Reviews (page 6 of 7)
Appreciate it as very early folk, but found it a bit of a snoozefest
Ni en pedo le chupo las medias a la música de protesta/fogón yankee de los 60s. Totalmente embolante. La típica de Lisa en Los Simpsons.
Some early Baez folk that’s from before my music listening time. Although they’re her arrangements of traditional folk songs, I’m not familiar with a single song, (other than Risin’ Sun) but did recognize her voice, which is unique. Not sure why my parents didn’t have any of her albums as they were into folk music. Her debut might have been popular when it came out, but like folk music in general, it pretty much faded as rock and roll took over the next generation and the airwaves. (2.1*s) Was 1960 really that long ago? Yep!
Joan Baez may be the most known woman folk singers ever and I have never gave her a listen. Debuts, when groundbreaking and original are list worthy, but an album of mostly covers of traditional songs is not my idea of a must listen. Don't get me wrong, Joan has a voice that floats like a morning songbird over a dewy meadow. If she were performing on a street corner, I'd drop a dollar in her jar. She's good but I am left tired of the slow, similar tone after this one. In doses, I can handle it. This may be a harsh rating because Baez has the talent but I'm bored after 2 songs so 1.5 stars.
i don't really like her timbre
Beautiful voice, but terrible songs
Nice, clean folk music
way too high pitch for my taste
..
Not as good as her later work
Eh…not my favorite from her
I would have been surprised if we *didn't* get a Joan Baez album, but I have to admit that this particular album is a puzzler for the collection, except perhaps because it's her debut album. There's none of her social activism or even contemporary music on this collection of well-sung but largely empty traditional folk songs, and given that those aspects fueled her popularity and image it feels like this album doesn't really represent Joan Baez all that well (it seems telling that this particular album didn't go gold until after her later albums made her famous). I enjoyed her rendition of "House of the rising sun" and also "Donna Donna", but for the most part this didn't do much for me. On a side note, my parents (probably mainly my mother) were *big* Joan Baez fans, so I heard some of her music growing up, but never really enjoyed her voice and wasn't all that conscious of her politics. I *did* feel badly for Joan Baez, though, when my parents many decades later glowed about how they'd recently gone to see her perform in the rain at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo amphitheater, with the whole (mostly elderly) audience sitting in camp chairs with parkas and umbrellas and toe-tapping along. It took a lot of willpower not to ask if she'd played before or after the puppet show....
She has a beautiful voice, but this isn't my kind of music.
Really don’t like Joan Baez’s voice, or that vibrato thing she does. The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun” is a traditional? Did not know that! This genre just does nothing for me.
Fare thee well Joan it’s not my thing
Gets boring and a bit annoying rather quickly. There's only so much whiny yodelly folk I can listen to before it starts to grate. Gets a 2 because I enjoyed House Of The Rising Sun, which was quite haunting.
women in male dominated fields (boring american folk cover albums). the one thing i enjoyed abt this album was her singing songs written from male povs which made them sound lesbian
I don't know. It's sort of chilled out hippie, but sort of caterwauling nutjob. I feel like she's probably got better out there. Or she'd work alright in a band.
I really wanted to like this album. I've had an incredible streak of 4 and 5 star albums for over a week, and hoped to keep it going. Furthermore, a folk album by an underappreciated legend like Baez? Right up my alley, finally I have the chance to listen. I hated side A of this album. Loathe am I to use the word "shrill" lightly with its sexist connotations, but Baez repeatedly flutters her voice while screeching into the mic, forcing me to turn down the volume to preserve what's left of my hearing, only to have to turn it back up as she shifts into an inaudible whisper. Side B has some decent music, and Baez finally dials down the screaming, but there's nothing particularly impressive there to redeem the album from the pain of Side A. I think there is an audience for Joan Baez, but unfortunately I'm not it.
ugh. i've never liked her voice. this is painful. songs and music are fine. but, that voice
Pros: She has a beautiful voice and performs these songs well. Cons: As a full album experience, it is incredibly dull. Nearly every song has basically the same tempo and energy, making it feel like you’re listening to the same song on repeat.
The great thing about folk music is that it sounds great when sung by a common voice. Joan Baez has an amazing voice that would be diva status today. But to me, it sounds out of place in folk music with a single guitar. I know a lot of people love her and I can understand why, but it just sounds wrong for me.
Folksy and way too much vibrato for my liking. Nah.
I prefer my folk with a little bit more bite but Ms. Baez has a tremendous voice.
Joan Baez is very talented. I can see that, I can acknowledge it on a technical, factual level, ESPECIALLY for a debut album. The inclusion of this album on the list is probably well warranted - certainly more than a lot of other inclusions... ...But I don't like it. Sorry Joan, in this case there IS accounting for taste. It's nothing to do with you or your music, it's all me. To quote Westley in The Princess Bride (after knocking Inigo unconscious after their fierce duel atop the cliffs of insanity): "I would sooner destroy a stained glass window than an artist such as yourself ... Please understand I hold you in the highest respect."
57. beautiful voice
2/5 - While I really want to like this it's really not landing with me. Listening to this album feels like what Bob Dylan must have had on repeat before releasing his first album. I understand why its on the list, just isn't my jam.
Shite Gained nothing from sitting through this twice. Where is my prize? My prize is getting to listen to my library on shuffle knowing I dont have to listen to this again.
She’s got a nice voice but this album is just so lo fi and uninteresting
If I ever find myself in a meadow, this is the album to put on. Folksy, haunting vocals, great covers. I wouldn't casually listen to most of the songs, but it's hard to deny the vocal talents of Baez
Can’t finish I don’t like this
Beautiful voice, but more of a background music to me, not something to indulge in fully.
