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Click on the song titles above for lyrics and songwriting credits
This 35 track, two-disc retrospective was the first comprehensive overview of Marianne’s Island recordings spanning 1979-95. Beginning with Broken English, this compilation is centered around selections from Dangerous Acquaintances, A Child’s Adventure, Strange Weather, Blazing Away and A Secret Life. Also included are previously unreleased out-takes, B-sides and collaborations including ‘Gloomy Sunday’ from the Strange Weather sessions, the 12″ version of ‘Blue Millionaire’ and tracks produced by Hal Willner and Fernando Saunders from Marianne’s aborted studio album from 1988/90 which include the compilations title track ‘A Perfect Stranger’ co-written with Saunders, a powerful cover of John Lennon’s ‘Isolation’, a co-write with Steve Winwood called ‘A Waste of Time’ and ‘Conversation On A Barstool’ written for her by Bono.
Other rarities include collaborations with other artists which represent some of Marianne’s best work including ‘Ballad of the Soldier’s Wife’ with Chris Spedding – her essential contribution to 1985’s Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill, ‘Trouble in Mind’ with Mark Isham from the soundtrack of the same name, and ‘Ghost Dance’ a hypnotic cover of the Patti Smith song recorded with (almost all) the Rolling Stones that was first released on Faithfull: A Collection Of Her Best Recordings.
All in all A Perfect Stranger: The Island Anthology makes a fine primer for the uninitiated, and an essential collection for fans.