Joan Baez

A fairly respectable 17-song collection, released as part of the U.K. Pye label's supremely budge- priced Golden Hour series, and serving as an easy primer for anybody who just wants to hear Joan Baez sing for 60 minutes. The track listing is all over the place, but it certainly hits all the right notes. "Hush Little Baby" and "The Last Thing on My Mind" are joined by the hit "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," together with a handful of Dylan compositions ("It Ain't Me Babe," "Farewell Angelina," "Hard Rain," etc.), her definitive rendering of Phil Ochs' "There But for Fortune" and even a touch of esotericism, in the form of "Bachianas Brasilieras No. 5 Aria." The album also boasts one of the better sleeves within the Golden Hour catalog, and certainly did well enough on the marketplace to inspire a second volume a year or so later. ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide