Marianne Faithfull

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RUBFVBIA27VEE My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3SMS7ZK2FV3YX My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!

Marianne Faithfull's EASY COME, EASY GO is a treat and a wonder from start to finish! Produced by the genius Hal Willner, we have a PRODUCTION with a fine cast such as Keith Richards, Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Antony Hegarty, Jarvis Cocker, Cat Power and others lending vocals while letting Marianne remain front and center.

It's been four years since the darkly majestic BEFORE THE POISON, and Marianne's technique ever since the breakthrough BROKEN ENGLISH from 1979, is to do each record as if it could be her last. Therefore, her output is high quality and the bar is very high. Her outings in the Brecht/Weill canon are fine examples of this pursuit of excellence in her singing, songwriting, and interpretations. This new gem is no exception to this standard, and the band and orchestra put together for Marianne is the finest that could be assembled.

CD 1:
"Down From Dover" is a Dolly Parton story song that kicks off the record with a dramatic intensity on Marianne's part. Great brass band.
"Hold On, Hold On" by Neko Case ROCKS as Marianne's vocals drip with a well of life experience as a nocturnal decadent. It's quick and nuts!
"Solitude" is Marianne nailing a Duke Ellington/Billie Holiday standard in one take! Mellows us down after the craziness of the previous track.
"The Crane Wife 3" with Nick Cave's classy presence, takes flight as the orchestra swells, the symbols crash, and Marianne cries out 'I will hang my head, hang my head low' and breaks your heart. Epic Decemberists song.
"Easy Come Easy Go" is a hot jazz Bessie Smith gem, quite obscure and a fine title track that casts Marianne as a singing salloon 'madam' in my imagination.
"Children of Stone" by The Espers is a nocturnal lamentation of 'our chemical devotions of the night' with Rufus vocalizing on this gorgeously orchestrated elegy.
"How Many Worlds" by Brian Eno is a sort of lullaby ruminating on the state of the world and 'how many people will we feed today, how many lips will we kiss today, if we wake up...' the orchestration is epic.
"In Germany Before the War" by Randy Newman could have fit on STRANGE WEATHER in ambience or TWENTIETH CENTURY BLUES. Classic and Haunting!
"Ooh, Baby, Baby" is a diamond. Smokey Robinson's song is a total surprise and Marianne lets Antony take the lead as she chimes in with her world weary vocals. Done in one take, all the subtle nuances of the band make this a total treat, unlike anything I've ever heard!
"Sing Me Back Home" by Merle Haggard fondly reunites Marianne with Keith Richards, whom she obviously loves. It's quite moving with Keith on guitar and vocals complementing Marianne. Nice, honest and endearing!

CD 2:
"Salvation" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club rocks on steadily with the guitars and is a great driving song showcasing the excellence of the band.
"Black Coffee" is here in a superb, jazzy arrangement, with Marianne hot on the vocals singing about 'drowning past regrets in coffee and cigarettes' and you truly believe the woman goes crazy for the man!
"The Phoenix" is a pithy and obscure song from the late Judee Sill which is loving and pondering in its enigmatic lyrics. Sean Lennon vocalizes.
"Dear God, Please Help Me" by Morrissey is outstanding! Marianne's vocals are thin and plaintive with a desperation that helps drive the story of the sexually disconcerted character. Bold, inspired, it ROCKS!
"Kimbie" strips it down and we get a 60s Jackson Frank song. Like "Sing Me Back Home" I love it when Marianne does the country western feel songs. Like a female Johnny Cash!
"Many A Mile to Freedom" by Steve Winwood is a delight. The lyrics are quite lovely and optimistic and Marianne's vocals are at once loving and pleading. Yet again, the band is thrilling!
"Somewhere" by Stephen Sondheim is a lilting and jazzy duet with the breathy Jarvis Cocker.
"Flandyke Shore" is a 'traditional' and Marianne is backed with the McGarrigle sisters. In the song she sings "Never to return to England no more," and one gets a sense that this is how Marianne herself feels about her national origins. This is a really gorgeous one!

