Audio CD review:
Joan Baez - Baptism

Joan Baez - Baptism

Band: Joan Baez Title: Baptism Rating: Release Date: 14 October, 2003 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Old Welsh Song 2: I Saw the Vision of Armies 3: Minister of War 4: Song in the Blood 5: Casida of the Lament 6: Of the Dark Past (Ecce Puer) 7: London 8: In Guernica 9: Who Murdered the Minuets 10: Oh, Little Child 11: No Man Is an Island 12: From Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 13: All the Pretty Little Horses 14: Childhood III 15: Magic Wood 16: Poems from the Japanese 17: Colours 18: All in Green Went My Love Riding 19: Gacela of the Dark Death 20: Parable of the Old Man and the Young 21: Evil 22: Epitaph for a Poet 23: Old Welsh Song 24: Mystic Numbers: 36. Wedding Song 25: When the Shy Star Goes Forth in Heaven 26: Angel

Customer Reviews JOAN...WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?... It features Joan Baez reading the poetic works of others with a smattering of music thrown in. This is a pretentious work by one of the greatest folk singers of all time. This CD is the epitome of conceit. People buy Joan Baez CDs because of her glorious singing voice, not for her poetry reading. As a conceptual work, the premise of the CD is intriguing, a melding of poetry and music, with the poetry read against a backdrop of music. It is intended to be evocative of the times in which we live, with the poetry extending the range of the music. In its execution, however, the premise is seriously flawed by Joan Baez's reading voice, as she drones on and on, no thespian she. While it is obvious that a great deal of thought went into the selection of both the poetry and the music, it is an ambitious venture which does not work. Stick to singing, Joan. That is your gift. . Remastered at last It is not to everybody's taste, so kudos to Vanguard for remastering it. For every 100 customers who liked Joan's early albums, only one or two cared for BAPTISM. It is a dark, dark collection, a meditation on tears, death, fear and loss, and overshadowed by a deep antipathy to war (this was 1968). Its best parts (COLOURS, WHO MURDERED THE MINUTES, CHILDHOOD III, THE MAGIC WOOD and EPITAPH FOR A POET are my favorites) are very moving. The rewards are worth the effort it takes to get into this recording. MARVELOUS With all that's happening in the world today, BAPTISM should be required listening for everyone. This is NOT a recording for "hard-core fans only". In any case, it's much better than the current anthologies of anti-war poetry. This re-working of the original recording is excellent. It is a timeless recording, one of Joan's most experimental and best. Don't hesitate!. . You can see a complete list of all Joan Baez discography, or go back to the Joan Baez tabs