Jack Takes the Floor

good. classic.

Woody Guthrie vibes, nice and rustic.

He can have the whole building, provided he doesn't inflict any more of this leech on me.

Not my favorite to listen to, but the archival nature of Elliott putting all these songs he learned from others on a recording is interesting from a cultural perspective.

In all its simplicity, I find this very pleasing

3/5. A lighthearted, yet sad, country folk album, kind of feels like I'm sitting around a fire with Jack to drink and chill for the night. I do feel like I might fall asleep during some of the songs, which benefits the vibe but not the listening experience. There are some songs that are well written but definitely not all of them (I'm looking at you Goose). I would recommend this though to anyone looking for a more relaxing listening experience, plus it's funny sometimes too. Best Song: Ol' Riley. Mule Skinner Blues, Dink's Song

Lite trist album.

Can really hear the influence on bob Dylan. Woody Guthrie did it better but still solid 3.5*

A little stretched on the singing for a folk song singer.. felt like I was listening more to his voice stretch than the story behind each song.

It's interesting to see what influenced early Dylan, but if you're not a fan of his sound, you probably won't like his predecessor either. I have mixed feelings about Dylan myself, but this Ramblin' Jack Elliot album is definitely not for me. There were several instances when I felt myself growing annoyed while listening, and the lyrics were just odd most of the time (and not in a fun, quirky way either). There were some decent songs in there too, but nothing that would drastically improve my overall rating of the album. The bottom line is—if I wanted to listen to something Dylanesque, I'd put on a Dylan album that's actually good. 2 stars

I just don't really care to hear songs about boll weevils or bed bugs.

Hadn't heard of Ramblin' Jack before, but this is very nice, inoffensive music. He doesn't rise to the same level as Woody Guthrie and others, but he's very talented. Would've loved to see this live.

Country folk

good stufff

I can imagine this blew people's minds back in 58. Jack Elliott seemed to be one of the staples of country music. You can hear his influence even more than 60 years after its release

Meh. Not really for me.

Couldn’t get this one, so I listened to another from around the same period. Ok. A bit slow.

Old, too old the album.

ha e komischi version uf qobuz, hoff s isch s richtig. ok er ramblet echt chli haha aber nocher singter easy geil. ol riley isch one of them prison songs. er cha siiiinge boll weevil?? ok dasch en traditional. macht etz nüt mit mir. bed bug blues isch scho vielversprechender. de guy isch vo new york??? what. ok i hoff mega fest er isch so mega amtirassistisch und mega ume ok jetz woody guthrie time. dasch guet? sie singed sogar über new york.irgendwie cute. ah de woody guthrie isch de mit "this machine kimls fascists" uf de gitarre desch cool moll. grey goose fohter wieder ah mit irgendöpis verzelle. irgendwie fühlt sichs ah wie ländler lose aber USA. wär das nöd us de usa wärs niiie uf de liste. ok bi mule skinner blues singter schono höch. cocaine isch s andere cocaine nöd da vom jj cale. au herzig. black baby isch e southern schribi nöd da wort lullaby vom süde, aso mega bluesy und eig no cool.

hahaha oke also er redt basically eifach chli ER GSEHT JA MEGA CUTE UUS mega schöni stimm "they all go quak quak" tattoo-würdig wnl es passiert nöd vill aber er verzellt mier echli vom lebe und das findi sehr cute nochli jodeltiiime also sin gsang hetmer mega gfalle, mega abwechsligsriich aber ja

My kind of thing

Could have done without this, ramblin' and babblin' through 11 short songs by a fake cowboy.

pretty archaic, I really did not enjoy it at all…

Twangy

It's not bad but I just don't really care for it at all. I'd probably give it 2.5 stars if I could, but instead I'll give it 2. It just isn't particularly interesting.

Much better than I expected. I suspect Dylan was a fan. Honour, fun, and occasional pathos over proto Americana. It zipped by with a smile on its face.