So stelle ich mir amerikanische Südstaaten Familienfeste mit Akustik Gitarre am Lagerfeuer vor. Nach 1-2 Songs sollte allerdings die Gitarre Mal weitergereicht werden...
Can't say it made me change my mind about the 60s' folk scene. Not something I'd listen to normally. If I listen to folk, it's normally neo folk or more chaotic stuff like Comus but this is just a bit too twee for my tastes and her voice can be a touch annoying at times.
I was conflicted because I felt bad dissing Joan .. then I read Stu’s 😁 ‘…and all but it's all in this upper register that I can't engage with…’ EXACTLY. that was it for me, didn’t know how to phrase it (thanks Stu!) Baez falls into the group of artists I appreciate but can’t listen to
I understand how influential this was in 1960 but really tough to listen to in 2026. The tone of her voice and overuse of vibrato are like fingers on a chalkboard. I couldn’t get through the whole album. I totally understand how a female singer, songwriter, folk artist was groundbreaking and paved the way for so many to follow.
Me: well, I finished. The whole thing. me 2: wow. Check out the commitment from the big man. You want a medal or something. Me: no I don't want a medal. I'm just saying it was a bit of a slog. It wasn't fun Me2: so music has to be fun to get your approval Me: no. Obviously not. I like plenty of music that I wouldn't describe as fun. Me2: so it's more of a personal attack? Me: really? Me2: you don't like well sung melodic folk music? You need more adornment? Me: jury is still out on that. But what I can say is that I kept thinking I would like to hear this album redone by Odetta. Me2: Odetta? Me: yes Odetta. Go listen to her version of Pastures of Plenty. The album that came out the same year. She mines a similar array of old folk songs. There is "adornment". But what makes a difference is the voice. Me2: so you don't like Joan's voice? Me: jury still out on that. But what I do get from Odetta is a deeper connection. Joan real sings nice and all but it's all in this upper register that I can't engage with. Odetta brings some low end. And a little gospel. Me2: and is it fun? Me: When it needs to be. Me2: you're ridiculous. Me: we can agree upon that.
Lite konstigt att kalla sig Johan Bajs..... men men
Føltes veldig langt. Fenga ikkje så veldig
The music didn't quite grab me, but what a great voice she has.
Quite the voice
4/10 borin as fuck
a lot of the songs sounded the exact same. she has a nice voice but this really wasn’t for me
She gets a bonus point because I really like her voice, however the music is not the style of music I particularly like to listen to. It's fine, just not for me
not my thing
Too folksy for my taste
This is pretty much always a no, but it's especially a no with a hangover.
Very weird that so many albums from this era just covered old songs with new singers. Was there not enough originality to go around in the late 50s and early 60s? I guess it’s not so different from pop stars today being the medium for songs written by omnipotent industry ghost writers. At least now it’s the pop machine that creates something somewhat original whereas back then it was just recycling the same old folk songs. Anyway long rant to say that I wasn’t very moved by this album. Good performance, sure, but what’s that really worth outside of that era?
Eh... Not as bad as I expected. I'm not a folk fan, but Joan does have a great voice.
her style is not for me. that vibrato was waaay too much. like the old lady that stands behind you in church
A classic 'respect rather than enjoy' album. Nice fingerpicking guitar and a remarkable voice (albeit not one I actually like listening to) delivering a set of classic folk songs expressing Americana ren faire taste.
Great voice, but not my kind of music
I guess it's alright. It kind of put me to sleep.
2 sterne
Not a fan of Bob Dylan or Joan Baez.
Quite the voice, perhaps a bit too shrill at times, and I'm sure important to the popularity of traditional folk at the time. A lot of the tracks were kind of structured the same, though. Only so much you can do with this kind of stripped down folk I guess.
She is a phenomenal singer but I didn't really enjoy listening to this. The guitars were very quiet, the volume of her voice is extremely dynamic, the lyrics are poetic, and all of the songs sounded the same. The unexpected spanish song at the end was pretty fun though.
While I respect her and her music, I’m not a fan
I just can’t get here. I have nothing but love and respect for Joan Baez - especially her song writing, but it’s just not me.
Sings like Hugh Jackman. Not really my thing.
Just a bit dull and certainly not a fan of this version of House of the rising sun. Her vocal delivery along with the guitar plucking makes the songs all song the same
There were times I quite liked this album and then there were times I, literally, screwed my face up listening to it. A huge part of the problem is Baez’s voice; it just grates on me. I didn’t mind it at the start but, once we got to her version of “House of the Rising Sun”, it became to caterwaul-y for me - especially on that song, which does not suit her voice. I also didn’t enjoy the run of narrative songs; one would have maybe been fine, but I think we got three or four in a row at the back end of the album. Were there a 2.5* option I would score it that - seeing as there isn’t, and this was not at all as enjoyable as some 3* albums I’ve listened to as part of this project, it gets 2*.
Joan really likes a bit of vibrato doesn't she? Such a wibbly wobbly voice! Lots of traditional folk songs over (in most cases) a single guitar accompaniment, makes for not the most exciting or dynamic album. I love House of the Rising Sun, so I should have at least loved that, but it was just ok. Girl (Man) of Constant Sorrow is another track I should have adored from the bonus songs, thanks to an abiding love of the Oh Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack. It was fine. It may be a case of wrong album, wrong day (full of cold and little sleep really required something shouty I think) but this has been filed into the "it's alright I guess" category in my head. That would be a 2.5, but it's forced into being a 2. 2/5
I really dislike the extremely high-pitched, excess vibrato shit that seems like it was all the rage in the 1960s hippie movement. But it's enshrined in the Library of Congress, so whatever. Probably 2.5. There's clearly something here, it's just *really* not my thing.
