Name: Blazing Away
Genre: Music
Released: 1990-02-09
Duration: 1 h 30 min
Rating: 8.5
Cast: Dr. John, Marianne Faithfull

First of all, let me say this...the concert is fantastic. It contains the best recorded performances of Marianne's I have ever heard, and at theend, the audience's seemingly endless ovation is justly deserved by the lovely Faithful. Sporting a very "Bowie" hairdo, black slacks and an over-sized white man's shirt (which contrasts beautifully with her red gloves and lipstick), Faithful is striking, dramatic, and in completecontrol of her audience. The church she performs in provides a very unique atmosphere that really adds to the performance, and she's assembled a crack team of musicians with some real muscle that flesh out some of her more dated 80's songs and give them a new lease on life, while re-imagining some of her "Broken English" classics.

HOWEVER- there is a catch. The editing is just...not very good. I can't fault the camera angles or lighting- it's the post-production that did the evil deed. Loads of black and white insert shots, pointless cuts to shots of Marianne walking around London and a forest, and other horrid pseudo-arsty post techniques haven't aged well (if they came off well in the first place) and tend to pull you out of the concert a bit. I must admit though, that the between-song clips of interviews with her provide some nice insight on her life and relationship with her music.

Visual experimentation aside, this is a killer set from the great Ms. Faithful. Highlights include a poisonous, desperate "Sister Morphine", a fierce "Working Class Hero", and a kick down the door and drag the b*tch out by her hair run through "Why'd Ya Do It?", maybe even more fiery than the original. And her version of "Times Square" is a real achievement- the best delivery I've heard of that song, and possibly the best live performance I've heard by Marianne. It's damn near impossible to track down anymore, but if you can find it, don't miss out on a chance to hear Marianne at her best, but prepare yourself for a few groan-worthy artsy-fartsy shots.

The music genre features stories showcasing musical performances, music-related documentaries and recordings of live concerts and music festivals.

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Blazing Away

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