I don't know what to say about this. It's super old school country. Not my genre but wasn't bad.

The "Ramblin'" part makes sense. I wasn't a fan of this to be honest. Normally I like country and folk, but this was a miss. The songs were pretty short since ol' Ramblin' Jack yapped for most of it. Like good grief just play the song instead of telling me about said song. I'm sure this would be good as like a campfire kinda thing, but it just doesn't work as an album. 4/10 Would I listen again? Probably not.

Was sure I'd listened to/discovered this in the last couple of years and was trying to figure out why. Thought it had come out already in the app. Turns out no it was because I was reading Chronicles. Dylan loved this, and I had to agree with his assessment really. Jake Bugg wishes he was this.

Back when country music was about real shit... like getting eaten alive by bed bugs and coke.

i mean it's not gonna be in heavy rotation for me by any means, but I'm always gonna be a sucker for this sort of thing to a certain extent. also you can't not laugh when it's a guy named "Ramblin' ______" and half his songs are about bugs and cocaine

augljóslega áhrifaríkur. flestar ábreiðurnar betri hjá öðrum en samt skemmtilegt. 3,5.

I'm sure it was a milestone album at its time, but it sounds dull to me.

Jack does ramble, alright. It's kind of endearing, like you're sitting around a campfire while he has his guitar in hand. I guess if you were a fellow young one in 1958 you would be drawn to his music and his stories, so much that you would be inspired to make your own, but that electric effect doesn't really hold true in 2024.

The lyrics are pretty great, but I guess I’m still not a fan of folk music because it got pretty boring pretty quickly. I can appreciate his musicianship and lyricism, but it’s just not for me.

not really my jam.

very dull songwriting. although it does capture the cowboy vibe pretty well.

Worth hearing and knowing, but not all that entertaining unless one is deeply into boll weevils and bed bugs.

I agree with the person who said that this artist lacked the ambition to make songs their own and that the likes of Johnny Cash made other people’s songs sing with his soul. This was just a little too flat to get my toe tapping even.

Country Old

Surprised how much I enjoyed this album, not a fan of country music

Country 50's

Not for everyone I’m sure but I loved it

is he drunk?

Simpler times here. Just a guy and his guitar singing prison love songs, songs about bugs, and one that he learned from Rev Gary Davis, a blind street singer in Harlem, about cocaine. I had heard of Ramblin' Jack as he's a well known influence cited by many "bigger" artists but don't think I have listened to much (or any) of his music so I was happy to see this pop up. The picking and guitar playing is great. The overall sound of the recording has a wonderful old timey feel to it where you can sort of hear the air in the room he's playing in. But the lyrics are pretty vanilla and Jack's vocals are more ramblin' than singing. While I enjoyed it and am glad to have finally listened to Ramblin' Jack, I don't think this is one I'll be revisiting

Yeah pretty meh

A whole lotta charm to this voice. The spoken intros are so cozy and welcoming. I was humming and whistling along despite not knowing many of the songs. All I could really ask for with this kinda thing. Fave track: New York Town

Schon irgendwie toll, wie man nur mit Gitarre gute Musik machen kann. Die Musikrichtung kann ich mir aber nicht eine ganze Platte anhören.

Slide guitar was the best part. 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream out of 5 🍦🍦

Yee haw. The CND songs at the end were a nice surprise.

Very old school cowboy country

Better than I would have guessed

San Francisco Bay Blues 3 Ol' Riley 2.8 Boll Weevil 3.2 Bed Bug Blues 3.1 New York Town 2.9 Grey Goose 2.6 Mule Skinner Blues 2.9 Cocaine 3 Dink's Song 2.8 Black Baby 2.8 Salty Dog 3 Score: 2.918181818

jack for fucks sake will you bring the floor back

Ramblin' is right

Western und Country Songs mit Blues Einfluss aus den 50‘er Jahren. Es klingt so als wenn der Malboro-Mann musiziert. Nicht schlecht aber auch nicht überdurchschnittlich. Kein Song sticht wirklich hervor sodass ein erneutes Hören nicht absteht.

