After years of private struggle, ‘60s British pop star Marianne Faithfull resurfaced in the late ‘70s with the harrowing Broken English, launching a new career as a world-weary chanteuse. If this commanding album made her early folk-inflected work seem trivial at the time, that’s no longer the case.
Compiled with Faithfull’s support before her passing earlier this year, the six-disc Cast Your Fate to the Wind: The Complete UK Decca Recordings collects her first four albums, plus two discs of odds and ends, in a fascinating time capsule spanning 1964 to 1969. Her self-titled pop LP is the work of a callow teenager, ranging from the beautiful hit cover of the Rolling Stones’ “As Tears Go By” to awkward takes on songs by Petula Clark (“Downtown”) and Herman’s Hermits (“Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat”) to a Jackie DeShannon gem (“Come and Stay with Me”). Released at the same time, Come My Way is better, casting her as an earnest folk maiden who sings with greater confidence on a cohesive mix of traditional songs (“House of the Rising Sun”) and new standards (Ian Tyson’s “Four Strong Winds”).
North Country Maid continues in the folk vein, shifting the focus from Come My Way’s American slant to UK material, including songs by Donovan (“Sunny Goodge Street”), Ewan MacColl (“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”), and Bert Jansch (“Green Are Your Eyes”). Faithfull’s final Decca album, Loveinamist is gorgeous chamber pop that mixes folk and more commercial elements; highlights include Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe,” other Donovan and Jackie DeShannon compositions, and The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”
For those keeping score, a host of standout musicians appear on Faithfull’s sessions, such as Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, John McLaughlin, and Nicky Hopkins.
Something Better: The Singles, B-Sides, & Rarities is two discs of curios, most of which continue in the folk-pop groove. However, a few covers suggest Faithfull was pondering broader horizons, among them The Mamas and the Papas’ “Monday, Monday” and The Ronettes’ girl group classic “Is This What I Get for Loving You?” Finally, “Sister Morphine,” the scary B-side of her last ‘60s single, provides a direct link to the battle-scarred music of a decade later that established Marianne Faithfull as an original, incisive voice. The Stones’ version feels like light entertainment by comparison.
