Search - Joan Baez :: David's Album

Joan Baez . . . Nashville Classic

Michael G. Batcho | McAdoo, PA (USA) | 06/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joan Baez . . . a name recognizable to everyone . . . folk singer par excellence! -- one of my favorite albums by Joan was "David's Album". She recorded it back in 1968, just after the Chicago Democratic Convention (and all that conjures in the memories of anyone who lived through it).



Joan took her talent to Nashville Tennessee and into the studio there with the then "Nashville A Team" of musicians and sidemen. And with that, she recored what would become a "classic" album which has and will withstand the test of time . . of the decades and of decades yet to come.



The tracks which stand out for me though on this collection are: "The Green Green Grass Of Home" . . . "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" . . . "The Tramp On The Street" . . . and "Glad Bluebird Of Happiness". All of these just create "magic" when your ears first hear them . . and every time one listens to them after that. (all these ears later the magic has not dimmed from Joan's pereformances on this album.)



Joan shares a performance with her late sister Mimi Farina on "(I Am)A Poor Wayfaring Stranger", beautifull done. (a bonus "live" track, "How Can I Miss You (When You Won't Go Away)?" also has Joan's sister Mimi dueting with her.



i first bought this album back in 1969 . . . in addition to its lasting mucial qualities, it brings back so many personal memories for me, not only of the political events of those years, but of personal family memories. "Will The Circle Be Unbroken?" and "Green Green Grass Of Home" as performed by Joan on this album will always carry personal family associations beyond and transcending all others.



In short, i love this album and enjoy listening to it often . . i'm sure that anyone who hears it will likewise . .. you won't be disappointed.



Thank you, Joan Baez, for a lifetime of musical gifts . . . but in a very special way, thank you for THIS album and now newly digitally remastered cd, "David's Album" . . . it might be called "David's" . . but in reality it belongs to all of us! :)"

Classic album enhanced by two new songs

Pieter | Johannesburg | 05/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although recorded in Nashville, this lovely album does not have an authentic country sound overall. It is more like her typical 1960s folk with a country infusion here and there. The songs include traditionals and gospel songs like Just A Closer Walk With Thee and Poor Wayfaring Stranger, a duet with her sister Mimi Farina, plus pop hits of the time like Green Green Grass Of Home and work from contemporary songwriters, like the Gram Parsons masterpiece Hickory Wind.



All the songs are memorable with a melancholy thread running through the album. The arrangements stick close to the originals but the fiddle, dobro and viola make some of the tracks quite special. The Jordannaires lend beautiful male backing vocals to Will The Circle Be Unbroken, whilst The Tramp On The Street has an additional verse co-written by Baez and Maynard Solomon. One of the highlights is the aforementioned duet with Mimi, in which there is a lovely harmonic interweaving of the voices in the chorus.



The lovely organ renders Just A Closer Walk With Thee quite stirring, whilst her version of Hickory Wind is also very soulful. The most country-sounding of the tracks is the uptempo My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains. This reissue contains a live version of How Can I Miss You and the folk classic The Last Thing On My Mind. I would say this is an essential album for Baez fans, but it does not rank amongst the very best of her 1960s output.



The tracks on David's Album were recorded during the same sessions as her Dylan tribute Any Day Now, which is an absolute gem. With songs like I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word, the heart-breaking Walls Of Redwing, One Too Many Mornings, Boots Of Spanish Leather and Restless Farewell, it is a classic folk album of the 1960s. Get them both and play them back to back for a good dose of that 1960s Baez magic.

"

Joan Baez Remastered

Johannes P. Wilbrand | Münster Germany | 02/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i seem to have overlooked this item among others for some time. Joan Baez's musical interpretations have always been a favorite of mine -- since the time of my youth -- and she's one of the very few artists who's cover versions i can live with. this is release belongs to a selection of CDs i must have as a complete set. i'm glad this issue also features a few bonus tracks compared to the previous CD release. :-)



JohPWilbrand"