Search - Joan Baez :: Any Day Now

Joan Baez loves Bob Dylan! A beautiful, very special set!

J. Winokur | Denver, CO USA | 04/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc of a 2 LP set is a very welcome and deserving reissue!!! With contemporary folk music again strong and healthy (after taking much of the `80s off), this album can stand alongside the best current albums as an engagingly different collection which can appeal to a new generation of folkers. The sound quality is crisp, clear and excellent.



The material -- many of the Dylan classics -- is unsurpassable. Her voice is at its zenith, young, supple -- neither undisciplined (as in her 1st records) nor the later, low vibrato warble. There is none of the self-conscious and silly Dylan vocal imitation found in Baez's later recording. Where Dylan's own singing is wonderfully raw and rough, Baez is clear and pure. Both are great for me, but very, very different from each other. These lovely renditions are like no one else's. Just pure Joan in her finest voice.



She is backed here by several of the very best of '70s Nashville session musicians (pickers). Some folks think of Nashville sidemen as inevitably bound up with Country Music. While this is not counter-country, it fits much more into folk -- as the names Dylan and Baez rightly connote. (Other great examples of great Nashville sidemen supporting a distinctive singer-songwriter (not really Country fare) are Jerry Jeff Walker's very first 2 releases, "Drifting Way of Life" and the original "Mr. Bojangles" album -- both in the late '60s. Jerry Jeff comes across so differently than in his later years.)



"One Too Many Mornings" is too often overlooked among Dylan's compositions, and this is among the best renditions I've heard. The full-length, unhurried treatment "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowland" is spell-binding and satisfying. Perhaps my favorite, though, is the subtle and poignant "Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather." Dylan's lyrical genius is fully manifest, in his gorgeous melody and Joan Baez's a wonderful performance.



For many of us who listened both then and recently, this pristine work inevitably reminds us how much has aged in the decades since this earlier era -- also recaptured so vividly in Dylan's own Chronicles.. These are timely works, both for reminiscence and to introduce newbies to the non-acid experiences that stirred an earlier generation.



But regardless of any social import, this is simply beautiful poetry and music.

"

Baez interprets Dylan

John A. Mascia | Cleveland Hts, Ohio United States | 03/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joan Baez has always had the knack of choosing the best songs for her style and voice. In "Any Day Now" there is no exception. Baez sings Dylan better than Dylan himself. While listening to this cd, you can simply here her respect toward great song writing. Baez shines while singing "Tears of Rage". Her crystalline voice moves one from within. Yet another bright song is "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" where Baez tells a story unlike any other singer. A definite must in a Joan Baez collection. Thank you Joan for singing Bob Dylan songs."

A Dear Friend Told Me ...

Harriet Lynn | Las Vegas, NV USA | 09/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album was the childhood favorite of a very dear friend of mine. He gave me the cd for Christmas, 2002 and I have very nearly worn the tracks off of it (an old vinyl saying!). I grew up listening to Dylan sing "Sad Eyed Lady", he grew up listening to Joan's version. We are both die-hard Dylan and Baez lovers to this day. Ms. Baez' renderings made me wonder so I have been scouring the internet for copies of "the way Dylan did these songs". My friend has moved on, now, but I shall always be greatful for his gift. This is a great disc! Ok, I admit that I don't like "Tears of Rage" very much. But that's just me and, on a cd, it doesn't matter. I just hit the button and move right into "Sad Eyed Lady" (which I always play twice, by the way. I REALLY love that song!!). If you enjoy Dylan's verse but would rather hear it sung by someone else, I strongly recommend you listen to this one. I think you'll like it."