Do you think Jack was born a ramblin' man? I want to criticize this album, but I think he's just trying to make a living and doing the best he can. I mean, there's nothing here that we haven't heard by some of Jack's contemporaries (or idols in the case of Woody) that they weren't doing objectively better. But this album is solid roots folk that'll make any Gen Z Lana Del Ray stan cream their pants I guess.

Humble, honest, workmanlike early folk played with deep respect for the enduring American tradition.

I was not expecting to like this so much. I can definitely hear a time when Bob Dylan was emulating this sound. Never thought I'd be loving a NYC cowboy. I'll be spending some more time with this album

I enjoyed this quite a bit. It helped me understand Bob Dylan better.

Für Country-Blues echt cool!

I can see how this is influential, but can’t imagine I’ll listen again.

Super folky, thought he sounded like Woody Guthrie and then low and behold Guthrie makes an appearance on the album. Enjoyed the listen.

Best album yet! I love cowboy music and this album has so many classics.

I like this a bunch.

This was a fun one. Nothing I heard before but many songs were familiar standards. Great guitar, great voice. I liked the guest appearance with what sounded like a fairly aged Woody Guthrie.

Boooo

Upon first hearing, this seems merely to be of historical interest, but the unique picking style and deadpan lyrics (boll weevils looking for a home?) and delivery make sense of all the influence of major folk music players.

Eccentric collection of songs, that makes a mostly enjoyable listen. The low-quality recording makes it feel older than 1958 to me. Didn’t expect the Boll Weevil song today, my dad played the Brook Benton version to me as a kid Also why tf is “Dink” censored on Apple HL: “Boll Weevil”, “New York Town”, “Dink’s Song”, “Old Blue” (bonus)

I quit at "Dink's Song", which on Spotify is a woman singing?? Something felt off, like he's trying too hard, and decided I'd give the album a 1. Then I read the Wiki bio. Makes sense now.

A decent collection of old folk tunes. Cool by me.

nein Danke

Huh, kolmannen biisin kohdalla olin jo valmis lopettamaan. Ehkä tämä tyylii tekee vielä joskus ison paluun ja valtavirta innostuu jälleen, vaikka sitä en kyllä toivo.

Not a fan

Bed bugs, boll weevils, and cocaine. Oh my!

Excellent

Speaks to my soul.

чувак крутой, а альбом хз

БЛЯ ДА СЕРЬЕЗНО ПЕСНЯ ПРО ГУСЕЙ, ЧЕЛ ПОТОМ ПРОСТО ВИУУУУУУ ОРАЛ Я НЕ ПОНИМАЮ ЭТОЙ ХУЕТЫ. ДАЖЕ НОСТАЛЬГИЮ НЕ СЛОВИШЬ ТИПО СМОТРИТЕ КОВБОЙ ПОЕТ. НЕТ, ИДИ НАХУЙ

Хмм, интересно, что это даже не так плохо, как я думал изначально. Да, это оооочень старый фолк американский, но типа... я даже как-то проникся челом. Не настолько, что я прям готов переслушивать, но сам концепт приколен. Сделаем ещё поправку на возраст этого альбома: качество записи честно - говно.

Album not available on Tidal. Found playlists that contained many of the album songs.

I love the spoken word intros to each track. Really gives the album a cohesive, narrative structure. His guitar playing is really emotive and great too. One of the better '50s albums I've heard.

not my favourite kind of country- would not listen to again

Патрулируя Мохаве, невольно заскучаешь по ядерной зиме

The opening track was probably my favorite. It gets a little too insistent and grating at times, and didn't really hold me for the whole album. I don't know much about this guy but have heard a fair amount from his contemporaries, maybe it's worth learning a little more?

girl shut up about bugs

So much has been built on the shoulders of the music Elliott is playing here. Really enjoyed this. It’s not perfect, but a really decent effort. And it made me dig out the Jackson Browne version of Cocaine Blues which led me back to Running on Empty, an album I’ve not listened to in a while.

