Jack Takes the Floor
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
1958
Album Summary
Jack Takes the Floor is an album by American folk musician Ramblin' Jack Elliott, released in Great Britain in 1958. The original release was a 10-inch LP.The album was reissued with two additional songs: "Old Blue" and "East Texas Talking Blues" as Muleskinner. A later reissue further added "Brother Won't You Join the Line?" and "There Are Better Things to Do".
WikipediaIt is almost impossible to talk about Ramblin' Jack Elliott without mentioning Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan or Pete Seeger. It's true that they were contemporaries of Elliott's, but this album shows that they maybe weren't equals in the creative sense. Guthrie and Seeger are often cited by a wide range of musicians as stylistic influences, while Dylan transcended his genre to become one of the greatest songwriters of the twentieth century. Elliott is different in the sense that he doesn't seem burdened by ambition, nor particularly interested in crafting original compositions, making him quite a throwback, albeit a pleasant one. His introductory musings prefacing certain songs are inoffensive and accessible. However, the songs themselves, although delivered in a slightly tongue-in-cheek manner, just don't have the depth to appeal. Without the drive to create original compositions, the interpretational troubadour has to lend some of himself to the song, which is exactly where this record falls short. Johnny Cash and Elmore James were masters of it, their souls sang other people's lyrics. Elliott merely uses his mouth, admittedly with the authentic scrap of tweed in the corner of it. His adherence to the singing cowboy gimmick is admirable, but he's going through the motions. This is nowhere near a Rory Gallagher roaring out Pistol Slapper Blues, more of a competent and highly likeable folk fan performing Sunday evening open mic. It's nice background music for folk enthusiasts, but falls flat as a record due to shallow material and poor continuity. Not bad, but far from a meaningful endeavour.
Oh, I like this. I like the style of music, the quality of his voice, and his ramblings. His folksy country-boy persona comes across as kind, gentle, and authentic. This despite his being raised in Brooklyn, his first exposure to rodeo being in Madison Square Garden of all places (according to Wikipedia). He sounds to my Wyoming-raised ears just like a genuine cowboy. I enjoyed this a lot.
Ramblin Jack's the shit. In the opening to the first song it’s obvious why he was nicknamed “Rambling” . This is a man and his guitar providing an onslaught of wonderful music and storytelling. Jack sure does know how to pick. If an album recorded more recently had a singer who was picking so well, we could be 99% certain the guitar and singing were recorded separately. With Ramblin Jack I doubt that's the case. When I listen to the intro to Salty Dog I can't help but think how stylistically similar those opening licks are to those in Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant. I guess Jack and Woody hung out a lot and Arlo picked up the style by osmosis.
While the songs themselves weren't blatantly BAD, they also weren't awesome. I get that Ol' Jack was in the mix with influential people but I just can't get past the fake, put-on southerness. You're from New York, sir. Don't tell me you've ever actually seen a boll weevil, you poser.
He does ramble, I'll give him that. I really don't understand why this is worth listening to though.
Cool, authentic sound that eventually gets boring, which is striking given how short this album is. The dude is aptly named, just kinda talks his way through much of this. Songwriting rarely seems original, too, and my favorite song was literally just Sarah Vaughan singing Liked: San Francisco Baby Blues*
Ok, hear me out… Jandek Takes the Floor. A full cover of this record as performed by Jandek. I’m not crazy, right? There’s something there? Like it could definitely work.
I see now why he is called RAMBLIN' Jack Elliott. He also drawls, howls, yodels, and warbles. Definitely not my thing. It was bearable for 30 minutes, but just barely. I would argue that I could have gone without hearing this one before I die.
This was a fun story-time romp which had me laughing out loud at times!
I can not compare jack with Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan or Pete Seeger，but just love the ramblin country vibes!this is what i call the digger's delight!
Another great country/folk album. Ramblin' Jack Elliot has simple yet earnest style. On this album, we are treated to a feature by Wood Guthrie himself, a mentor of Elliot. Jack Elliot himself went on to have a massive influence on artists such as Bob Dylan, and Woody's son, Arlo Guthrie. Jack Elliot is a living line directly to Woody himself.
Simple, pleasant country songs filled with authenticity, harkens to Beat Generation aesthetic of fast living in a dressed down manner
I love this - the country/folk mix coupled together with that 50's recording quality makes me feel like I'm playing New Vegas.
