Noel

Joan Baez | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Vanguard Records
• ASIN: B000000EJ5
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #208,271 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

2. Coventry Carol

3. Good King Wenceslas (Instr.)

4. The Little Drummer Boy

5. I Wonder As I Wander

6. Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella (Instr.)

7. Down In Yon Forrest

8. The Carol Of The Birds

9. Angels We Have Heard On High (Instr.)

10. Ave Maria (Sung In German)

11. Mary's Wandering

12. Deck The Halls (Instr.)

13. Away In A Manger

14. Adeste Fidelis (Instr.)

15. Cantique De Noel (Sung In French)

16. What Child Is This

17. Silent Night

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In her early days Joan Baez's beautiful soprano rang like a bell, so it's no surprise that it's the perfect instrument for a set of ancient carols and Christmas favorites. Arranger Peter Schickele (of Public Radio International's Schickele Mix and P.D.Q. Bach fame) wisely sets Baez off against a background of traditional instruments on this 1966 chestnut, mixing her honeyed tones with the burrs, tinkles, and whispers of lutes, harpsichords, and recorders. "Coventry Carol" is gorgeous, moving in a way that few holiday songs do anymore. "Carol of the Birds" is enchanting. And Baez's quivery "Silent Night" is, quite simply, a gift. Noel (whose songs of peace were a quiet protest against the war in Vietnam) is an enduring, graceful classic. --Michael Ruby

Product Description

The recording sessions for Joan's Vanguard albums usually included more songs than an LP could hold-and so this reissue adds six unissued performances (including We Three Kings; The First Noel; Virgin Mary , and more) to the original 1966 LP, plus added verses on Away in a Manger . A wonderful treat for the holidays! --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Xmas Voice, December 18, 2001

By 

"mrmouse" (Southampton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noel (Audio CD)

Yes, Joan Baez is a great singer of Christmas songs too. And why not? Even if your not a fan of all of her work, there's no doubt she has the voice of an angel! And this is the perfect album on which to hear that voice as it was recorded in 1966, when Joan's voice was at it's loveliest. If your looking for a simple Christmas album, not overproduced, featuring your favorite carols sung in a passionate, powerful manner this one is for you.
Especially beautiful are Joan's versions of "I Wonder as I Wander", "What Child is This", and an incredible, "Silent Night."
This will quickly become one of your favorite Christmas Albums.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Get Remastered version of "Noel" instead of this CD, September 5, 2004

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noel (Audio CD)

Joan Baez has the perfect voice for these lovely old (or seemingly old) Christmas carols---a plangent, high, pure soprano. Only her fast vibrato keeps her from being mistaken for a Vienna choir boy.

It was eerie to hear her sing these carols again on CD, almost forty years after I first heard them on vinyl. In that decades-long interval, no one has ever managed to sing "The Little Drummer Boy" without sounding saccharine and/or lachrymose. I grew to despise the "rump bump bump bums" that resounded every Christmas season through elevators and K-Marts---until I heard Joan sing the song again. Somehow her straightforward presentation, with medieval-sounding accompaniment make this 1940's chestnut into a haunting Childe ballad.

This CD has a good mix of traditional carols, and some that may sound unfamiliar, e.g. "Down in Yon Forrest."

If you buy the remastered version of "Noël" rather than this CD, you will get six extra songs: "The First Noel," "We Three Kings (instrumental)," "Virgin Mary," "Good Christian Kings (instrumental)," "Burgundian Carol," and "Away In a Manger (French)."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!!, August 25, 2003

By 

J. Yates (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Noel (Audio CD)

I grew up loving this album on LP. It brings back a lot of memories as my favorite record to listen too. Joan Biaz has a woderful voice and displays it in an absolutely beautiful way on this album... A must have!!