Various Artists: Save the Children
Women Strike For Peace Records (W-001) 1967.
"Legend of a Girl Child Linda" featured the trio of Mimi, Joan, and Judy Collins, sung at the 1967 Newport Folk Festival. This song was also included on Joan's box set, Rare, Live & Classic.
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Joan Baez: Newport Folk Festival 1968.
All Access, 2015.
Mimi joins Joan on two songs, "Legend in my Time" (written by Don Gibson) and "Morning, Morning" (written by Tuli Kupferberg). "Morning, Morning" in particular is exquisite, not to be missed. This concert was first released on the Wolfgang's Vault website:
http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/joan-baez/concerts/newport-folk-festival-july-26-1968.html
Joan Baez: David's Album
Vanguard (VSD 79308) May 1969.
CD reissue: Vanguard (79746-2) 2005
Mimi sang on "Poor Wayfaring Stranger." As far as I know, this was the only time she was credited on a recording as "Mimi Fariña Melvin." This song was also released as the B-side of Joan's single, "Let It Be" (Vanguard VRS-35145, 1971). The second CD re-issue of David's Album included another Joan-Mimi duet, "How Can I Miss You" (written by Dan Hicks).
Soundtrack: Fools
Reprise (RS 6429) 1970.
Mimi and Katherine Ross sing Mimi's song "If You Love" on the soundtrack of this movie. Mimi appears briefly in the beginning of the film, singing this song and playing guitar, but the song in its entirety appears only on this soundtrack (which is not available on CD).
Al Stewart: Zero She Flies
Collectors' Choice (CCM-767) 2007.
Al Stewart's classic folk-rock album from 1970 was reissued on CD with the bonus track "Lyke Wake Dirge," whose chorus features, according to the notes, Mimi, Tom Jans, and members of The Young Tradition. The notes date the recording at 1979, but 1971, the year of Tom and Mimi's appearance at the Cambridge Folk Festival, makes more sense. Mimi's voice is just barely discernable in the introductory chorus. Buy it for Mimi if you're a completist, but replay it for Al Stewart's marvelous songs.
Big Sur Festival: One Hand Clapping
Columbia (KC 31138) 1972.
Recorded at the Eighth (and last) Big Sur Festival, in 1971. Mimi's only credit is for the song "Me and Bobby McGee," credited to: "Entire Festival including Big Sur Choir, John Cooke, Mimi Fariña and Tom Jans, Larry Hankin and Lily Tomlin." But neither Mimi nor Tom Jans are really audible; I include it here only for the sake of completeness. There are three pictures of Mimi inside the gatefold cover, and one of them is reproduced in the large foldout poster included. In the notes producer Nancy Carlen recalls the origin of the first Big Sur Festival:
"It started as a lark, Esalen Institute offering us a chance to take over that magnificent place for a whole weekend - the catch - an Esalen style seminar on "The New Folk Music." Well any time you found Joan Baez, Richard and Mimi Fariña and me in the same place there had to be singing: so instead of meetings and lectures, sing we did, in the sulphur baths, on the lawns, even during meals sitting at long wooden tables in the lodge..."
Ben Sidran: Feel Your Groove
Capitol (ST-825) 1971.
CD reissue: Acadia (8120) 2006.
Mimi sings background vocals on the title track--a spooky, wordless scat à la "Reno, Nevada." (Note to collectors: Ben Sidran recorded this song a couple other times; only the 7:15 version on this album has Mimi.)
Joan Baez: Where Are You Now, My Son?
A&M (SP-4390) May 1973.
Mimi performs on two of her own compositions, "Mary Call" and "Best of Friends." These two songs were also released as the A and B side of a single (A&M 1454) in 1973. Mimi recorded them again for Solo many years later. She also performs on the Hoyt Axton tune, "Less Than the Song," which was a regular part of her live repertoire. The entire album is now available on CD on Joan's box set, The Complete A&M Recordings (2003), but the three songs with Mimi are unfortunately on two different discs.
Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen: Tales from the Ozone
Warner Bros (2883) 1975.
CD reissue: Wounded Bird (WOU 2883) 2003.
Mimi is credited as background vocalist (along with six others), but it doesn't state which songs. I honestly cannot hear her on any of them. Good album, though.
Hoyt Axton: Snowblind Friend
MCA (MCA-2263) 1977.
CD reissue: Edsel (426) 1995.
Mimi sang back-up vocals on the song, "Water for my Horses." Mimi and Hoyt Axton were friends and occasionally toured together, and he performed at several Bread & Roses festivals (and also on Commander Cody album above).
Tom Rush: Late Night Radio
Night Light (HS-48011) 1984.
On this record Mimi performs "A Swallow Song" at a Boston Symphony Hall concert. Tom Rush had begun this series of annual concerts in 1981 in honor of the old Club 47 coffee house, and Joan describes one of them in her autobiography, And a Voice to Sing With, in the chapter, "How Brightly Glows the Past." Joan says that Mimi performed "Old Woman" and then was joined by Maria Muldaur on "The Quiet Joys of Brotherhood." Joan says that this concert was on New Year's Eve of 1985, so the one on this album must be an earlier one. Here are the album notes on Mimi:
In the days of the Club 47 Richard and Mimi Fariña were pillars of the folk music community in Cambridge, and their writing and performance earned them a large and devoted following. Mimi's voice has matured beautifully, and her loving treatment of Richard's The Swallow Song transfixed the audience, winning her new fans and persuading the original ones to re-enlist.
Note to collectors: The CD Live at Symphony Hall, Boston, is a collection of just Tom Rush's performances, and does not inlude Mimi. "A Swallow Song."
Pete Sears & Friends: Watchfire
Redwood Records (RRCD 8806) 1988.
Mimi sings on "Save Something for the Children" and "Let the Dove Fly Free." She is credited as co-writer on the latter song. This album also features Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, David Grisman, and Holly Near. There are two different covers for this CD, but the songs are the same on both versions.
Joan Baez: Rare, Live & Classic.
Vanguard (125/27-2) 1993
This three-CD collection includes a Mimi and Joan duet of "Catch the Wind" from the 1967 Newport Folk Festival, and, for the first time on CD, "Legend of a Girl Child Linda" from the same date, which had appeared on the Save the Children LP. The duet from David's Album above is also included.
Joan Baez: Ring Them Bells
Guardian (7243 8 43989-2 5) 1995.
Mimi and Joan perform "A Swallow Song." This was recorded at The Bottom Line in New York City, April 1995.
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