Yeah, Joan's early records were great...the clear-eyed innocence of youth and phenomenal talent. I thought "Farewell Angelina" was the best of them all, and I loved the live one at Carnegie Hall...great rendition of Matty Groves!

Has anyone heard "Very Early Joan"?...some marvelous stuff, including 2 hilarious parodies of silly rock 'n roll songs of the day ("She's A Troublemaker" and "Little Darlin'").

There was a point where Joan got too preachy for me too, in the late 60's. The album "Baptism" was really a pain to sit through. I didn't disagree with her politics, but I found that her music, as a performing art, was getting ruined by them...she had become obsessed with the political issues of the day.

I think this was because on some level she genuinely thought she could change the world...

Well, we all can do that...to some extent...but it's important not to become so fanatical that you subordinate your whole life to an issue that is ultimately smaller than your own soul. People who do this turn themselves into one dimensional bores all too quickly.

She later did some fine original songwriting in the 70's and has been a class act ever since.

- LH