Joan Baez

Jolie voix mais on se fait chier

Overall: 7/10 This started out as a 10/10 album. I love Joan's voice and I found everything so beautiful. While that beauty never really left, it also started to feel too repetitive at some point. I think this had the potential to be a perfect album but I got a bit bored of it's style by the end. Still, I think this is overall pretty great. Fav Song: House of the Rising Sun

I really wanted to like this, as I know that Joan Baez is a folk legend, but I could not take her voice's tight vibrato.

Groan Baez 2.0/5.0

pretty voice but pretty boring

Simple, but very beautiful. Also, she was 19 recording this?? Insane!

Couldn't finish it, got ten tracks in and figured there was nothing left for me to learn. It's a good version of what it is, and the woman can definitely sing, but ultimately it felt like I was being punished

Haiku: Alas, three point five Was not an option, for I Rounded this one down.

Really Good. haunting voice. Opened my eyes to her

bunch of good and whack covers. good voice but nothing original... (2.5/5.0)

Joan Zone baby 🇲🇽

It was more enjoyable than I was expecting. It did start to drag towards the end though. She has a fantastic voice, that seems to fit perfectly with just a simple guitar backing. I would happily listen again - but only if someone else put it on as I wouldn't bother to seek it out myself.

Zzzzzzzzz. 2.5

Put this on, but was completely vetoed by the missus. “Women’s lib be damned!” She cried. “This is just annoying!” Fair enough. The warble is so 60’s. 2 stars for my mom’s generation!

(3/5) The folk music that sprung from the late 50s, early 60s, was.. interesting. It was clearly a revolt against the big sounds of the jazz/swing music from the prior decades. It was also an interesting take on historical music as well. I guess, musically, Joan was as good a person as any to plumb the depths of this well. Her voice is ok (definitely an acquired taste) and the lone guitar is played as skillfully as the simple music demands. There are a few well known standards ("House.." immediately stood out) in here and I'm sure a few others. Overall an interesting artifact from this period. Normally this would get a polite '2', but seeing as this is the only album from an important FEMALE artist on the list, I'll inflate it. We get **TWO** 'xx' albums but only ONE Joan Baez?? (.. just one egregious example among many .. also NO SUPREMES.) I might not like it much but I respect the influence and importance of her work.

Much like Joni Mitchell, I find myself WANTING to like Joan Baez more than I actually like Joan Baez. It's good, and the lyrics are poetic and poignant, it just isn't something I'd reach for unprompted, and a listen to this one didn't inspire a second one. That said, it's still a solid 3/5 that I've no intention of talking down.

195. Joan Baez - Joan Baez (1960) 9.5.26 Variety: 3 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 3 Uniqueness: 2 Emotionality: 4 = 3.4 rounded down to a 3 I find myself this morning realizing that I am nowhere near as familiar with Joan Baez as I thought I was. Looking up her big hits, none of them ring a bell, and the song I associate with her most - Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" - I don't think she ever charted with. I'm pretty sure I've heard a live version though. Or maybe I've just absorbed 40+ years of pop cultural tropes where this song has been associated ( not entirely mistakenly so) with the stereotypical hippie. I think a couple things are at work here. First the song itself while written way earlier, is indeed a protest song that I think was picked up and batted around by and proved influential to those in the later 60s. And Baez herself had a pretty well documented and dedicated involvement in anti-war and peace movements. That coupled with me not being a fan of her earnest vocals early on I think bled together to make me think she was some hippie icon, when in fact she was the real fucking deal, having been an old resister well before she became famous in the early 60s, and continuing on into the modern era ( up to a few years ago!) when all the dirty hippie posers ( I really despise the hippie aesthetic btw as I think it was largely fueled by gross dudes who wanted easy access to drugs and sex and took advantage of a lot of young women and idealistic kids and who even the most effective of were ultimately just very, very loud and had no follow through/ They had their chance and fucking blew it.) had long since given up their schtick. Being rich and famous probably allowed her the luxury of dedicating time and money to causes, but at least she conritbuted something. Like it or not, the sentiment is admirable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHQ7N9lEl_E Anyway. THE TRACKS "Silver Dagger" - Have to say I am still not 100% onboard with Baez's vocals. She does a fine job, with the material and there's nothing really to criticize about her singing. It's just too pretty for me. For this sort of material. Great guitar work here as well. It is interesting to compare this song in particular to how it was arranged by one of her male counterparts, Dave Van Ronk - who changes it up to be about the man trying to steal the woman away, with her father's permission of course. I think this is going to be a rough listen for me, when I like the material, the playing, but find the delivery to be too smooth. It all balances out though. "East Virginia" - This one worked a lot better for me. Baez sounds much more forlorn and sad. It's also a better melody I think, and hearkens back to the old English folk ballad style in the delivery. "Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles)" - This felt much more like the sort of thing that would be fodder for a Peter, Paul, and Mary album. ( not a fan btw and relieved they are not on the list). Baez's voice soars on this and sort of overpowers it. Again, I'm struggling with the fact she's actually doing a great job. I just don't like how ... proper it sounds. Does that make sense? Maybe I'm crazy. I haven't read any other user reviews of this, but curious to see if her voice is a sticking point for anyone else. With "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" and a couple of her other 70s tracks I've heard she sound SO much more relaxed and natural in her delivery, so maybe she was too earnest and eager ( only 19 when she recorded this which is impressive) to please on this one. I dunno. This is starting to sound like a me issue. "House of the Rising Sun" - This is a hard one to mess up, and Baez acquits herself well enough. I really liked the softer bits on here at the ends of her lines. It's when she goes BIG that she loses me. The material is strong though, so strong that more than a few people have polished their reputations with it. "All My Trials" - The playing was great on this one, delicate and appropriate to the lullaby-like structure, dark as that lullaby is. I'm reminded a bit of Cat Stevens here, whose delivery can get feel a little overbaked as well. "Wildwood Flower" - This was WAY more my speed, with the fingerpicking, Appalachian flavor in full effect. This was great in fact. I wish she could have stayed in this register for everything on here. The uptempo feel helps distinguish this one as well. When she does go high on here, she ends up going into a very awesome country diva sound that makes me wonder if she ever did an album of country standards. ( Edit: looks like shed did! It's a compilation called The Joan Baez Country Music Album. I will give this a spin and see what's up). This was wonderful stuff. "Donna Donna" - Slow and sad, and makes better use of Baez's ability to go into that English folk ballad mode. I'm imagining she would have killed it guesting with a group like Fairport Convention. I don't see that she ever did, but she did record a version of my all time favorite folk ballad, that Fairport Convention recorded an iconic version of. - "Matty Groves" by Joan Baez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd6vIBV-f-A - "Matty Groves" by Fairport Convention: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtVkYMFueWs - "Little Musgrave (alt title)" by Jean Ritchie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27wejRHnyxU "John Riley" - This one has very similar vibes, but works a lot better for me, I think due to the much catchier melody. Very pretty, very sad. This formula seems to be working much better along with the more country-ish for me than the bigger swings. "Rake and Rambling Boy" - This one fits more in the country-ish mode, but she mixes in that big, big, delivery which sours it a bit for me. "Little Moses" - Her voice suited this one pretty well, as she stays down low and delivers it softly and like a religious lullaby. Sweet and easy to imagine a loving mother sending her kid off to bed with this. "Mary Hamilton" - Again with the big swings. This one isn't as bad as some though. I can hear some of Joni Mitchell's vocal inflections on this one though, and I can't imagine that Mitchell wasn't a big Baez fan. "Henry Martin" - Not a seas shanty per se, but adjacent enough to make me wonder if Baez dipped her into any of those ( Edit: not that I can find). "El Preso Número Nueve" - This was awesome. I could listen to a whole album of Baez performing mariachi numbers. That super emotional soaring quality is very much suited to it. And the guitar work here is badass. HIGHLIGHTS - "East Virginia" - "Wildwood Flower" - "Donna Donna" - "John Riley" - "Little Moses" - "El Preso Número Nueve" MIDLIGHTS - "Silver Dagger" - "Fare Thee Well (10,000 Miles)" - "House of the Rising Sun" - "All My Trials" - "Rake and Rambling Boy" - "Mary Hamilton" - "Henry Martin" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS I was looking forward to this one, even though I'm not a fan of Baez's vocal delivery. I can admit she's a true talent, and while her voice is pretty, and full of emotion it just hits me wrong with a good portion of these songs. I feel like they should all be dirtier, and well... more traditionally folkier. The few times I'd heard her sing growing up I didn't much care for it wither, but I didn't have the context or experience to realize just why that was. In the decades since I've listened to a lot of folk and roots music and have found that my tastes lean very hard into the more authentic, rustic, and rough around the edges stuff, both in production and vocals. As lame as it sounds to say it, I prefer the more authentic stuff, maaaaaan. Having just recently listened to a bunch of Jean Ritchie recordings does not help Baez in comparison. By comparison, that stuff is haunting and ghostly, and hits my sweet spot. Dylan skirts by in this regard due to his explosive creative period, and his unique voice, with it's roughness already built in. Baez, I hate to say it has a voice that's just damn pretty for me. I admire and respect the woman, and her arrangements on these tracks are undeniably good, as is her performance. It's just not may taste. So she will get the rare bump from me because of that. The influence she had on female performers in particular cannot be overstated - all the way from the folkies of the 60's, every singer songwriter you can name from the 70s, and alt country artists well into the 80s and beyond. And that's not even considering that she deserves a lot of credit for recognizing and championing Bob Dylan, drawing eyes and ears and dollars by recording his work and getting him valuable stage time. She vouched for the dude, and helped get that monster career moving. Pretty sure he ended up doing her dirty in return, which seems par for the course for so many of these "great" men on the list. Her body of original work though has also not made a very deep impact in the popular culture. At least not one that has lasted much beyond the early 70s, so that's another small criticism. She's a musical icon without an iconic set of songs, which is a strange space in the popular culture to inhabit. This is her only album on the list, and having heard none of the others I can assume it was picked primarily for its outsized influence, and that works great. Also, her cover of "The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down" is SUPERB, and I think is the primary version of the song that exists in my mind, which does make me want to check out some of her 70s stuff... Edit: I took a detour to dive into that country compilation album and it was uniformly excellent. It's from a lot of different periods I guess, but she sounds way more confident and relaxed on all of this, and stays in a fine register. Several of these I listened to on repeat. I would highly recommend to fans of Neko Case. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - I could see myself revisiting the highlights here FURTHER LISTENING - Dust Bowl Ballads by Woody Guthrie - The Smithsonian Folkways Collection by Pete Seeger - The Wayfaring Stranger by Burl Ives - Saturday Night and Sunday Too by Jean Ritchie - Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan - Van Ronk Sings by Dave Van Ronk - Song to a Seagull by Joni Motchell - Gliding Bird by Emmylou Harris - I'm Gonna Be a Country Girl Again by Buffy Sainte-Marie - The Joan Baez Country Music Album by Joan Baez - Bonnie Raitt by Bonnie Raitt - "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave you" by Led Zeppelin - "Diamonds & Rust" by Judas Priest - The Tigers Have Spoken by Neko Case

