Jack Takes the Floor

classic blues (sung by a white guy) and folk songs, and even some yodeling. That's alright by me.

Well, he does ramble

This album was fine, but I got tired of his pseudo-storytelling before some of his songs. This must have been more groundbreaking for 1958. It doesn't necessarily feel like a filler album, but I don't see myself returning to this anytime soon.

I don't like and I don't hate this. It's completely ineffective at producing any emotional response from me

Bluesypoo

Honestly not sure if I even listened to the right thing since all I found was a playlist by this name...but I HATE this style of song where it's just talking to music. But I guess I see why he goes by Ramblin' Jack

One of the originals and likely a huge impact on his genre but not my taste.

Even with a soft spot for country, not a lot for me here

No unexpected twists or turns. Sounds like blueprint "country" to my ears.

Not a bad album if you are looking for some really classic country.

Jack's got a lotta songs about animals

Feeling confused after that one. Not sure if I should turn Jack on or Jack off.

LAWD LAWD LAWD WTF WAS THAT

Tough finding this one on streaming - I think I found the right album on Youtube. INteresting from a historical perspective, both in the early folk recording, and in the introduciton/monologue on most songs giving some context.

The Jack I knew from 1933? And which floor's he taking?

Another New York Singing Cowboy…that I’ve never heard of. Ye hawing proof that music is made up of original interpretations of many influences winding down the trails. And Ramblin’ Jack influenced many others and one can hear it in these songs. Apologies, I seem to be rambling.

Maso

3 stars. Some interesting lyrics.

Yeah, I like this. Great album for babies - he likes to sing about animals and places

Certainly lives up to his name

I really enjoyed this, although I am not sure why - not really my genre, is it folk? Country? Bluegrass? A mix of all of them? This album felt private, intimate. Guitar picking off the charts.

Jack met Woody. Bob met Woody. Bob meets Jack. And the rest is history. Not the starting point but it does bring things into focus. Before they get dispersed yet again. 3.5.

Jack gets a solid outing.

This kind of feels like a cover album. It doesn't have the weight of Dylan or Johnny Cash songs that would come later and also doesn't FOLK as much as Woody does. Low 3

Mid. I can see the nice folk roots in there. Not a bad sound. But nothing stands out. Would be good to set the era for a movie set in the olden days I guess.

Get Fucked Jack

Well, he definitely rambles. This is a country album, although the haters will try to call it “American Folk” - call it what you like, it’s country. At first, I was going to be generous and say my dislike of this album was only down to a personal taste thing but you know what? No. Country music sucks. Why was bro screaming at me at times? Calm down, you’re only singing about a field. Yodelling at no one, just chill out, man. I still prefer this to modern country music but still, it’s country. Oh, don’t cross me because I have a gun. Oh, my baby is coming home or I’m coming home to my baby but I’m going to shoot her with my gun because she was being a whore and flashing her ankles at other men. I’m going out hunting with my gun. That’s what this album sounds like to me. And then the casual racism came in towards the end; no. This album sounds like the soundtrack of a bad movie. At one point, he just starts having a conversation with someone? It ain’t for me, man.

historically important - Dylan started out very much like Ramblin' Jack - with some high points, San Francisco Bay Blues in particular.

Well, all this ramblin' has its charm. The fact that the song about a boll weevil is immediately followed by a song about bedbugs is just spectacular.

4/10. It's a guy. He rambles. He took the floor. He played his guitar. He made a record. Mahalo.

Thank you Ramblin Jack for this trip back in time. When life was simple and people would write songs about their dog. Perfect record after a busy day at work

Not my vibe!

Like this kind of stuff when it comes up on Cerys. A whole album is a bit much though.

Very enjoyable

Jack does ramble doesn’t he!? All got a bit too much for me, and found it all a little predictable if I’m honest.

Howdy partner Much like mud hard to get through he's still alive The rambling stud But I don't have a clue it's a deep dive

why is this on this list? if an older folk album was to be included, why not like pete seeger or woody guthrie? not actively bad or anything. but do not see anything noteworthy here. some of the performances are pretty good (san francisco bay blues, cocaine), but nothing on the level of peak seager or guthrie. production quality is predictably poor. i'm sure there's much more to elliott as a performer that these recordings don't capture. in any case don't think that the album format is oriented towards this approach to music. don't get much out of the traditional folk songs about various kinds of critters. maybe if it had more political or labor songs, i'd be inclined to pretend it was better than it actually is for the sake of agitprop. also, yodeling!?

why did i like this so much?!

Ok 2/5

Not my style, bad recording, forgot about it mostly. Will I listen to again: 0%

No es mi predilección

A small dose was fine but didn’t really float my boat

Not for me, but listened to the full album

The missing link between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, at least that's what I understand from the folk troubadour's Wikipedia page. Guess the initial release of this record in Great Britain was pivotal in its inclusion in Dimery's book (written with a prominent British perspective, including for American artists). Apart from Jesse Fuller's "San Francisco Bay Blues" (that I had already heard played by other performers) and the traditional "Boll Weevil" song, one clear highlight is "New York Town", even if it took me two clicks on Spotify to find Ramblin' Jack Elliott performing an even better version of the song later. Please check the relatively short Wikipedia page about Jack, by the way. The man sure had an interesting life. Not sure that's enough to make this particular record of his truly essential, but Mr. Elliott, still among us, deserves respect for fraying with the greatest back in the day, not to mention more recently. And even without that, *Jack Takes The Floor* still provides a rather nice listen no matter what 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 4 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 3). Number of albums left to review: around thirty or twenty, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book. Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 464 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 278 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 334

