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Joan Baez - Noël Audio CD

A fair review of the Joan Baez "Noël" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Joan Baez reviews here, or go back to the Joan Baez tabs.

Joan Baez Band: Joan Baez
Title: Noël
Rating:
Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 2: Coventry Carol 3: Good King Wenceslas 4: Little Drummer Boy 5: I Wonder as I Wander 6: Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella 7: Down in Yon Forest 8: Carol of the Birds 9: Angels We Have Heard on High 10: Ave Maria (Sung in German) 11: Mary's Wandering 12: Deck the Halls 13: Away in a Manger 14: Adeste Fidelis 15: Cantique de No�l (Oh Holy Night, Sung in German) 16: What Child Is This? 17: Silent Night

noel
I still have not receieved the Cd Noel and let the owner know, but still have not heard a word from him.


Graceful and atmospheric
The intention was to make the sound reminiscent of the various periods in which the carols were written. On this stately and sometimes sombre work, Joan Baez is backed by traditional instruments like recorders, viols, lute, pipe organ, strings and harpsichord. Noel is thus completely different from her 1960s folk recordings with the prominent acoustic guitar.

Her voice is pristine and the arrangements outstanding, especially on tracks like Little Drummer Boy and Ave Maria (a classical arrangement, sung in German). The songs are interspersed with short instrumental like Good King Wenceslas, Bring A Torch, Deck The Halls, Angels We Have Heard On High and Adeste Fidelis, that add to the medieval mood of the album.

There is plenty of variety though, as for example the mournful Mary's Wandering is followed by the brief instrumental Deck The Halls and that, in turn, by her beautiful soulful version of Away In A Manger with its gripping harpsichord sounds. Baez' voice really soars on Cantique De Noel and What Child Is This, whilst Silent Night receives a tender and subdued treatment.

One of my favourites is The First Noël with its powerful, uptempo arrangement. This wonderful album concludes with a beautiful French version of Away In A Manger. The overall atmosphere is atmospheric and devotional rather than joyful and festive, which makes Noël an exception amongst Christmas albums.

The CD booklet includes the history of the making of the album by arranger Peter Schickerle, the original liner notes and some lovely photos of Joan, including the cover of the original vinyl LP. Noël was a surprise for me as a long-time Baez fan since the sound is so different from both her early folk work and her later art song material. .


Get Remastered version of "Noel" instead of this CD
Only her fast vibrato keeps her from being mistaken for a Vienna choir boy. Joan Baez has the perfect voice for these lovely old (or seemingly old) Christmas carols---a plangent, high, pure soprano.

It was eerie to hear her sing these carols again on CD, almost forty years after I first heard them on vinyl. In that decades-long interval, no one has ever managed to sing "The Little Drummer Boy" without sounding saccharine and/or lachrymose. I grew to despise the "rump bump bump bums" that resounded every Christmas season through elevators and K-Marts---until I heard Joan sing the song again. Somehow her straightforward presentation, with medieval-sounding accompaniment make this 1940's chestnut into a haunting Childe ballad.

This CD has a good mix of traditional carols, and some that may sound unfamiliar, e. g. "Down in Yon Forrest. "

If you buy the remastered version of "Noël" rather than this CD, you will get six extra songs: "The First Noel," "We Three Kings (instrumental)," "Virgin Mary," "Good Christian Kings (instrumental)," "Burgundian Carol," and "Away In a Manger (French). "
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Beautiful!!
It brings back a lot of memories as my favorite record to listen too. I grew up loving this album on LP. Joan Biaz has a woderful voice and displays it in an absolutely beautiful way on this album. . . A must have!!.


Christmas Classics for Grown-up Tastes
It's not surprising that someone suggested she make a Christmas album!

My fear when I put on the album was that she was going to get corny on me. Joan Baez has one of the best voices around - outstanding range, operatic vibrato, but with folk expressiveness. I hate buying a Christmas album by a singer I like, and finding that it's elevator music and kids' ditties. Nothing to worry about here!

This Christmas album is sophisticated, understated, and dignified enough to be played softly at a "cocktail Christmas celebration".

The songs she picked are classics and traditionals - it's a joy to recognize the songs as they come up. But all of the selections are from the more adult end of the Christmas song spectrum. The instrumentation is subtle, and her gorgeous soprano is the center of attention. She sings softly, with restraint, and with shy piety.

A wonderful, traditional Christmas carole album for adult households!.


You can see a complete list of all Joan Baez discography, or go back to the Joan Baez tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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