Friday 4th January

We first encountered, or actually became aware, of Marianne in the mid-sixties.  She was the equivalent of what today is called a WAG, a pop-star’s girlfriend, and like Anita Pallenberg and Jane Asher definitely from the upper classes, in fact Marianne’s mother was aristocracy somewhere in Europe.  Marianne was photographed tumbling out of cars and nightclubs and then suddenly she had a single out, and it was a bit twee and some of us thought – ‘oh-oh, Mick is getting a bit above himself, promoting his moll as a singer.’   She had one or two minor hits and then seemed to disappear from view.  After the drugs busts and the infamous Mars bar incident and the fur coat with no underwear she seemed to just bow out of public life, soon to be replaced by Bianca, an even more exotic beauty, on Mick Jagger’s arm.

She made a film ‘Girl on a Motorbike’, where she looked great, and unzipped her jacket to reveal a gorgeous body, but it was hardly acting.  Then nothing as she apparently spiraled into heavy drugs and at one point was homeless and sleeping rough. She obviously still had friends though as she suddenly re-emerged in 1976 with a brilliant album of raw rasping songs of an honesty and power we never knew she was capable of called ‘Broken English.’.  In fact who knew she could even write songs. She has carried on over the years releasing far more new music than Mick and co. could ever manage, and has refused to be tied down to any particular genre, switching from classical to rock to country with ease.  And her voice has just got better and better despite the smoking and drinking.  I saw her twice in the last few years; both times she was a little drunk on stage, but sung well despite that.

I cannot quite keep up with all her releases but one well worth a listen is ‘Vagabond Ways’