On a different day, in a different mood, over a different mountain, under a different moon...maybe. But today, no thanks Joan Baez.
I mean ...... it's nice to have Joan Baez but I'm probably not going back to this.
She has great technical ability with her voice and her lyrics are poetic, but she sings without emotion. Well, unless getting loud is an emotion.
There are some Joan Baez songs I like, but they are not on this album. 2 stars or D.
Not a folk music fan, I didn't hate it, but also not my thing. I can see why other people would like it. Also sounds good being from the 60s.
Didn’t love this, the vocals are quite unique in probably a marmite way, and the vibrato wasn’t doing it for me.
A lovely voice even though the vibrato wears me down. This type of folk always feels too hokey for my tastes too. Like something that you would hear fireside on Little House on the Prairie preceded by “sing us a song ma” said by a dusty little kid
I like folk, but I like British folk, not this boring bloody bollocks.
I tried. I know she has a good voice, but it was a lot of yodeling
Not for me but not unlistenable
Nope. Can’t do it. Please understand that this album is actually closer in age right now to the year 1895 than it is to the year 2025. Let that sink in. This is too far afield to be anything other than old and dated. She clearly has a great voice … but so did Connie Francis and The Andrews Sisters and I don’t expect to be listening to them anytime soon.
Joan Baez, I'm certain, has a voice that appeals to her many fans, but it's not for me. Not going to make any snarky remarks, she's a legend, but damn. Voice aside, it's typicle folk music. It's fine. Boring. But fine.
Some very pretty vocals and arrangements, but Jesus, when it comes to the constant vibrato, 'less is more' definitely could have applied. I know she's a legend and all but, I struggled with this. 45 minutes straight is a bit much.
That’s a no from me dawg
No thank you
Rustige luisterliedjes, maar te hoge stem om lekker te luisteren
I know its 1960, but m8, do you even compress? Also, it's like the same 30 second loop again and again and again.
The songs all felt the same and she uses way too much vibrato, but her voice is kinda nice
*1960. *Beautiful and melodic, but I'm not a big fan of the high pitched soprano, so a little goes a long way. RATING - 6/10
De inmediato sale a mi mente un ejército de monjas y no se quieren ir. Grrrr
Folk music can be beautiful if the singer has an amazing voice.
Great voice - but not for me
Love a lot the guitar, some of the songs not for me
Joan is a legend. So this is a me problem, but I just don’t like vibrato in vocals. That’s not her fault, but I really hate it and it’s her whole schtick, at least here (and pretty much everything else I’ve heard). Lovely tone but when that vibrato is vibrato-ing I just can’t. Sorry Joan
Yeeeeesh
2.0 Maybe I was in a bad mood from the previous nights Jays loss but I couldnt get through it. Vocals although pretty, got very annoying (for me)
Her voice is ridiculous, so I can see why it’s been parodied as the quintessential female folk singer voice. The songs are all way too similar. A couple nice moments.
Ingen låt i sig är direkt dålig, men ingen är heller särskilt bra. Sammantaget blir det utdraget med många likartade folksånger.
Visst har hon i grunden en fin röst. Men det blir lite väl mycket vibrato. Hade nog mått bra av ett band, men det var väl aldrig på tal?
Her voice is really nice at first, but over the course of the album it wears you down. The purity of her singing is undeniable, but it’s tough to sit through an entire record of it.
Poundland Joni Mitchell
Nothing surprising here if you know who Joan Baez is. I can appreciate her voice (although I understand how it would sound annoying to some people), and the songs are mostly light ballads, so it was not unpleasant to listen. I’m not into that kind of music at all, but at least she’s not as whiny and full of herself as Dylan. I don’t know enough about the context to understand precisely what kind of role she played in the folk revival, but it was certainly a laudable effort for a 19 years old girl. Her specific brand of folk music leaves me mostly indifferent, and the songs all sound the same to me (except Donna Donna). But it was all right as a morning album. I’ll rate it a 2* for effort, but I won’t listen again. 3/10
It’s an easy but a bit annoying listening album. The voice is nice and clear … but it’s good if you want to fall asleep in a short time !! I did appreciate the feeling provided by the classic house of the rising sun
One of my mum’s favorite singers. She does folk covers with a nice voice but, at the end, is just a bit less tiring than Joni Mitchell’s. Another hippie icon, pretty only for few songs and then I find it tedious. Listening to her House of the Rising Sun only makes you realize how The animals does it better. It needs more layers and mood to me.
Kinda boring
Much respect for your activism, your role in the movement and your place in folk. But I'm reviewing music, and how an album hits me. This does not. Perhaps my dog appreciates hitting upper ranges and minimal instrumentation, but not I.
that's all folks
ig it is chill
I was going to give this a better score but it went on too long. It’s fine but that let it be cover just made me think of the original the whole time.
Disappointing if I’m honest … I guess I don’t like folk music as much as I thought I did
bonus za house of rising sun, czesc naprawde spoko
Her voice is pretty good, the vibrato was getting to me a bit though, too old of folk for me
2.5
This one hurt my ears. The shakiness in her voice is viewed as talented by many, but it's not for me
Not my cup of tea.
