Search - Joan Baez :: Vanguard Sessions: Baez Sings Dylan

Perfect (as only Baez can be) but...

12/21/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"But- I recommend this album to only casual fans. It is an unnecessary purchase for 'diehard' fans because the tracks can be found on other albums- specifically the majority are on Any Day Now. One qualm I have w/ this album is that it does not include Joan's singing of 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands',one of my favorite songs of all time- which IS on Any Day Now. My favorites on this album are: 2. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (haunting- from dylan's BIABH) 3. You Ain't Goin' Nowhere (adorable country ditty- classic basement tape track) 4. It Ain't Me Babe (absolutely lovely, sweet and sad, from dylan's 'Another Side...') 6. Tears Of Rage (another basement tape selection- only Baez sings acapella, very striking, deep and powerful, emotional) 7. Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word (beautific, and ironic- w/ the history behind it (and there is no known recording of Dylan singing this, his tune, circulating today) 8. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine (a gem from dylan's JWH, very meaningful, and inspirational- reminiscent of 'Joe Hill') 10. Dear Landlord (rockin' version, sing it Joannie! (also from JWH) 11. One Too Many Mornings (off Dylan's The Times They are A-Changing, a treat to listen to her version... you know Baez always sings w/ passion, and her voice is always angelic ) 13. Boots Of Spanish Leather (another classic from dylan's The Times They are A-Changin... she brings new life to this one as well) 14. Daddy, You Been On My Mind (never released on a Dylan album prior to Bootleg Series vol.1-3, this one was on Baez's earlier album Farewell Angelina, and also Bob and Joan had duetted w/ this one (on Live at Newport) but sang 'mamma...' so this is another treat- sang very reflectively and sweetly) 18. Drifter's Escape (this one is like a plea- she sings it just as Dylan had on JWH, what a song! so symbolic, Dylan and Baez leave you thinkin and wonderin)Baez has her own interpretations of these songs, she breathes life into them, secondary to Dylan himself, but more of his female equal. They are opposites, but also twins--- FOR DYLAN FANS: I also recommend From Every Stage- for Love is just a 4 letter word, and I Shall be Released, Blowin in the Wind, Forever Young, and Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts. Also- Baez does a very cool version of 'Simple Twist of Fate' which can be found more than one album... but again, if you are a casual fan, you might want to pick up 'Joan C. Baez Greatest Hits' in one part she even sings with a dylan-esque voice/inflection as a parody/mock-out. very interesting. Baez is amazing, as always, on every one of her albums, as well as in person and in concert."

Great music from the sixties!

cyclista | the Midwest | 01/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For a time, Dylan and Baez were considered the king and queen of folk music. Their effect on each other's careers is undeniable. Who else could sing Dylan's songs with such beauty and feeling than Joan Baez? I remember when people loathed Dylan's voice and said that he shouldn't sing his own songs. It seems ironic that now people should say Joan Baez's voice is too pretty to sing Dylan, especially when her recordings of his recorded and unrecorded songs arguably helped his career. It's a little weird to hear her versions described as covers, when Dylan never formally recorded some of these songs. Some of the songs he did not record until several years later. (Some of the songs are covers, of course, but not all.)This is actually the second Joan Baez album of all Dylan songs. The first one was the album "Any Day Now" (1968), and fifteen of the songs from that album appear here. (The album "Any Day Now" is rated 4 1/2 stars by Amazon.com reviewers.) "Any Day Now" included one additional cut, "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands". With the inclusion of the other five songs, you get the most famous of the Dylan songs that Joan Baez sang. They are:
It's All over Now, Baby Blue
It Ain't Me Babe
Farewell, Angelina
Daddy, You Been on My Mind
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right If you don't already own the album "Any Day Now", then this CD is a bargain with 20 songs and 73 minutes of Joan Baez's folk interpretations of Dylan songs. The recording quality is clear and crisp. There is no hint that these songs were all recorded in the sixties. This album is one of my favorites and I highly recommend it."

Singer and song meet as equals

B. W. Fairbanks | Lakewood, OH United States | 03/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the early 60s, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez were the King and Queen of Folk Music, but no matter how well their voices complemented each other, they seemed to go together as well as vodka and milk. Baez maintained the image of the political idealist, a role for which her perfect falsetto was a powerful instrument, while Dylan, despite his authorship of "Blowin' in the Wind," seemed more of a cynic with a surly manner befitting his gruff voice. Despite the contrast in their personalities and performing styles, Baez is one of the finest interpreters of Dylan's work, as the album "Baez Sings Dylan" demonstrates. Compiled from several sources, with Baez's 1968 two-record set "Any Day Now" providing most of the selections, it's one of the best Dylan tributes available while also being one of Baez's most compelling collections. Singers sometimes seem overwhelmed by the task of interpreting the songs of a composer as distinctive as Dylan, and neither singer nor song survive the encounter. Perhaps because Baez's early fame eclipsed Dylan's own, that isn't a hurdle here. Singer and song meet as equals, and the result is usually outstanding.Baez offers standout performances of some rare Dylan tunes, notably "Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word," the epic "Tears of Rage," and the touching "Daddy, You Been on My Mind," and a fine interpretation of more familiar titles, including "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine," a song no doubt influenced by the traditional "Joe Hill," a song Baez did much to popularize.The liner notes by Charles J. Fuss provide a compact overview of the Baez-Dylan relationship, and, in effect, of the folk music scene in America circa 1960. But the music - that great voice matched with those great songs - says more about those changing times and the two artists who defined them than mere words could ever convey."