Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Dangerous Acquaintances

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Recorded
  
1981

Producer
  
Mark Miller Mundy

Release date
  
September 1981

Genres
  
Rock music, Disco

Length
  
36:44

Artist
  
Marianne Faithfull

Label
  
Island Records

Dangerous Acquaintances httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaenthumb8

Released
  
1 September 1981 (1981-09-01)

Studio
  
Matrix Studios (London, United Kingdom)

Dangerous Acquaintances (1981)
  
A Child's Adventure (1983)

Similar
  
Marianne Faithfull albums, Rock music albums

Marianne faithfull truth bitter truth


Dangerous Acquaintances is the eighth studio album by English singer Marianne Faithfull. 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 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses.

Contents

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.

Marianne faithfull sweetheart 1981


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 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 repeatedly criticized the album for backing down from the musical and lyrical boldness of Broken English in favor of more conventional and accessible material.

Personnel

  • Marianne Faithfull – vocals
  • Barry Reynolds – guitar
  • Steve York – bass
  • Joe Maverty – guitar
  • Terry Stannard - drums
  • with:

  • Steve Winwood - keyboards
  • Frank Collins – backing vocals
  • Denis Haines – keyboards
  • Pickford Sykes - keyboards
  • Neil Hubbard – guitar
  • Martin Drover – trumpet
  • Julian Diggle – percussion
  • Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuel – bass
  • Chris Stainton - keyboards
  • Clifton "Bigga" Morrison - piano
  • Dyan Spenner - backing vocals
  • Jim Leverton - bass
  • Mel Collins - saxophones
  • Peter Veitch - keyboards
  • Technical
  • Bob Potter - engineer
  • Ed Thacker - mixing
  • Paul Henry - art direction
  • Clive Arrowsmith - photography
  • Songs

    1Sweetheart3:18
    2Intrigue4:32
    3Easy In The City3:19

    References

    Dangerous Acquaintances Wikipedia