Joan Baez, Vol. 2

Joan Baez, Vol. 2
Studio album by Joan Baez
Released	September 1961
Recorded	Vanguard Studios, New York City, 1961
Genre	Folk
Length	44:15
Label	Vanguard
Producer	Maynard Solomon
Joan Baez chronology
Joan Baez (1960) Joan Baez, Vol. 2 (1961) Joan Baez in Concert (1962)

Joan Baez, Vol. 2 was Baez's second album. Released in 1961, the album, like her self-titled 1960 debut album, featured mostly traditional songs. The bluegrass band The Greenbriar Boys provided backup on two songs. Joan Baez, Vol. 2 peaked at #13 on the Billboard album chart and was nominated for a Grammy for "Best Contemporary Folk Performance".

The Vanguard reissue contains three unreleased tracks, "I Once Loved A Boy", "Poor Boy", and "Longest Train I Ever Saw".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

In his Allmusic review, music critic Matt Fink wrote of the album: "The material chosen is truly exceptional... Without a doubt, Baez's version of "Pal of Mine" is every bit as vibrant as when the Carters recorded it, though here given a more bluegrass sound by the banjo and backup vocal accompaniment of the Greenbriar Boys. Baez is a true master of her craft, and though she hasn't always made the best choices for material, the 14 interpretations here are as timeless as the songs themselves... this is an album that all fans of traditional folk music should seek out."^[1]

Track listing

All songs are Traditional, except where noted.

1. "Wagoner's Lad" (Traditional, arranged Anonymous) – 2:14
2. "The Trees They Do Grow High" (Traditional, arranged Anonymous) – 2:59
3. "Lily of the West" – 3:21
4. "Silkie" (Child No. 113) – 4:01
5. "Engine 143" – 3:32
6. "Once I Knew a Pretty Girl" – 2:56
7. "Lonesome Road" – 2:23
8. "Banks of the Ohio" – 3:09
9. "Pal of Mine" – 2:50
10. "Barbara Allen" (Child No. 84) – 4:17
11. "The Cherry Tree Carol" (Child No. 54) – 3:30
12. "Old Blue" – 2:36
13. "Railroad Boy" – 2:31
14. "Plaisir d'Amour" ("The Joys of Love") (Jean Paul Egide Martini alias Martini il Tedesco) – 3:11

2001 reissue bonus tracks

1. "I Once Loved A Boy" – 2:39
2. "Poor Boy" – 2:55
3. "Longest Train I Ever Saw" – 3:15

Personnel

• Joan Baez – vocals, guitar
• The Greenbriar Boys – vocals

References