Once again I must reiterate how I am a sucker for a pleasant voiced lady strumming an acoustic guitar. Joan Baez has a lovely voice and the material is here to let her sing. There is not much beyond that. This is part of that 60s folk music moment, artists went about rediscovering and reinterpreting old standards. I enjoyed this album. I’ll give it a 3.5 that Im bumping up to a 4 for appreciation of Baez career. Highlights That stretch from “House of the Rising Sun”to “Little Moses” really got to me. Loved it.

ofwel speel je folk ofwel zing je opera... maar verpest het ene niet met het andere...

She’s a bit of a Joni Mitchell type but less good.

She has a really pretty voice, but this album is way too long and not very interesting, there were a couple of songs that I really liked but they’re surrounded by ones I really didn’t.

At this point, folk music largely means a singer songwriter presenting their songs on an acoustic guitar. This record reflects that arrangement, featuring Baez on vocals and guitar with an additional guitarist, but this is a recording of what could be called folk songs. It's also definitely a product of the folk revival that was going on at the time. It's drawing from multiple traditions of that music. They're all fairly solid versions and Baez is an excellent singer in this tradition. It's pretty good, but not a record that I turn to that often despite having owned it for years.

09/02 Boring

The warbly stuff just sucks

Tiene canciones que estan lindas pero en general es aburridisimo HASTA QUE SE PONE A CANTAR EN ESPAÑOL, yo necesito que todo el album sea en español omg que diferencia!!! 5/10

I respect Joan Baez for a lot of things. Your values are only values if they're put to the test and she went to jail for what she believed in. There's a video of her somewhere breaking into a mocking impression of Bob Dylan that's hilarious. I don't know if there is a quintessential Joan Baez album versus a collection of songs. I don't even really understand the premise of this list anymore.

Another fave of my Dad but sadly she never resonated with me whenever I listened and this is no exception. It's fine, her voice is decent but I't's not having much effect on me.

Голос и гитары вызывают какую-то ностальгию...

I'm just not a fan of hers. Every album of hers I've listened to I walk away wondering why she got popular and why people tell me she's good. I just don't hear it.

Pretty boring with a voice that I just can't get behind.

Na momente mislim "kako divan glas" a onda na momente me prepada kako mi probija uši. Da se izbacila koja pjesma bio bi sasvim korektan album, ovako ga je i dužina srozala.

Her voice is amazing, unlike anything I have ever heard. I was quite surprised by it. I do think however that more than 30 minutes of Joan Baez is too much Joan Baez..

Nice voice. A bit slow for my taste.