Makes me nostalgic for simpler times

Idc if he’s from New York the yodelling and singing about bugs make his country boy LARP so charming

Well firstly his name is pretty accurate but it’s easy to see how he inspired the likes of Dylan and such, the guitar work was good but the lyrics hold nothing really plus the actual singing was really goofy at times, I can understand this being an influential album to some extent but it doesn’t really hold well today and just amounts to a collection of campfire songs, not bad but not deserving of a 3

It’s not terrible, it’s not great, some of it is played on an obviously out of tune guitar. Not my kind of folk…

Soothing and enjoyable half an hour.

Good stuff

01) San Francisco Bay Blues - 6,0 02) Ol' Riley - 5,0 03) Boll Weevil - 5,0 04) Bed Bug Blues - 5,5 05) New York Town - 5,0 06) Grey Goose - 4,5 07) Mule Skinner Blues - 4,5 08) Cocaine - 5,5 09) Dink's Song - 5,0 10) Black Baby - 4,5 11) Salty Dog - 5,0 TOTAL: 5,05 (51/100) Current ranking: 416/445

7/19

This guy's songs about bugs fucking rock

With all due respect to the artist and without wanting to sound "countryphobic", "Jack Takes The Floor" is a bad album. Maybe because of his southern accent, I couldn't understand anything he sang or said, so the message and purpose of the album were lost in the middle of the album's 31 minutes. Maybe this type of music is not for me, and in any case, I wouldn't listen to it again.

I'm all for the folksy working-class-ramblin' thing, but yodelling?

Jack Takes the Floor was a nice change of pace from some of the heavier stuff I've been listening to. You can definitely hear how this kind of stripped-down folk could’ve influenced bands like Old Crow Medicine Show. It’s got that raw, rootsy vibe that feels genuine. That said, it’s not something I’d throw on regularly — more of a once-in-a-while listen. Still, I’d take this over most of what passes for modern country any day. Favorite Song - East Texas Talking Blues Least Favorite song - Bed Bug Blues

Okay but not really my thing

This album made me sad. As I’m making my way through the list, there are so many albums I wish I could talk to my Dad about - this was definitely one of them. It sounds like something he would have liked, and maybe even something his dad would have liked too (especially the yodeling in there.) And it’s because they’d love, I love it. I know he’d have all the good back stories and tidbits on his influence and collaborators throughout his career. Jack sure is ramblin’ but I can appreciate it. It’s Americana, simple, but the songs will stick with you and pierce ya right in the heart. It did for me.

It feels like a relaxing afternoon on the back porch with a sweet tea on a warm June day.

I hope Ramblin' Jack Elliott took care of his bedbug problem.

Yeehaw!

You know these guys are all just entertainers but you don't want to find out that your folk singing cowboy is actually a rich kid from New York City. These are good songs and he sings them well but if you like this, what you're really after is Woody Guthrie.

plate

un country muy tranqui. aprobado

Stomp but good almost a 4. 3.5

Despite the preoccupation with insects, this album doesn't suck. Unlike the pretentious and posturing country/folk of the seventies peddled by Neil Young and Van Morrison, there's a real, bluesy, gritty edge to this music. It's just a man and his guitar, and it's enjoyable.

We get it

On his Spotify bio it mentions that he was contemporaries with Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan, who are all in the Complete Unknown movie, which I would recommend watching because Highway 61 is on this list. The album is kind of boring and the audio quality isn't great. Also the Dink's Song for some reason plays a song by Sarah Vaughan that doesn't appear to have much to do with this compilation.

Kindve boring

4/10 - These has been a streak of not enjoyable albums. All for different reasons though. His artist name is accurate. He is just ramblin and I did not like it. Grey Goose was completely unlistenable to me. I wanted to turn it off so badly.

Lowkey kinda good at times. Liked it

Delightfully simple. I loved the acoustic guitar plucking. I strongly disliked the “yodelaiHEEEEEEEEEEE.”

This is a comforting country album. It's just a guy rambling with his guitar. How sweet!

Country cowboy folk tunes for the campfire is about right.

Yee-haw? Not even close to good enough for this list.

Not particularly melodic

I *think* i listened to this a few weeks back and I *think* I gave it a 2.5 because it was Fine and I *hope* I'm not misremembering because that will make me a dirty liar who has only listened to 1000* album, but I'm also not going to go back and check.

This is compelling and often good, but there's an element of kitsch to it that i can't quite nail down that might just be because it's an extremely old and somewhat underground staple all-timer that people speak about in hushed tones lest too many people find out about jack elliott

I actually think these are Songs and not Music, does that make sense? I want to rate this a n/a, but i'll give it a +1 for boll weevils

I love a little country yodel moment

Cowboy ah

saudades new vegas

Rambling’ is a great descriptor of this music. And what is with all of the sons about bugs and animals? Jack obviously hung out with many of the singer/songwriters of his day and I even hear some Johnny Cash. His lyrics are mostly simplistic bordering on dumb.

