Live At the BBC

In the ‘60s, Marianne Faithfull offered up radiant, if often somber, folk-pop music that emphasized her innocent croon. These recordings for the BBC in 1965-1966 include brief interview segments and stripped-down arrangements of her hits from the era. “As Tears Go By,” “Go Away from My World” (appearing twice),  “Come and Stay With Me,” “This Little Bird,” “In My Time of Sorrow,” “Summer Nights” and “Tomorrow’s Calling,” the list is long and impressive and make a strong case for Faithfull as one of the British Invasion’s most underrated and overlooked performers. Her simple, unpretentious delivery makes every song a gem — even an over-covered chestnut such as Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday” takes flight. “Paris Bells,” “Lullaby” for her newly born son Nicholas, Tom Paxton’s “The Last Thing on My Mind” and “Cockleshells” are all given similar, touching renditions. Faithfull is a world away from the experienced nightclub chanteuse of her later career and these snapshots of energetic youth are timeless in their optimism.