Marianne Faithfull Calls In Favours From Nick Cave And PJ Harvey

07/27/04 4:00pm

Marianne Faithfull has always known how to use her connections. Back in the '60s, the British singer got her career started with the help of Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who handed her a hit with the Stones song "As Tears Go By" (which hadn't yet been recorded by the Stones themselves).

Now, 30 years later, Faithfull still knows when to call in a few friends to help her find her creative muse. Fatithfull's last album, 2002's Kissin' Time, was full of cameos by some of the singer's biggest fans, including Beck, Billy Corgan, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and members of Blur. Faithfull has since returned to the recording studio to make a new album called Before The Poison, which continues on that theme of collaboration.

Before The Poison's two biggest contributors are Nick Cave and Polly Jean Harvey, who worked separately on the bulk of the album's songs. According to Billboard.com, Harvey produced a total of five songs for the album, three of which she wrote herself the other two being co-writes with Faithfull.

Harvey also provides instrumentation (guitar, bass and synth) to the songs. Cave has a similar role, writing and co-producing the music to three of Faithfull's lyrical compositions.

While Harvey and Cave have the lion's share of the credits, they're not the only young hotshots recruited by Faithfull. Damon Albarn and Jon Brion also donate songs to the cause. Before The Poison will be available in Europe by the end of September and will be released in North America by Anti- in January.