Album Reviews:
1959: Folksingers ‚Round Harvard Square (with Bill Wood & Ted Alevizos)
Folksingers ‚Round Harvard Square (1959)
Folk Revival, 5/10, Fan Acquisition
Black is the colour of my true love’s hair
Baez playing acoustic guitar with her folkster friends – with at this point basic musicianship, this is mainly an interesting view into the song pool the folk revivalists were working with: besides folk, there is blues and notably a lot of spirituals. Bill Wood, especially, seems to be deep into gospel-infused piedmont blues. This album – which despite its appearance as a sort of bootleg from someone’s living room, and it being recorded in “a friend’s basement” in Boston – is a proper release, but it’s before Baez’ breakthrough to fame about a year later in Newport (Bill Wood and Ted Alevizos went the other way). In hindsight, it’s easy to hear that she has something special – a clear voice, a deep concern for the material she sings. Interesting from a discographical perspective, but it is nothing special musically.
Text Lambrecht 