2.5 stars. Early country & western, like a pre-Bob Dylan twangy singer-songwriter. Standout is "New York Town". "Cocaine" was unexpected. First and last name of protagonist in leadoff song shared by a childhood friend was kinda funny.

I'm sure this has already been said, but goddamn, ramblin' is an apt description for this guy! An album from the 50's that's over 30 minutes in runtime is an outlier, that's for sure. But this guy just loves to talk. Cons: all that fucking rambling and hurdy-durdy cowpoke music that sucks. Pros: He is looking like a real cowboy snack on this album cover. And he's had a prolific career. I have tons of respect for that. But would I ever put this album on again or dig deeper into his catalogue? No. If you've heard one of his rambles, you've heard them all.

I enjoyed it but nothing stood out to me.

He probably smells like whisky and cigarettes

Not really my genre, is folk. And the yodelling was especially painful. But as folk goes, yodelling notwithstanding, this wasn't terrible.

Great classic country folk. Not the most impactful, but still a good listen.

I listened to the playlist compilation of this album on AM. Not sure it counts as the actual album. It was chill.

Nice classic American folk. Brings some slick country influences to Woody Guthrie's style and the result is smoooooooth. Also, has the most serene song about cocaine I've ever heard.

I can give it two stars for it being very old and therefore probably influential to other americana folk people. It was too long and why was there yodeling. Not my type of music. 2 stars because the one star reviews are reserved for the real special turds.

Best song: Ol' Riley (also San Francisco Baby Blues / Mule Skinner Blues) Vibes: appalachian campfire show Themes: working class / prison blues

There are some songs I liked to some extent, but the performance and presentation makes them feel more like a bar performance than listening to something being recorded for more active listening. I am happy recordings like this exist, so that these old folk and field songs are not lost to the ages, but it doesn't make it great listening today. I feel these songs are something historical that you'd listening to in a museum context more than modern songwriting made for the type of listening or artistic expression we are used to today.

The 1950s feels like a very different world to the 2020s, but Ramblin' or not these songs are pretty evocative of a seemingly simpler epoch.

Good album. If you don’t like country/folk, you’ll hate this. 4 stars

Terrible. Sorry Jack Elliott. Boring tedious and dull. I would give it nil pois if I could so, reluctantly it gets one 🫣

Some woody guthrie shit. Pretty good.

"Jack Takes the Floor" by Ramblin' Jack Elliott is a straightforward, no-frills folk album that showcases Elliott's talent as a storyteller and interpreter of traditional folk songs. Released in 1958, the album captures Elliott's authentic and gritty style, with his distinctive voice accompanied by acoustic guitar. While the album offers a glimpse into the folk revival of the late 1950s, it may feel somewhat dated to modern listeners. The recording quality is also not up to modern standards, which can detract from the overall listening experience. Despite these drawbacks, "Jack Takes the Floor" is a solid effort from Ramblin' Jack Elliott and provides a snapshot of a bygone era in folk music. Fans of traditional folk music and Americana will appreciate the album for its historical significance and Elliott's genuine approach to the genre.

Superb storytelling and ambiance.

Important transitional figure between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.

Perfectly okay. Some of these are fun. But it's mostly just a bunch of American folk singing and blues. Not my jam.

Quiero espuelas

Ok

Very much Woody Guthrie. Kinda goofy but hard to listen to for a long period of time

This is why I am listening to this list. Every once in a while a record like this comes along that based on my usual listening I have no business enjoying but that really grabs me. From the first track to the last I was listening intently.

Sorry Jack, back to back songs about boll weevils and bedbugs lost me

6/10 - 3/5 Skimmed it, it was just not my style.

