Marianne Faithfull’s “Broken English” Fixes Up Nice for Expanded Reissue

As reported in this morning’s Release Round-Up, Marianne Faithfull’s iconic Broken English is getting the deluxe treatment from Universal’s U.K. catalogue arm.

Upon initial release in 1979, Broken English was a major surprise for almost everyone involved and listening. Then in her early 30s at the time, Faithfull had lived enough for a handful of people, going from chart-dominating folk singer (debut hit “As Tears Go By” was written for her by Mick Jagger) to swinging London sex symbol (she left her first husband for Jagger) before flaring out on the streets of Soho in the ’70s, a homeless drug addict unable to get her act together. Eventually, she did long enough for 1977’s Dreamin’ My Dreams, an attempt to re-engage a folk/country-influenced sound greatly hampered by the effects of drug abuse and laryngitis on her vocal abilities.

Broken English, by contrast, works within those limitations (and the burgeoning sounds of punk and New Wave) to craft a record full of incendiary originals (the title track, a meditation on modern terrorism, and the fiery closer “Why D’Ya Do It,” a blazing condemnation of infidelity violent enough to be dropped from certain international pressings) and relevant covers (John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero,” Dr. Hook’s “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”).

This two-disc edition is not short on extras. The first disc features the remastered album plus a short promotional film for the album directed by the late, acclaimed British director Derek Jarman, commercially released for the first time here. Disc 2 features an alternate, more “rock”-oriented mix of the album recently rediscovered in the vaults, plus single remixes of “Broken English” and “Why D’Ya Do It” and a B-side version of “Sister Morphine,” a track Faithfull co-wrote for The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers.

Order your copy from Amazon U.K. or Amazon U.S. and hit the jump for a full discographical breakdown!

Broken English: Deluxe Edition (Island/Universal (U.K.), 2013)

Disc 1: Original LP (released as ) and enhanced video track

1. Broken English
2. Witches’ Song
3. Brain Drain
4. Guilt
5. The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
6. What’s the Hurry
7. Working Class Hero
8. Why D’Ya Do It
9. Witches’ Song/The Ballad of Lucy Jordan/Broken English (short film) (enhanced CD video)

Disc 2: Alternate mix of LP (previously unreleased) and bonus tracks

1. Broken English
2. Witches’ Song
3. Brain Drain
4. Guilt
5. The Ballad of Lucy Jordan
6. What’s the Hurry
7. Working Class Hero
8. Why D’Ya Do It
9. Sister Morphine (12″ B-side – Island 12MF-100, 1982)
10. Broken English (7″ Version) (U.S. single A-side – Island 7-94997, 1979)
11. Broken English (7″ Remix) (single A-side – Island WIP 6542, 1979)
12. Broken English (12″ Remix) (12″ A-side – Island 12WIP 6542, 1979)
13. Why D’Ya Do It (12″ Version) (12″ B-side – Island 12WIP 6542, 1979)