"For every 100 customers who liked Joan's early albums, only one or two cared for BAPTISM. It is not to everybody's taste, so kudos to Vanguard for remastering it. It is a dark, dark collection, a meditation on tears, death, fear and loss, and overshadowed by a deep antipathy to war (this was 1968). Its best parts (COLOURS, WHO MURDERED THE MINUTES, CHILDHOOD III, THE MAGIC WOOD and EPITAPH FOR A POET are my favorites) are very moving. The rewards are worth the effort it takes to get into this recording."
MARVELOUS
finch334 | 10/25/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is NOT a recording for "hard-core fans only". With all that's happening in the world today, BAPTISM should be required listening for everyone. In any case, it's much better than the current anthologies of anti-war poetry. This re-working of the original recording is excellent. It is a timeless recording, one of Joan's most experimental and best. Don't hesitate!"
For Hardcore Fans Only
noodgeslacker | STUDIO CITY, CA United States | 10/21/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"First released in 1968, "Baptism" is a collaboration with composer Peter Schickele, who also did orchestral arrangements for the earlier "Noel" and "Joan" albums. On this album, Baez left the lyrics of Dylan, Farina, and Donovan for the verse of Walt Whitman, William Blake, and Jacques Prevert, among others. Sometimes singing, mostly reciting, she is accompanied by Schickele's evocative music. The problem is a lack of variety in the project. Although multi-cultural before its time (with Asian and black American selections), the general tone is quite grim. The original album begins and ends with a hauntingly-sung short piece by Henry Treece. In between are relentless expressions of human misery. Childhood fears, reflections on death, war, and oppression, get a time-out only for romantic despair. A baptism by fire to be sure, and certainly a product of the times. The seven pieces where Baez sings the poems, instead of reciting them in an understated manner, are all melodically striking, if mostly somber in tone. Her singing is so beautiful that serious fans will want to add this CD to their collection. The stand-out track is e. e. cummings' "all in green went my love riding." The material is perfectly suited to Baez's solemn delivery and Schickele's pristine music. Casual listeners curious about the Baez/Schickele sound will be better off sampling "Noel" or "Joan." The two also collaborated on the "Silent Running" soundtrack later on. The three short bonus tracks on the remastered edition are all spoken, and non-morbid in content. The liner notes do a good job of recreating the period in which this recording was made. The original liner notes are included as well, but not the text of the poetry (as in the LP edition)."
Often misunderstood, but she never recorded anything so good
mianfei | 05/31/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Recorded as part of a trilogy with Noël and Joan, "Baptism" remains probably the most controversial work in Joan Baez' career.
Whilst "Joan" and "Noël" Baez had been working on accessible, contemprary material that alienated many of her early fans interested in traditional folk song, "Baptism" consisted of poetry recitals that rarely saw Baez signing at all: most of "Baptism" is spoken rather than sung and many of her early fans disliked the album for that reason, though it still stayed longer in the Billboard charts than anything after Farewell, Angelina.
Actually, however, "Baptism", whilst it is largely spoken, actually stands as proof that Baez' voice is able to speak rather than sing without losing an ounce of the remarkable beauty that has made it so admired for many decades. Although born as late as 1977, I have enough experience with music to know conclusively that it is very unsual for a "singing" voice to translate well to a more spoken style, and the quiet beauty that dominates "Baptism" is thus highly compelling.
Most tracks on "Baptism" are very short, with only two piece over three minutes, and this does detract somewhat because too many of the tracks lack lines that could possibly make them really memorable. Nonethless, both the slight, upbeat "The Magic Wood" and the dark war trilogy of "London", "In Guernica" and "Who Murdered the Minuets" are touching enough to be extremely compelling.
"All The Pretty Little Horses" is as sad and beautiful as anything Baez did on her early pre-orchestration albums, and the extremely soft "Minister of War" is a touching appeal that should stand as a lesson to many makers of political rock in the modern world that louder is not more effective. Peter Schickele's orchestration is much less lush than on "Joan" and probably he fits "Baptism"'s extraordinarily spartan atmosphere (even compared to the ambience of her early pure folk albums) better. Overall, "Baptism" is the last Baez album that anyone except a hardcore fan needs. Even if at times not memorable, its spare, quiet, touching nature is exactly what folk music should be."
I like it...
i. t. j. | 10/31/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I know this album kind of divides fans and is considered her worse but the songs that are sung are gorgeous and I love the message behind this album! Peace baby!"