire with his family at age 12. When he was 17 he returned to London to play drums for The Freddie Mack Road Sho ...
- drums
with:
*
Steve Winwood - keyboards
*
Frank Collins – backing vocals
*
Denis Haines – keyboards
* Pickford Sykes - keyboards
*
Neil Hubbard
Neil Terrence Hubbard (born 24 February 1948) is a British guitarist who has performed with Juicy Lucy, The Grease Band, Bluesology, Joe Cocker, Roxy Music, Kokomo, Alvin Lee, B.B. King, Kevin Rowland and Tony O'Malley, and played on the ...
– guitar
* Martin Drover – trumpet
* Julian Diggle – percussion
*
Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel – bass
*
Chris Stainton
Christopher Robert "Chris" Stainton (born 22 March 1944) is an English session musician, keyboard player, bassist and songwriter, who first gained recognition with Joe Cocker in the late 1960s. In addition to his collaboration with Cocker, St ...
- keyboards
*Clifton "Bigga" Morrison - piano
*
Dyan Spenner - backing vocals
*
Jim Leverton
Jim Leverton (born 1946, Dover, Kent, England) is an English professional musician, with a career spanning nearly fifty years, including as a sidesman to the Jimi Hendrix Experience's Noel Redding, Steve Marriott, Blodwyn Pig and the Canterbur ...
- bass
*
Mel Collins
Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947, Isle of Man) is a British saxophonist, flautist and session musician.
Collins has played in several progressive rock groups, having been a member of King Crimson on two occasions (the first from ...
- saxophones
*Peter Veitch - keyboards
;Technical
*Bob Potter - engineer
*Ed Thacker - mixing
*Paul Henry - art direction
*
Clive Arrowsmith - photography
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
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References
External links
*
''Dangerous Acquaintances''at
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
*
{{Authority control
1981 albums
Marianne Faithfull albums
Island Records albums