Personnel: Joan Baez (vocals, guitar); Bruce Langhorne (electric guitar); Russ Savakus (string bass); Peter Schickle, Grady Martin.

Personnel: Grady Martin (male alto); Ensemble, Orchestra (various instruments); Russ Savakus (bass instrument).

Although this 1970 compilation is called THE FIRST TEN YEARS, it largely ignores Joan Baez's first few records--see the excellent VERY EARLY JOAN for those--in favor of the folk singer's less traditional mid-to-late-'60s work. Ranging from the orchestral folk of her mid-'60s collaborations with arranger/producer Peter Schickele to solo acoustic performances of traditional folk songs and Bob Dylan covers, the 18-track collection isn't always as cohesive as it might be, but the quality is very high, and this is overall probably the best of the many compilations of Baez's '60s work for Vanguard Records. THE FIRST TEN YEARS contains no previously-unreleased or otherwise rare material.