Marianne Faithfull ‎– Loveinamist by Marianne Faithfull ‎ (1967)

Marianne Faithfull ‎– Love In A Mist

Faithfull's final album of the 1960s (she would do one more single, in 1969) was a confused, patchy effort that seemed indicative of musical directionless. There was overblown, orchestrated straight pop (the cover of the Beatles' "Yesterday"), numbers where she seemed to be attempting to be a British Edith Piaf of sorts, and covers of contemporary folk-rock tunes by Donovan and Tim Hardin. Also, a couple of the better songs ("This Little Bird" and "Counting") had long been available on singles, from 1965 and 1966, respectively. This would have been categorized as "eclectic" rather than "directionless" if the material had been better, the arrangements more inspired, and the singing more commanding, but that wasn't the case on any of those counts. There are still some enjoyable bits, like the cover of "Young Girl Blues," and particularly the version of Jackie DeShannon's moody "With You in Mind." At the time, it was likely seen as something to fill in the gaps in the absence of better material. No one suspected, probably, that Faithfull would be diverted by other professional activities and personal calamities, and really wouldn't return to high visibility as a recording artist for a dozen years. The 1988 CD reissue on London U.K. has a couple of worthwhile bonus tracks in previously unreleased covers of Tim Hardin's "Hang Onto a Dream" and the Kinks' "Rosie, Rosie" (titled "Rosy Won't You Please Come Home" when it appeared on the Kinks' Face to Face album), both of which were recorded in September 1966.

***