Customer Reviews

Vanguard Sessions: Baez Sings Dylan

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

This is an album of superb Dylan covers and it's revealing to hear these songs from a female perspective. I heard some of Dylan's songs here first and only later experienced his own versions, for example I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine which is definitely very different (and more beautiful to me) in Baez's version. Other great tracks include I Pity The Poor Immigrant (still as relevant as ever), Love Is Just A Four Letter Word, the heart-breaking Walls Of Redwing (about inmates in a jail), One Too Many Mornings, Boots Of Spanish Leather and Restless Farewell. All of them beautiful melodic songs lovingly interpreted by Baez in her strong and pure folk voice. Everything about this album is just so right: her phrasing, the choice of songs and her elegant delivery. This is a classic folk album of the 1960s and also essential listening for Dylan fans. I love it.

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.

I saw them together at Forest Hills in the summer of 1964 and fell totally in love. His words are as on point today as they were then. Her interpretations caress the words as his hammer them home.

I disagree with the statement that Joan Baez isn't the best interpreter of Bob Dylan's compositions. She has made "Love is Just A Four Letter Word" her song. I don't think Mr. Dylan has ever recorded the song and don't know if it shows up on any bootlegs or concert playlists. Joan's version of "Boots of Spanish Leather" is my favorite. I didn't really think it was a special song until I heard her interpretation of it on this record. She has of course recorded more Bob Dylan songs than these but this is a special collection.

Joan Baez has, without a doubt, one of the most stunning voices of the rock and roll era, and her personal relationship with Bob Dylan affords her the ability to perform his work from a unique vantage point. This collection is exquisitely packaged and includes teriffic liner notes, but is rather redundant, as the majority of her fans most likely already own ANY DAY NOW, JOAN BAEZ/5 and FAREWELL, ANGELINA, the original albums from which the bulk of this material is taken.

This CD is staggering. Also buy "Any Day Now" to get the almost 12-minute version of "Sad Eyed Lady" not on the "Baez Sings Dylan"
Two astounding albums,
Patrick

Why listen to this album?

Easy. Dylan's songs are indeed best performed by Dylan. Because when Baez sings Dylan, the songs' personalities change. The songs are not what they were; the feminine feeling and the clear, utterly beautiful voice makes them perfect.

So, yes, listen to Dylan... and Baez.

joan baez was why i first listened to bob dylan. i kept hearing these incredible songs and wanting to know who wrote them. i love dylan's crusty voice of experience but the songs take on a new beauty with her interpretations. especially love you ain't goin nowhere, love is just a four letter word, walls of red wing, boots of spanish leather and (my favorite) i shall be released. dylan is the best no matter who sings him.