Beautiful voice, but just not my thing
I know, I know, I know. Voice of a generation. Voice of a decade, etc... I just find her voice to be so cloying and almost a parody of the 60s folk revival. I feel bad. I just have never liked Joan Baez.
Folk anos 60. Legalzinho, porém quando ela sobe o tom da voz me dá um incômodo todas as vezes. 60s folk. Pretty nice, but every time she raises her voice, it makes me uncomfortable.
Interesting to hear the original version of House of the Rising Sun and a nice voice but otherwise fairly forgettable folk music.
Nice enough and I loved the vocal… but they did all blur into one. Got an extra star for House of the Rising Sun - easily my favourite and she brought an eerie vocal to it which massively improved on the version I knew by The Animals.
Based on the write up, I can see how influential it would be. Still not my cup of tea.
Not for me :/
Мощный голос, но песни унылые
Will I hear it again? Probably not. Nice spanish sung cover to finish the project
Whatever man
60s female folk is not my thing. Great voice.
I didn’t really enjoy this one. Lovely voice that takes centre stage
This was an album I expected to like quite a bit, but I could not handle her voice after a while. It actually hurt in headphones. I know she is a legend and all, but it was more than I could handle.
No. Not as bad as I was fearing, but the voice is hard to listen to.
Blends into one 55-minute song
I like folk Is this country? Exotic Her voice is too high pitched
I get it. Joan was the mother of the 60s folk movement. The recordings are crystal clear and impressive, and the folk songs she sings are beautiful. 2 Stars... - sorry Joan
My review for this one will be much like my reviews of Joni Mitchell's albums. I have the utmost respect for Baez as a person, and love what she has done with her celebrity - the causes she has championed. Her albums, however, just aren't for me. The music is fine, I do like a good folk song, but her style of singing just seems to pull all emotion/life out of the lyrics. Its fine in the quieter moments, but when she goes for the loud, high notes (which is often), its like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. I know a lot of people love it, and that's great, but as I said, its not for me. Again, no disrespect intended toward Ms. Baez, but I won't be returning to this album.
Much like the Rolling Stones first album, this is just yet another album that made the list consisting of all cover songs. Does this album represent the talent of Joan Baez as a singer, absolutely. Does this album represent the talent of Joan Baez as a songwriter ... not at all.
Definitely need to be in the mood for a bit of shrill singing 😬
Her high pitched singing relly gets in the way and distracts from the music.
not for me solid voice tho
It’s ok. I got sick of it quite quickly.
Det må vara klassiskt, men tråkigt att lyssna på.
I don’t like this
long
Foundational folk, I understand, but her voice when it reaches high can be off-putting--too much reedy wavering can make me cringe. Sorry Joan, it's me, not you.
I understand her impact and influence but the folk-y trilling doesn’t do it for me.
She's obviously talented, but boy, I can't connect with her voice or the material at all.
I just can’t handle her voice in large doses. Thankful for her influence on American culture.
1. zilver - 1 2. virginia - 1.5 3. fare - 1.5 4. zun - 1 5. trialz - 1.5 6. flouuer - 1 7. donna - 1.5 8. riley - 2 9. rake - 1 10. mozez - 1.5 11. mary - 2 12. martin - 2 13. prezo - 3 14. girl - 1.5 15. rider - 1.5 16. john - 2
2.5 - ok, didn’t like the mix. Went from too quiet to piercing
Joan has a lovely voice and it's easy to see how this album influenced decades of folk artists and singer-songwriters that came after her. There's too many bible-centric songs for me, and even if I set those aside, I struggle to connect with anything. Standouts for me: "House of the Rising Sun", "El Preso Numero Nueve", and "Girl of Constant Sorrow"(I know this was added later). I could see Joan having a captivating live presence. Maybe not "captivating" in the sense that she holds 100% of your attention, but her vocal modulation makes it difficult to ignore her for very long before she requires your attention again. I wish this quality was moderated a little bit for the recording. The range of volumes here makes this a difficult pre-coffee listen. Between that and the three different typefaces on the album cover, I'm really struggling this morning.
Prima, maar soms vind ik haar stem net niet helemaal chill.
Maybe folk like this doesn’t need to be in album form. Got really boring halfway through. Sounds very nice but I would never put this on. High 2.
uma artista ótima, mas acho o som meio tédio.
Nice voice.
Just can’t get into this
What do I do with this? I didn't dislike it, but at the same time, couldn't find any interesting aspect on it. Just a boring, monotonous voice all over the place.
I know she’s a legend but her voice is always so perfect and formal I lose any emotion in it.
Nice songs, terrible tremolo
She has a great voice but it's not the street for me,
I'm sure there is an audience out there for this music, but I'm not it. It's too slow for me.
Lovely and kind of eery. Love a sad girl moment but even this was a bit dreary for me.
Yeh I mean quite nice but I can’t listen to a whole album of it.
Not for me at all. Melodies are OK. Her voice is nice but some bits are deafening. Won't listen again
Meegeluisterd bij een luistermaatje vanaf een laptop op een paar meter afstand. Ik ergerde me rot aan die stem. Maar tja...als het geluid niet op jou is afgesteld, kan het wel eens zijn dat er een element te prominent naar voren komt. Dus toch maar in de herhaling in de auto. En nope, het lag niet aan het geluidsinregeling. Dit is veel te dominant. Vaak weer die nep-trilling in de stem die dit soort muziek telkens een toneelstukje maakt. Soms nog eens een extra hoge uithaal. Op zich knap. Maar het maakt de stem waar ik mij al aan ergerde nog dominanter.
