Customer Reviews

Joan Baez - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This selection of prime cuts contains all of Joan Baez's best works, but some of the recordings are live. Warning: these songs are just as good, but you may have a preference of studio over 'live'.

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a live recording, but misses none of the mood or flair of the single. "Please Come To Boston" is nearly better than the original and Joan captures the tenuous love longings with her voice. "Oh Happy Day" is given the justice and respect it deserves and "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" is still heartbreaking.

"Diamonds And Rust" is the first cut and with reason. It has to be her best written song/recording to date. Faded memories, lasting longings, the broken heart; ah, Joan Baez is truly gifted.

The remaining songs are her classics from over the years. If you have any misgivings about this album, listen to some of the clips to decide if these versions are the ones you want.

The CD title is a bit misleading because it makes you think that it contains the traditional studio versions of "..OLD DIXIE.." , "PLEASE COME TO BOSTON" and the others but some of these songs are live concert recordings of her greatest hits. I love the song "NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN" but in this version the backup singers aren't present. The song is still all right but the song doesn't have that infectious lofty sound of the studio version when she sings the chorus. The backup singers makes the song fly and soar but without them the song doesn't quite have the same power and overwhelming feel. Its still good but not quite as effective as the studio version.

I like her version of John Lennon's "IMAGINE". Lennon's gentle and delicate version starts quietly with a lone piano and gently builds as it goes along with the addition of a soft drum beat and violins; beautifully endearing in its simplicity. Baez's version somewhat maintains the same characteristics of the song but with the addition of a guitar and horns and she sings it in her folk style.

I wouldn't suggest this CD to someone who wants to introduce themselves to Joan Baez music. There are other 'best of' CD's of Baez that may do a much better job of introducing her music like "HITS:GREATEST & OTHERS" and "MILLENIUM EDITION". The advanced Baez listener might appreciate this CD , particularly the live concert audio thats here , otherwise I suggest sticking to the essential albums/CD's and getting other Baez 'best of' CD's.

This collection contains some of the most hauntingly beautiful and poignant music from Joan's later career. "Diamonds And Rust" let's her, for a moment, soar with the great poets of yesteryear (how poetic, she found her muse when writing a song for Dylan, the greatest American twentieth century poet). "Diamonds And Rust" is on the same par as Carly Simon's "You're So Vain", another perfect song. Baez still had the powerful vocals she had in the 60's. "Diamonds And Rust" is part of a trilogy on this cd, with "Love Song To A Stranger" and "Sweeter For Me" (the lyrics are some of the most visual I have ever heard in pop music). I will often play all three songs together, which reveal her desires and loves with an honesty I had never heard from Joan before. "Forever Young" is a lovely and tender song about maintaining one's inner glow as they grow older. A wish we would all make to our children. "Simple Twist Of Fate," aside from being another great Dylan tune, is brilliantly interpreted by Baez. She does a take off of Dylan which verges on being hysterically funny and at the same time a serious piece of work. In many ways, Baez was Dylan's "twin" as the song implies. Her interpretation of Lennon's "Imagine" is quite nice. She gives it her touch of "Baezness" and gives it a fresh sound. I've heard several versions of "Imagine" and have found it interesting how "Imagine" holds up to the different styles of the many vocalists who have re-recorded this great song. Her interpretation of "Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer" is second only to "Diamonds And Rust" on this cd. I first heard this song sung by Stevie Wonder, and I couldn't imagine anyone doing it as well. This song was made for Baez's voice. You can almost feel the first winter chills of Autumn in the tremors of her voice. The two live versions included on this collection are not very good, which brought this cd down from fives stars to four stars. I don't especially care for "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" to begin with, and to hear the live version is really unpleasant. "Amazing Grace" should have been the studio version. The rest of the songs on the cd fall somewhere in between the best of and worst of range I've mentioned. However, the seven or eight songs that I think are exceptional make this a must have greatest hits collection. If you're on the fence about this cd, purchase her autobiography, and that will peak your interest in both Joan and her music. She's quite a lady.

It's amazing the degree of versatility Joan Baez has demonstrated in her long, illustrious career. She is known, of course, mainly for her political stance, and some of her music certainly speaks clearly on her convictions. However, good music is good music, and Joan has delivered more than her share over the years. Her voice is crystal clear and she possesses a phenomenal range in its use.

"Diamonds and Rust," is one of her most impressive songs, a haunting, dark, yet romantic look at love and its' repercussions. She also does an outstanding job on Janis Ian's "Jesse," Stevie Wonder's undiscovered gem, "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer," and Dave Loggins' "Please Come to Boston."

