MARIANNE FAITHFULL Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Of all the rock 'n' roll deities, Marianne Faithful might be the most curious. Catapulted to stardom via the hit single 'As Tears Go By', she quickly became the female figurehead of the British Invasion of the US charts and youth culture - a period of time defined by an explosion in popularity of (largely English) bands Stateside. Indeed, she's been active since 1964, has lived the incorrectly romanticised side of the music industry to the full (heroin addiction, homelessness, mental illness) and survived to tell the tale.

A huge problem is the fact not enough people are listening. A case of it's them not her, too often her enormous contribution to the pantheons is overlooked or understated. And yet here we are with Kissing Time - evidence of her status among peers. Drafting (drum roll, please) Jarvis cocker, Beck, Blur, Billy Corgan, and Dave Stewart to support on tracks veering from delightfully robot sleaze droid elec-pop gem 'Sex With Strangers' to the stripped, raw and slightly psyche guitar outing, 'Love & Money', how's that for influence?

Review: It had been five years since fans had received any new, original material from Marianne Faithful by the time Vagabond Ways landed, and it's safe to say the record was worth the wait. Containing both her own work, and re-interpretations of songs by the likes of Roger Waters, Elton John, and Leonard Cohen, if the track list is impressive then the delivery is astounding.

Continuing in her neo-cabaret persona, Vagabond Ways is a theatrical and dramatic piece of work to say the least. Packed with emotion and stage presence, to call this rock would be reductive. More a journey into a kind of surreal, experimental pop realm that's filled with mystery, beauty, and unease, this is an excellent example of how a record can invoke incredibly vivid imagery of your own devising.