Craft Recordings is keeping its 2025 reissue hot streak alive—after stellar runs with the OJC Series and the long-overdue spotlight on Bluesville—with the return of Farewell, Angelina, Joan Baez’s bestselling 1965 album. Landing October 3rd, this 60th anniversary reissue marks the first wide vinyl pressing in nearly four decades.
Originally a turning point in Baez’s discography, Farewell, Angelina mixes traditional folk tunes with contemporary covers—including four by Bob Dylan, who was deep into his “I’m not there, I’m just a complete unknown” phase. The title track, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” and “Wild Mountain Thyme” all feature, along with Baez’s first recorded use of electric guitar—a move that quietly foreshadowed Dylan’s louder Newport detour.
This edition features all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl via Fidelity Record Pressing. The tip-on jacket nails the original LP’s look, and for the streaming crowd, the remaster will also hit standard and hi-res digital platforms on the same day.
Joan Baez made Dylan’s cryptic lyrics sound heartbreakingly clear—and with this release, Farewell, Angelina finally gets the audiophile treatment it deserves.
Singer, songwriter, and lifelong activist Joan Baez (b. 1941) has been a defining voice in American music for nearly seven decades. With more than 30 albums under her belt, Baez built a career on fearless interpretation, social conscience, and one of the most recognizable voices in folk music. Her breakout performance at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival didn’t just turn heads—it landed her a deal with Vanguard Records and set the tone for a run of bestselling, era-defining releases like Joan Baez (1960) and Joan Baez in Concert (1962).
While those early albums leaned into traditional folk, Baez began shifting gears with 1964’s Joan Baez/5, weaving in contemporary material by rising voices of the time—most notably Bob Dylan. That pivot came fully into focus on 1965’s Farewell, Angelina, her sixth studio album and a clear turning point in both her musical direction and production style. Featuring electric guitar work by Bruce Langhorne (yes, that Bruce Langhorne, who inspired “Mr. Tambourine Man”), the album marked Baez’s first step away from strictly acoustic arrangements—and her last with such stripped-down production. After this, it was bigger bands, orchestras, and broader sonic landscapes.
Farewell, Angelina features four Dylan tracks—including the debut of the title song, “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” “Daddy, You Been on My Mind,” and a haunting, drawn-out version of “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” that arguably does more justice to the song’s apocalyptic tension than Dylan ever did himself. Add to that Donovan’s “Colours,” Woody Guthrie’s “Ranger’s Command,” Pete Seeger’s anti-war anthem “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” (sung here in German), and you’ve got a folk record that stretches well beyond its genre’s expected borders.
Baez rounds it out with two traditional cuts: a gorgeous take on “Wild Mountain Thyme” that showcases her soaring soprano, and the mournful “The River in the Pines.” Supporting her are a tight, subtle group of players—bassist Russ Savakus, string bassist Richard Romoff, mandolinist Ralph Rinzler, and Langhorne—who provide just enough musical depth without ever distracting from the main attraction: Baez’s voice and song choices.
It’s the sound of an artist evolving—and still managing to keep a firm grip on her roots, even as the world (and Dylan) plugged in and spun out.
Farewell, Angelina was more than just a creative pivot for Joan Baez—it was also a commercial success. The album peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, marking the highest U.S. chart position of any studio release in her career. Across the pond, the reception was just as strong: the album climbed to No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart, making it one of her best-selling records there.
Two tracks—“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and the title song “Farewell, Angelina”—also charted in the UK Top 40, giving Baez rare single success in a market that was still dominated by Beatlemania and British Invasion acts.
Where to pre-order: $32.99 at Amazon (Available October 3, 2025)
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