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.
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 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'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 Beauty's Sake" (a Faithfull–Steve Winwood co-write).
Track listing
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
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1981)PeakpositionAustralian Kent Music Report Albums Chart24Canadian RPM Albums ChartLibrary and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2012-01-2912Dutch Mega Albums Chart33French SNEP Albums Chart10New Zealand Albums Chart7Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart12Swedish Albums Chart4UK Albums Chart45U.S. Billboard 200104
Year-end charts Chart (1981)PositionCanadian Albums Chart76
Certifications and sales
References
External links