The 55th anniversary of Woodstock was a few weeks ago, which made me re-acquaint myself with the music of some of the artists who performed at the festival, which brings me to Joan Baez.
Joan Baez’ career began in the late 1950’s at the Newport Folk Festival. She was one of the originators of the folk revival and protest movements in the United States, which culminated with her performance at Woodstock during August of 1969. Now a member of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, her career spans more than six decades.
The remastered Greatest Hits contains a lot of very good music, but the title is somewhat misleading. The greatest hits are confined to her A&M label material from 1972-1976, which eliminates much of her early work. When material appears on the album that A&M does not own the rights too, they substitute live in concert versions. The are fine in their own right, but are not the original studio versions that were the actual original releases.
“Diamonds And Rust” and her cover of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” are two songs that define her career. Her cover of Robbie Robertson’s “The Nignt They Drove Old Dixie Down” was her most commercial track, but it is one of the live performances; good but not the original.
Despite the title, there are a number of lesser-known tracks that are worth exploring. “Prison Trilogy, “Please Come To Boston,” “Sweeter For You,” “Jesse,” and “Children And All That Jazz” are all worthy of some exposure. The live version of “Amazing Grace” is the perfect vehicle for her voice.
Greatest Hits is a fine album for what it is. If this is the period of her career that you remember and appreciate, then this is a release for you. If, however, you want to travel back to her early classic period, there is a lot of great material available.