"Forever Young" is a touching and beautiful offering that stands the test of time.

That's what amazing about this collection. These are good songs, and except for the two live versions of her most recognized hits ("Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Amazing Grace"), this is an outstanding representation of her unique career.

If you want just one CD that gives you an overview of Joan Baez's career and contains her greatest hits, well...you won't find one. Her career has been too long and varied for that. She was at Woodstock and at Live Aid. She covered traditional English, Spanish and French folk songs, protest and mainstream pop.

She currently has 46 albums to her credit, including 15 compilation albums. Newcomers to her music will assume that an album entitled Greatest Hits, which is her current best seller, is the best place to start. Unfortunately, it's the worst.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down was one of her finest songs; I remember the excitement her version generated in the 70s. This album has a live performance which is a pale imitation of the studio version. Her voice is tired and slightly off-key, the backing is scrappy, the acoustics are poor and the tempo is a little too fast. A mess.

She does a Dylan impersonation on one verse of his A Simple Twist of Fate. This might have been amusing at the time, and may still be to those in the know, but to newcomers it will be irritating and confusing. A mistake.

One of her signature tunes is Amazing Grace, which she has performed better than anyone. At the 1985 Live Aid concert, she made the terrible mistake of saying the words before each verse, to encourage audience participation. Mercifully, the DVD of the concert cuts this short. So why, in the name of all that's musical, does this album include a 1976 performance of her doing the same thing? An embarrassment.

All the tracks were recorded in the 70s (1972 - 1976), by no means her 'Greatest' era, nor her most representative. Simply, they are her years with A&M Records. They had the nerve to cobble these tracks together and call it a 'Greatest Hits'. A smart marketing move but a shameful musical one.

To add a positive note, the final track, Less Than the Song, is very fine. I guess you can't keep a good singer down.

Joan's is the finest female voice of the 60s folk revival and protest movement -- pure and melodious and true. As a child of the 60s, the album of hers that I remember best and which now seems most representative is her eponymous 'Joan Baez'. If you are new to her music, start either with that album or with The First 10 Years. Both are great.

As the title suggests, there are too many "live" versions on this cd. Live versions of songs are most always inferior to their studio versions. There's just way too many live versions on this album. The live version of "Amazing Grace" is a debacle as the audience is requested to "sing along". *Who* wants to hear that? Not me? About half of this cd is a waste. NOT a good compilation.

This is a nice collection; however, I was disappointed that "Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" and "Amazing Grace" were the live versions. Particularly, "Amazing Grace" loses its power and beauty with Joan Baez' quick reciting of the lines for the audience to sing before singing them herself. Why this version was ever laid down on vinyl (and disc) is beyond me. It's also disappointing that "Joe Hill" and "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" were not included in this Greatest Hits collection.

In the sixties I purchased all of her albums. I wore them out and replaced them with every cd she has ever put out. If you are not familiar with her work this is an excellent compilation to start your collection . She has the most incredible, crystal clear voice. She sings with feeling and honesty and can bring you close to tears when she sings "Forever Young". On another album which has "Birmingham Sunday" you will be in tears. Joan Baez has been my favorite singer for the past 35 years from my late teens to mid fifties. You want to relax? A glass of wine, darkness and Joan Baez coming through a Bose System will blow you away.

'Greatest Hits' is a good (not perfect) overview of Joan's A&M years - which, other reviewers fail to understand, do not encompass her popular 1971 Blessed Are... album (the one that includes the original version of "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.") By the way, I recommend Ace Records' Best of the Vanguard Years to survey Joan's early years. All of her original Vanguard LP's have been reissued, too.

But, my point here to is correct two aspects of the liner notes and track selection. First, the version of "Forever Young" included here is not the original 1974 single version (though that's what the liner notes claim). Rather, it's the live version on From Every Stage (1976). Too bad - the single is better. Note that you can download the original studio version from her Complete A&M Recordings collection.

Second, the version of "Dida" included here is the jazzy 1975 version (from Diamonds & Rust with Joni Mitchell and Tom Scott. The liner notes claim it's the original 1974 version from Gracias a la Vida. Which, IMHO, is a good thing - but the liner notes are incorrect...

I was very disappointed with this CD. Firstly the remaster is not digital. The sound is flat. Then some of the cuts are from concerts. Amazing Grace, one of her most beautiful songs, is done with audience participation. To make matters worse, she rapidly speaks the words to each verse before singing it to that the audience can participate. This breaks the mood of the song.

I really feel that I wasted my money.