Celebrations for a Grey Day

Mimi & Richard Farina | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 20, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vanguard Records
• ASIN: B000000EI7
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,902 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine '60s offering is folk music plus, October 25, 2000

By 

Tyler Smith (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celebrations for a Grey Day (Audio CD)

"Celebrations for a Grey Day" offers some interest merely because of its creators: Richard Farina penned a quintessential '60s novel, "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me" before dying young in a motorcycle accident; his wife Mimi is the sister of Joan Baez. But does the music offer interest and does it hold up after 35 years? Yes, it does.

The duo put together an interesting sound with Richard's dulcimer and drone-like vocal playing against Mimi's guitar and lovely, crystalline voice. The instrumentals achieve an Eastern flavor, particularly on "V," which gives a nod to Thomas Pynchon in Richard's notes to the album. There is poetic political protest in "Michael, Andrew, and James," a lament for the three murdered civil rights workers; sly satire of prejudice in "Tommy Makem Fantasy"; and even a mildly funky excursion, "Reno Nevada."

The only regret I have in listening to it over the years has been that Mimi wasn't given more room. Her vocals are a major addition on "Reno Nevada," and the wistful "Pack up Your Sorrows," but she doesn't get a lead vocal, which is disappointing because her voice is intoxicating -- probably the equal of her more-famous sister.

Many albums that I enjoyed during my youth have not come close to standing the test of time. This one does and is well worth revisiting or discovering for the first time.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ain't Tired of It Yet, September 15, 1999

By 

Robert L. Champ (Hyattsville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Celebrations for a Grey Day (Audio CD)

I got this CD about a week ago and have been playing it ever since. The instrumentals are superb: both Farinas were musicians, not merely the plunkers and "mathematical guitar players" one often finds in folk-music.

The vocal I really enjoy is "Pack Up Your Sorrows." I first heard this song sung by Martha Beers and her then-husband Eric Nagler, and liked it then, but the Farinas' delivery is so smooth, so quiet, so...harmonious, that I can't see how their version will ever be bettered. I also like "The Falcon," though the lyric is a little strange. The singers seem to take a kind of quiet, loony joy in the thought that the falcon might one day turn on its (man)handlers.

I agree that Mimi Farina had/has a terrific voice, though I wouldn't go quite so far as to rate her above her sister. What happened to Mimi's career? Did she go on to pursue dancing? Did she ever give any solo concerts after Richard's death?

This CD is well worth having if you enjoy the folk music of the 60s--before it went electric and disappeared into folk rock and before singers like Baez and Collins took to lush orchestral arrangements.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true celebration!, March 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Celebrations for a Grey Day (Audio CD)

I first heard Richard Farina playing the dulcimer on Judy Collins' "Carry it On." My next encounter with his art was reading his book "Been Down So Long.." I found this album in the bins of a used record store and was moved by the simple musical arrangements and lyrics that are both socially relevant and deeply personal. Richard's dulcimer and Mimi's guitar provide the foundation that allow their complimentary voices to soar. Richard Farina was destined for greatness as a poet, author, and musician. He died way too young. This album stands as his great contribution to American music!