At the time of release, Folk Music wasn’t exactly a commercially or critically accepted genre of music. This release pointed out that at the dawn of the swinging sixties, something big and radical was about to emerge in the world of music, just before The Beatles released their first album in 1963. In any case, Joan Baez’s first album, this self-titled debut album changed the world of music forever and made the guitar an instrument of choice for decades after its release. Joan Baez also apparently had a three-year-long secret relationship with Bob Dylan during her time, which is interesting but not at all surprising, given the talents of these two musicians. Joan Baez has also been widely known as a highly political, left-wing person in the world of music. Let’s take a listen to this historically relevant album and hear if it is any good.

Silver Dagger begins with some very Country-esque acoustic fingerpicking and has Joan Baez’s beautiful voice flutter above it all. An awesome listen, this is simple, yet emotional and wonderfully effective music. It’s a Folk story about one’s mother and the morals that can be taught from such a person. Joan Baez’s voice is tremendously fantastic in this song, and she sounds like a wonderful singer throughout. Her singing voice flutters beautifully over the fingerpicked acoustic guitar, sounding quite unlike anything else out there. This song exudes powerful emotion throughout, and it has a sad conclusion. Great to listen to.

East Virginia begins with some solemn and finger-picked acoustic guitar. It quickly launches into a pretty, divine and unique tune that is very different to anything else out there in the history of music. Joan Baez sings sweetly and sadly throughout, and she proves herself to be an amazing talent throughout. A really lovely, grand and gorgeous listening experience, this is a fantastic song that deserves to be heard by more out there. The lyrics are poetic, literate and heartfelt throughout. This is simple music that, quite simply, works very well. A sad lament, but a fantastic listening experience, this works a real treat. An excellent song from start to finish. The acoustic guitar playing throughout is absolutely fantastic.

Fare Thee Well begins with some bright and breezy acoustic guitar fingerpicking and launches into another pretty, divine and unique listening experience. Again, this sounds very lovely. Joan Baez uses her brilliant and fluttering voice to maximum effect in this song and sings about the loneliness and despair of being left alone by a lover as he departs on his travels. A sad and despairing song, but made wonderful with its beauty, this is a really awesome listening experience that is super underrated and overlooked especially today. A good listen, and something worth hearing if in a low mood. Very touching. It ends with some neat acoustic guitar fingerpicking.

House Of The Rising Sun is a famous staple of Folk music. It begins with some dark and interesting guitar playing, which is fingerpicked nicely by Joan Baez. She sings tremendously prettily and with a powerful voice in this song. It is a gorgeous, downtempo and different listening experience that sounds really awesome and tremendously great. A pretty, suspenseful and fantastic tune to listen to, this sounds deep, moving and heartbreaking throughout. This is a good Folk tale of deep and interesting subjects, and Joan Baez’s voice is absolutely awesome. A lovely tune and a must-hear.

All My Trials begins with double-tracked acoustic guitars and Joan Baez’s deep, sorrowful and moving singing. It is a really fine, fantastic and awesome listening experience, despite the fact that this is obviously tearjerker music. A really dynamic, interesting and fantastic tune that is a plea to God for forgiveness throughout life, this is a very emotional tune that is a great listen throughout. Even if listening in a happy mood, this classic by Joan Baez is eternally memorable. Simple, yet very effective, Joan Baez illustrates the need for forgiveness in one’s life, no matter what one has done. A really cool listen, this is a heartfelt, intelligent and different tune that needs to be heard more often by people out there. It has a soft and gentle conclusion, with Joan Baez repeatedly singing, “All my trials, Lord, soon be over…” Very Deep.

Wildwood Flower begins with dual-tracked acoustic guitars and sounds very cheerful and upbeat. Joan Baez sings incredibly wonderfully and beautifully here, and she sounds very amazing indeed on this album. A pleasant and enjoyable listen, this does sound lively and incredible throughout. This does have some sad lyrics and emotions behind it all, but is something that sounds really lovely and divine all the same. A really awesome listen, this is short and sweet, being around the two-and-a-half-minute mark. Outstanding.

Donna Donna launches right into a minor key and awesome listening experience that sounds very near perfect for Folk Music, complete with Joan Baez’s fluttering vocals. This is another Folk Music staple that works wonders and sounds really fantastically awesome, for the music that this is. An awesome, lively and lovely listening experience, this is a deep and emotional listening experience that compares life’s woes to experiences in nature, this is a surreal and likely drug-influenced tune. Joan Baez sings about some troubling subjects throughout, but she delivers time and time again with her beautiful and simple music.

John Riley begins with some gorgeous and sweet acoustic guitar playing and strumming, with Joan Baez singing sweetly above the top of it all. It’s an interesting tune that is a story about a man who gets knocked back after proposing to a lady. There are many great and intricate guitar sounds throughout, and the whole tune sounds really divine and excellent. A sad, strange yet absolutely beautiful tune tinged with a great deal of melancholy about it, it sounds like a very poetic, detailed and lovely statement throughout. It has a positive and dramatic conclusion at the end, and this is well worth paying attention to. A fantastic song, and a true Folk Music classic. Great to hear.

