Dangerous Acquaintances

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Dangerous Acquaintances
Dangerousmarianne.jpg
Studio album by
Released1 September 1981 (1981-09-01)
RecordedMarch 1981
StudioMatrix Studios (London, United Kingdom)
Genre
Length36:44
Label Island
Producer Mark Miller Mundy
Marianne Faithfull chronology
Broken English
(1979)
Dangerous Acquaintances
(1981)
A Child's Adventure
(1983)
Singles from Dangerous Acquaintances
  1. "Intrigue"
    Released: September 1981
  2. "Sweetheart"
    Released: November 1981

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 .

Contents

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. [1] 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". [1] 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." [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
People (favourable) [3]
The Village Voice B+ [4]

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). [2]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sweetheart"3:15
2."Intrigue"Ben Brierley4:29
3."Easy in the City"
  • Faithfull
  • Barry Reynolds
3:16
4."Strange One"
2:51
5."Tenderness"
  • Faithfull
  • Barry Reynolds
3:53
6."For Beauty's Sake"
3:30
7."So Sad"
  • Faithfull
  • Barry Reynolds
  • Steve York
4:31
8."Eye Communication"
  • Faithfull
  • Barry Reynolds
  • Calvin Samuel
  • Terry Stannard
3:35
9."Truth, Bitter Truth"
  • David Courts
  • Faithfull
  • Barry Reynolds
7:24
Total length:36:44

Personnel

with:

Technical

Charts

Certifications and sales

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RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [15] Gold35,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [16] Gold50,000^
France (SNEP) [17] Gold100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ) [18] Gold7,500^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

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  2. 1 2 Dangerous Acquaintances at AllMusic
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