Dangerous Acquaintances

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.

Dangerous Acquaintances
Studio album by
Marianne Faithfull
Released1 September 1981 (1981-09-01)
RecordedMarch 1981
StudioMatrix Studios (London, United Kingdom)
Genre
Length36:44
LabelIsland
ProducerMark 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

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[2]
People(favourable)[3]
The Village VoiceB+[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
  • Bob Potter – engineer
  • Ed Thacker – mixing
  • Paul Henry – art direction
  • Clive Arrowsmith – photography

Charts

Certifications and sales

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Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[15] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[17] Gold 100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[18] Gold 7,500^

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

References
  1. Farber, Jim (June 1983). "I Got Here by the Skin of my Teeth". Record. 2 (8): 1, 30.
  2. Dangerous Acquaintances at AllMusic
  3. "Picks and Pans Review: Dangerous Acquaintances". people.com. People. 23 November 1981.
  4. Christgau, Robert. "Marianne Faithfull: Dangerous Acquaintances". robertchristgau.com. The Village Voice.
  5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. Library and Archives Canada. Archived 29 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2012-01-29
  7. "dutchcharts.nl Marianne Faithfull - Dangerous Acquaintances". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Archived from the original (ASP) on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  8. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  9. "charts.nz Marianne Faithfull - Dangerous Acquaintances" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
  10. "norwegiancharts.com Marianne Faithfull - Dangerous Acquaintances". Hung Medien. VG-lista. Archived from the original (ASP) on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  11. "swedishcharts.com Marianne Faithfull - Dangerous Acquaintances" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  12. "The Official Charts Company - Marianne Faithfull - Dangerous Acquaintances" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  13. "allmusic ((( Dangerous Acquaintances > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  14. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  15. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  16. "Canadian album certifications – Marianne Faithfull – Dangerous Acquaintances". Music Canada.
  17. "French album certifications – Marianne Faithfull – Dangerous Acquaintances" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  18. "New Zealand album certifications – Marianne Faithfull – Dangerous Acquaintances". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
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