Joan Baez/5


Joan Baez/5 is the fifth solo album and fourth studio album by American folk singer Joan Baez, released in October 1964. It peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart. The single "There But for Fortune" reached number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and became a top-ten single in the UK.

History

Unlike her prior albums, Joan Baez/5 was divided evenly between contemporary work and traditional folk material. "There But for Fortune" was written by Phil Ochs, and she also included Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" and Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone", as well as a number of traditional English and American folk songs. Director Spike Lee included Baez' recording of Richard Fariña's "Birmingham Sunday" in his 1997 documentary 4 Little Girls.
Liner notes were written by Langston Hughes.
The 2002 Vanguard reissue contains two bonus tracks: "Tramp on the Street" and "Long Black Veil".

Reception

In his Allmusic review, music critic Bruce Eder noted the variety of genres Baez was now exploring. He wrote the album "was where the singer's music experienced its first major blossoming. Having exhausted most of the best traditional songs in her repertory on her four prior LPs, Baez had to broaden the range of her music, and she opened up some promising new territory in the process."

Track listing

  1. "There but for Fortune" – 3:11
  2. "Stewball" – 2:57
  3. "It Ain't Me Babe" – 3:16
  4. "The Death of Queen Jane" – 3:56
  5. "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: Aria" – 6:32
  6. "Go 'Way from My Window" – 2:10
  7. "I Still Miss Someone" – 3:10
  8. "When You Hear Them Cuckoos Hollerin'" – 2:45
  9. "Birmingham Sunday" – 3:58
  10. "So We'll Go No More A-Roving" – 1:42
  11. "O' Cangaceiro" – 2:18
  12. "The Unquiet Grave" – 4:19
Reissue bonus tracks
  1. "Tramp on the Street" – 3:59
  2. "Long Black Veil" – 2:42

Personnel