I'll give her proper for keeping it up for an entire album. You know the yodeling music that makes the aliens heads explode in "Mars Attacks!"? Yeah, the whole album made me feel like that. Her high-pitched warble drove me up the wall. But I know it's historical and war-protesty, so I won't bash it entirely. It's just not my favorite thing.
Pucha, no me pasa nada con ella. nada nada
Ok. IATA here. But this just doesn’t sing to me at all.
There is a little bird outside your window. It's chirping, trilling, going through all it's ring tones drummin' up business. Wow, that bird has been at it for an hour! Isn't it a beautiful sound? F that, it's 5 am.
Nice voice, but the songs didn't resonate with me...guess you had to be there?
Meh
Found it quite boring tbh. 2/5
Too much man
Like, this just isn't for me. I don't need to listen to English minstrels. Good voice and such, but there's no need to revive old music and pretend it's new. Also, points off for encouraging Bob Dylan to sing music rather than just write lyrics for other bands.
Here's what I'm never gonna do: listen to Joan Baez sing House of the Rising Sun when the Monkees did it perfectly, listen to Joan Baez sing I Know You Rider when the Grateful Dead do it better. She's got a decent voice I just don't like it. Also the mixing on this is way too heavy on vocals. I understand that's intentional, I just don't like it or want it. Vibratos are overkill is kind of annoying.
Don’t like her singing style. Like the guitar playing.
Man, this is boring as shit. Someone said how they love how her guitar is used to enhance her voice, but I have issue with that because I don't particularly like her voice. It's way too soft and floaty. But mostly, the album is just so earnest and twee, and it rubs me the wrong way.
Warbling folk songs. I don't care for her voice.
Somehow this was just too folk for me which surprised me. Maybe I'm just not in the right mood, it just got annoying
It's not a bad album, but it's not for me.
I'm sure this is lovely in smaller doses, with a couple of crushed up paracetamol.
How can I give this a 1 without people thinking I'm a complete jerk.... ?
I know objectively that Joan Baez has an amazing voice. I just don’t personally care for it most of the time.
Joan Baez has a beautiful voice but ultimately I tired of the sparseness of this album's sound (which I think is the main draw for many). I also can't help but question whether an artist who mostly arranges and sings other people's songs deserve a spot on this list even if they were a cultural icon?
I know who Joan Baez is, but never listened to an album. I can’t even say I know any songs. “Silver dagger” is folky and yet I hear modern artists like Ani Difranco at the same time. I definitely see why this album was important to the 60s and I love the guitar work.
Too folk style for me
So this is more a history project than an album. Covers of historical folk songs has validity but she gets no points for writing. She also gets no points for singing. I find her tone pretty shrill. Am i sexist because i can look past the voices of Dylan/Waits and not Baez or Mitchell?
great voice, just not huge on folk music i think
Folk music reminds me of home, but that can only last so long. Joan's voice is super shrill on almost every song is marred by her weird delivery.
I enjoy folk music, and I like a lot of Bob Dylan’s music, but for some reason this album was a hard listen for me. Joan’s voice is beautiful, but every song sounded exactly the same, it was kind of hard to get through a straight hour of it. I enjoyed Girl of Constant Sorrow, I don’t know if this is the original, but I really like the one from O Brother, so it was cool hearing this from 40 years prior. I hate to give this album 2 stars, but honestly for me, I feel that’s what it deserves. 4.5/10
Probably pretty but her voice made this very hard to listen to. Right genre, wrong singer for me.
Jeg kan bedre lide Joni Mitchell. Men tæt på det sammen. Lidt kedeligt.
As a lifelong fan of traditional bluegrass music, I have already heard versions of nearly all these songs and I was kind of excited to get this album. I'd never really listened to Joan Baez much; so, this would be a first for me. Not a fan, though. Should have been titled "Vibrato: The Album." She has to end every note with an obnoxious, ear splitting trill. You know how sometimes, you're trying to sleep in on the weekend but there's a mockingbird outside your window that won't shut up? That's Joan Baez. If Tiny Tim made a folk album, it would've sounded like this. Kudos to her for bringing these traditional songs to the masses in the 60's, though, and for that reason alone, I'm giving it 2 stars.
Ich finde das Album herzig und man spürt Herzblut und Emotion in den Songs. Leider finde ich die Songs sehr langweilig und ihre Stimme gefällt mir nicht. Donna Donna ist allerdings sehr schön.
Her voice is a bit much for me. Too much vibrato. I did enjoy a couple songs though
I know many people like her but I just can’t get along with her histrionic warbling. Not my thing at all
Pretty long album for long winded and slow singing. Parts were very beautiful but it’s a bit of a grind. I like her overall but not a ton of variety with the pacing here.
this album wasn't really my cup of tea. I respect the artistry and the voice, but I wouldn't really put this on again for another listen. I could see a time and place to whip out Joan Baez, but I'm not really the guy for it. I don't usually bring time up as a component of what makes a good album, but this one was a bit long and it ended up feeling like a slog to get through. no disrespect, but it just ain't my jam
I decided to go back to this album because I just watched “a complete unknown” about bob dylan and Joan Baez is very prevalent in it and in his life. She was clearly very important in the folk music scene at this time but the movie emphasizes how folk music was stagnant in just doing covers of old songs time and time again which is present on this album. Wild to learn that house of the rising run is actually a traditional folk song and not just by the animals. She sings this in the movie acapella and honestly gave me goosebumps it was so good. Her actual singing voice unfortunately is such of a product of its time where it just really had not aged well. Maybe it sounds better live but on a recording it gets kind of abrasive.