2.9 2x great voice

Not for me and lasted only five tracks Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ in part Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆(4/10) Default Total reviewed : 415 Already owned : 93 Purchased : 21 To buy : 5 Nope : 296

Quite an interesting collection of folk songs -- even if Joan Baez's version did not become the standard which these songs are known as, her delivery is solid and her music resonant.

so very american, i liked the spanish songs, not a bad listen

I'm not always wanting to listen to more traditional folk, but I can appreciate what she was doing.

Kicking off the 1960s with arrangements of traditional folk tunes that highlight Baez’s beautiful, vibrato-accentuated, voice accompanied by well-picked acoustic guitars melodies. A lot of emotion in the slower songs, the haunted ghosts transmitted theough Baez’s new lens on the song. But the occasionally picked up tempo can also make a fun romp. It’s a good album, though I doubt I’ll come back frequently.

Uhhhhh, not sure how much I enjoyed this. It's pretty boring. In terms of variety it rates a 0/10. Folk doesn't need to be this way. What this means is that listening to this album becomes a stale experience, where songs bleed into each other too much. It's very soothing and her voice is undeniably beautiful. However, she overuses vibrato and the soothing style sometimes clashes with unneeded intensity. I can imagine at the time this was released it was probably very exciting, because having a performance like this at home was a privileged. But this doesn't hold up; it doesn't feel 'fresh'. This doesn't appeal to me and it reminds me of the whole Dylan fiasco. He transformed 'folk' beyond what people thought folk should be. And thank God he did this, because folk became MUCH better thanks to him, and it makes this album feel outdated.

Several really nice songs, Joan has a beautiful voice. I can only get so much out of folk songs from this era but it's very well done. Another instance of a House of the Rising Sun rendition.

There's a lot of mean things I could say about her voice, so I'll be nice about it instead: her caterwauls could trigger fire and brimstone to rain down from above and give the angels reason to wield swords and decapitate everyone

★★½

Old plinky folk. Kind of Joni Mitchell Carole King etc. high pitched and kind of bird-like. Kind of annoying tbh. I have heard of her from that Bob Dylan movie.

The sound of fingernails on a chalkboard causes a physical cringe because its frequencies match the warning screams of primates and trigger an alarm in the brain. This album had exactly the same effect on me!

I loved this - pared back folk, with no sense of ego. Raw, emotional and stripped back - in some places jarring which to me really bought out the storytelling. I really vibe with her voice, it reminds me so much of one of my favourite musicians Jonna Newsom. I enjoyed her take on the traditional songs, and am looking forward to exploring more of her work. Not for everyone for sure, but it was perfect for me today, painting in the sun, thinking about my past, present and future.

Simultaneously one-dimensional and timeless.

A little too tender

I will admit that folk isn't really something that falls on my ears, but I will try to be nice here. Vocally, her singing was okay, but there were times she hit certain notes where I couldn't stand it. Instruments were okay - I found myself wishing that she had more high energy songs throughout. This was alright to have play in the background, but I did find myself counting down how much time was left until the end.

Good poetry, but her voice is not something I want to jam out to. Pretty but intense.

Not sure i will finish this album. She is a good singer but almost too good. Too operatic? Not tasty enough? Too pure? Whatever it is I find it boring. Its the simplest of recordings. Nowt but her finger picking quietly and belting out loud enough to give the mixer the shits in overly dramatic tones. I’ve not listened to a full Joan Baez album before. I think her voice is very good and so pure it would sit better as an instrument among other instruments. After this i will go through some other albums and see if i am right. I finiahed the album before i had to rate so listened to a few other tracks and i find her much more engaging when set in a band. She still tends toward the melancholic, though some of her 70’s stuff ia pretty poppy.

Special, Her perfect voice and traditional folk songs. While there are lots of essential Joan baez albums, this one is right up there. But, while I'm here, this album has gone out over the years under a number of different covers. One Album A Day hasn't chosen on of the better ones here.

Though the album was a good vibe even though there weren't that many standout songs. Preferred the songs where there was a bit more music going on instead of just the singing. Favourite: Wildwood Flower Least favourite: John Riley - though none of them were terrible Per-song ratings (not including the 3 bonus tracks): 3333343344343

Her voice is beautiful. Her version of House of the Rising Sun gave me goosebumps. What a fun album of folk songs. I really like folk music so this was right up my street, I know it isn’t for everyone. I like the contrast between the softer and more powerful singing she does. And I love the acoustic guitar, it’s always intricate enough to be interesting but never so much that it takes away from her singing. Fav song: House Of The Rising Sun Least fav: East Virginia

This has a Joni Mitchell feel to it which I really do not like, somehow the Spanish song completely erased this though and I really enjoyed that. Rest of it not so much. Specific rating - 3.1 Fav song - el preso numero nueve/ girl of constant sorrow Least fav - house of the rising sun

I enjoyed a lot of the songs individually but I found myself getting a little sick of the whole album at points. Her voice is just gorgeous though, so powerful. Amazed that she was just 19 and would go on to do so much- and bring Bob Dylan with her. Fun to have a Glasgow mention! Favourite: House Of The Rising Sun Least: East Virginia

Not for me. 1/5

This one is very mellowed-out, fragile, precious-sounding album. It has Joan (I believe) covering songs for the entire duration, I'm not too familiar with the songs - except for "The House of the Rising Sun" - so I can't really comment specifically on her renditions, but I thought the songs were lovely and all had a lo-fi vibe to it. Even I enjoyed it, I don't think I'd see myself returning to this, I do think this album is must-hear, it really captures the time period well, so there's that. Highlight Song/s: "Silver Dagger" and "Rake and Rambling Boy"

Il faut être zen pour l’entendre

Meh. Not much for troubadours. Feels like I need a lute and a codpiece. Also, her vibrato gets annoying after two or three songs. Here's the weird thing. I somehow have three of her LPs. Go figure.

I found this to be very difficult to listen to simply because it's so boring.

It’s interesting to think that this folk revival stuff was really titillating to people at the time. This one’s early eh. 1960. Pretty cool. My true enjoyment is more like a 3, but I got a kick out of thinking “Wow Joan Baez could really sing” as if I didn’t already sort of know that.

Stark but really excellent.

Anstrengend, langweilig

Perinteisiä folk kappaleita. Kivan rentoa, pelkkä laulu ja kitara. Nauhotuksissa hyvä vanhan ajan henki. Parhaat: Silver Dagger, Donna Donna,

Rating: 4.5/5 Short Review: Her voice is almost too perfect. Clear, controlled, beautiful, and occasionally a little haunting. And there’s barely anything around it, which makes the whole album feel incredibly intimate. I did start craving a little more variety toward the end. Voice and acoustic guitar can only carry me so far before my attention starts wandering. But the simplicity is also what makes the best songs hit so hard. Nothing to hide behind. Favorite Track: “Silver Dagger.” Beautiful song. There’s this quiet sadness to it that stuck with me immediately. Her voice against that simple guitar is basically all it needs.