3.5/5. Yapping Jack.

this album has well and truly informed me that bed bugs is infact mean and evil, and if there was any doubt, solidified as fact that they sure don't mean me no good

Okay

Old timey folk like this doesn't totally appeal but it's pretty cool to hear what was clearly one of Bob Dylan's biggest inspirations. 2.5 rounding up

I believe that if you listen closely enough, the intentions of a record will become clear, regardless of genre or proficiency, but I don’t have the time to make out whether or not this is the mod-century equivalent of the hipster banjo squads that used to make me snarl in Clapton ten years back. At times I detected a certain underlying bleakness in Jack Elliott’s voice, but other times I heard an earnest act. I don’t mind dressing up, yet knowing he was a man from a well-off family playing music mostly written by much poorer, hard-living people, troubles me. He certainly put the miles in, embraced the act. Maybe I would feel better about this if these were mostly his songs, his inventions? While he’s posited as Dylan’s dad, a more interesting comparison is Will Oldham who also dresses up, then goes on one more step and writes and acts out his own materials. Forget and forgive these midnight post- long day at the keyboard rambles (ha).

As I usually say with these things, interesting historical document, OK listen, probably won't return. Is that really Woody Guthrie on one track, or some impersonation/inside joke?

I like the music a lot and I am also very fing of the overall sound. It sounds like a tune capsule to me. And he introduced me to the talking blues which I like a lot!

It’s ok, not my scene though

Yeah, well, I just don’t have an opinion about American Folk Music, I guess

Too much Ramblin', Jack.

Nope

Like most pre-folk revival folk, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott can sometimes be very good, and sometimes be very annoying. This record is concrete proof of that divide. I don’t actually feel like I need to dive into the politics of including him over, say, Woody Guthrie or Pete Seeger, or even more country-leaning artists like Flatt and Scruggs or Hank Williams, all only because they [mostly] lack a non-compilation album that could be a valid addition to the list. While all of them may have been more influential to the folk-revival, I think it’s unfair to dismiss Jack Elliott from the conversation when he was also an influence, all be it, one with arguably a lesser impact overall. Now, taking Jack Takes the Floor at face value, it’s…fine. When it’s good, it’s pretty good. Sure, the more Guthrie-lite, American landscape songs like “San Francisco Bay Blues” or “New York Town” are decent if a dime a dozen, but there’s also songs like “Cocaine” and “Dink’s Song” and “Salty Dog” that have lyrical or musical diversity that show that Elliott did have something to add to the conversation. That said, while the good is fine here, the bad is disastrous. “Ol’ Riley” is like taking a power drill and inserting into your ear, and “Bed Bug Blues” is like having the worst imaginable conversation with a crust punk. In fact, there’s a little bit of, dare I say, ✨problematic✨ elements to this record with Elliott’s inflection and approach to black folk music. It’s not outwardly offensive, but it feels of a time, and that flaw makes it a bit awkward to sit through today. For the most part, though, my overall issue with Jack Takes the Floor is that Ramblin’ Jack Elliott might yap a lot, but he really doesn’t have a lot to say, and when he is yapping, he’s not the most charismatic presence on the microphone. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his moments, as I’ve said, but he has more drab moments than exciting ones. I think Elliott deserves his flowers, and deserves credit for his influence, even if it is still a B-tier influence. He’s not bad, and Jack Takes the Floor can be pretty good at times. But I don’t know if any of that warrants this record essential, and if I think too hard about it, I might be less forgiving. 50/50 good v. bad, historically important– moving on.

No thanks. Not a fan of songs having to have a spoken prologue before they're sung, it's like someone having to break down a joke and explain to you why it was funny. Also I don't mind a bit of folk, but this was a bit too folky for me.. redneck in a tin bath with some marlboro reds and a banjo sort of vibes. 2 stars because upon looking Ramblin' Jack up on the Google it appears Robert Dylan owes him $12, so naturally I have some sympathy for him.

Probably the next sub genre of country that coyne likes because he's too cool to like the mainstream stuff. loser

Jack takes the piss! You can't be having the blues on three separate occasions on one album. Not even the Blues Brother did that, in fact they had a proper knees up!

Never heard this before. I was really looking forward to this but it disappointed me. The album seems to meander all over the place and it rarely connects. It's an influential album, but not that enjoyable of a listen at this point.

2.5 The answer to the question of what If Sal Paradise walked into a honkey-tonk instead of a juke-joint

I can take it or leave it. If this is who inspired Dylan, I'm just gonna stick with Dylan. Or Seeger. Or fuck it, The Grateful Dead.

This guy took his name from the mighty 'Lee Ramblin Kelleher' lead bassist and visionary behind 'Kelleher's Field Men' whose semenial album 'Field Shack Shuffle' shook the music scene and catuplted them into the hearts and minds of all Americans. His Bass lines being so beutiful it has been known to make mountains cry.

This wasn't as bad as I feared, i get the Dylan references but what it lacks in lyrical genius it makes up for by not having Dylan's whiney voice or harmonica nonsense so it's ok in my book.

Very gentle pre Bob Dylan Americana blues. Just a guy and his guitar and a whole bunch of stereotypes.

Every day I'm ramblin'!

Plays guitar well. I’m not fond of this country style. Musical voice, though. 2/5

kinda just bleh

Boy does Jack Elliott have quite a voice. He really puts it all in there. Makes the album feel so genuine. Sort of teeters by the end, but I think I'm still giving this a 5 when I think about how much this album inspired some of my favorites

some good old fashioned folk. nothing too fancy.

