Marianne Faithfull Live in Hollywood at the Henry Fonda Theater
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DVD details
Actor: Barry Reynolds, Courtney Williams, Fernando Saunders, Lew Soloff, Marianne FaithfullBrand: Koch International
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 143 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-09-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd
DVD Reviews of Marianne Faithfull Live in Hollywood at the Henry Fonda Theater
DVD Review: Especially for a Long-Time Fan and Supporter, Painful to Watch and Hear
Summary: 2 Stars
Well finally, it is time for some tough love.
After having been accused of rubber-stamping anything that Marianne Faithfull records or performs, even I have now been caught rolling my eyes heavenward!
So when the lady, a charismatic and gracefully flawed artist yet still the consummate anti-diva, brays loudly - and harshly - into the microphone like a stuck mule, without giving any shape or form or possibility to the seemingly inspired notes she holds inside, then it gives me incentive for pause. And that somehow, we should believe, simply by being Marianne Faithfull, that she can blithely carry or even justify this embarrassing charade?
Remember The Emperor's New Clothes? The Empress in this case, is instead naked and gawky as a jaybird fresh out of the egg. And at times, neither the sight of this bare-naked spectacle, nor the objectionable sound of its squawk, are the least bit pretty.
And what happened to all this talk of formal vocal training, imposed by none other than PJ Harvey prior to the recording of 2004's Before The Poison? I am thinking that the noted New York vocal coach - who has trained not only Harvey but a certain Mr. Jagger, must now be horror-struck . Especially during the first half of the performance, in which it is possible that she may just be warming up (should've taken care of that ahead of time!) - Faithfull often mistakes yelling and shouting for emphasis, and it is using this increasingly troublesome approach that she manages to sink some of the more nuanced phrasing of her best recorded work.
OK, the passion and the history are all here, or are they? In this newly released live set, recorded this past March, is an occasionally sloppy performance from an artist who - though having a track record of inconsistent live performances - has nonetheless turned in some truly inspired work. Examples are the 1989 live recording Blazing Away, or the 1990 tour - accompanied only by long-time collaborator Barry Reynolds on guitar, and memorable for an impressive Chicago performance.
At that event, Faithfull was but a few years out of addiction recovery and reached deep inside her soul, and lungs, for a controlled yet unashamedly inspired set in which her famous croak was intentionally refined, more like transformed, into a clear and resonant instrument of its very own rich, miraculous timbre and tone. It was so inspiring, I was moved to tears. But the only tears I'm shedding over Live In Hollywood are of embarrassment and disappointment for the artist, who somehow consciously chose (and at whose bad advice?) to proffer this catastrophic, cacophonic, self-sabotaging mess onto an unexpecting public. I have in person seen Faithfull perform live 5 times in addition to her 3 recorded live performances, and with Live In Hollywood, this otherwise engaging and talented artist at times reaches a new, and sincerely painful, nadir.
Instead of being guided toward a stronger sense of musical direction and sensibility by a solid band and a solid bandleader (presumably, in this case, Mr. Reynolds); Faithfull is instead led directly to this bloody public slaughter by a group of musicians so loose and sloppy themselves, that the best they can inspire in her is more of the same, gory, same - while simultaneously allowing her to fool-heartedly throw herself down the proverbial steps. Her lack of musical and vocal discipline cascades into a lack of respect for her audience who love her in spite of it all. The singer takes not only the audience, but herself, for granted - and this clear lack of respect for her fanship and her craft are now emblazoned into the permanent record, for all to hear and see.. And a newfound penchant for ghoulish, ill-fitting décolletage simply makes her look uncomfortable in whatever she wears. So, like rubbernecking at the scene of a car accident, or a horror flick - your first instinct is to look, then cringe and look away, then peek again through squinted eyes or around the popcorn box to glimpse the gory tragedy once more.
Faithfull recently said in an interview with Mojo magazine, that, to paraphrase: people either get her or they don't. Well, Marianne, is it any wonder? Is a self-sabotaging living tombstone like this one any encouragement to a new or past or potential fan to spend the money to see you live or buy your recordings? Is it an encouragement for new fans to buy records like A Secret Life and A Child's Adventure, or even Rich Kid Blues, Broken English, and 2004's Before The Poison? If not an encouragement to hear the more inspired workings of Faithfull's art, that what might this be? Thought she continues to be an amazing songwriter, Marianne Faithfull has systematically abused and diminished the true blessing of her vocal gifts over the years as if taking them for granted, and it is this self-impaired legacy that Faithfull continues her endless hurdle to overcome.