The DVD is a half-hour documentary in which Marianne is in the record studio, very elegantly dressed, commenting on the songs on a stool in front of a microphone, with Hal Willner narrating some commentary. Very nicely shot with great imagery. I especially like the B&W footage of her during "Solitude" and the story of her coming in and doing it in just one take and the band's reaction. As Willner says, she's our Dietrich, our Piaf! One thing, as this set is an 'import' the DVD, coming from a European region of DVD format will not play on a standard American DVD player as far as I know. It WILL play on my computer (Thank God!) on a system I have called 'Power DVD' which plays a lot of CD/DVD recordables as well.

If you're a Marianne fan, you HAVE to own this masterpiece. Each track switches gears and it really lives up to its subtitle, '18 Songs For Music Lovers'! You get rock, folk, blues, jazz, soul, country, classic, contemporary, and it all fits together due to Marianne's artistry and the people who lovingly contribute to this iconic voice. CLASSIC!

Once again Marianne has outdone herself on every song. Her interpretation is absolutely outstanding as she goes back and forth between traditional and rock/jazz/blues/big band arrangements for each song. The guest artists in no way overshadow Marianne's work, they only enhance it. This cd is best listened to on a good system so you can hear all the nuances.
If you're a fan of Marianne Faithfull you should buy this cd and if you're not or haven't heard of her...buy it anyway and I guarantee you'll be by the end of the cd.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RKOAOFOVN0QZI My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!

I had heard of Ms. Marianne from her countless downfalls in the press in the 60s - once a high octave diva singing Rolling Stones covers but all that changed with this 1979 album.

I first discovered Broken English after reading about it in one of the Women In Rock books which talked about the song "Why'd You Do It" and once I read the great review I immediately found a copy. On and off my CD player since then, I had to take this out for a spin this week and it's just as good as I remember it. Gone is the sweet Faithfull of the 60s replaced with punkish dance rock, a cigarette filled voice and attitude personified. All you have to do is listen to the moody "The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan" about a mother's breakdown, or the aforementioned kiss off - "Why'd you do it she said/ why'd you let her suck ... well you'll buy it and you'll know the obscenity filled rest, she can even cover John Lennon with ease and all of that is only the beginning to this great album.

i thought this album was good 20years ago...never bought it
caught myself humming the tune to the witches song 3 weeks ago & decided to go find the cd...brilliant

Love it! Sometimes you just need more than chocolate to make you feel better...
Marriane Faithful is more than Mick Jagger's Ex.. she is a talented and articulate song writer too. This album showcases her deep, smokey voice, but its not for the faint hearted. This is a great album to play after the big fight.. or break-up. Wallow in you misery withMarrianne.
Not recommended for those on anti-depressants.

I have owned "Broken English" on vinyl since it was released nearly thirty years ago and am now enjoying the CD. What a brilliant masterpiece; Marianne's voice never ceases to amaze me. Not one to like covers of other artistes work I have to say her rendition of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero" is nothing short of brilliant. Keep on rocking Marianne. English Cathy, Tucson, Arizona

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R35ZZZM4PNVO4H My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!

This 15 track Decca release of the Marianne Faithfull live BBC "Saturday Club" performances from May 1965 to May 1966 was a surprise to say the least. I was not impressed by Ms. Faithfull's Decca LP albums of that era. Except for her single "hits" I always felt her other musical material was not all that strong. But what a surprise to hear these broadcast performances! Her voice just shimmers. She was a damn good singer which these performances prove. We hear her "hits", and some other decent songs, performed live and they are better than those wonderful studio recordings that are etched in our brains. I am just mesmerized by these performances. You just fall in love with her all over again! There are introductions and short interviews with the BBC announcer, but it just adds to the moment. The sound has been lovingly mastered in good quality mono. The 19 page booklet is full of wonderful colour and B/W photos (many of which I've never seen) with extensive liner notes including an intro by Marianne herself. This is one of the best reissues of 2008. What a CD and what a babe!