Ramble on, Jack

Nothing special really

I don't dislike it and it's pretty old but I'm not sure if it's at all that influential compared to Woody Guthrie and others.

Maybe this is historically important, I have no idea but it did absolutely nothing for me. My average score is going down and down at this rate. Fingers crossed for the next selection

Interesting subject choices. Not really my style, but not bad.

When he said that some of life's most troubling challenges are found in one's bed, I most certainly did not expect the next line to be him hollering, "Bedbugs is mean and evil!"

Great, but repetitive

Fascinating how with just vocals and guitar he can inflict so much pain

I don't get Folk/Country singers' fixation with calling their songs "lullabies" but this album sure made me want to fall asleep

Meh, don't really care who this guy inspired, only fun song here is the Bed Bugs one.

So much influence.

Starts off with a couple interesting songs but all together it’s good but not much more.

Did not enjoy

"i really need to include a 24th 50s album on this list but i only have $10 to spend on a record! If only the local thrift shop had an old album that no one wants!" -list author

I have a weakness for this kind of records. I like it.

Jack… take a hike!

first listen there's something very authentic about the roughness of these recordings

I can definitely see how Bob Dylan was influenced by this

Old style alternative picking sounds very good.

Country/folk. Dude was, for a time, a touring partner of Woody Guthrie's, and also collaborated and toured with the likes of Bob Dylan and The Grateful Dead. Dudes sound is somewhere between Guthrie and John Prine. Pretty solid. East Texas Talking Blues sounds exactly like something Corb Lund would put out. I'd say they were definately influenced by Jack Elliott. Favourite songs: New York Town, East Texas Talking Blues, Cocaine, Salty Dog, San Francisco Baby Blues, The Boll Weevil, Brother Won't You Join In the Line Least favourite songs: Ol' Riley, Grey Goose, Black Baby 4/5

Nice

Unbearable.

I was concerned about this one, but it was more enjoyable than I expected. Clever, quirky, amusing, and a right proper slice of Americana! The solo guitar leaves it a bit one-note, so to speak, so it seems an unlikely possibility for regular rotation. In the proper frame of mind, I suppose, his work will bear further reflection.

I’ve never heard of Jack Elliott before, and I’m not terribly familiar with folk music from this era, so I’m not sure what to expect from this album. However, this is why I signed up to do this project, so I’m excited to broaden my horizons a little today! I thought this album was pretty good. I wasn’t familiar with any of the songs, but I enjoyed them, and I enjoyed Jack Elliott’s unique vocal style. “San Francisco Bay Blues” and “Boll Weevil” were my favorite songs on the album, but I liked “Ol’ Riley” and “Dink’s Song” too. I read quite a few reviews that comment on Jack being from Brooklyn, and how that made the album feel inauthentic to them, but to me, folk music is about believing in certain ideals. In my opinion, anyone who ran off from a comfortable life to join a rodeo and then hung around Woody Guthrie probably embodies folk ideals. This isn’t the type of album I’d typically pop in for a casual listen, but it was interesting and fairly enjoyable.

Nothing shows the author(s) bias by using a UK release of an American record as a must listen. Ramblin' Jack Elliott, while a good artist of the Country western, singer-songwriter, Folk singer genres pales in comparison with any of the more well known characters from music history. Nothing against Jack but this release leaves more to be desired, which is sad because I'm wishing this list would include more from the past or from the underrepresented genres but we were royally robbed of a good listening experience with this release. 3.5/5

Won't listen again, but its not unbearable. It is just average pre-Dylan folk music.

Lots of classic songs and folk tropes. Had to do the american release, called something else, as the jack takes the floor was apparently. Bit of a blaccent? Knew most and mostly liked. Competent renditions. All time gray goose is Leadbelly with the golden gate quartet though.

Not for me

Didn't mind this one, pretty simple and unassuming, but that matched the vibe

I got David Gray today, and with the server maintenance I seem to now have gotten this. Not the fault of Jack Elliott but I have subtracted a star nonetheless

Didn’t find this exact album but listened to another one. Very good!

Shades of Woody and Bob. Real, visceral, necessary, the reject (the boll weevil) who makes a place wherever he is but is always looking for a home. Romantic? No, there are bedbugs. Foundational.

Quite a leaning to animal songs. It’s a definite grower. I was quite unsure on first listen but it’s really fun. Especially the goose, the dog and the boll weevil. It was almost like children’s TV. Sung by Johnny Cash. It’s probably a 3.5 but for how easy it was on the ears, it’s being promoted.

This might be the first album I’ve ever listened to where there was a song about both bill weevils and bedbugs. While listening, I was thinking about Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, and then Woody showed up on the album.

Not sure of the historical relevance of this one, but I found it too shouty and repetitious to be anything more than a curious time capsule. For that reason, I can see why it's included here, but I won't be returning to this album by choice. As a big fan of Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty" album, I found the version of "Cocaine" here to be of interest (Browne does a version, lyrics and vibe are different), so there was that bonus for me.

I wasn't so sure about this one, but it grew on me as it rambled along. Not sure this is something I can ever see being in the mood for, but it made my morning walk pleasant enough.

Big Dylan influencer here with Ramblin' Jack. I enjoy the simplicity and the folksy charm.

Jack Elliot > BDMR. Loved the explanations for every song. Didn’t know he wrote Dinks song.

