If you want to be pedantic, by 1970 Joan was in her 11th year of recording, having appeared on the album "Folksingers 'Round Harvard Square" in 1959 singing 6 solos, 3 duets and one song as part of a full trio. This featured title though 'The First Ten Years' refers to her 10 years on the Vanguard label.
In 1970 I'd been listening and buying Dylan for long enough to know where Joan Baez fitted into the mix. Her loyalty to him and her devotion to his music are legendary, but unfortunately I fall into the camp that believes they should never have sung together. Bob has a distinctive voice, a style and a quality and so does Joan. Unfortunately, for me, they are totally incompatible.
Listening to Joan sing Dylan's songs however is another kettle of fish entirely. Even though this, her first compilation album, contains 6 Dylan songs it was her rendition of Phil Ochs' composition 'There But For Fortune' that drew me in. Once there, this double album had a lot going for it. Tim Hardin's 'If I Were a Carpenter', Jagger/Richards plaintive 'No Expectations' from the Stones Beggars Banquet album and some great traditional standards.
A few months before buying this album I got hold of the original 3 LP set of the Woodstock soundtrack. Joan had 2 songs on there, 'Joe Hill' and 'Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man'. I played those 2 songs until the needle wore out. I had to wait until 2020 to get hold of a 38 CD set covering everything ever recorded at Woodstock to discover there were 15 songs by Joan in total. What a bounty !!
Although a song-writer in her own right she is best known for covering other artists, taking songs from extremely diverse genres and styles to put her own stamp on them. From reggae - 'No Woman, No Cry', pop classics - 'Eleanor Rigby', spirituals - 'Oh Happy Day', to heartfelt standards like Cohen's 'Suzanne' and John Prine's 'Hello In There'. There are also countless versions of Dylan's material.
The cover she is most well-known for would have to be her recording of Robbie Robertson's song written for The Band, 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down'. The track was included on her last Vanguard album 'Blessed Are ..' in 1971 and her single was certified Gold in October of that year. Curiously her version had incorrect lyrics. She'd never seen them printed out and so sang what she thought she heard!
Joan's involvement with Dylan certainly had it's ups and downs and despite originally stating that the song she wrote - 'Diamonds and Rust' - was about her husband David, she later made it very clear that it was in fact about Dylan. She even references lines from the song in her memoir "And a Voice to Sing With' when talking about her relationship with his Bobness.
On that same album, 'Diamonds and Rust' Joan does a cover of Bob's song 'Simple Twist of Fate'. I've included a link below. Go to 2.18 minutes to hear Joan do her Dylan impersonation !! In fact, she parodied him quite often.
In 2018 she released her last album 'Whistle Down the Wind', the album title taken from the first track, a song written by Tom Waits.
Now in her 80th year Joan is still in fine voice and going strong and was recently one of the recipients of the 2021 43rd Kennedy Center Awards. Her body of work is enormous but fortunately if you want somewhere to start there are over 20 compilation albums/CDs out there. Travel through the years with some of Joan's best interpretations and enjoy the journey.
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