"A Perfect Stranger: The Island Anthology" - Faithfull, Marianne

Compilation Album

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Full Track Listing:


Disc One:
  • Broken English (4:36)
  • Witches’ Song (4:44)
  • Guilt (5:10)
  • The Ballad of Lucy Jordan (4:10)
  • Working Class Hero (4:42)
  • Why D’Ya Do It (6:43)
  • Sister Morphine (6:07)
  • Sweetheart (3:17)
  • Intrigue (4:32)
  • For Beauty’s Sake (3:32)
  • So Sad (4:31)
  • Truth, Bitter Truth (7:22)
  • The Blue Millionaire (12” Version) (8:23)
  • Falling From Grace (3:54)
  • Running for Our Lives (4:43)
    Disc Two:
  • Ballad of the Soldier’s Wife (4:25)
  • Trouble in Mind (The Return) (4:23)
  • Boulevard of Broken Dreams (3:07)
  • Yesterdays (5:20)
  • Strange Weather (4:15)
  • Gloomy Sunday (3:13)
  • Hello Stranger (2:31)
  • As Tears Go By (3:47)
  • A Perfect Stranger (4:49)
  • Conversation on a Barstool (4:18)
  • A Waste of Time (5:04)
  • Isolation (3:13)
  • Blazing Away (4:13)
  • When I find my Life (Live) (3:01)
  • Time’s Square (Live) (4:37)
  • Ghost Dance (3:45)
  • Sleep (3:36)
  • Love in the Afternoon (3:31)
  • Bored by Dreams (3:09)
  • She (3:23)

Background Information

Bono and the Edge wrote “Conversation on a Barstool” specifically for Marianne Faithfull, although this specific release lists only Bono as the writer. Although Faithfull had performed the song live in concert throughout the 1990s, she had never released a studio version of the song, until this 1998 compilation album of her work from Island Records. The song had been recorded in February 1998 for this compilation.

In 1993, approached for a contribution to the “Short Cuts” soundtrack, Bono and the Edge contributed the lyrics to “Conversation on a Barstool” for use in the film. On that project the song was performed by Annie Ross and the Low Note Quintet. In 1995 the song was also performed by Hazel O’Connor, a friend of U2s, and released on her album “Private Wars”. Both releases were before Faithfull released her version on this compilation. This version by Faithfull is a gorgeous recording of the song.

This retrospective of Faithfull’s career was released to coincide with Island Records’ 40th Anniversary. This particular recording of the song saw Faithfull working with Bill Frisell on guitar and Hal Wilner on production, both of whom would turn up again on the Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack as part of the Million Dollar Hotel band, working with Bono on the soundtrack to that movie.

Liner Notes

Conversation on a Barstool:
Written by Bono. Vocals by Marianne Faithfull. Bass: Fernando Saunders. Guitar: Bill Frisell. Produced by Hal Willner and Fernando Saunders. Recorded February, 1998 by Joe Ferla at RPM Studios, New York.

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