Whew! That’s a lot of fairy music. It was about 30 minutes too much. It I listen more, I might start talking like a nobleman.

Schlecht gealtert. Gefällt mir nicht (mehr).

Beautiful. I like Joan Baez. Of all the folk revival stuff, she feels the most trad to me. I guess it might just be the stripped back folk club arrangements. Her voice is beautiful. Like Sandy denny meets a primary school teacher.

Love a singer songwriter

Decent album if vocally shrill at times 3/5

I get Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell confused, and had to look up who sang Yellow Taxi because this wasn't the voice I was expecting. I enjoyed the it though, but after listening to a few songs from later albums, I prefer them but no disputing her influence on 60s folk & social/political causes.

She has a beautiful voice, but this just doesn't really stand the test of time as far as being an enjoyable listen. Influential, absolutely. But this isn't something I'd put on in a group and expect positive reactions.

The warbling voice gets annoying after about the 10th track. The House of the Rising Sun cover was nice though.

I love Joan but this was not her best

Just a striking voice and a hand-plucked guitar. Performed with an earnestness you rarely hear today. But if you can set aside your jaded twenty-first century disaffection, you may find this album is actually quite beautiful. (At first, my only complaint was that it felt too long and drawn out, but I later learned that this was specific to the reissue, which adds three tracks that don’t add to the overall impact to the album, and instead make it feel overwrought. But maybe it’s just testing the stamina of this distraction-prone listener.)

A beautiful collection of songs sung and played wonderfully. My favorite folk song “Wildwood Flower” and the hidden haunting gem “All My Trails” mixed in with great classic folk. Makes me want to listen to some Burl Ives

Fav song: House Of The Rising Sun

What a voice. Incredible

Not normally my thing at all. Loved it. Class.

A fine record of folk tunes, sung well. Influential, obviously, but not quite my cup of tea, personally.

I can’t stand her voice. Sorry, I have really tried to appreciate Joan Baez. I don't get it.

Not bad

It’s fun, 2.5

!!! I suppose nearly all of these are traditional folk songs, and I appreciate the History of Sound (and a little bit, the Bob Dylan movie) for helping me understand the significance of sharing and covering folk songs. Honestly, very Hadestown. Kind of. Anyway, her voice is magic, so peaceful and comforting. Odd sense memory re Joan Baez, is overhearing some badass woman and my sociology professor talking about going to see her in concert my freshman year. I didn’t know who she was at the time but she became associated with “cool” and “old” and “an honor to see live” and it was like a reminder of how fans span across generations.

Good but overstays its welcome

The singing is decent, but the lack of variety really makes the album drag on.

I hate that near traditional folk sound of the 60’s.

Just can’t handle this singing style

I was at 3 stars and then the track came with the grating voice, only this time en Espanol. No bueno.

Not here to argue about the cultural significance of this one, on that front it stands on its own, and probably justifiably so. There's just something to this warbly style of singing that turns me off. No doubting her talent and musical chops on display here, just can't take too much of this

Beautiful folk album Joan Baez has a beautiful voice

Boring shrill and not my thing. It's like what if the most annoying vegan you ever met at a party, also brought a guitar.

15-20 minutes too long

I like my folk music but come on, this is way too airy fairy Donaldson’s dairy

I love this kind of folk music so even if the songs aren't original, her vocals and a guitar are all I need!

Her voice is so beautiful, so I’m slightly surprised I don’t love it more x

I love it when Joan Baez gets dark and spooky, elevating her performance from that of a gentle soul, to someone with a more chilling perspective. I particularly liked Free Thee Well and Donna Donna. The sweeter takes on traditional folk are beautiful and smooth but possibly less memorable in the canon of traditional folk singers.

Some kind of 3 for Joan Baez, a great voice and lovely playing of some folk standards

It’s aight, not my vibe

If she skipped the warbling, her music would be 10x better. As it is, she's a yodeling hippie.

The house of the rising sun was really powerful with her voice. If more songs on this album gave me the feels this song did it would have been a higher rating.

She has a beautiful voice. Not sure I'd seek out folk music but if I did, I would probably listen to more of her.

I have to go high here just because of the quality of her voice. I enjoy the folky storytelling style, but the vocals are just so smooth and clear on a high range. Well produced and easy to consume and hear the stories.

I was not expecting to like this much but am now a convert! Incredible story telling and incredible musicianship clinched it for me.

So pure. Really nice singing. (Copied from my other group.)

Not doing it.

no notes

Malo

I remember reading a book about Bob Dylan’s going electric. In the book, it referred to Baez a lot. It talked about how she help him get his footing in the music world, and things went sour by the mid sixties. Listening to this, I can hear how Baez definitely set the scene for Dylan to arrive a couple years later, same early Dylan sound with a better than Dylan voice. She did these folk tunes a good service.

I do like Joan Baez’s music, but around the 40 minute mark I started checking out and just kind of ignoring the album by going through some YouTube videos for other music. 3.5 / 5

Not a folk fan, it's probably fine

Before Dylan or Simon or Jansch or Mitchell, there was Baez. Listening without context in 2026 this is bog standard trad-folk and wouldn’t get much attention but at the time it was revolutionary and big respect for that.

Не моя музыка, но очень искренняя

Respectfully I did not enjoy this album.

This is fine. For me the vibrato on Joan’s voice is a bit much.

I can appreciate her talent on this album. She was 19 when she recorded this album that is nearly solo work with the exception of an additional guitarist on some songs. Her vocals are so pure with incredible control. Beautiful album.

Joan Baez was 19 years old, lying on a dirty rug in a smelly hotel ballroom on Broadway with two microphones, one for her voice and one for her guitar, recording thirteen traditional folk songs across four nights. They could not record on Wednesdays because the hotel played bingo. This is either a charming origin story or a sign that the universe was trying to tell everyone something. The voice is genuinely extraordinary. A soprano so pure that one critic wrote the mere act of listening, forget what she was singing, was a pleasure. She recorded House of the Rising Sun two years before The Animals made it famous, which is the kind of historical footnote that earns respect without necessarily earning a repeat listen. The album was inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. It influenced Bob Dylan, who she later dated, which influenced everything, which influenced the artists I actually listen to now. I imagine someone listening to Florence Welch in the year 2092 might feel the same way as I do now. I'm giving her a 2 star rating delivered with complete respect and zero guilt. One guitar. One voice. No beat. Beautiful and not my thing, which I have established in my reviews so far as a well established star value for such work. 2 out of 5. Both stars awarded to the voice, which deserved a bigger room than a bingo hall.