Being a huge fan of Marianne Faithfull I was completely floored to see this release by DECCA.
The CD is broken down into five parts on one disc.Three songs performed live plus interview for each part. A total of fifteen songs and five interviews.
1.Can't You Hear My Heartbeat.
2.Interview/Come And Stay With Me.
3.In My Time Of Sorrow.
'Saturday Club'13th May 1965.
4.Go Away From My World.
5.The Sha La La Song.
6.Interview/This Little Bird.
'Saturday Club'5th June 1965.
7.Go Away From My World.
8.Paris Bells.
9.Interview/Summer Nights.
'Saturday Club'24th July 1965.
10.Interview/Lullaby.
11.The Last Thing On My Mind.
12.Yesterday.
'Saturday Club'18th December 1965.
13.As Tears Go By.
14.Cockleshells.
15.Interview/Tomorrow's Calling.
The interviews. Some of the topics discussed with Marianne are her aristocratic background/her parents.Marriage,her wishes on recording a modern jazz album/acting making a film. Marianne's thought's on touring or not after giving birth to her son Nicholas. Talk about Nicholas.
This is great fun to listen to Marianne at this time in her life,being a mere 18-19 years old.
Such a charming and lovely young woman.A real delight.
Now the songs.FANTASTIC!To me personally Marianne is a complete joy to listen to during this time in her career.That voice is so sweet and soothing.
Now I must say I love all the song selections here,but there are favorites.
Lullaby from 'North Country Maid' is exactly what the title implies. Listening to this song is like floating on a cloud. A perfect blend of Marianne's voice and a lone guitar. PERFECTION!
Paris Bells...a very folk tune,that soprano voice again...lovely.
Cockleshells...love this...a jaunty,bouncy tune,Irish folk,British Isles folk.
Again every track is a winner. A definite addition to your Marianne collection.
Ahhh...also a 20 page booklet included with beautiful photos of Marianne from this time. Some of these images could have been an inspiration for a John William Waterhouse painting. Absolutely stunning beauty.
I'am not really sure how Marianne feels about her early recordings. I get the feeling she dose'nt always fully appreciate just how good these recordings are. I think maybe she can be a little hard on herself and her early work.
I can only speak for myself and say how much her early recordings bring me great joy and pleasure.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1HPQEUJIH8N48 My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!

Some of the originality of several of these songs on this cd have been lost with the remastering, but all in all, this is still a pretty good cd.I normally don't buy remastered songs for the reason that they tend to lose their originality but after listening to cuts on these songs on the players offered they sounded quite good, there are better remasters out there though.

If you had the vinyl album, you will remember that the Greatest Hits record had all of her radio hits. This is really the only collection to have since she didn't have a very long career. The CD has some added "cuts" to fill out the play time for CD format. Frankly, the added cuts aren't very good. Check out your old vinyl jacket cover for the origianl songs and stop the CD when you get to the last original song. Otherwise, this was a nice trip down memory lane.

What can I say about Faithful's voice post 60s? She essentially went from one breed of singer (like a Nico, Vasthi, Ross Hannaman or other tonal folksy female singers) to another entirely just by "trashing" her voice smoking so much! Not even like Marlene Dietrich or Julie London who started out "youngish-sounding" and then the vocal damage added a bit of mystery to their later recordings; Faithful just (to me) sounds horrid trying to re-record anything she did from this era now! I agree that "Sister Morphine" would have been better replaced by her version of "I'm a Loser" which was still at her peak of youthful vocal quality. Also that this would be better titled as "Greatest from the 60's" or "Early Years", but one camp likes her later works, etc.. I'm just glad both levels were recorded in her singing career span and those that like each of her efforts can have that available.

Fans of Faithfull's post-1980 work may not appreciate this breezy pop music, but if you love the kind of 60s/70s pop of artists like Petula Clark, Mary Hopkin and even Francoise Hardy, these tracks will totally enchant you. The music has the same dreamy quality as that of the aforementioned singers, and the choice of material is excellent - most of these songs have beautiful melodies and strong hooks, while the lyrics are often poetic too. It includes the Stones' As Tears Go By and the one that she co-wrote with Jagger/Richards, Sister Morphine, the only song that feels a bit out of place here in its dark subject matter, although her delivery is stunning. Quite appropriately, it rounds off this collection. Her version was released as a single some months before the Stones' version appeared on their Sticky Fingers album. Other famous compositions include The Beatles' Yesterday and the Mamas & Papas' Monday Monday, both very well rendered by Marianne. Other tuneful numbers include This Little Bird, Summer Nights and Come and Stay With Me, but my top favorites here are the three sad songs Go Away From My World, In My Time of Sorrow and the powerful Is This What I Get For Loving You? The production and arrangements perfectly complement her voice, to provide a wonderful listening experience. This is truly the crème de la crème of sixties pop and goes to show that pop music can be timeless too.

