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Today in rock history: On this date in 1979, British singer Marianne Faithfull released her magnum opus and brilliant seventh album, Broken English. After her reign as the quintessential female face of the British Invasion, Faithfull began hanging out with The Rolling Stones and became romantically involved with the band’s lead singer, Mick Jagger. What followed were dark years that found the gorgeous, blonde bombshell entrenched in harsh drug abuse, alcoholism and dealing with bouts of anorexia. Hitting rock bottom and becoming homeless, Faithfull returned after a long absence from the music business with this fantastic album that garnered rave reviews from many rock critics who declared it a masterwork soon after its release. Marianne’s voice had changed drastically from its sweet, melodic tone of the 1960s. Gravelly, rough and street smart, Faithfull’s gutsier delivery suited the songs perfectly. Featuring two strong singles, “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan” and the new wave-tinged title track, Broken English wound up on several prestigious year-end best-of lists as 1979 came to a close. Gritty and bold, the album also featured a hard-hitting version of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” and is often regarded as Marianne Faithful’s greatest and strongest work.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1993, Kate Bush released her ambitious seventh album, The Red Shoes. Named after a 1950s film inspired by a story written by Hans Christian Andersen, the album was a huge success in Kate’s native England where it peaked at No. 2 on album sales charts. Boasting several hit singles, The Red Shoes also featured many prestigious guest artists like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Prince. Coming at a particularly difficult time in Bush’s life (the singer was dealing with the death of her longtime guitarist, the loss of her mother and the breakup of a long-standing romantic relationship), the album showed her deeper, more emotional side through singles like “Moments of Pleasure” and “And So Is Love,” while also featuring more lighthearted, upbeat hits like “Rubberband Girl” and “Eat the Music.” Receiving mixed reviews upon its arrival, The Red Shoes proved to be the last album Kate Bush would release before taking an extended, 12-year break from making music. Along with a short film she created to accompany the album, this album remains one of the artists most challenging and complex works.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1990, Graffiti Bridge, Prince’s fourth film, debuted in movie theaters around the country. Billed as a sequel to his 1984 blockbuster, Purple Rain, Prince reprised his role as The Kid and starred alongside many other notable stars like singer Mavis Staples, funk godfather George Clinton and members of Prince protégé R&B band, The Time. Not faring anywhere near as well as Purple Rain, Graffiti Bridge was unanimously panned by film critics who labeled it dull, amateurish and long-winded. The film was a box office flop and wound up being Prince’s final film role. The movie’s accompanying 2-LP soundtrack album did much better than its counterpart and was another rapidly selling release for Prince. A Top 10 album, the record featured the singles “Thieves in the Temple” and “Round and Round,” a huge hit for young artist Tevin Campbell.
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Today in rock history: On this date in 1979, influential British punk-rock band The Damned released its stupendous third album, Machine Gun Etiquette. After a minor lineup change, the band decided to break out of the confines and trappings of punk rock by choosing to experiment with more pop and psychedelic-inspired sounds for this daring album. Warmly received by the band’s loyal following and by the music press, the album contained some of the band’s absolute best singles including “Love Song,” “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” and the anthemic “Smash It Up.” Proving that it was more than just a passing fad or trend, The Damned seemed to be getting stronger with each subsequent album and this fantastic album certainly proved the band's relevance. Featuring guest appearances by members of contemporaries The Clash, fans consider Machine Gun Etiquette to be the very best album by the band.
This article appears in Nov 1-8, 2018.