Beautiful voice but style of singing which i find difficult to listen to

Florence the machine if she were in 1960

Nah bruh

Hmmm. So far, pač vse zveni kinda enako. Njen visok glas s temi trilli al whatever the fuck so (you either like it, or not, in js sm slightly bolj v campu folka, k jim je to annoying/preveč piercing) in akustična kitara. In če prou dojamem, so vsi neki traditional traditional folk komadi, ne prou avtorski. Veselim se dva poznana slišat in to je to. Evo, "House of the Rising Sun". Mja. Eric Burdon mi ma tok dobr glas, da mam raj The Animals verzijo. Tudi glasbeno. O fak ej. Sj na neki točki bo I guess konec tega. "El Preso Número Nueve" mi je bil še najbolj všeč. Ne vem, a je blo sam zarad španščine, a tud končno mal inštrumentalne variacije. In technically bi mogla kle zaključit, ker ostalo so bonus komadi, k so bli dodani na ponovni izdaji albuma (ampak sm še "Girl of Constant Sorrow" poslušala, k me je zanimal zarad filma O Brother, Where Art Thou?.)

What an incredible voice. 4

Not really my style of music, but Joan has a great voice and most songs are clean arrangements with only Joan and acoustic guitar, which has it's charm. For traditional folk it's a step above the rest IMO.

7/21/26. First time diving into Joan Baez, she's got a great voice! Folk isn't my top genre, but always love the minimalist nature and storytelling.

2.5 - too folky

Early 60s folk. Debut. Classic folk songs. Really pretty and gentle.

Oh. Really not feeling the folksy 60’s. Yeah. It’s a beautiful collection. But man this ain’t my scene. 3 Boolean: true

As folky as ot gets. I like it

What a truly beautiful and heartfelt voice, performer and person Joan Baez is. This collection of mostly traditional songs are breathed into life by the way she delivers them, and you're spellbound in the main. Occasionally, the level of folkiness is too much for me, but it's truly a lovely thing to get to hear the birth of the Newport crowd, Dylan, Joni and so many more. She doesn't get anywhere near the love and recognition that she deserves.

Very very good.

Tough one for me. After the first two songs I thought I'd be giving this a 5. Fare Thee Well lost me, House won me back, and All My Trials lost me again. There's a few songs where her voice gets a little grating for me. But then all the other songs are incredible. Pure folk with very simple production that showcases her talent. I guess it's a 4.

neat historical artifact. simple, but there's a lot of heart and soul there. it might be a little too mournful to make for easy listening, but it is lovely. has the sound of essential americana, feels very culturally rooted in a neat way, not just in american folk but in other folks that got caught up in the melting pot. favorite is Silver Dagger or John Riley, but El Preso Numero Nueve deserves an honorable mention for how much it wakes joan up. very strong 3

Rating: 7/10 Beautiful folk from the early days of the scene, like 19 year old folk singer recording an album in 1960 is crazy. I often complain about covers and renditions in old music but for some reason with traditional folk it just feels right. Great guitar work and vocal performance, a while it might start to feel like it drags and get a just a little samey in places, it’s an all around good album. Silver Dagger is beautiful

I like this a lot, it's pretty simple but all of the pieces work really well together. Super strong vocals with some complementary guitar, not much to dislike there. House of the Rising Son cover was cool, Donna Donna and Henry Martin were nice, and the closing song was nice too 7.4/10

Great vocals, weird religious part, very cool when language switched

idk it sounds like she needs to breathe through her nose or something

Great voice but very boring

I loved the voice, but I still didn’t finish the entire album due to not my fave type of music.

Similar to my thoughts on early Dylan, this is so far removed from modern music, I am not comfortable judging it as such.

This is a bit far out from my tastes but I always approach things with an open mind. Joan appears good at what she does - it's just that I’m not really a fan of what she does, personally. This can make it difficult to rate - if we all rated albums simply based on personal tastes rather than looking beyond that and judging based on the overall music then what's the point? With that in mind - I would probably have to go 2.5 (though for the purpose of this site's rating system it's a 2 I guess). The reason being that there weren't any songs that stood out to me and it all sounded too much of the same thing. The pitch of her voice and constant vibrato started to become wearing. However it's not completely terrible where I think it has no musical value otherwise I'd be giving it a 1. About as fair a review as I can give!

JB has a beautiful voice, well suited to folk music. It's very traditional in parts with the obligatory cover of 'House Of The Rising Sun'. The standout track for me is the opener, 'Silver Dagger'. All that being said, this style is small doses only for me but that's personal preference, and this is great.

Some stand outs in here but overall I had a hard time going through the album

Her voice is beautiful and I appreciate her place in the music industry and folk music as a whole. However… an hour of this is a lot

This record is a vibe. Her voice is beautiful, and the songs are super pleasant. When the subject matter gets a bit religious I roll my eyes but thats "old standards" for ya. Joan seems like a national treasure through all of her advocacy and public comments. 4.5/5 -> 5/5

Didn’t like her voice but I bet she would do numbers in a medieval tavern

She’s alright. Very samsey

She’s got a nice voice and I can understand why people might like it. I, however, don’t. Too little variation, songs not engaging me, subpar cover of House of the Rising Sun

First verse of the songs are okay, then singer gets tired or something anw whispers throughout the song. Can’t hear the words.

love joan, but in the long run she lowk too much for me

First time I've listened to Joan Baez. Her soprano voice is clear and beautiful across an album of old folk tunes. I appreciated her take on House of the Rising Sun. East Virginia was also nice.

Joan is imoortsnt. I don’t think this is the album. But she certainly makes a bigger mark than some of the slop we’ve seen lately.

I've always found the soprano voice singing "folk" songs a tad jarring. Mean I know but I've never been a fan. I think Dimery needs a list which is "Artefacts" to give these records a nod of acknowledgement but there's nothing about this that is great. Just on House of the Rising Sun, every time I hear one of the many versions from the time I'm reminded of the Mike Jeffery/Alan Price scam on the arrangement royalties, to think Price is still getting all the money after all this time, what a prick.

Joan Baez has a beautiful and exquisite voice and a preternatural ability to communicate the drama and narrative of folk songs. Personally, I generally prefer a grittier tone (Karen Dalton is possibly an extreme example of a folk singer with a more distinctive voice) than Joan Baez's crystal-clear soprano, but it is really hard to argue with the quality of her singing. I mean, this was recorded very quickly with, like, two microphones in live takes, with just one or two guitars providing subtle accompaniment, and she nails it. She absolutely delivers beautiful, sensitive and compelling performances all the way through, with nothing to hide behind. Hard to believe she was only 19. Would it have been more appropriate to include one of her subsequent albums that showed off her songwriting? Maybe. But this is an exquisite example of her to arrange and perform traditional folk material. I think this is possibly my favourite version of the House of the Rising Sun -- it makes more sense with a female narrator, and Joan Baez's performance just feels devastatingly real. Highlights: Silver Dagger, House of the Rising Sun, El Preso Numero Nueve. 3.5 stars, rounding up.

Holy s***, I feel like I was put under a spell the moment she sang the first note. One of the biggest surprises of this journey for me as I literally never heard of her before. And no, I didn’t know about her and Dylan’s romance or watched the recent movie, so I really went into this blind. Joan is incredible and I swear she is casting spells through her voice. I am in awe and in a trance as I listen to each song.

