Genre
Contemporary folk. The album marked a subtle but significant shift away from Baez's strictly traditional repertoire, embracing songs by her contemporaries — most notably Bob Dylan, with four of his compositions included — while retaining the acoustic intimacy that had defined her earlier work.
Release
Released in October 1965 by Vanguard Records.
Production
Produced by Maynard Solomon, co-founder of Vanguard Records and Baez's producer throughout her tenure with the label. Arrangements were handled by Baez herself. For the first time on one of her albums, electric accompaniment was introduced in the form of Bruce Langhorne's amplified acoustic guitar, while string bass featured on every track.
Reception
Farewell, Angelina reached number ten on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, consolidating Baez's commercial standing at a moment when the folk revival was beginning to wane. The album was praised for the breadth and intelligence of its repertoire and for the sustained quality of Baez's interpretive voice. The Ace Records reissue notes described the album, together with Joan Baez/5, as among the most important recordings she made during the 1960s, praising her ability to stamp her authority on such diverse material.
Joan Baez
Joan Baez (born January 9, 1941, Staten Island, New York) is an American folk singer, songwriter, and activist, widely known as the "Queen of Folk." She launched her recording career in 1960 with a debut album on Vanguard Records that became an immediate success, followed by two further gold-certified albums. A defining figure of the 1960s folk revival, she was among the first major artists to champion Bob Dylan's early songwriting, introducing him to vast audiences before his own breakthrough. Throughout her career she intertwined music and political activism — marching alongside Martin Luther King Jr., opposing the Vietnam War, and founding the Institute for the Study of Nonviolence in 1965. She has released more than 30 albums, eight of which are certified gold. Her accolades include seven Grammy nominations, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2007), induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2017), and the Kennedy Center Honors (2021).
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