Joan was very much an album of its time in terms of its sound and production, more so than any other album that Joan Baez ever recorded. In 1967, rock, folk, folk-rock, and pop all seemed to be headed in new and ever-more-ornate directions, and Joan was a response to that change and, not coincidentally, is also the most self-consciously beautiful record that Baez ever cut. Arranger/conductor Peter Schickele, who had previously worked with Baez on her Christmas album, provides generally restrained orchestral accompaniment on ...
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Joan was very much an album of its time in terms of its sound and production, more so than any other album that Joan Baez ever recorded. In 1967, rock, folk, folk-rock, and pop all seemed to be headed in new and ever-more-ornate directions, and Joan was a response to that change and, not coincidentally, is also the most self-consciously beautiful record that Baez ever cut. Arranger/conductor Peter Schickele, who had previously worked with Baez on her Christmas album, provides generally restrained orchestral accompaniment on ten of the 12 songs here. The latter, in sharp contrast to Baez's earlier work, are mostly drawn from a wide range of such popular composers as John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Donovan, Paul Simon, and Jacques Brel, as well as Tim Hardin and Baez's late brother-in-law, Richard Farina. Several of these tracks -- "Turquoise" with its gorgeous parts for the harps and the horns, "Children of Darkness" with its beautiful writing for the reeds, and "Saigon Bride" with its haunting brass part -- are profoundly beautiful. Others, such as "Eleanor Rigby" and "Dangling Conversation," don't come off nearly as well, in part because they're competing against fairly ornate originals and also -- in the case of the Paul Simon song -- because of Baez's decision to alter the words. If Joan has one unfortunate attribute, it lies in the singer's Sinatra-like tendency to alter the lyrics of the songs that she's chosen to cover, if only by a single word ("is the theater really dead" becomes "is the church really dead," for no reason that anyone but the singer has ever been able to fathom); that and her overly strident singing (mated to an overly strident brass-laden arrangement) of Jacques Brel's "La Colombe" constitute the low point of this otherwise very fine album. Additionally, Baez shows off the two earliest-published products of her career as a songwriter, in the form of "North" and "Saigon Bride," the latter a particularly poignant anti-war song that expresses the futility of the Vietnam War about as well as anything this side of Phil Ochs' "White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land." ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
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Add this copy of Joan to cart. $2.75, very good condition, Sold by Balboa Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Diego, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1967 by Vanguard VSD 79240.
Add this copy of Joan to cart. $3.78, fair condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Vanguard.
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Fair. All our items include the original disc(s) in the original case. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of Joan to cart. $3.78, good condition, Sold by Bookmans rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tucson, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Vanguard Records.
Add this copy of Joan to cart. $3.90, good condition, Sold by Broadband ERA rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from BEAVERTON, OR, UNITED STATES, published by Vanguard.
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Good. Vinyl shows some wear from use, may affect playback. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. Orders received before 3PM PT typically ship same day. All profits support the non-profit community.
Add this copy of Joan to cart. $3.90, good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by Vanguard VSD 79240.
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Good. Providing great vinyl and media since 1972. All used records are inspected and guaranteed. May have wear and minor issues from previous owner. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Joan to cart. $3.90, good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by Vanguard VSD 79240.
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Good. Providing great vinyl and media since 1972. All used records are inspected and guaranteed. May have wear and minor issues from previous owner. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Joan to cart. $3.90, good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by Vanguard VSD 79240.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Providing great vinyl and media since 1972. All used records are inspected and guaranteed. May have wear and minor issues from previous owner. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Joan Baez to cart. $3.95, good condition, Sold by Balboa Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Diego, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1960 by Vanguard VRS 9078.
Add this copy of Joan to cart. $4.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Vanguard Records.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Joan to cart. $6.39, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Ruby rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Vanguard Records.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Cases may show some wear. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!