''Strange Weather'' is a 1987 studio album by British singer

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

, recorded after recovering from a 17-year addiction to

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

in 1986. The album's three predecessors on

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

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 Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

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 ''Lost in the Stars'' is a musical theatre, musical with book and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson and music by Kurt Weill, based on the novel ''Cry, the Beloved Country'' (1948) by Alan Paton. The musical premiered on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 19 ...

'', a tribute to the music of

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

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 Weathers 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 projectFaithfull, Marianne. ''Faithfull: An Autobiography'' Boston: Little, Brown; 1994. 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 The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

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 Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

and Kathleen Brennan, and "Hello Stranger" was written by Rebennack and

Doc Pomus Jerome Solon Felder (June 27, 1925 – March 14, 1991), known professionally as Doc Pomus, was an American blues singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-writer of many rock and roll hits. Pomus was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hal ...

. 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

# "Stranger Intro" ( Bill Frisell) – 0:31 # " Boulevard of Broken Dreams" ( Al Dubin,

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

) – 3:04 # "I Ain't Goin' Down to the Well No More" ( Huddie Ledbetter,

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activ ...

, John Lomax) – 1:07 # " Yesterdays" (

Otto Harbach Otto Abels Harbach, born Otto Abels Hauerbach (August 18, 1873 – January 24, 1963) was an American lyricist and librettist of nearly 50 musical comedies and operettas. Harbach collaborated as lyricist or librettist with many of the leading B ...

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

) – 5:20 # "Sign of Judgement" ( Kid Prince Moore) – 2:54 # "Strange Weather" (

, Kathleen Brennan) – 4:05 # "Love, Life and Money" ( Julius Dixon, Henry Glover) – 4:40 # " I'll Keep It With Mine" (

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

) – 4:13 # "Hello Stranger" (

, Dr. John credited as Mac Rebennack) – 2:30 # "Penthouse Serenade" (Will Jason, Val Burton) – 2:34 # " As Tears Go By" (

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who is an original member, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-principal songwriter of the Rolling Stones. His songwriting partnership wi ...

, Andrew Loog Oldham) – 3:42 # "A Stranger On Earth" ( Sid Feller, Rick Ward) – 3:56

Personnel

* Marianne Faithfull - vocals * Bill Frisell - guitars *

Robert Quine Robert Wolfe Quine (December 30, 1942 – May 31, 2004) was an American guitarist. A native of Akron, Ohio, Quine worked with a wide range of musicians, though he himself remained relatively unknown. Critic Mark Deming wrote that "Quine's eclect ...

- guitar (6, 7) * Fernando Saunders - bass (2, 4, 6–11) * Michael Levine - violin *

Sharon Freeman Ahnee Sharon Freeman is a jazz pianist, French horn player and arranger. Freeman played French horn for the jazz opera '' Escalator over the Hill'', Gil Evans's 1973 album '' Svengali'', and in 1983 she worked on a piece of jazz Christmas music. ...

- piano (2, 8) * Dr. John - (credited as Mac Rebennack) - piano * Steve Slagle - alto saxophone * Chris Hunter - alto saxophone, flute *

Lew Soloff Lewis Michael Soloff (February 20, 1944 – March 8, 2015) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and actor. He was a founding member of the band Blood, Sweat & Tears. Biography From his birth place of New York City, United States, he studie ...

- trumpet *

Garth Hudson Eric Garth Hudson (August 2, 1937 – January 21, 2025) was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for The Band. He was a principal architect of the group's sound and was described as "the mo ...

- accordion * J.T. Lewis - drums, horn arrangements * William Schimmel - accordion * Michael Gibbs - string arrangements

Technical personnel

* Hal Willner - producer * Joe Ferla - recording, mixing * Tony Wright - cover and sleeve photography

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1987 albums Marianne Faithfull albums Albums produced by Hal Willner Island Records albums