Not my thing

The missing link between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. Not sure how I’d never heard of him before. I’d rather listen to Woody Guthrie…

I do my best to appreciate these albums in the context of their time. I couldn’t quite get into this one.

Badly recorded bad country music. Stand-out: Salty Dog

Loved this.

It’s a good listen but feels lesser than his contemporaries

Have I lost it or has the list. How am I getting this at album 1025

Something I've never even heard of from that long ago. Very country, even to an extreme. Also what's with all the yelling? Interesting to discover this but not my thing. I see how he was influential.

Pretty good

Old school Cowboy songs. Fun and idiosyncratic. Obviously a very strong influence on Bob Dylan.

Americana folk, I love the story telling in these songs. Jack has a a great voice everything about his styles has that travelling musician vibe like Woody Guthrie Stand out tracksb - Ol' Riley - The Boll Weevil - Old Blues - Mule Skinners blues - Dinks song - Brother won't you join in the line

Shite.

An easy-to-listen-to collection of "old time gooders".

This is an interesting album. It's not really something I would get into, but it was a fun listen. I can definitely see the influences that this had on early '60s folk rock.

Wait a minute! Did Jack Elliott write a song about Cocaine in 1958! The man is a prophet. In all seriousness, there is music pre Beatles and music post Beatles, we can get rid of all of pre Beatles, other than the black music that influenced them. Jack Takes the Floor is not offensively bad, but it’s from another planet that no one can on this planet can relate to 4.1/10

perus rällätystä

Wow an album from 66 years ago, this list isn't very current is it? Interesting to listen to but not really adding a lot to my musical experience to be frank. You can here a slight hint of the blues in there with the hokey cowboy sound though.

I usually have time for music like this but today this album got right on my last nerve. I feel a little like I'm being punked. Grey Goose, really?

Give the floor back Jack, you big rambler.

ran out of cash

decent album, very minimalistic with basic sound that was good for the era it was composed and performed.

soothing yodeling folk music that unfortunately isn't on spotify in its entirety but is still nice and peaceful.

Although absolutely far from my comfort zone, it's easy to spot its influence on modern music. It deserves its space on the 1001 list.

Turns out, American folk is something I've been sleeping on

Great slice of history. Enough charisma to keep it interesting.

This will be a short review today (as will the following few) as I’m sleepy after a 17 hour flight. I didn’t like this album. I don’t particularly like the genre, and this sounded too amateurish and messy for my liking. This just really isn’t for me.

It was OK

True folk artist. Good songs.

You can hear where early Dylan stole all his moves from. Pure, in your face, lo fi recording on folk songs with little spoken intros each. The songs are like little peeks behind the curtain of the old America. Life sure was tough. Best Tracks: San Francisco Baby Blues; The Boll Weevil; Cocaine

This is fine. Basic coffeehouse folk.

Æi, hvað skal segja? Maður, kassagítar og Americana. Jújú, ágætt fyrir það sem það er.

50's country. Nothing remarkable. Well, actually, you've got the thickest accent ever and your guitar is out of tune bro.

Good

Boring guitar & voices

Generally don’t mind a bit of country but sometimes it’s a little too old school for me and this falls into the category. I had to skip through the one about the goose and the one with the continual yodel

Not the best old country music, but I love old country music enough to like this.

Obviously not as talented in terms as songwriting like his contemporaries like Bob Dylan, but I liked the intimate vibe of the album.

If i were a carpenter

haha thats cool man can you leave now

Unavailable in US.

Best Song: Cocaine. I only like this because I like songs where the vibe and the lyrics don't match. Worst Song: Grey Goose. Sounds like someone found a guitar and just tried to noodle with it as something to do while they shouted incoherently. Beautiful. Overall: This is not good. There's this unpleasant, presumptuous naivete about the whole thing, as if I'm listening to a child playing with their tape recorder. The audacity to think I needed to listen to the 'ramblings' of some country bumpkin's id.

Cool for a few songs before it gets boring

Good blues.

If you're interested in the history of American folk music begin with Woody Guthrie and proceed ahead Bob Dylan in the early 1960's, but to help connect the dots between there was Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Released in 1958, Jack Takes The Floor, he yodels and rambles on and on, yup, just Jack and his guitar. This is bare bones, raw music that would be considered demos nowadays, with a campfire singalong quality that is both charming and authentic with songs of everyday life from the time. Sure, this could be considered essential historically, but after the first side or so, it becomes a bit hard to take and begins to sound like "anyone" hacking around on the guitar. A good listen, but once or twice is really all you need to hear.

Loved the female who sang on a few tracks. Didn't care for Jack's voice.

A little haunting. I don't know what to say on this one actually.

Apple Music didn’t have this album. Looked up the song list and found a bunch of them one off. Not for me.

I surprisingly really enjoyed this album. Heart warming and catchy tunes, with a nice/random female vocals song in the middle.

I get the feeling that even Jack Elliott fans don't even listen to this album much. Surely there aren't more of his albums on this list, but there he must have had better ones than this. It's basically what you hear by a local guitarist that only gets out of his house a few times a year and occasionally plays at the farmer's market or something.

Country. Ni fu ni fa.

Country 50's.

cool to hear something from a relatively long time ago whose influence you can hear on so much that came later. not the most exciting, though. the audio quality was distractingly uneven.

