Joan Baez - Do I just not get it?


Hi,

I'm a relatively young music/audio guy (24). I recently bought a remaster LP of Joan Baez "In Concert" which I've heard is a great album, both musically and soundwise.

This is my first exposure to Joan Baez - and not meant to offend fans... But I could not make it past song two. Now I love singer/songwriter music, and certainly enjoy female vocals and acoustic guitar... but her voice! It is unlistenable! She uses so much vibrato and sounds like a sheep... baaaaaaa... Stevie nicks can at least get away with being a sheep because she has the rock music to keep the attention away... but joan Baez - How do you guys enjoy listening to this stuff? The vibrato is terrible!
goatwuss

Showing 1 response by haskellbob

I agree with you. That vibrato is horrible. Ludicrous. Inexplicable.
I guess it was

I'm a violist, so I know a thing or two about vibrato. Her vibrato sounds like she's using one of those old-time "weight loss" belts that were moved by an electric motor (Back in the forties or so; you'd see commercials for these contraptions with some model who had this rubber belt about six inches wide wrapped around her waist, and at each end it was attached to a motor. As the motor rotated, the belt would be pulled from one side and then the other. Sorry if you didn't need that explanation). Like she's in a car going down a VERY bumpy road.
I am offended by it! Which is totally irrational. I react as if she exaggerated that vibrato on purpose. As if, with all that protest music, she had included an extra ingredient. Now protest THIS! Joan and I will never reconcile on this; there's no way I can not hear that voice bouncing around.

Personally, I would have felt that anyone who responded to that complaint with, "You should listen to X or Y CD" had missed the mark. They're trying to be helpful but ignoring the complaint out of hand. They don't care about the excess vibrato; they just need to not let anyone not like an artist they have some personal preference for. Bless their little hearts!