Label: Island Records (US), 842 794-2
Style: Rock, Ballad
Country: London, England (29 December 1946)
Time: 72:38
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 405 Mb
Charts: AUS #66, AUT #28, NL #75, NZ #19, SWE #44, US #160.
Fully
established as a dramatic, innovative singer with astonishing appeal
and energy thanks to her string of excellent '80s releases, Faithfull
concluded her renaissance decade with Blazing Away, an excellent live
album recorded in New York's St. Anne's Cathedral. The crackerjack
backing band deserves note in and of itself, including members ranging
from the Band's Garth Hudson to Dr. John, plus regular collaborators
Marc Ribot, Fernando Saunders, and her key partner Barry Reynolds.
Faithfull and the players fit hand in glove track for track, with the
emphasis on subtler arrangements and performances suiting the hushed,
striking atmosphere of the performance. When the band shows its muscle,
as with the snarling strut of "Guilt," there's no question of this being
anything like easy listening. In general, though, the sense of cabaret
meets modern nightclub dominates, with Faithfull's singing capturing the
cracking tug of her vocals just so. The selection of songs ranges from
the intriguingly obscure to the familiar enough -- "As Tears Go By" and
"Broken English" take unsurprising bows, as does a lengthy brood on
"Sister Morphine," "She Moved Through the Fair," and a commanding rip
through the harrowing "Why'd Ya Do It?" There are two new numbers as
well. The title track is the one song recorded in studio, with Reynolds
and Saunders, plus a number of other musicians; it's got a nice steel
guitar twang to it, and Faithfull tries for the high lonesome sound in
her own wonderful way. Other flat-out highlights include a grand take on
"Times Square" and a slow crawl through "Working Class Hero" that
seethes with fire, both from the musicians and Faithfull.
(allmusic.com/album/blazing-away-mw0000207925)
01. Les Prisons Du Roy (06:52)
02. Strange Weather (05:18)
03. Guilt (07:59)
04. Working Class Hero (06:12)
05. Sister Morphine (07:41)
06. As Tears Go By (04:26)
07. Why'd Ya Do It? (06:48)
08. When I Find My Life (03:01)
09. Ballad Of Lucy Jordan (05:14)
10. Times Square (04:58)
11. Blazing Away (04:12)
12. She Moved Through The Fair (02:16)
13. Broken English (07:37)
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