Richard & Mimi Farina: The Complete Vanguard Recordings : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

At around the same time Dylan went electric, this fascinating duo went eclectic -- punctuating the folk scene of the mid-Sixties with a passel of albums that (to borrow a phrase) thought globally and acted locally. This three-disc compilation, which is peppered with previously unreleased tracks (including the entire set the couple played at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival), showcases Richard's restless stylistic globetrotting -- from Scottish chanteys to Hebrew invocations to tropes borrowed from the realm of Herbie Hancock. Richard Farina -- who died in a 1966 motorcycle accident -- had a bit in common with kindred spirit Bob Dylan (as evidenced in songs like "House Un-American Blues Activity Dream"), but Mimi brought a different sensibility, one apparent in the orchestrations of "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood" (which was partly shaped by Peter "PDQ Bach" Shickele). While some of the set's more agitated moments haven't aged well, there's no disputing the timelessness of interludes like the a capella "Blood Red Roses" (already two centuries old when the Farinas got around to it) or instrumental originals like "Hamish" (which turns on a lovely dulcimer line). The collection works beautifully as a tribute to Mimi Farina (who died earlier this year after a battle with cancer) as well as an image -- moving, not still -- of a restless artistic vision.

DAVID SPRAGUE
(November 12, 2001)