#295: Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Jack Takes the Floor (1958)

Emily: Ramblin' Jack Elliott is an early folk singer in the vein of Bob Dylan, with country undertones that also reminded me of Johnny Cash. Jack Takes the Floor is a bit like At Folsom Prison, due to the spoken introductions to a few of the songs and the live sound culled from performances rather than studios. However, Ramblin' Jack doesn't have the songwriting prowess of either Cash or Dylan. He mainly reinterprets traditional folk songs or presents somewhat humorous observations of everyday life. I didn't find this approach too interesting, but it definitely helped lay the groundwork for the masterful songwriting that later came from the genre.

Favorite Tracks: Cocaine; Salty Dog; Dink's Song

Zack: Ramblin’ Jack Elliott apparently had the same mentor as Bob Dylan – Woody Guthrie, whose works we crossed on Mermaid Avenue – but he’s definitely more of a pure folk artist. Wikipedia describes him as an “interpretive troubadour” compared to Dylan’s independent songwriting, and that description is dead on. Jack Takes the Floor features two covers of even older songs and two renditions of traditional folk songs to go along with seven original songs that all sound like they could have been passed down for decades anyway. Jack Takes the Floor is the type of album that listeners of classic folk or country would enjoy and anyone interested in the history of American music must check out.

Favorite Tracks: Salty Dog; New York Town; Cocaine

#256: Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue (1998)

Zack: I have absolutely no experience with the music of either Billy Bragg or Woody Guthrie (whose lyrics are being sung here). But I’ve now listened to enough Wilco that people just assume I’m middle age due to my exposure to Dad rock. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as has been documented here, was an eye-opening album for me on what I had been missing. Since then, I’ve moved through several more of their albums and enjoyed them (although certainly nothing has compared to the brilliance of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart). Anyway, Jeff Tweedy’s presence here was enough of a sell for me to move all in on this album before I even pressed play. I rated my excitement at a 9 out of 10, which is pretty damn good for any album that I haven’t seen ranked on a “Top 10 Albums That Will Make You Weep Openly and Without Shame” list. Mermaid Avenue definitely lived up to that hype too. It had the folksy appeal that Wikipedia tells me I should cherish from Guthrie, but there was more complexity to the actual music to match the insightfulness of the lyrics. Because of the nature of this album, I don’t really know who to attribute my enjoyment of it too, so I’ll just say a hearty thank you to all parties involved that brought Mermaid Avenue Volume 1 (and the subsequent Volume 2 which I plan on listening to post-haste) into existence.

Favorite Tracks: California Stars; At My Window Sad and Lonely; Eisler on the Go

Emily: What I loved about this album was just how it came together. You see, Woody Guthrie left behind more than 1000 unrecorded songs upon his death, and Guthrie's daughter approached Billy Bragg to see if he was interested in recording some of them. The catch is, however, that Guthrie didn't write any music for the songs, just lyrics with very limited musical notation. It was essentially a giant catalog of poems, but instead of publishing them in a posthumous anthology, Guthrie's daughter thought it would be best to carry out the music in her late father's folk tradition. Bragg, recruiting Wilco along the way, was tasked with turning unfinished folk poems into folk songs, all while keeping the spirit of Woody Guthrie alive in the recordings. It was a tall order indeed, and it was accomplished beautifully in Mermaid Avenue. Without this background knowledge, it would be impossible to tell that the music and lyrics of these songs were separately developed decades apart by men who probably never even met each other. I think Guthrie would be pleased with how Bragg and Wilco melded their own musical senses and spirits with the spirit of his lyrics. Each song takes the emotional tone of the lyrics and reflects it in the music, as if the two were always meant to be together. 

Favorite Tracks: California Stars; Hoodoo Voodoo; Birds and Ships