Moderate

Folky and chill, but I like her later work better

3/5

Unfortunately her voice just makes every song sound the same. It became background music after the second song

I'm sorry Sara. Joan has a lovely voice, but I don't find her music particularly interesting. Favorite Songs: House of the Rising Sun

I am aware of the existence of Joan Baez but not very familiar with her stuff. I currently have only 1 song liked by her on Spotify - "Love is Just a Four-Letter Word" from 1968. I'm sitting here wondering how/where/when I first heard that to caused me to click like on it. I also have the song called "No Kings" by Jesse Wells that she appears on - which is a new song from 2025. So, curious to dive deeper into her catalog. Thoughts after listening 3 times ... First thought - she definitely sounds a bit like Sandy Denny from Fairport Convention - who I like and is the only other person to sing on a Led Zeppelin song. It's interesting to read about the history of some of these songs and how the evolved over long periods of time. I get similar vibes listening to this as I do listening to some of the earliest Carter Family stuff from the late 1920s and early 1930s. She even does a song that was originally recorded by The Carter Family - "Wildwood Flower". It feels like you are transported back to an ancient time - sitting in some medieval pub or around a campfire. I noticed she didn't write any of the songs on this album and reading the Wikipedia article it seems like she mostly does NOT write her songs - only doing so occasionally. This contrasts with someone like Joni Mitchell who I believe, while operating in a somewhat similar style, writes all of her songs. I ended up liking 4 songs on this one. "Silver Dagger", "East Virginia", "Fare Thee Well" and "House of The Rising Sun" - basically the first 4 songs on this one. I think that captures the vibe of this whole thing - and it honestly felt a little repetitive after that. Some of it started feeling too "churchy" for me as well. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/13 Rating: 2/5

bonito

Appalachian folk heaven - Joan’s voice is spooky in a way that I really enjoy.

Undoubtedly divine and beautiful. A debut album so strong and unique for 1960 I think it help cascade the folk and Americana movement. I think this album has a really interesting DNA code. Because its undoubtedly great solo folk album. But Joan's siren wail of a vocal range and the production value of a 4 track, mic, and acoustic guitar takes this back another 35 years and sounds like an early radio recording in low fidelity. It sounds so antique. I love that quality. The songs are great and simple and I sure do appreciate it. But, the mood really needs to hit with this type of antique sounding music. I wasn't prepared for this type of sound on a Monday morning. But, I enjoyed it and think it deserves its place on this list.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Joan Baez’s music. It’s always very comforting, and since this is the only record of hers on the list, I think this is worth hearing. I do think her later works are much stronger. Additionally, her lack of songwriting does push her work down a bit. But a very pleasant listen of classic Americana folk.

Beautiful! What a voice and lyrics, no wonder she’s a household name. Standouts are silver dagger and house of the rising sun.

Ack

Like it 3/5

I’d always meant to get around to listening to Joan Baez, especially when I was listening through the Dylan discography, reading ‘Been Down So Long it Looks Like Up to Me,’ visited Woodstock, and generally had a sixties folk moment. Yet, poor Joan slipped through the cracks as I focused on the men surrounding her in that era. What a misstep on my part. She’s excellent! What a new jewel in my musical jewel box. I immediately had to go off and listen to Joanna Newsom after this.

Nice record, very Greenwich Village in its folkiness.

Classics that are still evocative 60 years later

Nice and relaxing while I'm melting to death in this godforsaken UK heat.

Never heard of her and didn't particularly care for any of these tracks

Not my favourite voice but the songs are lovely.

3.5

you know what hell yeah lady

mmmno

No va

I never listened to folk music much. This album was easy on the ear. Incredible that this was recorded in 1960. I loved House of the Rising Sun. It’s much more convincing in this setting.

18/06/2026 Slow, boring and nothing stands out here. Spotify listeners: 1.7v million

Nice interpretation of traditional songs

I am left in awe with her voice and songs she was just 19

House of the rising Sun sample from this album

I love folk but I find this a bit too sweet for my liking. Baez's voice is very shrill and I really couldn't enjoy it as my eyes kept twitching for some reason. Just not my cup of tea but grateful to give her a shot as I'm aware many view her as legend. Some of the guitar work is nice though.

Lovely voice, not that much variation throughout the album though.

This is a very beautiful folk album esp for being from 1960. Holy sparks tho it’s 55mins did it really need to be that long?

Usually not a fan of this genre, but her voice is so beautiful, and there was enough variety in it that it cuts through very well. Her cover of House of the Rising Sun is quite brilliant, too. Look, it is a bit long, but it's still good.

Lille smule we have Joni Mitchell at home, kunne godt bruge nogle lidt mere interessante arrangementer men hun synger super godt

Meget pænt!

Super light and airy voice. Loads of bangers (because they're folk songs). "If it was never new, and it never gets old, then it's a folk song"

She writes well and there’s some songs on here I enjoy but it’s goes too far into gospel influenced territory for me and her vibrato is far too strong a lot of the time for it to be super enjoyable for me to listen to.

not too familiar and this is clearly excellent folk fayre - but not for me

Not quite my tempo. Joan Baez is cut from a very similar cloth as Joni Mitchell. The folk tendencies are strong here, but it doesn't quite do it for me. Baez' voice is killer, but the lyricism and vocal style leave a bit to be desired. The music makes sense for the genre. It feels criminal to rate this a 2, so we're going 3 even.

Gentle folk, nice voice and cool acoustic guitar parts

Baez's voice is clear and ethereal, and I appreciate her singing and songwriting. She's truly a voice for the 60s and 70s. Also, today I learned she wrote "House of the Rising Sun."

Very early folk record, so can see how this became quite popular. You definitely get a feeling that this influenced and set the standard for so many other folk albums to come during the 60s (CSNY, Joni Mitchell etc.). It sounds good, and Joan's guitar playing and singing is definitely top notch. That being said, I think this genre of 60s rock/folk has become quite oversaturated on this list, so I can't say I enjoyed it as much as I probably should and could have. I also have a hard time with covers being on this list, and this is being an album with only traditional folk songs puts it a bit in the same category. All of that taken into account lands it a 3 for me. Could potentially deserve more, but feels like a correct assessment for now.

I haven’t really listened to much Joan Baez, even though I’m familiar with a lot of early folk music. Her guitar playing is quite good, and she clearly has a strong voice. I was a bit disappointed that all the songs were traditional folk standards rather than her own material. The arrangements are okay, but I grew tired of her vocal style fairly quickly. At times, it felt a bit one-dimensional, with a heavy reliance on those high notes. It works well on a song or two, but across an entire album it became repetitive. Going to settle on a strong 2.