I really do like this genre of music! I give this album a 2 for a few reasons. I thought that the voice was too loud relative to the guitar. It was a bit jarring a lot of the time because the voice would be very piercing while you couldn’t hear the guitar at all. She took a heavy storytelling vibe throughout the album and it was super consistent, but I felt as if it was fairly monotonous as well. I would’ve liked to see more variety and distinction between each song.
I feel like I should acknowledge her solely on the fact that she's a huge name in folk, but this was a pretty meh album to me. I can appreciate her guitar playing and her singing, but most of the songs were same-samey with only occasional tracks that caught my attention. Worse, on close listen I found myself pretty uninterested. It's not that anything's bad necessarily, it just doesn't do much for me and is often a little too renaissance faire for me. I'll at least acknowledge that it belongs on the 1001 for its historical importance. Tracks that caught my attention: East Virginia, Little Moses.
I enjoy her voice, but this album is full of dirges. It was interesting to listen to, in my effort to cover a broad spectrum of music. Great guitar work. I imagine it's much more powerful in person.
I don't deny what she's contributed to female artists in terms of influence and talent. The sound is definitely not up my alley.
Interesting precursor to folk popularity.
I had high hopes when it started but it never really hit for me
[3/10] This is one instrumentation change away from being straight elf music
Beautiful Voice! Not really a big fan of 60’s Folk Music
Gewoon echt heel saai
Struggling with her vocal style.
I couldn't do this. This is the kind of folk I absolutely can't stand.
I've been wrestling with how to rate older albums that just can't grab my interest and comparing them to video game consoles has given me solace. A Joan Baez album is like a Super Nintendo. Top of its class at the time, but as advancements in gaming happen, new things are just better. It will always hold nostalgic value but certainly the ps5 is better as it can just do more. You couldn't blame a kid for not enjoying a SNES after growing up with a PS5, and similarly you can't blame someone for not enjoying a record like this because it's from before their time. 2/5
Interesting voice for a couple of songs. For a whole album… er, I’m ok thanks.
This kind of folk music is not really my cup of tea as a genre. I love the storytelling of old folk songs, but the arrangements here are just too simple to really hold my attention It is well executed though, with strong, clear vocals (she kind of sounds like a theremin sometimes with all the vibrato haha) and the sparse guitar accompaniment which really adds to the songs without distracting from the stories For me, I prefer folk that embraces some more modern instrumental embellishment (see Liege and Lief) - in one word, this was boring.
This is the album you hear in purgatory right before your family pulls the plug on the ventilator. 2.5/5
Not my thing. Her voice is too high pitched and annoying, with no break. Clearly a great musical persona, though.
Don't really care Will I listen to again: 0%
Folk and pleasant
While her voice and guitar playing are top-notch, the album is boring overall. It's a very personal album for her but never hits the highs of what I expect from folk music. Many of the songs fall flat and become forgettable. However, there are still some tracks I enjoyed, and I was definitely thrown off by finding out she did House of the Rising Sun before the Animals (though I'm aware hers isn't the original either). Favorites were Silver Dagger, House of the Rising Sun, and Rake and Rambling Boy.
Her voice is really nice, but unfortunately I found this one to be boring. There are definitely highlights namely Silver Dagger, House Of The Rising Sun, All My Trials, and Wildwood Flower.
Kinda waily
Now that's what I call music to fall asleep to: 1960's
Not for me.
Miksi näin pitkä… Menee siksi aika puuduttavaksi - heräsin vasta, kun kieli vaihtui espanjaksi. Sinänsä kivan kuuloista. Baezilla on mukava ääni, aika stereotyyppinen tässä genressä, mutta ehkä stereotypia pohjautuu häneen.
En välitä artistin väreilevästä melodramaattisuudesta, mutta pidän hetkittäin hänen folk-mollistaan. Vika biisi myös jees yllätys.
The vocals are outstanding , the instrumental is very simplistic and doesn’t add much . The album itself sounds kind of dated and the story telling doesn’t resonate like some of the oldies to me . It’s a strong listen but with little replay value for me
Kasarin lapselle käy pitkäveteiseksi ja levy painuu negatiivisen puolelle.
Vähän kävi tylsäksi, mutta toimis luultavasti rauhallisessa ympäristössä taustalla
Not my style, I see the appeal
It's hard to rate this album. It came out on 1960. She's covered a lot of folk music and it's several years before Woodstock and even the Beatles. I appreciate the time and circumstances surrounding it. But...it was a really tough listen. I couldn't finish it. Her voice over almost all instrumentation was brutal after about 12 songs.
I'm sure it has its place in history or whatever but oof, this was a tough listen
It isn’t bad, but it never really gets out of gear.
Not a bad album, not a good album just a bit bland and boring. Joan Baez is a great musician and very talented but nothing really holds my attention on this album.
She’s good at it but an album made up exclusively of some folksy singing and guitar strumming will never be my main bag.
Never knew this is where the House of the Rising Sun comes from. She has a very clear and beautiful voice. Pretty good but kind of boring at the same time
You’ve got to be really spectacular if you’re coming at me with 13 covers of traditional folk songs on just a voice and guitar. She’s a good guitarist but the arrangements are nothing to write home about and she’s a good singer but the constant vibrato just gets annoying. El Preso Numero Nueve was the most exciting moment as you try to understand what it means in realtime. Sorry Joan but it’s just not that essential or interesting to me.
She has a fantastic voice, and I can absolutely see why she was as influential and groundbreaking as she was when she debuted. That said, I'm not a big fan of folk music. I didn't hate the album but I wouldn't seek it out again.
