Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust in the Bullring (2LP, 45 tours, 200g)
Joan Baez - vocals [click here to see more vinyl featuring Joan Baez]
Mercedes Sosa – vocals (D2)
John Acosta – cello
Begnat Amorena – drums
Laythan Armor – synthesizer, keyboards
Cesar Cancino – piano, arranger, cello arrangement
Jean Marie Ecay – guitar
Jose Agustin Guereu – bass
Costel Restea – cello
L.A. Mass Choir - vocals (B3)
Donald Taylor – choir master (B3)
2 LP, Stoughton Printing old-style tip-on gatefold jacket
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 200g
Record color : black
Speed : 45 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Live
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : Gold Castel
Recorded live at Bullring, Bilbao in 1988
Engineered & mixed by Alan Abrahams, Charlie Paakkari
Produced by Alan Abrahams
Remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
Originally released in 1989
Reissued in 2020
Tracks:
Side A (In English) :
- Diamonds and Rust
- Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around
- No Woman No Cry
Side B (In English) :
- Famous Blue Raincoat
- Swing Low Sweet Chariot
- Let It Be
Side C (In Spanish) :
- El Preso Numero Nueve
- Llego Con Tres Heridas
- Txoria Txori
Side D (In Spanish) :
- Ellas Danzan Solas (Cueca Sola
- Gracias A La Vida
- No Nos Moveran
Reviews:
“Capturing a live concert is one of audio’s most difficult balancing acts—like taking a snapshot from two perspectives simultaneously. A rare exception is this Analogue Productions release, which captures an impassioned performance with much-better-than-expected sonics. Baez recorded this LP in a bullring in Spain in 1988; eventually it was released on a modest label, but it never saw big sales. It features 12 songs, roughly half performed in English and half in Spanish, plus the folk favorite “Txoria Txori,” which Baez performs for the appreciative crowd in their native Catalan. Highlights include her performance of “Diamonds & Rust” as well as Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat,” with tasteful piano, guitar, and cello accompaniment. A luminous version of “Sweet Chariot” begins a cappella, the audience supporting Baez in a gospel call and response. The Beatles’ “Let It Be” becomes a showstopper accompanied by gospel piano, organ, and the L.A. Mass Choir. Impeccably mastered from the original analog tape by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, the 200-gram vinyl was plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings. This small treasure preserves the essence of what makes Baez such a beloved figure on the world stage.” Neil Gader, The Absolute Sound, November 2015
“Although she released a comeback album, Recently, in 1987 after eight years away from U.S. record stores, Joan Baez continued to be more of a force in Europe than in her homeland, and she followed Recently with what was actually her third live album to be recorded in Europe in the 1980s. Diamonds & Rust in the Bullring is not to be confused with her 1975 studio album Diamonds & Rust, of course, and it is not a live recording of the songs from that album, either, even though the song "Diamonds & Rust" itself does lead it off. So, the title is not helpful. The album chronicles a show performed by Baez, in a bullring, naturally, in Bilbao, Spain, in 1988, and it demonstrates what makes her such a draw overseas. Half of the collection (side two of the LP and cassette, tracks seven through 12 of the CD) consists of songs sung in Spanish, recalling her 1974 all-Spanish album Gracias a la Vida and including that LP's title song, here performed as a duet with Mercedes Sosa, "El Preso Numero Nueve" (which was also on her debut album, Joan Baez, in 1960), "Llego con Tres Heridas," and "No Nos Moveran" (aka "We Shall Not Be Moved"). Also part of the Spanish side are a translation of Sting's "They Dance Alone (Gueca Solo)," called "Ellas Danzan Solas (Cueca Sola)." (Singing in Spanish always seems to remind Baez of the bloody Chilean military coup and its aftermath.) But the song that most moves the crowd is the pretty "Txoria Txori," a song in Basque with which they sing along. Actually, the Spanish side is more moving than the English one, in which Baez seems to be just running through some familiar material or turning in interpretations of such classics as Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry," Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat," and the Beatles' "Let It Be" that have been done definitively by their originators. Diamonds & Rust in the Bullring smacks of being a placeholder in Baez's discography, which makes it an odd release for an artist willing to wait so long to return to making records.” AllMusic Review by William Ruhlmann
Ratings :
AllMusic : 3,5 / 5 , Discogs : 4,54 / 5