My best mate Dave and I were lucky enough to be exposed to a lot of Folk music by his elder sister and her friends. They were very into Bob Dylan of course but also played lots of records by Joan Baez, Paul Simon and a host of ‘finger in the earhole’ squawkers that Dave and I couldn’t bear. I must admit I always found Joan Baez to be a bit screechy but she was pretty famous at the time.
Mimi Farina is her younger sister and, for my money, the better singer of the two. Her husband Richard was a leading light in the Jack Kerouac-dominated Beat Generation gang, although he perished young in a motorcycle accident two days after publication of his first book, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me. He was a month into his 29th year at the time. Mimi was 21 that day.
This is a wonderful album and adds up to much more than a simple folk album.
The Idle Woman 
I own Richarad Farina’s novel (and really should read it some time) because it was re-released a while back with a foreword by Thomas Pynchon, but I wasn’t aware that he also was a folk musician. Or that he was married to Joan Baez’ younger sister for that matter. I think I’m going to check this album out very soon. 🙂
I would love to know what you think when you do listen to it! Also what you think of the novel, and whether it transcends its age enough to be worth seeking out 😊
In my opinion Farina was a better musician and songwriter than fledgling novelist. At this stage, his prose is still too derivative of Thomas Pynchon’s V, and there is little of it that’s quotable or memorable that I would show to people or read aloud. However the songs are stellar, particularly the last one, the oracular “Children of Darkness.”
Thanks so much for this, Peter. It’s great to have some other perspectives on what Cliff told me. Really appreciate you commenting 😊