Joan Baez – Blessed Are… (1971)
Jacob Dixon
Anyone that knows me in the least, knows that I have a very big soft spot for the Folk Revival of the 1960s. Woodie Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Josh White, and of course, Joan Baez are some of my favorites. As time passed and as I delved further into the history of the movement, I found it interesting to see how these artists helped shape one another’s careers. You can see proof of that in that if it weren’t for Joan Baez, we probably wouldn’t have one of the biggest and most prolific songwriters of that or any time: Bob Dylan.[[MORE]]
Historically, Baez and Dylan met in Greenwich Village in 1961 and while Dylan was initially interested in Joan’s younger sister Mimi, the two became romantically entangled and Baez, whom had already released 3 Gold records, began inviting Dylan on stage to perform with her. Over the years that followed, Baez recorded covers of several of Dylan’s songs and was instrumental in bringing him into the public consciousness. By 1971, Baez and Dylan had long since ended their relationship and Baez was about to end her relationship with Vanguard Records, but not before releasing one last album on the label: Blessed Are….
Blessed Are… was initially released as a gatefold double-LP album, full of original compositions, as well as some stirring covers of songs by The Band, Kris Kristofferson, and The Beatles. At 22 tracks long, the album is a bit of a horse pill and can seem intimidating at first, but it is well worth the effort. Baez herself, whom is known for her classic vibrato vocals, has a very beautiful and haunting quality about her songwriting. It is never without a purpose, which is especially apparent when looking at Baez’s life and the amount of protesting that she did in the 60s. She came to be known as the “Queen of Folk” and was always using her art and celebrity to battle whichever injustice had most recently come to her attention.
Personally, I find it can be a bit of a daunting task to find a starting point with a career that bore so much fruit over so many years, but I would have to say that this would be the best album in the way of introductions, though I always tend to be biased toward whichever album is my own introduction to an artist. One thing that Baez does incredibly well though, is covering songs by other artists, through her unique ability to take songs made famous by others more highly regarded than she, and give them a new lease on life. Take for instance her cover of “Let It Be”; the original recording of the song is easily one of the best recordings ever made, and yet when she covered it with an acoustic guitar and a gospel choir, it’s as if I was hearing the song for the first time again. Certainly she is best known for her covers of Bob Dylan which have been sprinkled throughout the albums over the years, but I will argue till the day that I die that her best cover is of The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, which blows the original out of the water.
Personally, this is an album that I discovered at my friend Jason’s urging and just so happened to be the one that I happened upon while I was flipping through old LPs at Half Price Books. I was intrigued by the cover art and at less than $2, I figured that even if it were no good, it wouldn’t be too much of a loss. After having purchased the album, I immediately went home and put it on and for the next week or so, there was little else that I listened to. Over the couple of years since then, I have come to appreciate the album more and more. At this point, I have more Joan Baez records in my vinyl collection than anyone else, with Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash trailing just behind.
All told, Blessed Are… is an album that should be on everyone’s radar, particularly those who are even passing fans of the Folk Revival of the 1960s, or of the mini Folk Revival that we are experiencing now with bands like Josh Ritter.
For Fans of: Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, and Joni Mitchell.
Rating: 8/10
Imgnry Snds 