The ultra-glamorous grand dame Marianne Faithfull has a rich place in the annals of rock history, and her recording career stretches back more than 50 years. It’s still going, too. Two years ago, Faithfull teamed up with Nick Cave collaborator Warren Ellis to release She Walks In Beauty, an album where she recited Romantic poetry over music. It came out after she’d recovered from a case of COVID that left her hospitalized. She’s still dealing with long COVID, and it’s a good time for Faithfull to get her flowers. On a new tribute compilation, a number of her admirers do just that.

The upcoming tribute album The Faithful features a number of heavyweights covering Marianne Faithfull’s songs. The album has Iggy Pop and Cat Power teaming up for a version of “Working Class Hero,” while Garbage’s Shirley Manson gets together with Peaches to take on “Why D’Ya Do It.” Other contributors include Lydia Lunch, Bush Tetras, Tracy Bonhan, Joan As Policewoman, and L7’s Donita Sparks.

The first single from The Faithful is a cover of “This Little Bird,” the song that opened the American version of Marianne Faithfull’s self-titled 1965 debut album. John D. Loudermilk wrote the song, and Faithfull recorded it when she was 18. In the UK, it was a top-10 hit. The new version comes from Tanya Donelly, the veteran of Belly, the Breeders, and Throwing Muses. Donelly recorded with Massachusetts band the Parkington Sisters, her collaborators on the 2020 covers album Tanya Donelly And The Parkington Sisters. In a press release, Donelly has this to say:

Marianne’s voice has always been one of my favorite instruments, from childhood through today, and her music and spirit have been life-long inspirations. I wanted to cover “This Little Bird” for its fragile and beautiful musical arrangement and melody, and the bittersweet story the lyrics tell. A total honor to get to sing and play this lullaby, and the Parkington Sisters elevate with their vocal and string magic. We’re so grateful to be able to pay tribute to this amazing singer/songwriter and woman.

Below, check out Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters’ version of “This Little Bird,” Marianne Faithfull’s original, and the tracklist for The Faithful.

TRACKLIST:
01 Tracy Bonham – “As Tears Go By”
02 Tanya Donelly & the Parkington Sisters – “This Little Bird”
03 Josie Cotton – “Summer Nights”
04 Sylvia Black – “Sister Morphine”
05 Cat Power & Iggy Pop – “Working Class Hero”
06 Shirley Manson & Peaches – “Why D’Ya Do It”
07 Pom Poms – “Brain Drain”
08 Bush Tetras – “Guilt”
09 Joan As Policewoman – “Broken English”
10 Tammy Faye Starlite & Barry Reynolds – “The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan”
11 Honeychild Coleman – “Over Here (No Time For Justice)”
12 Adele Bertei – “Times Square”
13 Nicole Atkins & Jim Sclavunos – “Strange Weather”
14 Lydia Lunch – “Love, Life, And Money”
15 Cynthia Ross (the B Girls) & Tim Bovaconti – “Vagabond Ways”
16 Donita Sparks – “Sliding Through Life On Charm”
17 Miss Guy – “Sex With Strangers”
18 FaithNYC – “Kissin’ Time”
19 Feminine Aggression – “Before The Poison”

The Faithful: A Tribute to Marianne Faithfull is out 12/8. Check out our We’ve Got A File On You interview with Tanya Donelly here.