Yep, I dig this sort of folksy rambling gubbins. Very pleasant! Fave track - "Grey Goose".... HONK!
Some great songs on here, but the Mule Skinner Blues made my ears bleed. It was terrible, but the rest was good.
Feels like an intimate concert around a campfire with an old friend. Somehow it feels like he's performing just for you.
I enjoyed this album. It's not perfect, but I liked it - I prefer this kind of old-school folk to the Bob Dylans of the world.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott meriterebbe un 4 solo per la simpatia. L'amore è sbocciato con OI'Riley, da li ogni brano mi ha dato motivo per sorridere. Un po' mi ricorda la versione bianca e meno spirituale di Mississippi John Hurt. A pelle lui è un 3.25. Ma devo dargli 4 perché lo trovo geniale a modo suo, spesso ho avuto l'impressione che non canti ma canticchi, perdendoci in tecnica ma guadagnandoci molto come interpretazione.
This was fun. You gotta love an album where the singer tells you it's yet another one of them East Texas prison songs. I love his introductions to these very earthy songs about insects, dogs, prison, hunting, and, naturally, cocaine. He obviously has a love for this music and a desire to share it. He finds interesting connections between American folk subcultures jumping from Texas to Harlem, all sounding raw and soulful.
Proto Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, etc. Good for what it is. Ahead of its time. Succinct. The Sarah Vaughn thing threw me off. But yet another album that is so old I’m not going to rate it a 5 but in its time it was probably due a 5.
Well this was a fun album. Folk music as it was meant to be presented, simple, unencumbered, great stories told simply and succinctly. I enjoyed this album very much. 4 🌟
I sometimes feel like I succumb to the “authentic therefore good” reasoning with this kind of thing. Is it that great? Is it authentic even, I suppose, this Brooklyn-bred child of a well-to-do professional. On the other hand it’s safe to say running off at 15 to join the rodeo wasn’t some stunt to develop a good backstory for his later music career. I didn’t mind this at all though this kind of deep roots country is not a music I go to as a rule. But I’ll defer to Woody Guthrie and Johnny Cash to tip the scale on this one.
Hard album to find cause I guess it's not on any streaming but thanks to illegal YouTube uploads I got it. This album is so very good. It feels like it's like a crowd of 10 or 15 people just sitting around listening to this musical traveler. He's got songs from all over and he's just the voice passing them on. Excellent all around
This one caught me off guard. Definitely one of the founding fathers of the folk/protest movement of the 60s along with Dylan. Surprisingly good stuff.
This must have been a pretty wild recording back in 1958. I really like the guitar.
Jack Elliot sounds like Woodie Guthrie. Bob Dylan sounds like Jack Elliot. He did the whole "pretend to be a country bumpkin though really from a privileged upbringing" before John Fogerty did it. Can definitely see why this album is in the book even though I'm not a huge folk fan. If you like folk, this is a classic. If you don't, it will be grouped w/ Dylan and you'll rate it the same.
Liked the sound of the guitar. Stories were kind of funny too. Woody Guthrie surprised me.
This is a great folk album. I love the stories, and the songs are funny.
It's not exactly my thing, but there's a lot of really good choruses here, and Woody Guthrie showing up for a song or two was really cool! :)
Boll weevils, bed bugs, and cocaine: this album covers all the scourges of the 1950s mid west. Lyrics with more flavor than black jam tortellini
American roots album. The Boil Weevil is a good tune. New York Town with Woody Guthrie is a great tune.
I actually liked it ngl. The first two tracks are amazingly just nice and relaxing, just feels like you're just chilling with the boys by some piece of nature. There are a handful of tracks that I could just play while working as background music which is a very specific and good role to play. High key wanna learn the guitar for some of these songs which is it's own compliment Favourite Tracks: San Francisco Baby Blues, Ol' Riley, Cocaine, Salty Dog
The first few songs were a bit of a strain (on my ears) due to his raw voice> he sounds like someone you'd hear on a Tuesday night in a local bar. The yodeling and harmonica playing in Muleskinner Blues was an improvement. I was curious about the fake duet with Woodie Guthrie so I did some research. It appears Jack is an influential figure in the making Woodie's material known to the "younger generation" and since Woodie isn't on the 1001 list....
never heard of this guy before but he basically sounds like early Dylan. Fun stuff
This album harkens back to a time in which country and the troubadour songwriter movements were not so far apart. Jack Elliott finds his voice and helps establish the stronger roots of older country.