If I'm at a local festival and there are musicians set up on a stage creating the ambiance for the crowd, I like to stop and listen for a while. I would definitely sit and tap my foot for a bit before moving on if that had been the scene for these songs. But I don't consider this essential.

Rambling’ Jack is great, the go-between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan

I wouldn’t listen to this again. It was some music.

I enjoyed

With a Woody Guthrie feature, a song that Dolly Parton famously covered, and even a song from a Black songwriter in a very tumultuous time in American history considering, the influence that Jack Elliott had on Country-Western music is clear here. While not all of the songs resonated with me, I really appreciated the work behind this record. Notable Tracks: - San Francisco Bay Blues - Mule Skinner Blues - I'm familiar with the Dolly Parton cover, but this version is solid too - Cocaine 7/10

“Y’all (don’t bother to) come back now, y’hear?”

ramblin' for sure, but would love to sit around a campsite listening to this

This guy was so enamored by cowboys he became one. I loooove gay people

Decent folk music

Why does this album have a billion different alternative album covers? Anyway, the first track presents a lot of hope for something with a lot of promise and definitive influence, but it quickly loses that hope and replaces it with folksy yodeling and, well, rambling. The picking is nice throughout, and you can tell this album could be seen as influential, but it itself leaves a lot to be desired, especially after a strong beginning. It's just generic folk music, nothing more, and maybe even a little less.

An enjoyable album made by a man who had a very interesting life, as we have just discovered. You can see how it influenced early Dylan. Some good Cowboy sound.

I like his voice, and the album was short enough, but man old folk tunes just suck.

Mildly interesting from an historical perspective; to learn that someone was making this music in S.F. in 1958. Musically, I can't find any reason why I needed to hear this album before I die.

An easier listen than the Willie Nelson, but not by much.

Absolutely love this, first album so far that will go onto my playlist

Ramblin' is a bit of an understatement, but at least he has some sense of direction, Oakland is, in fact, across the bay from San Francisco... Ramblin' Jack meanders his way through the album, caterwauling, mumbling and giving "here's a song about..." exposition. A reasonably talented songwriter, but seemingly found his limitations and decided to just stop there and not push himself any further. Ultimately, this album is very forgettable and it's highly unlikely that I'll remember any of it because I won't be coming back to it, ever.

Jack Takes the Town is one of the plenty of folk artifacts that can be designated as a calm before the storm, where and when the genre itself was a pure art form not yet infected with commercial prospects and financial inclinations. Ramblin' Jack Elliot often sounds like a wise sage that belies his name and this sub-thirty minute record is often an enjoyable listen because of it. Sparse and sublime, like the best of them. https://youtu.be/ysbRnyhsn0Y?si=UfqwFGTymT0rP5zg Favorites: San Francisco Bay Blues, Boll Weevil, Bed Bug Blues, New York Town, Grey Goose, Mule Skinner Blues, Cocaine, Dink's Song.

He spawned the things about Bob Dylan that annoy me the most, and he doesn't have the songwriting chops of any of the folk greats, so no Yodeley - heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee hoo hoo!

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. Although all of the songs kind of sound the same, I still think they blended together seamlessly and made for a good listen first thing in the morning. It felt like I was in an old-western. "Cocaine" gets a thumbs down from me.

Never heard of him, but I really enjoyed.

2 star. Listened to the end, but reminded me of a straighter, slower version of orville peck.

A real storytelling original whose stripped down beauty of voice and guitar brings back the times he‘s from.

Whilst it doesn’t really stray past the boundaries of a small collection of folk songs, it is a great collection at that. Listening through is a similar experience to as if Elliott was performing these songs in the room with you. It’s never emotional, but it is often intimate and homely. And for that I can commend this beyond just a collection of folk songs. But not much beyond, as I’m sure this is another throwaway album with a mixture of originals and covers of traditional songs. Nothing extra special, but certainly not mundane.

Classic American folk from the late 50s. Quite simple songs and minimal accompaniment, enjoyable enough but wouldn't sustain my interest beyond one play

Mola

The father of folk music??? Not only the best friend of and carried on the legacy of Woody Gutherie (teaching young Arlo in turn), but also inspiring and fostering Bob Dylan. Referring to him as his son. Especially with some of the traditional tunes included, it's amazing to see how much music bloomed from this man who could never stop telling stories. 4.5/5

Favourite tracks: san Francisco baby blues; dink's song; cocaine

Ramblin' folksy Jack Elliott takin' the floor. One of its virtues is that this music isn't trying too hard while it's here so I'm not going to knock it even though it's not my thing.

I'm pretty sure I could've recorded this album and sounded better.

