Come from the Shadows is the thirteenth studio album (and fifteenth overall) by Joan Baez, released in 1972. After recording for the independent label Vanguard for more than a decade, Baez signed with A&M and attempted to point her career in a slightly more "commercial" direction (though the album still had overtly political overtones). In addition to her own compositions such as "Prison Trilogy","Love Song to a Stranger", "Myths", and "To Bobby" (addressed to Bob Dylan), Baez included John Lennon's "Imagine", Anna Marly's "Song of the Partisan", and Mimi Fariña's "In the Quiet Morning (for Janis Joplin)".
| Come from the Shadows | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Studio | Quadrafonic Sound (Nashville, Tennessee) | |||
| Genre | Folk, country folk, Americana | |||
| Length | 41:38 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Joan Baez | |||
| Joan Baez chronology | ||||
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"In the Quiet Morning" and "Love Song to a Stranger" were released as singles. The album was recorded at Quadrafonic Sound Studios in Nashville. The cover photo features an elderly couple being arrested at an anti-war protest, holding hands and flashing peace signs as they are led away.
The album's liner notes feature a Baez quote: "...In 1972 if you don't fight against a rotten thing you become a part of it."
Critical reception
editNoel Coppage from Stereo Review was underwhelmed by the album, finding much of it "merely generally pleasant" and "poorly constructed".[1] Robert Christgau gave Come from the Shadows a "C+" in Creem magazine. He mocked Baez's attempt at populist politics and her cultivated vocabulary, singling out the lyrics to "Myths": "I don't know about The People, but just plain people say 'scattered upon the four winds,' not 'upon the four winds scattered.' Actually they don't say 'scattered upon the four winds' either".[2] AllMusic's William Ruhlmann later gave it three out of five stars.[3]
Track listing
editAll tracks composed by Joan Baez; except where noted.
- "Prison Trilogy (Billy Rose)" - 4:23
- "Rainbow Road" (Donnie Fritts, Dan Penn) - 3:03
- "Love Song to a Stranger" - 3:55
- "Myths" - 3:19
- "In the Quiet Morning" (Mimi Fariña) - 2:58
- "All the Weary Mothers of the Earth (People's Union #1)" - 3:34
- "To Bobby" - 3:53
- "Song of Bangladesh" - 4:49
- "A Stranger in My Place" (Kenny Rogers, Kin Vassy) - 3:07
- "Tumbleweed" (Douglas Van Arsdale) - 3:32
- "The Partisan" (Anna Marly, Hy Zaret) - 3:17
- "Imagine" (John Lennon) - 3:27
Personnel
edit- Joan Baez – guitar, vocals
- Stuart Basore – steel guitar
- David Briggs – keyboards
- Kenneth Buttrey – drums
- Grady Martin – guitar
- Charlie McCoy – harp, guitar
- Farrell Morris – percussion
- Weldon Myrick – steel guitar
- Norbert Putnam – bass guitar
- Glen Spreen – keyboards, string arrangements
- Pete Wade – guitar
- John "Bucky" Wilkin – guitar
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Coppage, Noel (1972). "Review". Stereo Review. Vol. 29. p. 73.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (October 1972). "The Christgau Consumer Guide". Creem. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William (n.d.). "Come from the Shadows - Joan Baez". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2018.