''Any Day Now'' is the ninth studio album by

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

, released as double LP in 1968 and made up exclusively of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

songs. It peaked at number 30 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Pop Albums chart.

History

At the time of the album's original release, six of the songs had not been included on official Dylan releases. One song, "Love is Just a Four-Letter Word," has apparently never been recorded by Dylan himself. The album was produced during a marathon recording session in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

in September 1968, the fruits of which resulted in two albums: ''Any Day Now'', and 1969's '' David's Album''. Baez would return to Nashville to record a number of times during the next several years. Laying

sheet music on the floor in front of her, Baez closed her eyes and picked at random, the results of which made up the track listing. Joan Baez did illustrations for each of the songs, included in the

gatefold A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...

of the album. The record went gold in 1969. The Vanguard reissue contains two bonus tracks: "Blowin' In The Wind" and "It Ain't Me Babe," both live performances from Baez' 1967 tour of Japan.

Reception

In his

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review, music critic Thom Jurek wrote of the album "Her empathy for the material, her keen understanding of Dylan's sound world, and her own glorious voice brought another dimension to these 16 songs and, if anything, extended their meanings. There is no greater interpreter of Dylan's music, and while evidence of that certainly was offered on earlier recordings (such as 1967's ''

Joan Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine * Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multip ...

''), the verdict was solidified here... The bottom line is that ''Any Day Now'', like ''Joan'' and '' David's Album'', found Baez at an intensely inspirational and creative peak."

Track listing

All songs written by

, except as noted.

Side 1

Love Minus Zero/No Limit "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" (read "Love Minus Zero over No Limit", sometimes titled "Love Minus Zero") is a song written by Bob Dylan for his fifth studio album '' Bringing It All Back Home'', released in 1965. Its main musical hook is a series of ...

" #"

North Country Blues "North Country Blues" is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his third studio album '' The Times They Are a-Changin in 1964. He also performed it at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. Its apparently simple format (ten verses of ABCB rhyme scheme), a ...

" #"

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" is a song written by American musician Bob Dylan in 1967 in Woodstock, New York, during the self-imposed exile from public appearances that followed his July 29, 1966 motorcycle accident. A recording of Dylan performin ...

" #" Drifter's Escape" #" I Pity the Poor Immigrant"

Side 2

Tears of Rage "Tears of Rage" is a song with lyrics written by Bob Dylan and melody by Richard Manuel. Dylan and the Band first recorded the song in 1967, but it was not released until 1975 on ''The Basement Tapes'' album. In 1968, the Band recorded it for t ...

" (Bob Dylan,

Richard Manuel Richard George Manuel (April 3, 1943 – March 4, 1986) was a Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, best known as a pianist and one of three lead singers in The Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and ...

) #"

Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" is a song by American singer-singwriter Bob Dylan. First released as the closing track on Dylan's 1966 album ''Blonde on Blonde'', the song lasts 11 minutes and 22 seconds, occupying the entire side four of the doub ...

Side 3

Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word "Love is Just a Four-Letter Word" is a song written by Bob Dylan, first recorded by Joan Baez, who has recorded and performed the song numerous times throughout her career. Background Baez immediately took to the song, which was written by Dylan ...

" #" I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" #"

Walls of Red Wing "Walls of Red Wing" is a folk and protest song, written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Originally recorded for Dylan's second album, ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'',Bauldie, John, ''Linear Notes to The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3'' it w ...

" #"

Dear Landlord "Dear Landlord" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded on November 29, 1967, at Columbia Recording Studios, Nashville, produced by Bob Johnston. The song was released on Dylan's album ''John Wesley Harding'' on Decembe ...

" #"

One Too Many Mornings "One Too Many Mornings" is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his third studio album '' The Times They Are a-Changin in 1964. The chords and vocal melody are in some places very similar to the song " The Times They Are A-Changin'". "One Too Many ...

Side 4

I Shall Be Released "I Shall Be Released" is a 1967 song written by Bob Dylan. Dylan recorded two primary versions. The first recording was made in collaboration with the Band during the Basement Tapes sessions in 1967, and released on '' The Bootleg Series Volu ...

" #"

Boots of Spanish Leather "Boots of Spanish Leather" is a ballad written and performed by Bob Dylan, recorded in New York City on August 7, 1963, and released in 1964 on his album '' The Times They Are a-Changin. It features Dylan solo on the acoustic guitar, playing the ...

" #" Walkin' Down the Line" #"

Restless Farewell "Restless Farewell" is a song by Bob Dylan, released as the final track on his third studio album '' The Times They Are a-Changin in 1964. The melody is based on the Scottish folk song "The Parting Glass". Notable performances In 1995, Dylan ...

Personnel

*Joan Baez – vocals, guitar * Fred Carter Jr. – mandolin *

Pete Drake Roddis Franklin "Pete" Drake (October 8, 1932 – July 29, 1988), was a Nashville-based American record producer and pedal steel guitar player. One of the most sought-after backup musicians of the 1960s, Drake played on such hits as Lynn Anderson' ...

– pedal steel guitar *

Johnny Gimble John Paul Gimble (May 30, 1926 – May 9, 2015) was an American country musician associated with Western swing. Gimble was considered one of the most important fiddlers in the genre. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 ...

– fiddle *

Roy Huskey, Jr. Roy Milton Huskey (December 17, 1956 – September 6, 1997) was a prominent United States, American upright bass player in country music from Nashville, Tennessee. Huskey performed alongside musicians such as Chet Atkins, Garth Brooks, Johnny ...

– bass * Tommy Jackson – fiddle *

Jerry Kennedy Jerry Glenn Kennedy (born 10 August 1940)Cusic, Don. (1998) "Jerry Kennedy". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 277–278. is an American record producer, songwriter and guitar pla ...

– guitar *

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...

– guitar *

Harold Bradley Harold Ray Bradley (January 2, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American guitarist and entrepreneur, who played on many country, rock and pop recordings and produced numerous TV variety shows and movie soundtracks. Having started as a session ...

– guitar, dobro *

Hargus "Pig" Robbins Hargus Melvin Robbins (January 18, 1938 – January 30, 2022), known by his nickname "Pig," was an American session keyboard player. Having played on records for many artists, including John Stewart, Dolly Parton, Connie Smith, Patti Page, Lor ...

– piano * Stephen Stills – guitar *Harold Rugg – guitar, dobro *

Grady Martin Thomas Grady Martin (January 17, 1929 – December 3, 2001) was an American session guitarist in country music and rockabilly. A member of The Nashville A-Team, he played guitar on hits such as Marty Robbins' " El Paso", Loretta Lynn's " Co ...

– guitar * Buddy Spicher – fiddle *

Norbert Putnam Norbert Auvin Putnam (born August 10, 1942) is an American musician, studio owner and record producer who was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.Robert McFarland, Jr"Norbert Putnam."'' Delta Business Journal''. November 2004. Acce ...

– bass * Kenny Buttrey – drums

Chart positions

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1968 albums Joan Baez albums Bob Dylan tribute albums Albums produced by Maynard Solomon Vanguard Records albums