10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Traditional folk music from Marianne, May 16, 2006
This CD was released in Britain in 1989 but has long since been out of print. Now it is available as an American release with a different cover but an identical track listing - even including the four bonus tracks. Of those four, only Blowing in the wind fits the folk theme of the main album.
The main album is an uncompromising traditional folk album featuring sparse musical backing. Many of the songs are of the hand-me-down variety, their origins unknown, though some songs are familiar. Marianne recorded two completely separate versions of House of the rising sun. The one here is the folk version - she later recorded a version inspired by the Animals' hit version, which has a completely different arrangement. Lonesome traveller, Down by the Sally gardens and Four strong winds should also be familiar to folk fans. Of the obscure songs, Portland town should bring a lump to the throat - it is a very sad song about a mother who had three sons, all of whom became soldiers and all of whom were killed in combat.
The bonus tracks include What now my love, a song of French origin, and Sister morphine, a song about drugs that was recorded four years later, and which provides a stark contrast with the rest of this collection.
Marianne began her career as a really happy, smiling person, illustrated on the original album cover and the British version of this CD. Marianne soon became disillusioned and unhappy. As a result of those experiences, the music she recorded in the seventies and beyond was very different but also brilliant in its own way.
So, this album features Marianne singing (for the most part) traditional folk music. If you want her pop music, you must look elsewhere. For folkies, this is a real treasure trove not to be missed, together with North country maid, a similar type of album.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Appallingly bad remaster of a classic album, May 29, 2008
Marianne Faithfull's 1965 "Come My Way" is a wonderful album comprised mostly of folk songs, but whoever was responsible for remastering this reissue should never be allowed to work in audio engineering again. The audio was recorded excessively loud, and distortion abounds. Avoid any editions by the Cherry, Rev-Ola and Lilith labels at any cost and get the DECCA edition instead.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Come This Way for Marianne's early music..., August 14, 2009
...an excellent folk album sung by Marianne's sweet soprano voice. Her version of Portland Town is gentle and then powerful. It would be pointless to go song by song because I would end up listing them all. Needless to say, for folk fans and Marianne fans this album is essential.
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