Not for me unfortunately.
Album 526 of 1001 Joan Baez - Joan Baez (1960) Rating : 2.5 / 5 Just does nothing for me. I realize the place she holds for many in music history and I can tolerate her but this just doesn't move me one way or the other.
mah nsomma alla fine un po' noiosetto
Beautiful voice for sure, but very dated… not a favourite
This is very simple music, and somewhat effective. In fact, I consider this to be one of the peaks of the folk-singing-with-acoustic-guitar genre (which has wider scope than you'd think). The main problem I have here is that there's so little musical variation, and adherence to the idea of an album experience, that it's hard to seriously engage with this as an entire album. Add to that the fact that there aren't any noticeable hooks in the guitar part (which is the only non-vocal instrument) and you're looking for some sort of variation in the singing, which just isn't there. Let's talk about the singing. Joan Baez's voice is very strong, but in my opinion she heavily overuses vibrato, almost to an operatic extent. There's something just a little off-putting about melodic ornamentation (e.g. vibrato) that, rather than decorating a melody line, makes it sound kind of off-pitch. I like Baez's use of modes, though, and it's one of the strong points of her vocal part. Fun little nods to English and Irish folk music are present. I do think other artists in the genre, such as Joni Mitchell, pull off what Baez is attempting much more successfully. I would've liked to see some original compositions on here, too. House Of The Rising Sun is a fantastic (and heavily covered) song, but it can get old after so many artists cover it. 2/5 Key tracks: Wildwood Flower, House Of The Rising Sun, Donna Donna
I guess she has a beautiful voice and is a good songwriter. But to my ears it comes across as warbling. I’ve really tried to like Joan Baez since she’s so highly acclaimed and influential to artists I love, but I just can’t do it.
Ugh - not a fan of hers at all. Don’t get the hype
Twangy, whiny voice
not my thing but i can respect it at least
I see why she is influential, but this genre is really not my thing.
Good music, just not for me.
Ok in places but not for too long
Nit my style
I could never get into Folk music and this was pretty much how I expected it would be. I'm sure it's great for fans of the genre, but I found her voice a bit grating after a while
I now know what Joan Baez sounds like. It's not for me, but this is why I'm doing this list.
Not great.
I guess, technically, it’s good to have heard Joan Baez once, if just for reference. I already had. I’m good.
The kind of voice that is like nails on a chalkboard. I never got how people could get into this kind of music - really any folk music of this era. I get it - it's poetic and inoffensive but just not my thing at all and if it wasn't for the grating voice I maybe would've scored it higher. Also detected at least one cover song which is just so lazy to include on a studio album (House of the Rising Sun). 3/10.
Wasn’t feeling the trills
fine, I guess
Meh
Jag kände att detta inte var riktigt min grej. Säkert fina texter men jag orkade inte fokusera något på dem. Sparade vissa låtar men det var för att de var bra Easy Listening. Hade det vart på svenska skulle jag nog ha gillat det mycket mer.
A bit too minimalist for me.
I went into the listen thinking it would be singer / songwriter and had high hopes. All the songs were so old timey lyrics and not written by her. The voice pleasant at times with just a guitar became very boring. This album was released almost 20 years before I was born, feels like it is a relic of the past.
Very traditionally-minded, but a bit one-note and after about halfway through I "got" it. Very powerful voice, but not much else to speak of. Favorite track: "House Of the Rising Sun"
Gods music let down by screechy vocals
Rating: 4/10 Nah.
I wanted to like this album, but it's just too bland and boring. Great human and I respect and admire her accomplishments, but this was a struggle for me. She has a beautiful voice, but folk is outdated and dreary today. Probably why Dylan went electric. Big contrast to the Crickets album we just heard that's full of life and raw.
Joan Baez is a badass political and social activist. Her song selection and writing is impeccable but her shrill voice is like nails on a chalkboard. This album felt like an extended play of church camp Kumbaya, and that’s not my jam.
Just okay
Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Folk music, sung high.
This album is what I would refer to as “excessive folk.”
Not an album for a rainy Saturday morning unless you want to kill hourself…
Beautiful voice - sounds like a theremin. Appreciate the talent but not really my kind of music.
2 A lot of folk lately. I don’t mind the genre, but it hasn’t been great gym music. This was especially tough at the gym this morning, and unfortunately it didn’t get much better during subsequent listens. I’ll give credit to Joan for this - the sound of this album feels a bit ahead of its time being that it predates artists like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell by quite a few years, but man, I just didn’t find anything about her take on the genre here interesting. The fact that these are all covers doesn’t do her any favors, and while I think she at least deserves a shoutout for doing House of the Rising Sun four years ahead of The Animals, it’s nowhere near as good as their version. The one aspect I’ve seen a lot of people praise Joan for is her voice, and while I agree it can be beautiful at times, it changes to the most piercing thing you’ve ever heard on a dime - I had to adjust the volume on my speaker multiple times while listening because of it. And the more I listened to this album, the more shrill I found her voice to be, to the point I kind of dreaded putting this on again. There are definitely some enjoyable aspects and charm buried in this, but as an album, it’s just too long and not overly interesting - the only song here I could point to you as having somewhat enjoyed is actually the Spanish song El Preso Numero Nueve. I was impressed with her fluency of the language (granted, I’m not fluent, so can’t vouch for that), and it’s probably the best vocal performance of the whole album - or it might just be the only one without any of those grating high notes. Maybe this is just the kind of thing you need to see live to get, but this album wasn’t it for me. I could maybe see myself being somewhat of a fan of her work in moderation, but even then, I don’t think I would opt to listen to any of this over stuff from similar artists. Sorry Joan - I hope your music picked up a bit after your debut, but I’m not going out of my way to determine that anytime soon.
