Search - Joan Baez :: How Sweet The Sound (DVD/CD)

An Exquisite Portrait of the Queen of Folk!

Movielovr777 | 10/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At long last! Those of us who've followed Joan Baez' career (some since her beginning 50 years ago at the Newport Folk Festival) have watched her evolve into a legend in the folk music genre, an iconic figure with unparalleled skills as singer/songwriter, musician, and interpreter of some of the most beautiful and evocative folk, country, blues and rock songs ever written. We've bought her albums, then her cassettes, then her cd's, but we've also watched, listened and read about her efforts on behalf of the most vulnerable, war torn, disenfranchised and persecuted throughout the world.



Joan has stood with only her guitar and her clear, luminous voice braving dictators and bullies, military henchmen and bigoted thugs who would try to silence her from speaking or singing, determined to bring comfort and solace where she could, and hope and inspiration where she might. She has sung, marched, written about and simply been present at some of the seminal events of the past century; she has seen the triumphs and tragedies close up.



And finally this remarkable life has been documented with a depth befitting the woman who has quite rightfully become known as the Queen of Folk! The PBS 'American Masters' film takes us inside Joan's family, provides unprecedented access to friends and colleagues, and reveals the influences for her activism and her music---all candidly intimate and not always flattering, but never less than fascinating and sometimes funny, often poignant and always enthralling.



I would urge anyone who is familiar with and appreciates Ms. Baez' music to see this extraordinary documentary, and enjoy the splendid cd of her music that accompanies the DVD and traverses her career from its very beginnings to her most recent release, produced by Steve Earle. It's been a long time coming, but it's here at last...THANK YOU, Joan Baez, PBS and the producers and filmmakers for this wonderful tribute!"

Joan Baez, Folksinger

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 10/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

""How Sweet the Sound"



Joan Baez,Folksinger



Amos Lassen



Having always been a Joan Baez fan, I often wondered why she had never released a DVD. I finally have one and I could not be happier. I once met Baez in New Orleans when she appeared at the House of Blues but my greatest memory of her is when she sang at the Roman amphitheater in Caesarea, Israel. All alone on the stage with just a guitar, Baez held the audience spellbound as she sang and that was no easy job. All of the who's who if the Israel music industry was in the audience and everyone loved the show.

"How Sweet the Sound" is a documentary on her life that was shown on PBS and it chronicles both the private side and the public career of Joan Baez. She was our conscience in the 60's and early 70's--we listened to her songs and we took up her causes. It is hard to believe that she has been singing for 50 years. The film features interviews with some of her contemporaries--David Crosby, Bob Dylan, Jesse Jackson, Roger McGuinn and with her ex-husband, David Harris. We are with Joan in Vietnam, when she marched with Martin Luther King, as a teenager performing and in Sarajevo. She is a legend and an icon and she has done so much--an activist, a singer, a songwriter, an interpreter, a musician and above all a real person. We have watched her and listened to her. She has faced dictators and haters but she has not been silenced. The film brought tears to my eyes several times.

It is very interesting to hear Dylan speak of her and to meet her son Gabe, who now plays in her band.

The only problem I have is that I wanted more and she deserves more. Packaged with the DVD is a CD of 16 songs spanning her career. If you love folk music as much as I do, this is a film you will want to have. I got it three days ago and have already watched it four times.

"

A good program to watch

Barbara A. Smits | 11/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this program on Public Television and liked it so well that I wanted my own copy to watch. I have been a big Joan Baez fan since she first came on the scene in the 60"s and it was great to see her finally get her "due" for all of the years that she has spent in the public spotlight. It was sad to think of those early days being past and gone, however, as public sentiment no longer seems to favor music that has much of a "message" that motivates young people toward public service and involvement...the protest generation is passing away (love them or hate them), much like the aging veterans who have fought for our country are dwindling in numbers...sigh. Most music sounds the same today, and there are few who take my breath away as Joan Baez did when I heard her first song on the radio many years ago. As far as the CD goes, I have most of her releases so there wasn't much new on it for me, but it will be good for those who are just coming on board. Buy and enjoy!"