The concert opens with trumpeter Lew Soloff's introduction to a subtle, bluesy rendition of Trouble In Mind, and in the very first verse Faithfull begins a litany of shapeless frog-throated straining, over-enunciation, and missed notes that continues on and off for the entire 2 hour set. However, it is on this sort of mid-tempo number that the band is at its best, and they manage to carry her bad vocals along. Throughout the entire concert, and with only a few exceptions, Soloff's blaring, monochromatic horn runs chime in at all the wrong times, and they are for the most part earsplitting, unnecessary distractions. Though not familiar with his other work, I definitely don't appreciate it here.
By the second number Falling From Grace, even the band begins to fall apart - and though Reynolds' background vocals manage to hold things together, the emulated French horn keyboard slop and Faithfull's own uninspired singing keep tearing the performance apart limb-for limb.
Better is The Mystery of Love, the amazing opening track from Before The Poison, though Faithfull spends much of the first verse catching her breath. She recovers, but somehow manages to fall to pieces again on the chorus, with plenty of unnecessarily forced hoarseness and croaking.
Back in more familiar territory, she manages a rescue attempt at The Ballad of Lucy Jordan, from Broken English, and though she hits all the notes and the band is at its mid-tempo best, she squanders the delicate approach both of the recorded and past live performances by pointedly over-enunciating nearly every word, turning the dark, lilting lullaby of one woman's broken dreams into a flatly spoken diatribe. She goes though similar motions on She, from A Secret Life, turning what was a near-dirge to begin with into a complete throwaway.
There are similar hits and misses throughout the performance. Highlights include Last Song from Before The Poison, though still a bit forced at times, it is an honest and plaintive reading sorely missing from the rest of the disc and a true showcase for her vocal range. Also, Kissin' Time, the amazing title track from her 2002 album, though again a bit strained, finds the singer at her sultry, swampy, funky best. Times Square, like Falling From Grace, is one of many hallmark tracks from A Child's Adventure but it seems to be a little easier for Faithfull to pull emotion from this one, and it comes off well. A powerhouse version of Roger Waters' Incarceration of A Flower Child from Vagabond Ways, along with John Lennon's Working Class Hero from Broken English, both find Faithfull and the band closer to their respective comfort zones, though she trips over the lyrics in Hero after another intermittent bit of braying. Go easy Marianne, we all know you're there!
Faithfull's endurance as survivor (aren't we all?) and an artist certainly cannot be faulted, but it is by the very skin of her teeth that she still manages to be able to record and tour. It is certainly NOT by any nurturing of her increasingly temperamental voice that she manages to build her legacy. For someone who can pour such amazing emotion into a song with such thin and - face it - self-mutilated vocal gifts, it is inconceivable that Faithfull somehow misses the fact that, if properly developed, arranged, staged and produced, her voice can be an amazing treasure! Her legacy of recorded work, and live performances, proves it. Live In Hollywood only hints at this potential, and most of her best notes only wind up on the chopping block. Thus The Empress - at least for now - stands unveiled.
Description of Marianne Faithfull Live in Hollywood at the Henry Fonda Theater
Marianne Faithfull, one of the iconic figures of sixties music, has sustained a successful and highly acclaimed career for 40 years. Her distinctive voice and passionate songwriting have ensured that her fanbase has remained intensely loyal and that she has continued to attract new devotees.This concert was recorded in Hollywood in spring 2005. It features tracks from her most recent album, 2004's Before The Poison, along with hits such as Ballad Of Lucy Jordan and As Tears Go By and classic tracks like Sister Morphine and Broken English.Track Listing:
DVD:
1. Trouble In Mind
2. Falling From Grace
3. Mystery Of Love
4. Ballad Of Lucy Jordan
5. She
6. No Child Of Mine
7. Last Song
8. Kissin' Time
9. Times Square
10. Working Class Hero
11. Incarceration Of A Flower Child
12. Strange Weather
13. Guilt
14. As Tears Go By
15. Sister Morphine
16. Crazy Love
17. Broken English
18. Why D'ya Do It
CD:
1. Trouble in Mind
2. Falling from Grace
3. She
4. Ballad of Lucy Jordon
5. No Child of Mine
6. Last Song
7. Kissin' Time
8. Times Square
9. Working Class Hero
10. Incarceration of a Flower Child
11. As Tears Go By
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