Jack Takes the Floor This is definitely an interesting document of a moment in time and of an interesting character in the story of Bob Dylan. Obviously Elliot has value as a performer in his own right, and is more than just a stepping stone in Dylan’s career, but looking at this from 2024 you can see Elliott was the template for early Dylan - Dylan loved Woody Guthrie but based himself on Eliott who based himself on Woody Guthrie. I suppose the difference between Dylan and Elliott is that Dylan’s sense of opportunism, ambition and purpose, combined with his own skill, charisma and unique internal Dylan filter makes his Woody phase much more interesting and enduring. Dylan’s first album is incredibly reminiscent of this - similar songs, pre song talking and style - and despite that not being his best album, it is captivating in a way Jack Takes the Floor isn’t. Maybe that’s because we know the totality of Dylan’s career, but I also think you can detect a kind of ambivalence in this album in comparison. Elliott seems happy to get these songs down and sing them, but it doesn’t feel like it has any forward momentum. That’s not a criticism at all, I just think it's pretty interesting. Anyhow, put Dylan aside, this is a nice collection of bluegrass, country and blues inflected folk, with the nice easy charm of his voice and his stories. Even if all the songs end up sounding quite similar his guitar playing is easy on the ear, and the moments when he lets loose with his voice gives things a nice raspy power and sense of conviction. Equally the moments when he sings in and understated way, as on Cocaine, have a nice affecting feel. Kind of a tricky one to rate, it’s a very pleasant listen without ever really soaring, but it’s also an historically interesting record, both in terms of Dylan, but also the US folk movement and UK-US musical exchange pre Beatles. Musically it’s a 3, contextually a 4, so I’ll stick with a high 3 💬💬💬 Playlist Submission: Cocaine

Good

Great album! Love it.

I wasn't really expecting to like this one, but I mostly did! There were a couple tracks that veered too country for me (I'm not a huge fan of the yodeling), but by and large this was a pretty good album!

Yawn.

Album 508 of 1001 Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Jack Takes the Floor Rating : 5 / 5 I really like this album. An interesting moment in music. There is a fun duet with Woody Guthrie. We also get "Salty Dog". Good stuff.

Ok stuff, good singer. Rides that Bob Dylan line of vocal affectation that isn't quite faking an accent. I don't understand why this one's on the list, what's the place in history? The writeup sure doesn't say much. I'd downgrade it if I didn't like folk singer stuff more than I ought to.

I like the format of this. Some guy giving his take on folk songs and telling you where he heard them. Hard to tell how legit it is, but hey I’m not the arbiter of that.

Cool to listen to an old recording, but damn, I could hardly stand to listen to it… 🫣

I'd never heard of Ramblin' Jack before - he was sort of mid evolution figure in folk music from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan. Early folk's Charmeleon or Wortortle, if you will. This is a plucky collection of traditional tunes about traditional topics: animals, insects, cocaine, etc.

Not much to say about this. Didn't really resonate with me at all.

Por ser dos anos 50 perco toda vontade de ouvir

L'album d'un être écorché, qui nous met presque au défi de l'écouter et qui ne voile aucune misère, dans les textes comme dans la voix. Profondément intime, un brin frondeur

An engaging storyteller. Despite its rudimentary nature this is a very compelling album

What amazing storytelling and guitar playing. I want to go camping with this guy and listen to him around a campfire.

I've been listening to Ramblin' Jack for years and like it - mostly because the songs have historical significance for modern music.

Much prefer renditions & recordings by Woody Guthrie & Leadbelly. Makes me wonder if Adam Driver's pseudonym-ed character in Llewyn Davis was based on Ramblin' Jack...

Dry

I can see where the folk explosions came from with this!

It sounds very amateurish. It's very old. May have been good when it was new, but people shouldn't listen to this anymore.

I like how sort of "experimental" this sounds.

Too much ramblin' for me.

I'm guessing it was influential to other artists but I could not really get into this at all.

I find these old folk songs are sorta comforting. A mythologized past that probably didn’t exist, but that nevertheless are pleasant. Jack has a nice voice. This is simple guitar music. Nothing that I go crazy for but fine. 3/5

Steady listen

7/31/24. Not crazy about this one, even for its time thought the songs were just okay.

Yeah it’s not great, some songs are okay but probably only a 4-5/10

He takes the floor with a lot of energy in his folk songs and performance. Nice one!

More music white people stole from black people but while that’s nothing new I did begin wondering at what point music like this started being cliche since no one really thinks of any 50s music being tired and cliched. Like at what point did people get tired of hearing yet another ___ ___ Blues song? It was still good with Johnny cash in the 60s but this feels so much less inspired than that. This is a pretty long way to say that I thought this album was lame despite liking this type of music but I had to think of something while the “o brother where art thou” version of elevator music was playing.

a bit too twangy for me

Was pretty good.

Well, as someone who is not much of a folk fan, I like that his version of folk a bit. Liked some of the songs and can now understand his influence, as well as his importance, being a connector from Guthrie to Dylan. But I could never listen to 11 songs like this in a row. Had to break it into two listens.

The problem is, as a link between Woodie and Dylan, Jack pales in comparison. Not one song rises to a level beyond passable.

Great folk music. Reminded me of when I was in high school learning about this stuff during band class. Always something endearing about it.

Favorite Track: Salty Dog

Was a nice listen. Almost felt conversational, with a friend talking to me as he played his guitar. This might be the first time I wished an album was longer, because it felt way to short. Wish I could hear more. Top tracks: Ol' Reily, New York Town, Cocaine

A perfectly serviceable classic folk album. It does mean that there are some glaring folk holes in this list. No Dave Van Ronk, no John Renbourne, no Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie. “Waaah those would be compilations” mother fucker there’s a Hives greatest hits album on this list there’s no consistency. Put the fucking hours long folkways Pete Seeger recordings on here, it’s arguably one of the most important collections ever. Fuck you. 3 stars

This might be less country and more hillbilly hill music (saying that in the best possible way). New York was not bad, but the yodeling on Mule Skinner's Blues was just bad. Reading about him, he is influential in that he changed every expectation life would have set for him and became a singing cowboy. Good inspiration to try something totally outside of your comfort zone if it is what you truly love!