Although I already owned Marianne Faithfull's Greatest Hits album that contains thirteen of these tracks, I had to acquire this one too for her exquisite interpretations of two folk classics: Tom Paxton's The Last Thing On My Mind and Tim Hardin's Reason To Believe with which Rod Stewart later had a huge hit. It was well worth it!

Other sixties classics here include Monday Monday and Yesterday plus the two famous Stones songs As Tears Go By and the lugubrious Sister Morphine. The informative sleeve insert provides an interesting overview of her career, even giving the UK and US chart positions of her singles and ep's. I was surprised to learn, for example, how firmly she stood in the folk tradition in those early years, always having considered her more of a pop singer.

Besides the Paxton and Hardin numbers, my other favorites remain the yearning Come And Stay With Me, a Jackie De Shannon song which reached No. 4 in the UK in 1964, the Goffin/Mann composition Something Better, Spector/Goffin/King's Is This What I Get For Loving You and the sorrowful Go Away From My World. If I had to choose between "Greatest Hits" and this "Very Best Of", I would definitely take this one since Reason To Believe, The Last Thing On My Mind and Scarborough Fair are more beautiful than the tracks Counting, With You In Mind and Some Other Spring found on the Greatest Hits album.

Perfect Stranger: The Island Anthology

These recordings are absolutely essential to almost any serious music lovers collection , especially for those only familiar with her second musical incarnation. It wrenches you istening to her pure voice and knowing of the personal and vocal decay which spawned so quickly later on.

Tracks like As Tears Go By are sad but pleasantly beautiful, Sister Morphine dark and brooding. The recordings differ greatly in delivery and style but all have merrit. Special mention goes to Yesterday,probably the most beautiful version ever recorded and on Something Better she sounds almost identical to Melanie (Safka). The booklet inside has a full and informative biography and contains the recording date and chart peak of each track.

A worth wile and eye opening listening experience, creating a more complete understanding and appreciation for her later work , although they then become even harder to listen to.But
one thing is clear: Marianne Faithfull was already a major talent from the outset of her career.

For younger listeners this collection of 60-ies recordings by our Heroine of drugs&sex& rock'n'roll would come as surprise.Back then, Marianne was sweet and gentle-voiced, obviously under influence of Joan Baez (she even mentioned this in her autobiography) and although she wasn't really a singer of Baez calibre, she was sweet.I love this album very much and sometimes I think its actually two Marianne Faithfull, one young and innocent and another one older and wiser, I still can't decide which one I love more.

It takes a long time to get a voice like Marianne has, ans a lot of Living.
She uses it well on this cd, and I really can't get My Friends Have out of my head.
But it's the voice that pulls it all toghether.

Anthony Rupert get's it wrong below. I am not a Marianne Faithfull fan really, I don't know that I have every even listened to a full Marianne Faithfull album before.
I am a fan of this CD though. The song construction throughout is fresh and unlike much else that is out there.
I would have missed this album all together, but I happened to be in the same restaurant with Elvis Costello a few years back. I overheard him having a conversation with a fan when the topic of Marianne Faithfull came up. Elvis highly praised this release, so I sought it out to listen to it.
I concur with Elvis. If you are board with contemporary music and musicians, I would encourage you to give this one a listen.
Also Anthony, 'My Friends Have' is a great song.

Although melancholic, the album is better than "Broken English" - has very defined melodies matching quality singing. Worth every penny. Marianne Faithfull has voice and she can sing.

The combination of Marianne Faithfull's voice with PJ Harvey and Nick Cave's lyrics and music is the perfect combination - starting immediately with the first track. Admittedly, this is my first Faithfull album, but I am astounded by the genius of matching her with Harvey and Cave.
The result is raw, honest, gritty and beautiful.

This is a one-of-a-kind recording and I cannot recommend it enough.

I am not a huge Marianne Faithfull fan. When "Kissing time" came out some years ago I was struck by the beautifull clash of Legend (Marianne) and new inspired songwriters. "Before the poison" tries to make that magic happen once again. Somehow it does not seem to work as well. Maybe because PJHarvey and Nick Cave are similar enough to typical Marianne Faithfull. Still there are some beautifull moments...

I was going to get a CD of just "Broken English" but decided to get the 2-CD Island anthology instead because of all the great stuff on it. Marianne Faithfull is such an evocative singer - I have to say don't listen to this if you're depressed. There's so much hard-living and lessons learned in her voice.