It is the singing that drives these recordings and I'm not a fan of that, especially at the high notes.
It's all very wholesome but her warbles bring on a migraine. Not for me
Perfect example to me of how it’s possible to appreciate music, but not like it.
I really wish I could praise this, because nothing about it is explicitly bad. I understand if people find her voice annoying, especially when she belts, and I also get that this style of music can be boring if you don’t like folk. And while I think those critiques are fair, I also don’t mind anything here. Not to say I would revisit this frequently, but it has its time and place and purpose, both historically and in someone’s record collection. But then I factor how frequently I checked my phone while this was on. Not only to see if the song was over yet, but to do other things. I paused this to go on TikTok for 20 minutes. Twice. I paused this to do chores. I changed the song to listen to other artists not once, but three times! And I think that’s the things – this album is important, but Baez is also incredibly boring. The fact that she doesn’t do anything unique [by today’s standards] with her traditional folk songs suggests that maybe, in the end, while there’s nothing “wrong” with this album, there’s also nothing particularly good about it, either. The only songs I actually enjoyed were “El Preso Numero Nueve” and the CD-reissue bonus tracks. So while I could argue apathy but say it’s still enjoyable enough, I also don’t truly believe it’s actually enjoyable. Important, sure, but I never want to listen to it again.
Shrill, dated, and not my thing at all.
Not my thing. She's got a nice voice. But desperately dull.
could i write poetry to this? n
If you strip away those high, shrill vocals, there's some really solid acoustic guitar work and melodic interpretation here. But that voice... I just can't... It's so high, and so very, very shrill. After over thirty years of listening to "I Know You Rider" via the Grateful Dead, Joan Baez' version is painfully disappointing.
2.5 stars. Rounded down because sometimes her voice is unbearable.
Typical 60s folky album. Good for a couple of meaningful tunes but the album just felt a little whiney and samey as a whole.
Reading Ms. Baez’s Wikipedia page, she seems like a very good and genuine person. She was obviously a skilled guitarist even at 19 when this album was recorded. “Silver Dagger” “House of the Rusing Sun” and “Wildwood Flower” are pretty good songs. Now that all the positive stuff is out of the way, this sucks and I hate it. I hate her voice. I don’t like hearing Colonial Williamsburg music. If I hear about the “salt sea” one more time I’m going to scream. Fuck all of this.
Folk. Mit ein paar bekannten Songs. Aber ich habe schon besseren gehört.
Non si può dire che non sia brava, ma non è il mio...
Not my thing. Never got it. There is good folk music, but not this.
The dog hated this. I can see why.
Found it difficult to listen to.
I liked her voice and the music was nice, but nothing I'd listen to regularly and I probably won't again. I did like Silver Dagger though.
I like the idea of Joan Baez and she has a feel songs that resonate, but this album was a little too whiny and not enough Joni.
This album hasn't aged very well...
Extra star for her influence by I find her music to be unbearably boring.
Had I been around in 1960 this may have played well for me. But growing up in the 80s, this is what they made fun of when they made fun of folk music. It's really hard to take it seriously.
Joni > Joan
Genre: folk Instruments: 2/5 Modern Translation: 1/5 Dance Potential: 1/5 Listening Location: chadstone Heard it before: no Favourite Song: house of the rising sun Made me feel: her voice was beautiful, it cut through me, but started to sound too whiny by the 4th song. Impressive range but wouldn’t listen again.
Loved her voice.
She has a nice voice and this album feels simple -- just vocals and guitar. Not really enjoying it though, maybe I need to hear the instrumentation come through more, 2*. The vibrato in her voice I found a little jarring after a while. Super repetitive, many religious lyrics.
Listened Before? No Long folksy album. I expect I'll lose focus quickly, but will reserve some hope that this exceeds expectations. 6 songs in, this is a bit of a snore fest for me. In execution it is fine; very stripped down acoustic + vocal arrangements of (mostly) traditional folk songs. She's clearly talented, I just don't care for it. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for this out of the gate on a Monday morning, but there is no way I'm going to go the distance on this nearly hour long slog. Perhaps if I was sitting on a hill covered with daisies on a sunny Spring day, I might be into this, but for a cold start to the work week, I'm just not feeling it. 2 / 5 Added to Library? No
She is talented but this isn't my jam. 2.5 stars.
Good voice. That's about the only thing I really liked about the album. Everything else was just not in my personal taste. Not very exciting as it's really just a guitar and a voice for an hour. This one is falling under a similar rating to Depeche Mode where I think the music is objectively good, but it doesn't resonate with me personally. Another plus to this album is that it was recorded in 1960 and it sounds flawless. That is impressive especially because there is no mention of remastering.
There is nothing wrong with this album in any way, just kinda boring to me as I feel a lot of singer/songwriter artists are to me. 2.5
I appreciate the place this album has in history but I struggled to get through it. I just don't care for her voice.
Really dislike her voice and the way she stretches out each note... Unlistenable. 2/5
Thought I would enjoy this more. But, alas no.
Wasn't for me. Respect the voice
Such a beautiful voice
Echt goed gezongen, paar mooie nummers, maar ging uiteindelijk wel echt vervelen
Nah. Whinny folk.
pleasant but boring
Girl and guitar. Nothing else in this album. Great voice, great playing but quickly bored. Quickly forgotten. 4/10