Country. Me aburrió. Por ahí si prestaba más atención estaba mejor pero no

I liked the idea of listening to folk songs, but the voice was not for me: too much vibrato, too shrill

I liked Joan Baez to a pretty surprising degree. It's been two days since i last did a singer-songwriter album and this one blows Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska out of the water and its all due to one thing, vocals. Baez managed to actually have a clear voice and make it an absolutely beautiful one which really helps me appreciate the songwriting here unlike Springsteen's more mumbly voice. Said songwriting is also very good here and its nice that i can appreciate it by actually being able to hear it. The music also fits very well but unfortunately it makes the songs sound quite samey which does take some of my enjoyment away from it. This album is a soft 4 but a 4 nonetheless. Best Song: All My Trials Worst Song: Donna Donna

I don't always like folk music, but wow this was good. Her vocalizations did not feel complex, but they suited the songs so well. El Preso Numero Nueve was really different than the rest of the album, but striking in its variation.

4 - BAD

Great folk

insanely boring despite great vocals. it's not building off anything and its those types of songs which sound empty if not for the singing carrying the majority of it.

Lovely voice and a true folk singer. Singing can get a bit show-y considering the material.

Rv

I can see why people that like this kinda of music would love this album but for me... bleh

Empieza agradable, pero se me ha hecho aburrido

Enjoyable album of traditional songs. East Virginia, John Riley, & Mary Hamilton were standouts to me. Interesting to learn Joan’s father had a significant hand in x-ray technology in the 1940/50’s.

Eh

So pure. Really nice singing.

really not my thing my shortness of patience couldnt make it thru this one i think her voice just isnt my style. someone might like it tho

Starts off with a great folk sound. Love the opening track, and the vibe continues on through the next two tracks. I don't always love the warbling she does, but the overall product of this album overcomes that for me. The three bonus reissue tracks are all great additions. 4/5

Jesus Christ

Given there's not any original writing, there's only so much I can praise in that regard, however beyond the writing she clearly demonstrates her competency in folk performance. Powerful but controlled vocal delivery over complex but beautifully complementary acoustic fingerpicking takes these traditional folk tunes to an elevated level. Reading that many of these were basically a one-take recording removes all doubt about her skill and having earned her fame.

beatufil voice

Thought I was going to enjoy it more than I did

Joan Baez has a beautiful voice and it’s on display here. It’s a bit too much at times though, I’m not really a fan of the high and long notes she’s hittinf, it doesn’t really fit the vibe for me. Other than that a pretty standard folk album, you kind of know what you are getting with these.

Good album. I enjoyed this one more than I expected. It is a solid 3 star album for me. No complaints. Nice acoustic guitars and the songs are obviously good.

it got boring on some songs but it’s so much better the Dylan.

Vocals can get tedious but the guitar parts and general vibe are quite nice

Like 'The Man Who Sold the World' song, I was first introduced to Baez because of MGSV (Here's to You). These album reviews has made me aware of the small, but noticeable, impression MGSV has left on my music tastes. Joan Baez is essential 20th century American folk, and it is a delight to hear her.

can you imagine being 19, doing a debut album of folk covers, and becoming an international folk icon whose work would become immortalized in the library of congress? scoot over bob dylan, the queen is ready to play* *i am sorry everyone but i unironically think she is leagues better than bob dylan, Brandon please forgive me

Very nice.

The favorite artist of the old lady at the outdoor art market peddling bespoke, upcycled trinkets. She has this CD in her 2007 Prius with the fading Coexist bumper sticker. The powerful vibrato and haunting tones didn’t do it for me, but I can’t deny that her voice is really impressive and singular. I’ll need to revisit it on a rainy day.

Silver Dagger - 3/5 East Virginia - 3.5/5 Fare Thee Well - 3/5 House Of The Rising Sun - 4/5 All My Trials - 3/5 Wildwood Flower - 3/5 Donna Donna - 2.5/5 John Riley - 2.5/5 Rake And Rambling Boy - 3.5/5 Little Moses - 3/5 Mary Hamilton - 3/5 Henry Martin - 3/5 El Preso Numero Nueve - 3.5/5 Girl Of Constant Sorrow - 2.5/5 I Know You Rider - 3/5 John Riley - 3/5

This is actually a very chill playlist, for just leaving it in the background while you're doing things.

2/5

smol 3

Not super into all the biblical stuff but an interesting look at musical storytelling

It's a nice listen, and you can definitely hear why Joan Baez eventually ended up as big as she was, but it doesn't feel like there's a lot to this one.

Pretty, but kinda dull.

i think this album just changed my life

The voice of an angel. I thought I might be bias going in because I’ve loved Joan and this album for years, but this listen through exceeded expectations. I know this music is not for everyone, but for me this is what music is about. Beautiful singing and guitar, incredible storytelling, and music that bridges the old world to the new. Incredible album. Top Songs: Silver Dagger, All My Trials, John Riley, El Preso Numero Nueve, I Know You Rider

9/10 Maybe a bit long, BUT it is part of the line between the old world and the new. Her voice is incredible, the guitar perfect. Recorded on a rug in a ballroom. Nowhere to hide. The root of much of the music I love, so gets the bump up into the hallowed 5 stars. I was also blown away that this was 1960 - a sign of a great album

She has a great voice, but that vibrato is too much.

I love love love Silver Dagger and always have. The rest of Joan's work has always been of more historical interest to me than anything else. Her voice is incredible and she clearly has a very thorough understanding of the folk canon, but I'm just not that moved by the more yodel-adjacent strain of folk that was popular at the time. It's not a fair comparison, but Bob's more grounded strain is more more kind of bag.

Not my thing

Great voice

keihard gejankt 10/10

Oh my. I do not have good feelings for the “folk movement.” This is actually a realization that has fully crystallized because of this exercise. I mean I always knew that Bob Dylan annoyed the f* out of me. No matter how much I tried/ try and appreciate his lyrics on paper, I just… hate him. And if I am honest this extends to the weird folksy stuff in Crosby Stills and Nash, to Neil Young generally, to the song Stairway From Heaven- God give me any Zeplin but that! My mom was a big fan of later Joan Baez. I didn’t pay much attention. But this, this, I wanted to destroy this. No doubt she has a voice and can play the guitar, but- man she makes me stabby. I was ready to kill half way through. Ugh. Give me Eienstruzende Neubauten any day over this drivel. 2 Boolean: no. I know it’s representative of the folk movement, but no, I don’t think I actually needed to hear it.

joaannnieeeeeeeee. need to relisten sorry

7 / 10

The Good: We get to do some drinking! The Bad: Wait… that’s another JB… The Ugly: The boring title, terrible cover art, and 2, count em, 1, 2, different fonts used… One should be grateful when it comes to following a list of 1001 albums, forcing you to listen to product you might never have listened to at all… why not. Also, you find out pretty darn fast if a style will be of your liking… Folk, together with rap, is quickly becoming a “thanks for ruining my mood!” kind of music. And what’s with the voices? Why why why do we need vibrato? Joan did good work, and is highly appreciated by many… just don’t count me amongst those. Though I’d feel bad to give her 2*, having to listen to her rendition of House of the Rising Sun was the proverbial nail… Sorry Joan, off to drink away my sorrows now… 2*

an all time country rock classic. I´d liked a lot her version of house of the rising sun, but i hated the last song on the album. 3 stars

I didn't expect this challenge to attract so many people with bad taste. What do you mean an average of 2.96? Get better ears y'all

2.5

Another artist that I’ve wanted to get into but didn’t know where to start. I love how smooth her voice is. I had thought that her music was more up tempo rock. Her later stuff probably was. But this is smooth and pure.. Joni Mitchell/Joanna Newsom. Holy shit she was 19!?