Overall, this is a great set of music, although I wasn't too crazy about the electronica stuff - simpler is definitely better for her voice.

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2XS4JR9UE765B My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!

A while back I got a collection of hers that was good, but only 11 tracks and obviously too short. Well no problem here, as this is three times the collection in every way. I've liked Marianne Faithfull since I first heard her, and similar to Leonard Cohen, there's no mistaking who you're listening to. This 2-disc set actually has more than I need, but no complaints. Disc one starts with the majority of her huge "Broken English" album, rightly so. Then we get gems like "Intrigue", "For Beauty's Sake", "Truth Bitter Truth", and her take on "Sister Morphine". I'll admit more of my favorites are on the first disc, but disc two is solid also. "Strange Weather", "As Tears Go By", "Isolation", and many more make disc two a must, though things get more mellow toward the end. This of course is just songs from her Island years, but what great years. Essential no matter if you know her music well, or if you're a "perfect stranger" to it. Nice booklet too.

This is a perfect introduction to Marianne Faithfull if you've been too timid to invest in all of her CDs. For me, it's the portable Faithfull. I always take it with me. Marianne makes rainy day music - sometimes bleak, sometimes furious, sometimes bitter, sometimes wistful. Always haunting. I never really liked her early crystal soprano, but when she can roaring back with "Broken English" (one of the most perfect collection of songs on record) I was hooked for the duration. Standouts here are many, but I love "Trouble In Mind," "Times Square," "Ghost Dance" the most. A worthy investment.

i was first introduce too marianne faithfull by the dvd of the rollin' stones rock and roll circus i fell in love with her model beauty and unique voice that sent me into a coma or maybe i just fancied her..well anyway i watched her performance
now after a year i've finally decided to venture into the world
of the fuelled rock beauty queen of marianne faithfull that's to say i'm not a huge femal vocalist in the rock music[i'm not sexost] i just think most women's voice come off weak when they're back by guitars bass and drums pelting away
but here's it's different
she's has all the accomdations to fit perfectly up with
mercury marriott and other rock men gods
another female vocalist i love is joni mitchell the beautiful
angelic voice..that's on the same level with faithfull for beauty
on this album i've noticed a few john lennon covers
"workin' class hero" on par with the orginal
and a previously un-released on cd "isolation"
a different slant to the lennon classics EXCELLENT
on this double disc anthology
you get most of the tracks from "broken english" which i was gonna buy but decided to but this instead as it had more tracks and was only a few pounds dearer
the songs from "broken english" are superb espically "guilt"
what a powerful voice

marianne faithfull perfect stranger the island anthology

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1C8GWA08QN91R My name is Jeremy Gloff. I am a musician (check me out on Amazon!) and retro music enthusiast. If you enjoyed this review make sure to check out my Amazon user profile to check out my other reviews. I am always up for making new friends and discussing the music I love!!!

This CD contains Marianne Faithful's voice before it became so, er, interesting. I had this album way back when it first came out, and I loved it. The most known songs on it are "As Tears Go By" and "Come and Stay with Me" in addition to some covers ("Downtown" [Petula Clark]and "Can't You Hear my Heartbeat" [Herman's Hermits]). A few that I was also happy to find again were "Paris Bells" and "Plaisir d'Amour" which always reminds me of Paris. The CD has also added a few more songs that were not on the original LP. Obviously, the music is somewhat dated, but I still enjoy her voice which had a higher range at that time but still contained a hint of the lower, huskier voice that eventually, through abuse of her voice, became the lower range growl that it is today. For fans of her voice today, I would recommend listening to the samples on Amazon, because her current voice is SO very different from her voice in that more innocent time. Her life history is the stuff novels are made of (convent-tutored, old European name and title, Mick Jagger, heroin, homelessness, and movie roles.) I hope that she emerges in a healthier, wealthier condition in her later years.

I remember this album from my childhood and I was very happy it was available to purchase. Beautiful!

