Mimi & Richard Farina - The Complete Vanguard Recordings (1965-68)

Mimi & Richard  Farina - The Complete Vanguard Recordings (1965-68)

rock, folk | 3cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 110MB

Vanguard 2001

Allmusic:
This is a straightforward three-CD set of the Fariñas' Vanguard recordings, each disc containing one of their three albums: Celebrations for a Grey Day, Reflections in a Crystal Wind, and the posthumous outtakes collection Memories. For Richard & Mimi Fariña fans who already have all of those albums, the chief interest lies in the seven previously unreleased bonus tracks that have been added to the Memories disc, all of them taken from their appearance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. Those songs, in which the duo played in an acoustic setup with some help from onstage guests (including Bruce Langhorne and Fritz Richmond), are enjoyable but not essential, particularly as the sound quality isn't that great. The new additions, however, make live versions of some their best songs available, among them "The Bold Marauder" (the best of the live cuts), "Sell-Out Agitation Waltz," "Pack Up Your Sorrows" (with Peter Yarrow), and "Celebration for a Grey Day"; Jean Ritchie accompanies them on "Shady Grove" (which is sometimes nearly drowned out by airplane swoops). Overall this is seminal, underrated mid-'60s folk-rock, quite consistent in quality for the most part. It's not an over-investment for the cost-conscious, and if you like any one of their albums, you'll probably like all of them. Note, however, that it's not quite the complete Vanguard recordings since it doesn't have the unreleased version of "Tuileries" that appeared on the compilation Pack Up Your Sorrows: Best of the Vanguard Years. It's also a bit disappointing that no further studio outtakes were found, such as the demos referred to in David Hajdu's book Positively 4th Street.

Tracks
Celebrations For A Grey Day
-01. "Dandelion River Run"
-02. "Pack Up Your Sorrows"
-03. "Tommy Makem Fantasy"
-04. "Michael, Andrew and James"
-05. "Dog Blue"
-06. "V"
-07. "One. "way Ticket"
-08. "Hamish"
-09. "Another Country"
-10. "Tuileries"
-11. "The Falcon"
-12. "Reno Nevada"
-13. "Celebration for a Grey Day"

Reflections in a Crystal Wind
-01. "Reflections in a Crystal Wind"
-02. "Bold Marauder"
-03. "Dopico"
-04. "A Swallow Song"
-05. "Chrysanthemum"
-06. "Sell. "out Agitation Waltz"
-07. "Hard. "loving Loser"
-08. "Mainline Prosperty Blues"
-09. "Allen's Interlude"
-10. "House Un. "american Blues Activity Dream"
-11. "Raven Girl"
-12. "Miles"
-13. "Childern of Darkness"

Memories
-01. "The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood"
-02. "Joy 'round My Brain"
-03. "Lemonade Lady"
-04. "Downtown (Instr.)"
-05. "Almond Joy"
-06. "Blood Red Roses"
-07. "Morgan The Pirate"
-08. "A Swallow Song (by Joan Baez)"
-09. "All The Wold Has Gone By (by Joan Baez)"
-10. "Pack Up Your Sorrows"
-11. "-1965 Newport Folk Festival (to -15)_ Leaving California"
-12. "Sell. "Out Agitation Waltz"
-13. "Pack Up Your Sorrows (with Peter Yarrow)"
-14. "House Un. "American Blues Activity Dream"
-15. "The Bold Marauder"
-16. "Hard. "Lovin' Loser"
-17. "Dopico"
-18. "Celebration For A Grey Day"
-19. "Shady Grove (with Jean Ritchie)"

 sample & buy: Complete Vanguard Recordings