Track listing
Show track credits
- A1 Green Are Your Eyes 2:51
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songwriter
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- A2 Scarborough Fair 3:02
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arranger
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songwriter
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- A3 Cockleshells 3:11
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songwriter, arranger
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- A4 The Last Thing on My Mind 2:12
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songwriter
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- A5 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 3:52
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songwriter
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- A6 Sally Free and Easy 2:52
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arranger
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songwriter
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- B1 Sunny Goodge Street 3:13
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songwriter
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- B2 How Should I Your True Love Know 1:14
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arranger
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songwriter
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- B3 She Moved Thru' the Fair 3:06
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arranger
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songwriter
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arrangements
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Padraic Columlyrics
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- B4 North Country Maid 2:33
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arranger
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songwriter
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- B5 Lullaby 2:38
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songwriter
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- B6 Wild Mountain Thyme 3:36
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arranger
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songwriter
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- Total length: 34:20
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Review
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4 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
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North Country Maid [p] 33 rpm, Mono
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North Country Maid Bonus Tracks, CD Sized Album Replica, Limited Edition, Remastered, SHM
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7 Reviews
The unhinged saga of Marianne Faithfull has taken her in many directions, from hanging out with the Stones to electro pop and back through Metallica's "The Memory Remains". Across the years Marianne herself changed quite noticeably, from the innocent girl with the sweet voice of old to the seasoned veteran who sings a couple of songs in a raspy croak in between a couple of cigarettes. You can like both sides or draw a line in the sand and camp in one side. I rather enjoy some of her later work to a reasonable degree yet the early days are the ones that really reel me in.
North Country Maid hails precisely from those now distant days and sees Marianne tackle over a dozen folk standards or contemporary classics. The atmosphere is very pastoral, medievalesque and ancient (think Vashti Bunyan or Fairport Convention) while her interpretations are often remarkable, for example the eerie mystery of "Lullaby" is absolutely spellbinding. Even "Scarborough Fair" gets a fine rendition as it passes through her tremulous lips.
Essentially, this is the phase of Marianne's career I cherish the most and this album is precisely the kind of album fans of British female singers who've listened to every Sandy Denny recording in the known universe should very much enjoy.
North Country Maid hails precisely from those now distant days and sees Marianne tackle over a dozen folk standards or contemporary classics. The atmosphere is very pastoral, medievalesque and ancient (think Vashti Bunyan or Fairport Convention) while her interpretations are often remarkable, for example the eerie mystery of "Lullaby" is absolutely spellbinding. Even "Scarborough Fair" gets a fine rendition as it passes through her tremulous lips.
Essentially, this is the phase of Marianne's career I cherish the most and this album is precisely the kind of album fans of British female singers who've listened to every Sandy Denny recording in the known universe should very much enjoy.
Published
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I never really thought of Marianne as a folk singer, but here she shows a natural ability with the genre covering Donovan,ewan maccoll and the traditional songs 'wild mountain tyme' and 'Scarborough fair' beautifully.
It fits nicely alongside fairport,jansch and Donovan records of the era nicely. A really lovely listen.
It fits nicely alongside fairport,jansch and Donovan records of the era nicely. A really lovely listen.
Published
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A1
Green Are Your Eyes
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A2
Scarborough Fair
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A3
Cockleshells
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A4
The Last Thing on My Mind
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A5
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
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A6
Sally Free and Easy
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B1
Sunny Goodge Street
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B2
How Should I Your True Love Know
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B3
She Moved Thru' the Fair
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B4
North Country Maid
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B5
Lullaby
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B6
Wild Mountain Thyme
Published
This must be her best album :)
Here she tries the Joan Baez/Judy Collins style and it's all smooth, sweet folkpop!
Still, it must be noted, her voice isn't that "big" and therefore I can't rate it higher.
Here she tries the Joan Baez/Judy Collins style and it's all smooth, sweet folkpop!
Still, it must be noted, her voice isn't that "big" and therefore I can't rate it higher.
Published
Marianne Faithfull started her long career as a mellow folk singer with a rather alto voice which is very expressive and sensitive.
The repertoire here is a mixture of British traditional music and original songs often created by other folk singers such like Bert Jansch (Green Are Your Eyes), Tom Paxton (The Last Thing on My Mind) or Donovan (Sunny Goodge Street). If "Scarborough Fair" can't be better than by Simon & Garfunkel, Marianne's version remains excellent. "She Moved to the Fair" (also in the repertoire of Fairport Convention and Trees) has got an Indian flavour with the use of the sitar same as "Wild Mountain Thyme"; In this track I just regret that the double-bass was not correctly tuned and I can't help jolting every time I hear out-of-tune basses especially in the chorus.