This import includes all of her 1rst American LP, entitled 'Marianne Faithfull' and some wonderful additions like, 'Oh, Look Around You', 'I'd Like to Dial Your Number', 'The Sha La La Song', 'Morning Sun' and the beautiful 'Greensleeves'. Hearing these songs transported me back to 1964 and an innocent time of great British music. Listen to 'Paris Bells' or 'They Never Will Leave You' and wonder at the sweetness of Marianne's voice. Of course, this includes her biggies, 'As Tears Go By', 'Come and Stay With Me' and 'This Little Bird'. Actually, 'This Little Bird' was not included on the original 1rst release of 'Marianne Faithfull', but rather was added to latter pressings when it became a huge hit. You know, Marianne's dark side was breaking through even then. Listen to the lyrics of 'Time Takes Time' and 'Oh, Look Around You', both written by her. Dark and forboding. A little strange for a young lass of 17.
If you loved the 60's British folk and pop scenes, you'll love this album. Some wonderful memories are in store for those who remember her back then and a revelation for those that are only familiar with her cigarette and drug tortured voice of today. I love either incarnation of the Legend called Marianne Faithfull.

This was one of two debut albums by Marianne - a collection of folk music (Come my way), which I've already reviewed, was released on the same day as her first pop album. That album contained the first 14 songs here, the remaining 6 being added as bonus tracks for this CD.

This collection includes two of Marianne's biggest sixties hits, these being Come and stay with me (my favorite of hers) and As tears go by (written by the Rolling Stones). Among the other tracks are covers of Downtown (Petula), What have they done to the rain (Searchers) and Can't you hear my heartbeat (Goldie and the gingerbreads).

The bonus tracks include the traditional Greensleeves, here given a pop arrangement. The version of House of the rising sun included here is inspired by the Animals' hit version of the song and is totally different from the traditional folk version to be found on Come my way.

There are many other interesting songs here. Marianne's voice was exceptionally sweet and pure back then, in sharp contrast to her recordings from the late seventies and beyond. Her music was also much more upbeat in the sixties, as this set shows.

I loved this!!!! It brought back lovely memories of my flaming youth in England in the 60,s I always think of Marianne as a gentle girl lost in the mist waiting for her truelove to appear on the moors to rescue her at which time she promptly turns into "LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCY" and kills him with lovesickness. This dvd is wonderful and if you like the "young and Innocent" convent girl who rocked you will love it.

On her mid to late 1960s recordings, Marianne Faithfull's voice was at times so delicate that Michelle Phillips' voice sounded positively robust by comparison. But that's one of the reasons Ms. Faithfull's early work was (and remains) so endearing. The other reasons? One, she possessed talent right from the start. Two, she and her producers selected songs perfectly suited to her style and range. And three, the production values (notably the musicianship, the background vocals and the arrangements) were first-rate.

Without question, this 2-disc compilation of her early pop and folk recordings is the best-sounding offering in the digital age. I think this is the fourth such comp I've bought since the ABKCO "Greatest Hits" CD came out some 15 years ago. The production team here has really done a superb job of remastering these recordings, some of which are now at least 40 years old.

So why only a 4-star rating? The absence of her first hit single -- "As Tears Go By" -- is a major drawback for me. This was the song that introduced Marianne Faithfull to most of us who embraced Top 40 radio all those years ago. It really should have led off disc 1. I'm puzzled why it wasn't included.

That said, the songs that are here, including her other major chart entries -- "Come And Stay With Me," "This Little Bird," and "Summer Nights" -- sound better than they ever have. Unlike with previous comps, I don't have to crank this one up to hear her voice and the musicians and singers who accompany her. Her older CD comps sound flat, listless, even muddy. This one fills the room. It has presence. So, whether you want to upgrade what you have of her early work or you're curious to know what Ms. Faithfull sounded like years before she gave us such darkly memorable albums as Broken English, Strange Weather (which soulfully revisits "As Tears Go By"), and Before The Poison, the 2-disc The Collection is the one to get.

If you're looking for "Sister Morphine" "Eyes of Lucy Jordan" or any later remakes of Faithfull's early works this is not the place to find them! All of these are during the period of time when her voice was young, fresh and at times operatic. This includes her folk pieces for the "hard-core" folk listener but also lovely covers of things I never realized she even did that others took to more recognized heights.

Examples being "The First Time Ever I saw Your Face", "Monday Monday", "If I Never Get to Love You" (IMO a gentler version than the late great Timi Yuro's which I still do love anyhow!); "I'm a Loser" and yes, she even covered Petula's "Down Town" very sweetly!

Thoroughly enjoyable listening experience of another time in a great artist's long career!