I live one day at a time (Willie Nelson) (LP 814)

Joan Baez   One Day At A Time  (Vinyl, Vanguard Records, 1969) *****  

Genre: Folk 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Sweet Sir Galahad

Gear costume: No Expectations, A Song For David

Active compensatory factors: Recently I picked up her First Ten Years compilation from Spellbound Wax Company in Gisborne and my ears pricked up when I got to a couple of tracks in a more country mode.

I knew Sweet Sir Galahad from her Woodstock performance - it's a real highlight of the Volume 2 set, and I really enjoyed the studio recording on the compilation. Her version of The Rolling Stones' No Expectations was also stunning so I needed to track down a copy of the album those songs came from - One Day At A Time.

Real Groovy came to my rescue with a beautiful American copy in excellent condition, and cheap! Joan is not a marquee player these days I guess; lucky for me.

She recorded the album in Nashville, so the band on the album features many amazing players like Pete Drake, Ken Buttrey, Charlie McCoy, Jerry Reed, Norbert Puttnam, David Briggs, and Grady Tate. Cream of the sessioner crop names that are familiar to readers of album credits.

It all works. Joan sounds amazing naturally and the sympathetic arrangements with judicious use of steel guitar, and fiddle are perfect for her. She even sounds great when she goes full bore country on songs like Carry It On.

The two Baez written songs - Sweet Sir Galahad and Song For David are stand outs showing clearly that she is a quality songwriter as well as a gifted musician and singer.

What a talent!

Where do they all belong? I've added it to Joan's folk albums but it could easily cross over into folk rock or country rock.