My favourite songs here are "Sally Free and Easy", "How Should I Your True Love Know", "The North Country Maid" and "Lullaby".
One of the most underrated albums deserving a larger audience.
The repertoire here is a mixture of British traditional music and original songs often created by other folk singers such like Bert Jansch (Green Are Your Eyes), Tom Paxton (The Last Thing on My Mind) or Donovan (Sunny Goodge Street). If "Scarborough Fair" can't be better than by Simon & Garfunkel, Marianne's version remains excellent. "She Moved to the Fair" (also in the repertoire of Fairport Convention and Trees) has got an Indian flavour with the use of the sitar same as "Wild Mountain Thyme"; In this track I just regret that the double-bass was not correctly tuned and I can't help jolting every time I hear out-of-tune basses especially in the chorus.
My favourite songs here are "Sally Free and Easy", "How Should I Your True Love Know", "The North Country Maid" and "Lullaby".
One of the most underrated albums deserving a larger audience.
Published
Well, I have no problems to affirm that this is her beautifulest album. This kind of music was missing on a singer mostly known as pop artist. But I knew she experiemented folk songs. And I think it's her real home. I imagine those old times in the fields, where she, in her ancestors encarnation, could sing songs among the flowers and birds. That's what Old England and "North Country Maid" suggest to my mind.
As I was listening I thought "how beautiful". So simple and pure. So soft and tender. Also, some musics I already knew:
"Scarborough Fair", most known by Simon & Garfunkel has here a somewhat different song. It often reminded me the song by Buffy Sainte-Marie "He Lived Alone in Town", from her first album, It's My Way!. Well it's possible that Marianne heard that song before, because that album is from 64. And "Sunny Goodge Street" has a guitar line that also looks that song.
"The Last Thing on My Mind" was versioned by Sandy Denny years later.
"The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" I firstly heard by Peggy Seeger.
"She Moved Through the Fair" was later played by Fairport Convention, and that was the first version my ears gave me.
"Sally Free and Easy" was covered also by the Trees, included in On the Shore.
She sings sometimes like a soprano, others she reminds me Judy Collins, or Joan Baez (without those long and tiny screams). So sensible singing. So distant from the incredible and unique voice by which we recognize her today and ever.
The instrumentation is mostly a acoustic guitar that gives a nocturne feeling and quietness to the songs. It has some Indian sitar, electric and bass guitars and some percussions, used very carefully. To avoid spoilling the mist. Once again I confirm the sixties made the best music we would ever hear.
The The Moody Blues had a song called "Love and Beauty", and that applies to this album. Don't we get sad when we know that so few people have heard this yet?
As I was listening I thought "how beautiful". So simple and pure. So soft and tender. Also, some musics I already knew:
"Scarborough Fair", most known by Simon & Garfunkel has here a somewhat different song. It often reminded me the song by Buffy Sainte-Marie "He Lived Alone in Town", from her first album, It's My Way!. Well it's possible that Marianne heard that song before, because that album is from 64. And "Sunny Goodge Street" has a guitar line that also looks that song.
"The Last Thing on My Mind" was versioned by Sandy Denny years later.
"The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" I firstly heard by Peggy Seeger.
"She Moved Through the Fair" was later played by Fairport Convention, and that was the first version my ears gave me.
"Sally Free and Easy" was covered also by the Trees, included in On the Shore.
She sings sometimes like a soprano, others she reminds me Judy Collins, or Joan Baez (without those long and tiny screams). So sensible singing. So distant from the incredible and unique voice by which we recognize her today and ever.
The instrumentation is mostly a acoustic guitar that gives a nocturne feeling and quietness to the songs. It has some Indian sitar, electric and bass guitars and some percussions, used very carefully. To avoid spoilling the mist. Once again I confirm the sixties made the best music we would ever hear.
The The Moody Blues had a song called "Love and Beauty", and that applies to this album. Don't we get sad when we know that so few people have heard this yet?
Published
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Her best 60's album and therefore (in my scribbly book) her best ever album by a North Country mile.
Though it features none of the beautiful orchestral excesses that adorn her more famous pop works (the hit singles plus Marianne Faithfull from 1965 & Love in a Mist from '67), the near-perfect song selection of mostly ancient folk material with its modern, imaginative and minimal backing combine to reveal a unique, intense vocal talent of compelling fragile beauty.
Though it features none of the beautiful orchestral excesses that adorn her more famous pop works (the hit singles plus Marianne Faithfull from 1965 & Love in a Mist from '67), the near-perfect song selection of mostly ancient folk material with its modern, imaginative and minimal backing combine to reveal a unique, intense vocal talent of compelling fragile beauty.
Published
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