Jack Elliott

Many of my old folk LPs (and LPs in general) have been displaced, or scratched beyond recognition. Alternatively, if you sold most of your vinyl during the onset of the late 80s, Compact Disc craze then this 3-CD set should signify a welcome event. This offering features a comprehensive overview to coincide with “Vanguard Records” capitalization of folk music’s increasing popularity commencing back in 1950. Naturally, these selections are culled from the now historical “Vanguard Records” archives. The three CDs are divided into distinct folk based genres: Roots of Folks (CD-1), Singers & Songwriters (CD-2), and Folk Blues (CD-3). You will hear Cisco Houston’s patriotic classic, “This Land Is Your Land,” and Doc Watson’s “Tom Dooley.” Vietnam protest singers such as Phil Ochs and the inimitable Northern California band, “Country Joe & The Fish are featured as well. Essentially, this three-pack is awash with one masterwork after another. The producers also include an informative timeline style glimpse of the progression and outgrowths of folk.
This wonderfully appealing product conjures up memories of both the good and bad while also serving as a testament to America’s beauty and wherewithal. More importantly – we are treated to a series of topical statements from many of this genre’s most prolific raconteurs. Highly recommended.

Triple-disc collection from Virgin Records featuring acoustic tracks from Al Stewart, America, Bert Jansch, Bob Dylan, Buffy Saint-Marie, David Gray, Don McLean, Kirsty MacColl, Gary Jules, Rickie Lee Jones, Paul Mc Cartney, Tracy Chapman, Jim Croce and many more. 2004.
Here’s a 65 track, 3 x CD compilation of ‘acoustic’ tracks from the 1950s through to the early 2000s. By far, one of the best compilations out there with well known hits brilliantly placed together with lesser known classics that didn’t always trouble the chart placings. There certainly isn’t a ‘filler’ track on any of the discs and even the more ‘folky’ disc 3 is superbly constructed to keep the listener enthralled throughout.

• 2018 three CD release. For more than two decades the independent, idealistic Appleseed Recordings label has been releasing new and archival CDs of folk/roots-oriented music by many of the genre's greatest performers. Appleseed's 21st Anniversary: Roots and Branches, a deluxe three-CD, 57-track set, combines highlights from past releases by a Who's Who of musical giants including Pete Seeger, Al Stewart, Donovan, Tom Rush, Sweet Honey in the Rock, David Bromberg, Jonathan Edwards, Tom Paxton, and Jesse Winchester with nine new/previously unreleased songs by high-profile friends of the label including Bruce Springsteen. •

Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (OST) from the film Charlie’s Angels (2019). The music was composed by Various Artists. Charlie’s Angels is a 2019 American action comedy film, a reboot of the Charlie’s Angels franchise. The film written by Elizabeth Banks, Jay Basu, Craig Mazin, Semi Chellas, directed by Elizabeth Banks, stars Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, Elizabeth Banks, Patrick Stewart, Djimon Hounsou.

While "folk music" originally defined the sort of indigenous music that was passed from one self-taught musician to another over years and even centuries, by the '60s the phrase came to refer to the work of singers and songwriters who used acoustic melodies as a vehicle for lyrics that often carried personal, social, or political messages. Featuring 30 songs, The Only Folk Collection You'll Ever Need offers a bit of the former and a great deal of the latter; along with performances by legitimate folk legends the Carter Family, Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, Mississippi John Hurt, and Woody Guthrie, this set also features classic tracks from most of the major folk stars of the '50s and '60s, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary, Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, Gordon Lightfoot, Donovan, Judy Collins, and many more. Though it is far from the only folk collection one might need or want, this set does feature an impressive cross-section of important and essential artists, who are for the most part represented by their most celebrated works. As a sampler of the cream of the postwar folk boom, this collection does a fine job, and would be a good starter for a youngster eager to learn about the folk and singer/songwriter movements.