Blowin' Away
Encyclopedia
Blowin' Away was a 1977 album by Joan Baez
, her first after switching from A&M Records
to Portrait Records
(a then newly-created division of CBS Records). The album veered more toward mainstream pop than any album Baez had recorded up to that point, though many critics at the time pointed out that she seemed not entirely comfortable with her "new sound". Among the songs covered were the Rod Stewart
hit "Sailing", and the standard "Cry Me a River", in addition to a number of Baez' own compositions. The sardonic "Time Rag" recounts an aborted attempt at an interview by a Time
magazine reporter. Throughout the course of the song, she admits to studio executives wanting to spruce up her image to ensure that she'd once again sell well. "I really should tell you that deep in my heart/I don't give a damn where I stand on the charts", she wryly comments toward the song's closing.
From Time Rag:
"Curious about his interest
I babbled my way through the worldwide list
Ireland, Chile and the African states
Poetry, politics and how they relate
Motherhood, music and Moog synthesizers
Political prisoners and Commie sympathizers
Hetero, homo and bisexuality
Where they all stand in the nineteen-seventies"
Baez wrote "The Altar Boy and the Thief" as a tribute to her gay fanbase.
In her autobiography, "And a Voice to Sing With", Baez described Blowin' Away as "a good album with a terrible cover".
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, her first after switching from A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
to Portrait Records
Portrait Records
Portrait Records was a sister label of Epic Records and later of Columbia Records. Cyndi Lauper and Sade signed with Portrait, but their contracts were absorbed by Epic after that incarnation of the label was shuttered....
(a then newly-created division of CBS Records). The album veered more toward mainstream pop than any album Baez had recorded up to that point, though many critics at the time pointed out that she seemed not entirely comfortable with her "new sound". Among the songs covered were the Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
hit "Sailing", and the standard "Cry Me a River", in addition to a number of Baez' own compositions. The sardonic "Time Rag" recounts an aborted attempt at an interview by a Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine reporter. Throughout the course of the song, she admits to studio executives wanting to spruce up her image to ensure that she'd once again sell well. "I really should tell you that deep in my heart/I don't give a damn where I stand on the charts", she wryly comments toward the song's closing.
From Time Rag:
"Curious about his interest
I babbled my way through the worldwide list
Ireland, Chile and the African states
Poetry, politics and how they relate
Motherhood, music and Moog synthesizers
Political prisoners and Commie sympathizers
Hetero, homo and bisexuality
Where they all stand in the nineteen-seventies"
Baez wrote "The Altar Boy and the Thief" as a tribute to her gay fanbase.
In her autobiography, "And a Voice to Sing With", Baez described Blowin' Away as "a good album with a terrible cover".
Track listing
All tracks composed by Joan Baez; except where indicated- "SailingSailing (Rod Stewart song)"Sailing" is a song written by Gavin Sutherland and recorded by The Sutherland Bros. Band . Released in June 1972, it can be found on their album 'Lifeboat' released in the same year....
" (Gavin Sutherland) – 4:22 - "Many a Mile to Freedom" (Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
) – 2:58 - "Miracles" – 5:24
- "Yellow Coat" (Steve GoodmanSteve GoodmanSteve Goodman was an American folk music singer-songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. The writer of "City of New Orleans", made popular by Arlo Guthrie, Goodman won two Grammy Awards.-Personal life:...
) – 3:37 - "Time Rag" – 5:25
- "A Heartfelt Line or Two" – 3:23
- "I'm Blowin' Away" (Eric KazEric KazEric Kaz, born in Brooklyn, New York in 1947, is a singer-songwriter active mainly in the late 1960s and the 1970s.-Biography:He first appeared on the popular music scene in the mid-60s playing piano in a band called Children of Paradise with Happy and Artie Traum...
) – 3:18 - "Luba the Baroness" – 7:06
- "The Altar Boy and the Thief" – 3:28
- "Cry Me a River" (Arthur Hamilton) – 3:00
Personnel
- Joan Baez – Guitar, Vocals
- Bernard Gelb – Executive Producer
- David Kershenbaum – Producer