For me, this was like the Joanna Newsom album. I appreciate what is being done, even if I don’t really like her voice. The vibratto was a lot.

It was fine - even with the excessive vibrato on some of the songs. But it's folk and a little goes a long way.

3.5

Her voice reminds me of the succubus from South Park. This really does sound like it was recorded as a live album sans crowd, really beautiful. The song choice also seems to reflect a wide range of folk sub-genres from English to all across the US.

her voice is so high. pearse had bob dylan this same day!

Bastante meh, Joan canta increíble, pero no me generaron nada las canciones, me gustó su versión de House of the Rising Sun y la canción que canta en español, más allá de eso es un álbum olvidable.

Very pleasant

Music has come a long way since the 1960s

You know what hell yeah

3.5

Now on to the act that actually headlined the first night of Woodstock taking the stage at *checks notes* 3am Saturday morning. 😲 I admire/love/indifference with Joan over the years. I've often noted that I think her voice is actually too beautiful for her own good. She's got a lot of vigor but it's always balanced with i kind of classical sounding voice which creates a weird contradiction to my ear. But I don't think it's perfection over emotion as much as that's just the way she sings. Most albums I've hear were later album after the lore of Dylan became intertwined with her career. This is the first time I've heard any of her pre Dylan albums and honestly this might be my favorite of hers that I have heard. I think one thing that helps this is the absolute Simplicity of this album of just guitar and vocals . I think the guitar work between her and Fred Hellerman is absolutely incredible I think that's one of the highlights of this album and I think the simplicity of the production what's the emotionality of her voice actually rank through quite a bit. I actually like this album a lot more than I thought I was going to. (8.8) ★★★★

I really like these Greenwich village folk albums. Her voice is great, but I actually prefer her voice here to her later stuff. Also, I think she is a great interpreter of these folk songs. 3.5 stars

This was fine. I think after a while, I just kind of tuned it out though. Joan's warbly voice combined with the sparse arrangements gets really samey after awhile. My favorite tune was probably the last one, "El Preso Numero Nueve".

3.5

So, Joan Baez. I’ve heard you’re a bit of a ‘warbler’, eh? Know-what-I-mean know-what-I-mean, nudge nudge, say no more. JOAN BAEZ: I beg your pardon. So uh… I also heard you like to blow. Bob Dylan says you’re a bit of a blower, nudge nudge, say no more say no more. JOAN BAEZ: Yes. Well, um… I sometimes like to play Blowin’ In The Wind in my live sets. Ahh! Say no more say no more. A nod is as good as a wink to a blind bat. So you’re interested in photography, ay? “Photography, ay?”, he asked her knowingly. JOAN BAEZ: Photography? Snap snap, grin grin, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more? JOAN BAEZ: I do sometimes have my photo taken for album sleeves or at live gigs. Could they be candid, you know CANDID photography? JOAN BAEZ: Look, what are you trying to insinuate? Well, you’ve been around the block. You know, been a boring folk singer for the past 70 years. JOAN BAEZ: Yes? What’s it like?

This was easy to listen to in the background. The production is great - everything feels really clear and bright. Her vocals are pretty stellar, the songs are nice and simple. I was pleasantly surprised by her Spanish singing skills! I don't think I would revisit this, but it was a decent listen. Favorite tracks: East Virginia Wildwood Flower El Preso Numero Nueve

1001 Albums Generator 289 (5/12/2026) Joan Baez's self-titled is a wonderful collection of gentle folk tunes, but it isn't much more than that. Her voice is beautiful and totally a precursor for much of the contemporary folk that would follow her. Pleasant to listen to, but not something I'd reach for. 3/5. Favs: Silver Dagger Donna Donna Henry Martin Least Fav: Rake and Rambling Boy

Good album maybe a bit to indie foll for me but for the time it was very cool. Great songwriting

Love the folksy stuff, the vibrato, and some great songs.

I am not a fan of the vibrato covers.

Pretty

Ja, prima, af en toe kabbelt het wel echt heel erg voor, maar echt storend is het niet

Wat een stem, damn. Er staan alleen maar covers op deze plaat, waardoor de kwaliteit en stijk van de nummers wat wisselt, maar al met al heerlijk om naar te luisteren.

Nope. 1

Light 3,5

That forced vibrato was not pleasant

4 stars even though it has none of the hits

it was pretty good but not somethign id listen to again

Die paar ‚covers‘ vo alte folk Lieder sind nöd schlecht gsi

Incredibly boring

Fun listening to this

Wonderful.

Enjoyed her guitar work - was hard to listen to a full album, though since it all sounded so similar. 3/5

Cool voice. Music not for me

Solid, though I definitely need to be in a different mind frame to sit down and listen through

Folk songs arent my style

I knew the name but had never listen d to any of Joan Baez’s music until I watched A Complete Unknown. Forget Dylan… I went on a big Baez kick after seeing that movie and vastly prefer her over Bob. So I came into this album already knowing and loving her. Overall I like this album although the Spanish track grates and gives me a headache.

Didn't know anything by her but it's kind of what I imagined it would be. Great voice but it's not something I'm likely to listen to again.

Enjoyed this a lot. She does have a great voice and the simple production means it shines here

I really wanted to like this but I just can't get into it. And I didn't realize this until now but I didn't know she didn't write her own songs, at least early on in her career. So these are her interpretations of other people's songs, some I'm very familiar with and some I didn't know at all. Folk isn't a genre I go too deep with, so she's already playing from behind here. There's some really good stuff on this album...the guitar work is great. But holy shit, when she hits those high soprano notes, the warbling...it just sounds almost off key. I'd really like to like this more than I do...or at least appreciate it more than I do. I gave the whole thing a listen but I was wondering when it'd be over instead of enjoying it. I understand why she's revered and an icon but this isn't what I want to listen to.

A Mighty Wind in real life

Another country album

I really can't stand her voice...and I like Bob Dylan.

I knew of Joan Baez before this but had never really listen to any of her songs. Not really my style of music but I liked it. Reminded me of festival music..

Folk.

There’s nothing wrong with this, but it gets a little tedious to listen to.

Quite enjoyed it. Can't bring myself to rate it more highly as she didn't write any of the tracks, but they're performed beautifully.

Not my music but influence and tge performance good

So far she sung one note change in a particular way that I liked, but the rest just reminded me of why I don't like hippies.

good voice, good singer folk. but nothing remarkable

Love a bit of folk

2.5/5