Ol timey songs about bedbugs and boowevils. Interesting stuff.

Despite being born into a Jewish doctor’s family in Brooklyn, this man sure seems to have the heart of a cowboy. He apparently had a huge impact on Arlo Guthrie and Bob Dylan, which is pretty neat considering I had no idea who he was. This album is a little strange and the song about bugs made me laugh, but I appreciate the old timey vibe and the creativity. He should leave the yodeling to the Swiss though.

I was not offended. I really don't know how authentic this is though it clearly precedes most of Rock'n'Roll. But to my untrained English ears it sounds like some fairly genuine American folk which seems to have been supplanted by MEGA COUNTRY these days so it was a bit of a breath of fresh air. Moby could have got a whole album of lift music out of this.

Fun!

He certainly rambles, not for me

6/10

Washed up, old-school American country & western. Not particularly interesting and not worth a re-listen.

Boy howdy, this was an album for sure. Definitely too country and raw old school for my taste. It reminds of Bob Dylan, with a real country twang…and I’m no Dylan fan! But I’m sure Elliott has an audience, and I wish I could have found myself as being a part of it. It makes me think of spending time at Knott’s Berry Farm in their Ghost Town, riding the Ghostrider and then getting some boysenberry-infused treats. What a great thought this is… But this brief daydream doesn’t make this album any better. I’m hoping I’m one of the minority who didn't enjoy listening to the record, as the fella does sound mighty kind. Maybe it will do you more good than it did for me!

Day 31 - July 2nd, 2024 Not my thing, but not awful. 3/5

#268. This is going to be a weird comparison, but hear me out. This sounds like if The President's of the United States of America wrote a Bob Dylan album, but it wasn't as good as either of those artists. 2/5: meh Song added to playlist: San Francisco Baby Blues I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link

Not on Spotify which is annoying, but kind of fun folk album.

I like San Francisco Bay Blues, Boll Weevil, I kind of like Brother Won’t You Join the Line, There Are Better Things to Do, East Texas Talking Blues, Bed Bug Blues, New York Town, Salty Dog, I almost like Grey Goose, Mule Skinner blues

Let's find out if I check all the boxes to be a Ramblin' Jack Elliot fan? Like Country music? No Like troubadour music? No Big fan of flatpickers? Not really How about cowboy hats? Never owned one.... but that doesn't mean I don't like that... 2 stars, to be polite?

He puesto mil veces que me gusta el country, pero sin exagerar. No sonaba mal (me ha recordado a Billy Bragg) en cuanto a melodía, aunque sin apreciar las letras no veo el interés. No guardo ninguna y no creo que lo vuelva a oír.

Decent guitar, bluesy but very country. Old standards. If you can get over the accent it's not too bad.

These old folk albums set off entire movements. Dylan took his while persona for the first album off recordings like this. Doesn't quite get to good "album" status for me. It's a collection of songs that were great to learn from, steal, and pass on. But there's none of the continuity I want if I'm gonna sit down and spend the time.

I think if these were faster they would be more interesting to me. It would feel like country dancing tunes. As it is, it feels very reserved and becomes boring.

Pretty good album but I prefer Townes van zandt. Also many borrowed songs that didn’t sound too different from the originals.

An interesting little vignette

Good

Couldn't get into this at all.

not sure if i listened to the right album, but I listened to Jack Elliott songs and i love him. Sounds like shakey got some inspiration from him for his second album

Every song starts off with and introduction like This Song was first done in Texas in 1923 or something to that ilk. To that I say this album is annoying and grating. A painful lesson. Please generator, give me something good.

Too twangy

Ramblin' is certainly an apt description for Jack Elliott, though therein lies the joy of listening to this album. There's a real earnestness and honesty to these tracks and the storytelling is top notch. Whilst at times things go a bit too off the pace for my liking, it's still a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

From a musicological standpoint, I have great respect for the 50s-era folk-revival musicians. From a pure musical-enjoyment perspective, there's a lot of other stuff I'd rather be listening to.

A fine and pleasant addition to the list and a good yardstick for decent folk of this vintage. Pales into comparison with some of its more illustrious peers but nothing wrong here.

A good album, I enjoyed San Francisco Bay Blues and Grey Goose.

Some of the songs would kill the invaders from Mars.

This is cozy and feels almost like a casual conversation. I wouldn't pick this over other folk singers from that era, but it's nice enough.

tsarmia, tsarmia purskuaa miehestä!! niin komea nuorimies.. heh.. varmaan naapurin tytöt haaveilee kitaraveikosta... perkele ei ehtinyt sotaan niin ei oppinut masennuksesta mittään... btw on vielä elossa ja 92 vuotiainen... yhä nuorimies HEHJ.. kiva tietää että kaikkia maailman artisteja on influoinut tämä suhteellisen tuntematon mies, juuri tämä henkilö on vastuussa esimerkiksi rolling stones sekä grateful dead onnistumisista.. 5 biisin nimeä on ____ blues. pikkuisen joutuu pettymään kun kalpeanaama loppujenlopuksi, nautiskeltavantavaa musiikkia kuitenkin, tykkäsin. mule skinners siniset

Worth listening to in my opinion - feels honest and real without being pretentious.

pretty mid, wasn’t bad but i wouldn’t listen

Enjoyable music, influential on a lot of imitators since