Hide Article Text (OCR)
By THAYER WALKER The marriage of folk music and a concert stage invariably ‘begets surprises and Wednesday night’s Joan Baez performance in Pittsfield was no exception. To call it a Joan Baez concert keeps in line with the sales pro motion but it is a misnomer. The person that made the concert ex ceptional was topical music poet Bob Dylan who scratched out his songs of blood and doomsday imagery, in contrast with her smooth, flowing soprano and her quiet guitar playing. Surprise to Reviewer Miss Baez, if she had performed alone, still would have turned in a strong show. That in itself was a surprise to this reviewer whose acquaintance with her music had been previously limited to her less-than-stimulating — recordings. But at the Pittsfield Boys’ Club concert, sponsored by the Music Barn in Lenox, she proved she must be seen to be appreciated. Taxes in renerence vA Atkabeeee yeees played great strength. What she did do, however, was to promote the greatness of Joan Baez whose nightingale voice manifests an in disputable talent. For that she can not be condemned but that talent is only transient. When she does, so does her talent and nothing remains. What she has consistently failed to do is make the lyrics of a song her principal concern. Sing ing raucus, defiant, protest songs, the meaning gets smothered by her soft voice. Defiant nightingales are not in style. At Tack Its Bad teak At Her Best She was at her best singing the softer strains of love ballads and blues but her temptation to do something about the state of the world got the upper hand. Bob Dylan, on the other hand, showed flashes of immortal great ness, Dylan seldom sings any thing but his own compositions, most of them fraught with violent images regarding political and social injustices. Perhaps it's too early to tell that this young man could be his generation's successor to the spirit and soul of Woody Guthrie, the champion of the downtrodden from the 30's through the 50's. Using Miss Baez's guitar which for her seemed to have a built-in muffler, Dylan turned it on like a big 12-stringer and coupling it with his lyrics, gave a perfor mance of rare power and guts. His voice, however, was the selling point. It was raspy, earthy, and nasal but blended perfectly with his subject. He sounded dif ferent from but at the same time strikingly similar to Guthrie. Join Steinbeck once noted the
Newspaper Details
North Adams Transcript
North Adams, Massachusetts, US
Fri, Aug 16, 1963
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Chris H.
GB 02 Jun 2026
Other Publications Near North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams Transcript
