20th Century Masters: Collection [Original recording remastered]

Joan Baez | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1999)
• Original Release Date: October 19, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Interscope Records
• ASIN: B00002CF4Q
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,195 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Songs but Unnecessary Repackaging, December 8, 1999

By 

Mark R. Thivierge (Brighton, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 20th Century Masters: Collection (Audio CD)

While these songs are all classics, it is unfathomable why A&M seems intent on repackaging the same dozen or so Joan Baez songs every couple of years under a new title. They would have better off to have reissued COME FROM THE SHADOWS (1972), WHERE ARE YOU NOW, MY SON (1973) and GULF WINDS (1976), all three of which are out of print, and the latter two never issued on CD in the US, than to have repackaged this "best of" collection for the gazillionth time.

That said, this is a great collection of classic songs by one of the most talented and courageous artists of our generation, and a good selection to purchase, if you're a new or casual fan, as it has all the "hits."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FAIR COLLECTION, March 23, 2004

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 20th Century Masters: Collection (Audio CD)

This compilation includes some of Baez' best post-60s tracks including her commercial successes Forever Young and a live version of her greatest hit The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Fountain Of Sorrow is an exquisite interpretation of the Jackson Browne song, Love Song To A Stranger is magnificent lyrically and I also like her version of Janis Ian's poignant Jesse.

In The Quiet Morning, her moving tribute to Janis Joplin, is a rare track as the album whence it comes (Come From The Shadows) has not yet been re-issued on CD. Gracias A La Vida, from the album of the same name, is a beautiful Spanish song by Chilean artist Violeta Parra. Of course this collection is quite incomplete as it lacks all her great music from the 1960s, a very fertile period.

So in addition and in order to get the complete picture, I recommend the albums Hits: Greatest And Others, the very comprehensive Diamonds compilation, her Dylan album Any Day Now plus the excellent Farewell Angelina and In Concert Volume I from the early sixties, for its pristine early folk sound. This Millennium Collection does showcase some of her most beautiful songs from the early to the mid 1970s and provides a satisfying listen.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joan Baez--Forever Young, March 10, 2004

By 

H. F. Corbin "Foster Corbin" (ATLANTA, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: 20th Century Masters: Collection (Audio CD)

The Bob Dylan lullaby for his child, "Forever Young", which Ms. Baez sings on this collection, is an appropriate description of her. Though now in her 60's, she is more beautiful than she was at twenty. And that instantly recognizable voice is still transparent and otherworldly.

In addition to the beautiful "Forever Young", Baez sings five more of my favorites: Jackson's Browne's "Fountain of Sorrow", "Jesse" by Janis Ian, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", John Prine's "Hello In There." (I can never decide whether I'd rather hear Ms. Baez or Bette Midler do that sad, mournful song about the isolation of old people.) Finally, there is her love song to Bob Dylan, "Diamonds and Rust." I wish the record company had included "Joe Hill" on this release.

When I play this CD, I find myself humming these songs for days, a sure sign that they indeed are favorites of mine. My complaint about this CD has nothing to do with the singer but rather with A & M Records. There are already a half dozen or more "Best Of" and "Greatest Hits" and "Classics" of Baez out there. Enough already.