Reviews (page 6 of 8)
kicks like a mule. a very docile mule
She has a beautiful voice on this album and the songs are interesting. I guess this is an example of top form folk singing but I didn’t enjoy it. It was not bad but it didn’t catch me.
Eh. It was fine. I was going back and forth between whether to give it three or four stars. I was originally leaning towards four because of how good Joan Baez's singing is, but man, this album just feels too long.
I've not heard much Joan Baez but this album feels very familiar. The style of singing, the acoustic guitar accompaniment, and even a few of the songs are very much a part of my youth. Joan's voice is better than most of the stuff I grew up with, though, and some of the fingerpicking hits the spot too. When they mesh perfectly it's really enchanting. I'm not above getting a little bored though, particularly in the middle part of the album. I'll relax my 'low marks for all covers' policy a bit as it's sort of the point of the whole folk tradition...
I know JB' music a little bit. Diamonds and Rust is an incredible song, which sadly does not feature on this album. I think this is an album made up of covers only (no original songs), which is obviously not that unusual in the folk circles. There's a good mixture of trad. songs in familiar with, and songs im not. She has a good voice and is a good guitarist, which makes for an enjoyable album albeit not overly memorable
My black olives again. Everyone loves them but me. I keep trying them, still find them meh. This is Joan Baez for me.
Penso sia un bell'album, mi piace la voce e gli arrangiamenti. Però tende a sembrarmi un po' tutto uguale. Forse leggendo i testi potrebbe essere più appassionante.
11th January 2022 Listened throughout the day while working from home home. Rosie came over and me and dad watched on her majesty's secret service. Sounds similar to Joni Mitchell, immediate 60s folk vibes. Lovely voice
6/10
3.7 - A tasteful selection of folk songs, arranged simply and sung with an undeniably gorgeous voice.
expecting to like this. 3-4? Definite 3. a little wailey. Standout is Dona dona dona tho.
I enjoy this at first and would have likes to give it 4 stars. It outstayed its welcome though And started to wear on my patience. Still had some nice finger picking but after 45mins I was glad when it finished.
Nice voice and songwriting. Obviously like House of the Rising Sun. Kind of music to fall asleep to
Really beautiful album. Lots of nice songs
Sounds wildly similar to Joni Mitchell's stuff. In one song she even says 'circle' and it immediately made me think of the Circle Game. Pleasant enough but none of it really stuck out to me. Learned that House of the Rising Sun is essentially on old folk tune that's been adapted by many
6/10
Eh. It was fine. I was going back and forth between whether to give it three or four stars. I was originally leaning towards four because of how good Joan Baez's singing is, but man, this album just feels too long.
Все эти бардоские песни не очень, да ещё и высокий громкий женский вокал, не по мне, даже переслушивать не стану.
Queen of the folkies. Acoustic finger picking and powerful vibrato vocals deliver a bunch of traditional folk songs. Best Tracks: Silver Dagger; The House of the Rising Sun; Rake and Rambling Boy
Some great songs and very talented lady, just not for me.
Were debating between 2 and 3 because her voice is high and can be *grating*. But when she is not doing that, it is really beautiful. Jess also forced this rating
3/5 - too much of a wall of sound
Classic folk songs sung & played on guitar in a sincere way by artist Joan Baez. The recording for this album is as simple as it gets, but the voice of Joan steals the show and makes a listener think they are hearing one of the specific folk songs for the first time!
A vocally strong folk album. Some of the songs had a story that was a little dark or depressing which was contrary to Baez’s strong voice. It was enjoyed more than expected. 7.6/10
Good! Light notes.
Equal parts boring and hypnotic, sometimes at the same time
Decent country/folk but too twee and shrill at times
Déjà que j'ai beaucoup souffert à entendre mon père répéter ses gammes de piano dans le salon tous les jours pendant des années, je n'arrive même pas à imaginer ce que Joan Baez a pu endurer avec Bob Dylan à la place.