3,5 Makes me wanna move to a ranch in the USA, sip whiskey and get my vibes on! Leuke listen
doet me denken aan woody guthrie, soms ook wat cashy. kzen fan, ma weet niet of ik dit album vaak ga luisteren. grey goose is wel goat lyrics
Yeehaw! Some good old country blues, and he definitely earned the Ramblin’ title. Not much of a country guy but this was a pretty good time.
I am pretty ignorant of folk, so I'm glad this was in the list since it led me to read up on Ramblin'Jack Elliot and by extension, Woody Guthrie. I find the music kind of quaint, kind of cute, and very nostalgic. Not what I'd throw on, but if someone really dug it and wanted to listen to it, I'd have no qualms.
Important link in the folk tradition. To me this music is like vegetables that are good for you on a crudite plate and not like a cheeseburger or a slice of pizza. This analogy depends heavily on your opinions of vegetables on a crudite plate vs cheeseburgers and pizza but I think the analogy still holds up regardless of differences of opinion.
I thought this was ok... definitely could hear the influence it might have had on other singer songwriters of subsequent era. Nothing mind blowing.
definitely some interesting songs here. Ultimately not the style of music that I enjoy but I think that the historical significance is inescapable. Seems like a 3.5 star for me.
Sono abbastanza in difficoltà con il giudizio di questo album. Da una parte c'è veramente poco, le registrazioni sono certe volte a malapena intellegibili, i pezzi non è che abbiano questa grande varietà e lui direi che ha azzeccato il nome con Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Dall'altra parte però nonostante fossi prevenuto verso la seconda meta/due terzi dell'album mi sono accorto di aver un po' più intuito il senso, doprattutto con il pezzo in chiusura There are Better Things to Do che è secondo me il migliore dell'album. Mi sono sentito un po' come ascoltare una cena tra amici dove a fine serata qualcuno prende la chitarra e fa qualcosa non solo per intrattenimento ma anche per comunicare qualcosa agli altri ma recuperando un aspetto un po' primordiale della musica che in realtà è sempre stata parte integrante dell'espressione umana quotidiana. Che dire musicalmente secondo me è tipo un 1.5, però lo voglio premiare per questa piccola epifania e gli dò un 3 inaspettato.
Un bon album dans le genre mais ne m’a pas inspire. Je connais meilleur dans le style. 3.25
Just a folksy dude singing folk standards. He started out as a busker, and once you learn that, you can't unhear it. Woody Guthrie makes an appearance, leading me to wonder, "Couldn't I just be listening to Woody Guthrie instead?" Best track: New York Town
This was a welcome change, didn't expect to like any folk that is pre-Dylan but I enjoyed it
This is kind of hilarious. Definitely not my standard kind of music at all but I .... weirdly enjoyed it? Not just a little reminiscent of Stompin' Tom Conners. The "Ramblin'" part is what makes it for me - it's totally silly listened through a modern lens...his low-key folksy chatting to the audience before each song as he's strumming a few chords... but I think that's what draws me in. Probably wouldn't like much more of this and definitely not a repeat spin but for a quick half-hour it's worth the simple and fun look back at raw mid-20th century country-folk. 7/10 3 stars
Easy to hear the influence on Dylan's early records. Bob invited him to take part in his Rolling Thunder Revue tour in the mid 70's and he's pretty hilarious whenever he's on camera (in the Scorsese documentary)
This isn't exactly my type of music and not the kind of thing I'll play often, but I'm very glad to have listened to it. At times the recording were a bit muddy, but the simplicity of the arrangements - a guitar and a voice - made this less of an issue. The album is under "Compilations" in Apple Music and this certainly feels like a compilation rather than a cohesive album to me. The songs deal with lots of subjects – old dogs, boll weevils, bed bugs, dogs, cocaine, 20 mule team borax, love, prison... My favorite songs: The Boll Weevil, Old Blue (from the reissue) Not adding this to my library but a pleasant listen!
With no previous knowledge of Ramblin' Jack, when the first tune started, my first reaction was that this was pretty fun. As the album progressed, it did not hold my attention, however. There were a few other upbeat moments of interested that grabbed me, including the last tune, but overall I was not all that into it.