Ramblin' is certainly right! I dig this kind of folk/country a lot more than the kind of folk that came up in the '60s. It's more raw.

In the vein of Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie

Albums like this are surprisingly rare on the 1001 Albums list, considering how important of a foundation they are to early 60s skiffle and pop-rock (and, by extension, pretty much all music after that). It’s reasonably enjoyable, although it uses just about the least exciting instrumentation possible: a solo vocalist (very occasionally switched out with another) and an acoustic guitar. Fun stuff, sure, but those instruments definitely limit the textures and dynamics available to the aspiring composer. Many of these tracks, if not all of them, are covers in a blues-country style, and it’s pretty boring and blurry after the first 20 or so minutes. I can acknowledge its influence, but at the same time, there really isn’t much happening. If it had taken an Elvis approach, even while incorporating the same “rambling” vocal style that Elliott sticks closely to throughout the album, it would’ve been much more engaging.

The yapmeister

En dan denk je, ze hebben een of andere afgeleefde, eenogige muzikant met een mank been en een ouwe gitaar voor de microfoon gezet en hem lekker laten spelen. Maar dan kijk je op Wikipedia en komt erachter dat de man destijds 27 jaar was, en dat hij nog leeft! Hoe dan ook, de eigenlijke muziek is wat simpelkes, en we kunnen hier niet van genialiteit spreken, maar het resultaat is sympahtiek. Halverwege komt er ook nog een oude vriend (folklegende Woody Guthrie) een bakkie doen, altijd gezellig.

De nummers hebben een aantal keer 'blues' in de naam. Dit is dan wel de gedateerde saaie blues. Het komt soms ook dicht bij amerikaanse country. En Bob Dylan zal hier ook wel goed naar geluisterd hebben. De 'zang' verteer ik lastig met een dieptepunt in 'La la la' Grey Goose.

Bij het nummer Boll Weevil moet ik gelijk denken aan de Presidents of the USA. En die maakten ook van die lekkere vrolijke west coast muziek, met grappige teksten over slurpen aan een perzik en in dit geval een of andere kever. Maar dit is allemaal veel en veel ouder, een van de paar platen uit de 50s. Ik had nog niet eerder van Ramblin' Jack gehoord, maar hij past denk ik in een generatie van dit soort artiesten. Veel van die artiesten waren volgens mij zwart, dus ergens is het ook wel weer apart dat we hier iemand uit een goede familie uit New York hebben, die net doet alsof hij vanuit de Dust Bowl naar California is getrokken zonder een cent op zak. Ok, blijkbaar was hij niet geinteresseerd in dit goede leven en koos hij zelf voor a life on the road, bij een rodeo zonder een cent op zak. Maar het helpt niet voor zijn geloofwaardigheid verder. Anyway, genoeg wikipedia feitjes, ondanks dat ik dat graag gebruik voor reviews en zeker degene waar ik over de muziek weinig te melden heb. Ook dit weer, het is wel grappig en het is lekker bluesy. Maar ik zou dit normaal gesproken niet vaak opzetten. Hij speelt wel lekker gitaar hoor, maar ik zie hier gewoon een cowboy tegen een boom aan zitten, met een grasspriet in zijn mond. Een soort lallende Lucky Luke, maar in plaats dat hij op zoek is naar de Daltons, verdoet hij zijn tijd met grappige teksten zingen op bluesy deuntjes. Het is meestal wel uit te luisteren, maar als hij gaat jodelen, dan hoop je dat die boom waar hij tegenaan zit, ver weg staat drie weilanden verderop. Uiteindelijk kan ik niet verder dan 2 sterren komen helaas.

Not bad. A little silly to have songs about boll weevils and bed bugs, but there was some decent stuff on here. Not sure this is exactly an all timer, but it has some value.

