Let's begin by the past years.
Joan Baez is in the middle of a big time. She releases one album per year and is recognized as someone able to change a simple folk ballad in a huge success.
In 1975, she's invited by Bob Dylan to join him during the "Rolling Thunder Revue".
This is a 6 months tour where Dylan wanted to play in small halls. With a lot of other singers, the main subject was "Let's party!!"
Joan took a lot of pleasure during this tour, and she wrote all the songs of this album, this is the first one with only original songs.
It was recorded in 1976 and released in November of this year.
The emerging feeling from this album is ... embarrassing.
Sometimes, songs are too much arranged, with good lyrics, sometimes, the lyrics are a bit poor, and the songs too much arrange too.
In this time, Joan Baez took the direction of the variety and this EP is the turning point of her career. Unfortunately, it came just after her biggest success, "Diamonds and Rust" and was not so good received by the public.
The 3 first songs are, in my point of view, the best ones, after them, don't forget the coffee...
Some say that just while looking at the album cover, you could feel some poorness. Ok Photoshop didn't exist, but this montage doesn't give you the wish to listen, that's true.
Conclusion, this album is a must have, because it's the only Joan Baez made from A to Z, perhaps the last one with a folk note before years.
Tracks list :
Side One
"Sweeter for Me" 4:25
"Seabirds" 4:32
"Caruso" 3:42
"Still Waters at Night" 3:01
"Kingdom of Childhood" 7:51
Side Two
"O Brother!" 3:19
"Time Is Passing Us By" 3:43
"Stephanie's Room" 4:05
"Gulf Winds" 10:29
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