Rake And Rambling Boy launches straight into a gorgeous and upbeat tune that is really awesome to hear. A great, simple and loveable acoustic guitar-based tune, one can hear the foot-stomping throughout as well. That’s how simple, lo-fi yet gorgeous this track is. Absolutely amazing and mindblowing to hear, this is a great listen, as are all the other songs on this album. Fine and fantastic, worth your ears. This ends sweetly, an awesome song.

Little Moses begins with some sweet acoustic fingerpicking that sounds absolutely fantastic. It quickly launches into an awesome and divine tune that sounds totally different to anything at the time of writing. A really enjoyable, listenable and imaginative tune, this is about the character in the Bible. Whether or not you are Jewish or Christian, this is a definite pleasant listen and it is a very lovely tune overall. A very pretty, lovely and peaceful tune, this still deserves to be heard today. A wonderful tune to listen to. Brilliant.

Mary Hamilton is the longest song on this album at around nearly six minutes long. It begins with some colourful acoustic guitar fingerpicking, followed quickly by Joan Baez’s sweet singing over the top of it all. A really gorgeous and tuneful listen, the simplicity of this song is incredibly amazing and the lyricism and beauty of the song both are also amazing. A really pseudo-psychedelic (at least lyrically) and interesting tune overall, this is a joyous and wonderful listening experience that is unlike any other. With references to the main character travelling to Glasgow and being in trouble for a bunch of reasons, this still sounds deeply emotional and amazing to this very day. A moving and lovely tune about being caught red-handed, this is a tremendously lovely and beautiful tune that sounds really top and amazing and is very much timeless. There is a twist towards the end, which is unusual and unexpected. A very beautiful and tuneful tune, it ends sweetly. Great song.

Henry Martin begins with some nice and intricate acoustic fingerpicked guitar. It is a tale of the reign of “Bloody” Queen Mary of Scotland. This is an awesome listen and is traditional history set to music. A great and interesting four-minute-long tune, this sounds really like the most pleasant tune interpretation of some rather detailed and decent historical events. Nonetheless, this does sound exciting, enticing and different. All in all, this is certainly a great tune to listen to, and there is a sung section of trading arms. Another top-notch tune, this is storytelling set to music. Better than most of Bob Dylan’s efforts that would follow, this is a fantastic song to hear. It ends sadly, great song, however.

El Preso Numero Nueve is the last song of this main album. It is a Spanish tune with some Spanish lyrics and excellent acoustic guitar playing by Joan Baez. Again, she eliminates the competition nicely and proves to the world that, indeed, she had a talent many could not match musically. The music present is tremendously awesome and is louder and more percussive than the previous songs on this album. Just excellent, proving that Joan Baez had a multitude of musical talents up her sleeve. A very beautiful and different listen, this deserves your attention at the end of the main section of this album. It ends abruptly, a fantastic listening experience.

Girl Of Constant Sorrow is a sub two minute long piece of music and is very much a mission statement by Joan Baez. This is still brilliant, despite its negativity, and packs a musical treat for those listening. It sounds simple, lovely and fantastic. A great bonus track, and worth hearing as well. Joan Baez shows the world her real talent here. A fantastic and lovely listen. It concludes gently.

I Know You Rider begins with fingerpicked acoustic guitar galore that sounds really pretty, shining bright and excellent. Joan Baez begins singing in a lovely and passionate voice, and she sounds really much in love, at least lyrically. An excellent and wonderful song about being in love, this potentially could have been about Bob Dylan. Regardless, the music present is amazing, pretty and gorgeous throughout. Awesome listening, this sounds amazing to this day. There is a solo section in the second half of this tune which is really decent and sweet, just before Joan Baez gets back into singing. Nonetheless, a fine and fantastic listen. Absolutely great to hear, it ends with fingerpicked acoustic guitar soloing. Awesome.

John Riley (Extended Version) is the very last song on this album. Joan Baez sings beautifully and wonderfully here, as the tale of love and mystery is re-told here. It still sounds deep, lovely and amazing, as it tells the story of true love. A tremendous, suspenseful and beautiful tune that works incredibly well and plays like a dream, this is a great and gorgeous tune. Joan Baez perfectly illustrates a great and gorgeous song about being truly in love, more people should follow this route displayed in this song in life. A really pretty and tuneful song to hear, this sounds incredibly sweet and caring as a song. A genuinely great listen, this extended tune sounds really pretty and fantastic. Worth hearing, it concludes the album well.

This is a really great album to listen to. Although it is fairly moody and minimalist, it still sounds timeless to this day, showcasing Joan Baez’s deep and real talent from the start of her career. All in all, this is a wonderful and lovely album that should have a place in your collection. Should you listen to this album? Yes, especially if you dig beautiful and minimalist Folk Music. Even if you do not dig Folk Music, one can easily appreciate the music at hand.

Stunning and gorgeous.

9/10