Great lyrics, not my favorite voice
Не нравится любовная лирика
Pleasant background listening. Not interesting enough for the foreground though.
super 60s this innit. you can positively smell the flower children. i'm sympathetic to fingerpicking acoustic guitar, there's a time and place for it, it's great background music.
Music from the West of the states that gives 1800 vibes. Powerful voice of Joan Baez and a rich scale of tones.
.
3/5
Folk. Agradable.
The voice of an angel. Beautiful. Never listened to her first record before; I mostly spin Diamonds and Rust.
Archetypal folk! She has an amazing voice, but I'm not so keen on the vibratto (if that's the word) technique she uses in most of the songs. Fave track - Toss up between "House of the Rising Sun" (which has a really interesting wikipedia page!) and "Girl of Constant Sorrow"
i see how people would like this, but not for me.
Chill
Liked it well enough, but a little same-y. Would be 3.5 if I could
rich east coast 20 year old sings folk
Good. Not really my style.
Hmmm
Beautiful voice, and some good tracks. Overall wouldn't listen to much again.
Nice enough, couple of pretty good covers in there. Probably wouldn't look it out.
An artist I know, but never really listened to.
3.1
pretty voice and good music but not my style
Not bad Joan, not bad!
Very Joni Mitchell-esque chilled-out folk vibes. I liked it, probably not going to revisit anytime soon.
Not bad. Not always my style, but I liked the songs in Spanish.
acoustic guitar and solo voice, very mellow
Beautiful voice. Meaningful messages.
great
ofwel speel je folk ofwel zing je opera... maar verpest het ene niet met het andere...
09/02 Boring
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
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.
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.
Nice voice. A bit slow for my taste.
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
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.
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!
Simultaneously one-dimensional and timeless.
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.
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.
Anstrengend, langweilig
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.
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.
I can’t stand her voice. Sorry, I have really tried to appreciate Joan Baez. I don't get it.
I was at 3 stars and then the track came with the grating voice, only this time en Espanol. No bueno.
I like my folk music but come on, this is way too airy fairy Donaldson’s dairy
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.
Не моя музыка, но очень искренняя
Respectfully I did not enjoy this 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?.)
2.5 - too folky
idk it sounds like she needs to breathe through her nose or something
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!
Didn’t like her voice but I bet she would do numbers in a medieval tavern
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
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
Never heard of her and didn't particularly care for any of these tracks
No va
18/06/2026 Slow, boring and nothing stands out here. Spotify listeners: 1.7v million
House of the rising Sun sample from this album
not too familiar and this is clearly excellent folk fayre - but not for me
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
4 - BAD
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.
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
Eh
Jesus Christ
Thought I was going to enjoy it more than I did
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.
This is actually a very chill playlist, for just leaving it in the background while you're doing things.
2/5
Not super into all the biblical stuff but an interesting look at musical storytelling
Not my thing
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.
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*
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.
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.
I am not a fan of the vibrato covers.
Pretty
That forced vibrato was not pleasant
Die paar ‚covers‘ vo alte folk Lieder sind nöd schlecht gsi
Cool voice. Music not for me
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
2.5/5
So incredibly slow and tiring
Too many of these sound like church hymns.
I get how good this is. But there is such a thing as to much vibrato.
I don’t know what to say about this. It’s folk album that sounds like a folk album. Nothing stands out about it. It’s pretty boring but not really offensive.
Beautiful voice. Don’t love the vibrato/yodeling vocal affectation,
Hmmmm
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.
I had no doubt Joan Baez would be on the 1001. My parents had a bunch of her records but I never really liked them. Now I've sat through this I can only assume this is one of those albums that only make sense in the context of when it was released. All I'm hearing is some nice guitar and a terribly warbly soprano voice that just grates on me. This wasn't a pleasant experience. Maybe there were better albums for Joan - maybe not an album of covers. This is a fail for me.
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