Customer Reviews

Joan Baez 2

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't suppose there are too many folk enthusiasts out there who are also audiophiles - besides myself, of course! - but this CD is a godsend to both camps. It's been too long since Baez's much-lauded "achingly pure soprano" sounded this good.

The songs themselves need no introduction. This is as traditional as traditional music gets, and Baez gives it a very traditional treatment, accompanying her singing only with a guitar or banjo, or not at all. If this spare production doesn't suggest itself for digital remastering, the results are stunning all the same. Every note of the fast and intricate guitar fill-in on "Lonesome Road" and the banjo solo on "Pal of Mine," among others, rings with a clarity that wasn't technologically feasible when this album was originally released in 1961 and which wasn't attempted on any previous reissue. Baez's vocal performances, if possible, sound even better as well. The three "bonus" tracks, while unnecessary given the improved quality of the more familiar songs, are nonetheless welcome. The gorgeous "I Once Loved a Boy" is a particularly pleasant surprise, but all three fit in well alongside the bulk of the album - an unusual case of bonus tracks improving a familiar album rather than hindering it.

Even if you think you know these songs by heart, this collection is essential to any fan of '60s folk music in its purest form. Even vinyl-purists owe it to themselves to hear this.

I have been listening to this record for about 25 years, so when this newly engineered release came out I was eager to hear the new tracks. They are stunning. I Once Loved a Boy is especially tender and tinged with that slightly bitter, ineffable Joan Baez melancholy that no other singer I know of in folk music has captured. There is and has been no other voice like this in popular music. Listen to this CD and you will put down every other singer songwriter du jour for a long while. This is in another dimension.

I love this album and have since it first came out. However, no one seems to have mentioned the inclusion of the Greenbriar Boys on Banks of the Ohio and Little Darling, Pal of Mine, with great guitar work by John Herald (who, sadly, recently died) and Ralph Rinzler, on mandolin and guitar. Those cuts have been played endlessly, both on my lp and the cd. It was Maynard Solomon who got Joan and the Boys to record together, and it was briliant. This is a great, great album by a superb artist and human being.

Ms. Baez has a pure, crystalline voice that is an instrument unto itself. You will know what I mean when you hear her sing "Waggoner's Lad" without accompaniment. This is quickly followed up by some achingly beautiful folk songs, such as "The Trees They Do Grow High", "The Lily of the West", and "Silkie". Wham Bam... before you know it, you are hooked!

This extraordinary CD originally ended with "Plaisir D'Amour", which is a beautiful love song and, sung by Ms. Baez, one that will not be easily forgotten. This released, which has remastered the original recording, now has three additional bonus tracks that are pleasant additions to an already marvelous musical experience. This is simply a wonderful CD, and if you are not already a fan of Ms. Baez, it will quickly make you into one. She is, undoubtedly, a national treasure.

Joan Baez vol. 2 (expanded) is a must own for fellow fans. Besides the 14 songs on the "regular" Joan Baez vol.2 there are 3 more songs. All 17 songs are some of my favorite to sing along with Joan. Be glad you don't have to listen. As is her style, these songs tell stories. "Old Blue" really showcases Joan's talent and her beautiful voice. You will not regret buying this cd.
Columbus,Indiana, USA

This album and Volume 1 (JOAN BAEZ) are Joan Baez at her best. The cool soprano voice and the clearly understood verse are evident here. Great emotion is achieved with her ability to balance the timbre of her voice to the story of the ballad. (NOTE: In later albums she spends more time in the middle registers of her voice where the quality of her timbre and vibrato are not as appealing.) The guitar and occasional back-up singers are an excellent accompaniment for her voice. The choice of the songs and the order of their presentation are perfect. The quality of the re-engineereing is very good considering that the original is over forty years old. All in all a masterpiece.

this was the album that started my life-long love affair with Traditional music, and Joan herself.From the time my older brother brought it home(1961?) it has held a magic for me that has neve faded, and the release on CD (with three very worthy bonus tracks) only makes the magic stronger. To this day these songs -haunting ballads like The Silkie, plaintive songs of loss, like Wagoner's Lad, have lost not a bit of their freshness.This is absolutely a "must have" recording for anyone with a love of traditional folk music

All the great Joan Baez tunes are here. Listening to it, I found myself back in my dorm room in college, singing along, remembering the words after all these years. I found some of the energy of the era revive within me. What a great time to be young and what a scene to witness! If you loved her then, you'll love her again when you listen to this CD.

This was the best thing I ordered (Ever). Her voice, her music brings you back to another time. Thank you.

This early Joan Baez folk vocal and guitar CD is a gem from the past. Her pure, powerful vocals can bring chills to the listener on songs like "Plaisir D'Amour", "Banks of the Ohio" and "Lily of the West". These are not originals, but she takes over ownership of a number of them. I think this disc is the best of early Baez.