Tag: Folk
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Lucinda Williams, Ramblin’ On My Mind, 1979 on Folkways
Attributed to “Lucinda” mono-nymically, this was Williams’ debut solo album, released in 1979 on Folkways (which became Smithsonian Folkways in 1987). She’s accompanied by John Grimaudo on 6-string guitar (she plays 12-string and sings), and the album was produced by Tom Royals, an attorney for whom this is the only producing credit – he was…
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Various Artists, Newport Broadside: Topical Songs at the Newport Folk Festival, 1963; 1964 on Vanguard
The Newport Folk Festival for 2024 is coming up this week. This record collects performances from 61 years ago, by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Sam Hinton, Bob Davenport, The Freedom Singers, Jim Garland, Ed McCurdy, Phil Ochs, Peter La Farge, and Joan Baez. I love seeing the folks we now recognize as giants…
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Eric Von Schmidt, Eric Sings Von Schmidt, 1965 on Prestige
I first heard of Eric Von Schmidt via Bob Dylan’s “Baby Let Me Follow You Down” which begins with the intro: I first heard this from Ric von Schmidt. He lives in Cambridge / Ric is a blues guitarplayer. I met him one day on / The green pastures of the Harvard University As someone…
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Bruce Cockburn, Circles in the Stream, 1977 on True North
I came to Cockburn through the activist tours of the 80s and his hit “If I Had a Rocket Launcher” from Stealing Fire. But he had a decades long career before that, especially with success in his native Canada. Cockburn is joined by Robert Boucher, Pat Godfrey, and Bill Usher. This album was recorded live…
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Donovan, Catch the Wind, 1965 on Hickory
Donovan’s debut, this LP was titled “What’s Bin Did And What’s Bin Hid” in the UK (and it seems like everywhere outside the US), but “Catch The Wind” in the US . It came out a bit later here and the single was already on the charts, so they wanted the LP title to match.…
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Dave Van Ronk, Folksinger, 1962 on Prestige International
Van Ronk was a key figure in the Greenwich Village folk scene of the 60s, sometimes called the Mayor of MacDougal Street. He’s the most visible model for Llewyn Davis in the Coen Brothers film. This was his third studio album and first for Prestige, and was engineered by Rudy Van Gelder. Per the liner…
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Bob Dylan, The Times They Are A-Changin’, 1964 on Columbia
My copy (via Beverly Coin & Jewel) is a later reissue – the red and gold Columbia labels from the seventies rather than the “2 eye” version in the sixties and marking suggesting it was pressed at Carrollton with metalwork from Terre Haute. This was Dylan’s third LP and is often seen as his turn…
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Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, 1963 on Columbia
Makes sense following Llewyn Davis and Billy Bragg to have an early Dylan album – definitely one of my favorites and an iconic cover. This is from the era where Dylan is making an unbelievable number of what come to be classic albums very quickly. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” is one I perpetually…
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Simon & Garfunkel, Bookends, 1968 on Columbia
I’m not sure there are any missteps anywhere in the Simon & Garfunkel songbook (or even across Paul Simon’s solo work), but if there is it isn’t on this LP. I didn’t ask to be an old man Produced by Simon, Garfunkel, and Roy Halee who also Engineered. My copy via a record fair at…
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Shovels & Rope, Busted Jukebox Volume 2, 2018 on Shrimp / New West
I’m a sucker for a good cover/tribute album, perhaps especially with an Americana / Alt-Country / Folk twist. This volume 2 came out digitally in 2017 but on vinyl in 2018 – Volume One was released in 2015 digitally and on vinyl in 2016 – it’s still in my wishlist. There’s a third as well,…
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Bob Dylan, Bringing It All Back Home, 1965 on Columbia
This was actually one of the first Dylan albums I heard end to end, so I was glad to find a good copy at Looney Tunes II in Kingston RI. Fun to find vinyl older that you are that is still in good shape. (Maybe better shape than I am?). Look at that track list:…
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Phil Ochs, I Ain’t Marching Anymore, 1965 on Elektra
Phil Ochs, I Ain’t Marching Anymore, 1965 on Elektra I first got familiar with Phil Ochs via Billy Bragg back in the early 80s. Great classic lefty (progressive) folk. My copy is pretty messy on the back jacket – bloodied from fighting cops at a protest?
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Meg Christian, Face the Music, 1977 on Olivia Records.
Meg Christian, Face the Music, 1977 on Olivia Records. Continued from yesterday’s post. Another from the feminist collective second wave Olivia records, this one including “Leaping Lesbians” by Sue Fink There’s an episode of the Making Gay History podcast on Meg Christian worth checking out – from January this year
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Meg Christian, I Know You Know, 1974 on Olivia.
Meg Christian, I Know You Know, 1974 on Olivia. I don’t normally try to make these vinyl posts topical, but picked up this album recently and it felt right to post it during LGBTQ Pride month. Olivia Records was a woman-owned feminist collective label started in 1973 – this was their first release. Meg Christian…
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Simon and Garfunkel; Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme; 1966 on Columbia.
Simon and Garfunkel; Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme; 1966 on Columbia. I’ll forgive Paul Simon the lack of an Oxford comma here. This is the one that closes with “7 O’Clock News / Silent Night” which still gives Goose bumps 50+ years later. The fact the label does not say “NONBREAKABLE” makes this a 1967…