I love female singers with deep, rich voices. Of course, such voices can come naturally or with the passage of time. Marianne Faithfull, it seems safe to say, came by hers through the latter method. And probably with the assistance of a few thousand cigarettes. And liters upon liters of liquor. And perhaps some heaping helpings of heartbreak. (I find myself frequently flanking her on mix CDs with Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, but that's just me.)
It is highly informative to listen to Ms. Faithfull's "girl" voice on "As Tears Go By" in the mid-'60s (released before the Rolling Stones' version) and her full-on "woman" version of some two decades later. Certainly, in general, I prefer the later voice and the later songs, though her albums throughout her career are consistently inconsistent. Still, when it comes to the songs, she's a stylist worthy of notice (and a post on this blog).
[MP3] [left-click] "As Tears Go By" [1965] [from her self-titled LP]
[MP3] [left-click] "Song for Nico" [from the LP Kissin' Time, 2002]
[MP3] [left-click] "For Wanting You" [from the LP Vagabond Ways, 2000]
[MP3] [left-click] "There is a Ghost" [from the LP Before the Poison, 2005]
[MP3] [left-click] "Yesterday" [from the LP Love in a Mist, 1967]
[MP3] [left-click] "As Tears Go By" [1987] [from the LP Strange Weather]
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