Genre: folk
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title: The Best of Mimi and Richard Farina
Company: Vanguard
Catalog: VSD 21/22
Year: 1971
Country/State: U
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: double LP; gatefold sleeve
Available: 2
GEMM catalog ID: 4467
Price: $15.00
Cost: $66.00
I bought this one out of sheer curiosity. The only things I knew about Mimi and Richard Farian was that Mimi was Joan Baez's sister and Richard had written a couple of popular counter-culture books ('Been Down So Long If Looks Like Up To Me' is the one I remember).
Released five years after Richard Farina's death, 1971's "The Best of Mimi and Richard Farina" serves as a 25 track, double LP retrospective. Pulling together the duo's first two studio sets ("Celebrations for a Grey Day" and ''Reflections in a Crystal Wind"), largely acoustic tracks (the Farinas accompanying themselves with guitar, autoharp and dulcimer), such as 'Reflections In a Crystal Wind', 'A Swallow Song' and 'Michael, Andrew and Dames' are quite good, however to my ears it all starts to sound similar after awhile. While their acoustic material is quite good, backed by a full band (including former Dylan guitarist Bruce Langhorne and future Cream producer Felix Pappalrdi on bass), social and political commentary such as 'Sell-Out Agitation Waltz', 'Hard-Loving Loser' and 'House Un-American Blues Activity Dream' has a clear rock sound and is even better. Imagine Dylan with a better voice and an attractive female partner ... My only real complaint - there isn't much bibliographic information on the set, though looking at the 17 inner sleeve black and white photos Kenneth van Sicklend took of the couple (and their dog Lash) in Central Park they certainly looked like a happy couple ...
"The Best of Mimi and Richard Farina" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Reflections In a Crystal Wind (Richard Farina) - 3:30
2.) Bold Marauder (Richard Farina) - 4:04
3.) Dopico (instrumental) (Richard Farina) - 3:55
4.) A Swallow Song (Richard Farina) - 2:50
5.) Chrysanthemum (Richard Farina) - 2:27
6.) Sell-Out Agitation Waltz (Richard Farina) - 2:50
7.) Hard-Loving Loser (Richard Farina) - 4:19
(side 2)
1.) Dandelion River Run (instrumental) (Richard Farina) - 1:42
2.) Pack Up Your Sorrows (Pauline Marden - Richard Farina) - 2:57
3.) Tommy Makem Fantasy (Richard Farina) - 1:30
4.) Michael, Andrew and Dames (Richard Farina)- 5:38
5.) Dog Blue (instrumental) (arranged by Mimi Farina) - 3:01
6.) One Way Ticket (Richard Farina) - 3:25
(side 3)
1.) Mainline Prosperity Blues (Richard Farina) - 6:23
2.) Allen's Interlude (Richard Farina) - 2:53
3.) House Un-American Blues Activity Dream (Richard Farina) - 3:08
4.) Raven Girl (Richard Farina) - 5:10
5.) Miles (instrumental) (arranged by Mimi Farina) - 2:54
6.) Children of Darkness (Richard Farina) - 4:01
(side 4)
1.) Hamish (instrumental) (Richard Farina) - 1:45
2.) Another Country (Richard Farina) - 4:05
3.) Tuileries (Richard Farina) - 1:47
4.) The Falcon (Richard Farina) - 3;38
5.) Reno Nevada (Richard Farina) - 3:08
6.) Celebration for a Grey Day (Richard Farina) - 3:47
Curiously, when released on CD in the mid-1980s, Vanguard decided to delete five of the instrumentals. The message to you is clear, find a good vinyl copy ...