Marianne Faithfull - The Most Of What Is Least (1969)

Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull was born 29 December 1946 in Hampstead, London, and spent some of her early life at the commune at Braziers Park, Oxfordshire, formed by John Norman Glaister and her father Robert Faithfull. Her parents divorced when she was six years old, after which she moved with her mother to Milman Road in Reading, but her girlhood was marred by bouts of tuberculosis. In 1964 she attended a Rolling Stones party, where she was discovered by Andrew Loog Oldham, and her first major release was the single 'As Tears Go By', which was written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Oldham, and which became a chart success. Considerably more successful in her native land than the States, she had a series of hits in the mid-'60s that set her high, fragile voice against delicate orchestral pop arrangements, with 'Summer Night', 'This Little Bird', and Jackie DeShannon's 'Come And Stay with Me' all charting in the UK. This string of successful singles displayed her gentle voice and talent as an interpretive vocalist, and 1966's folky 'North Country Maid' showed that her gifts stretched beyond polished pop. In 1965 she married John Dunbar, giving birth to her son Nicholas later that year, and in 1966 she took Nicholas to stay with Brian Jones and Anita Pallenberg in London, during which time she started smoking marijuana and became best friends with Pallenberg, as well as beginning a much-publicised relationship with Mick Jagger. Much of her notoriety at the outset of her career was due to her status as a 60's icon because of her long-running romance with Jagger, although she offered a taste of things to come with her compelling 1969 b-side 'Sister Morphine', which she co-wrote, and which the Stones later released themselves on 'Sticky Fingers', following a protracted legal battle over the writing credits that was ultimately resolved with Faithfull listed as co-author. Faithfull's involvement in Jagger's life would be reflected in some of the Rolling Stones's best known songs, with 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', 'Wild Horses' and 'I Got the Blues' all allegedly being influenced by her, but to remind us of her fragile vocal style which was so popular in the 60's, here is a collection of rare early singles, b-sides and out-takes, including an unusual collaboration with Ornette Coleman for a song from the soundtrack of the film 'Who's Crazy', as well as her interpretations of staples such as 'House Of The Rising Sun', 'Blowing In The Wind',  and 'Monday Monday'. 

Track listing

01 Blowin' In The Wind (single 1964)
02 Greensleeves (b-side of 'As Tears Go By' 1964)
03 House Of The Rising Sun (b-side of 'Blowin' In The Wind' - long version) 
04 Morning Sun (b-side of 'Little Bird' 1965) 
05 The Sha La La Song (b-side of 'Summer Nights' 1965)
06 Oh Look Around You (b-side of 'Go Away From My World' 1965)
07 The Most Of What Is Least (from 'Go Away From My World' EP 1965)
08 Sadness (with Ornette Coleman, from the soundtrack of the film 'Who's Crazy?' 1966)
09 That's Right Baby (b-side of Tomorrow's Calling' 1966)
10 I'd Like To Dial Your Number (b-side of 'Counting' 1966)
11 Is This What I Get For Loving You? (single 1967)
12 Tomorrow's Calling (b-side of 'Is This What I Get For Loving You?')
13 Rosie, Rosie (previously unreleased 1967)
14 Hang On To A Dream (previously unreleased 1967)
15 Monday, Monday (previously unreleased 1967)
16 Something Better (single 1969)
17 Sister Morphine (b-side of 'Something Better')

Thanks to Paul for he suggestion, and for her European singles go here https://albumsiwishexisted2.blogspot.com/search/label/Marianne%20Faithfull

Marianne Faithfull - In Europe (1967)

Rod left a comment recently asking if I'd ever thought of compiling a Marianne Faithfull collection, and I must admit that it wasn't something that I'd considered until he mentioned the fact that she'd recorded a lot of French and Italian singles during her career, and sometimes these weren't just translations of her UK and US hits, but were often foreign language singles which had no English equivalent. On investigation it turned out that there were exactly enough of these songs to make a 40-minute album, so that was a challenge that I couldn't turn down. Marianne Faithfull began her singing career in 1964, landing her first gigs as a folk music performer in coffeehouses. She soon began taking part in London's exploding social scene, and in early 1964 she attended a Rolling Stones launch party and met Andrew Loog Oldham. Her first major release 'As Tears Go By' was written and composed by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Oldham, and became a chart success a year before the Stones recorded their own version. For the b-side of that single she recorded David Whitaker's French/English song 'Plaisir d'Amour', which was the start of her dabbling in foreign-language songs. As well as a series of successful singles in 1965, including 'This Little Bird', 'Summer Nights', and 'Come And Stay With Me', she recorded her first Italian single 'Quando Ballai Con Lui', and the success of that record prompted her to do more. Over the next two years she released numerous French and Italian language singles, and this collection includes all of those songs that she recorded between 1964 and 1967.   

Track listing

01 Plaisir D' Amour (b-side of 'As Tears Go By' 1964)
02 Et Maintenant (from the 'Go Away From My World' EP 1965)
03 Quando Ballai Con Lui (Italian single 1965)
04 Un Piccolo Cuore (b-side of 'Quando Ballai Con Lui')
05 Si Demain… (from the French 'Coquillages' EP 1966)
06 Le Cœur Gros (from the French 'Coquillages' EP 1966)
07 Coquillages (from the French 'Coquillages' EP 1966)
08 Ne Me Quitte Pas (Les Parapluies de Cherbourg) (from the French 'Coquillages' EP 1966)
09 À Bientôt Nous Deux (from the French 'À Bientôt Nous Deux' EP 1966)
10 Nuit D’été (from the French 'À Bientôt Nous Deux' EP 1966)
11 Là…Devant Toi (from the French 'À Bientôt Nous Deux' EP 1966)
12 Comme Une Aube Nouvelle (from the French 'À Bientôt Nous Deux' EP 1966)
13 C'È Chi Spera (Itaian single 1967)
14 Hier Ou Demain (from the French 'Hier Ou Demain' EP 1967)

A huge thank you to Hans for providing me with the one song that I was missing in order to complete this collection.