This album irked me. Sometimes it was the vocals, sometimes it was a repetitive musical phrase I wasn't enjoying. I'm glad I read the blog article noting that Jack Elliott was an inspiration to Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, etc. I'll leave this one in the past.

an early, early folk album, just a simple guy with a simple ol' guitar singing campfire stories to anyone and everyone. it has charm, but it's mostly simple in terms of what the songs are about and how they're played. i just can't be too harsh on it.

1958! Johnny Cash-like. Dunno if he was an influence or this was just the style of play of the day. I'm guessing the "Ramblin" is his story telling. Enjoyable, different.

I’ve seen him in person several times. Ramblin’ is an apt name. He talked more than sang & most of what he said made little sense. I do like his music, his style.

Oddly enough, I could have used a little more ramblin'. But I still appreciate it's inclusion here because it's so of its time and that period should be documented.

Right on the boundary between folk and country - influenced by Woody Guthrie and an influence on Bob Dylan. A really short album, at least it is without the bonus tracks, but very fun and a cool record of some very old songs. I loved it!

"Jack Takes the Floor" is an album by American folk musician Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Elliott's music has been classified as country, folk, blues and bluegrass. Yeah, I agree with that on this album. The album was initially released in the UK. Elliott toured and gain notoriety in the UK and Europe first and later in the US. Elliott plays a folk acoustic guitar in "San Francisco Bay Blues (Jesseville)" Elliott talks more than sings and sounds a lot like Arlo Guthrie. Jesse plays guitar in the Bay area. Elliott tells a funny (and not too funny) story in "Boll Weevil" of the Mexican and cotton-eating bug moving to Texas to find a home. Obvious comparisons to immigrants. The interesting stories continue in "New York Town" where Elliott takes the voice of both himself and Woody Gutherie in a conversation about a visit to New York. The second side takes it in a blues direction. In "Mule Skinner Blues," he's on the harmonica, there's a bluesy guitar and he's also howlin.' "Cocaine" tells the story of Preacher Jerry in Harlem. A slower pace. There's cocaine all around his brain and he's going to his baby to get right. A pretty provocative song for 1958. "Salty Dog" closes the album. Elliott doesn't want be her salty dog. This a fun album. Elliott talks, sings and howls stories. They're funny and interesting. The music is more in the bluesy style of folk. I definitely see this music and him being influential in the whole 60's folk and country scene.

If this is the music playing around the campfire, I best be hurrying on back to my tent!

Lives up to his name, but some good classic country here.

I like it a lot. Great album and probably my favorite from the decade.

Interesting album, although not my kind of music.

Not bad, Real throw back to some good Folk music.

Ok. 3/5.

I couldn't bear to listen this mixture of old Country and Folk to the end. It's eye-rollingly boring. 2/5

At least this honky tonk yodel-fest was only 30 min long.

Fun, old-timey country album. Was definitely worth the listen.

Meh

Blues country? Idk what the genre was but it was nice

Kinda rambly, kinda funny, kinda charming

Sounds better than Dylan

This album is fine for what it is. But I'm not sure why an album of Southern folk and blues covers by a New Yorker who didn't write any of them made the list. If you want more authentic or interesting, listen to Woody Guthrie. If you want better performances, there are certainly others. Hm.

I can imagine Janis Joplin doing acoustic recordings of some of these songs.

Ok not really my type of music.

Not my cup of tea, too twangy

Gefällt mir nicht.

A song about a weevil, a song about bedbugs, a song about cocaine…what more could you ask for? A really fun album with a lot of heart.

Fairly boring folk music. Not for me but i get it

Don't care for this

Folk music- never new but it never gets old. Some weird arrangements (I feel like Dink's Song was mislabeled)

Reconheci algumas músicas que são melhores em outras versões.

This is Wayne too much country for me.

Enjoyed this album. Folk not my favorite, but liked the stories!

I liked this album. I've never listened to something like this before.

Just an excellent early record from an incredible americana folk musician.

Decent singer performing some old western songs he didn't write.

nope

I enjoyed the storytelling here, easily transporting you to a different time and place. However, some of the people who followed him improve on this formula. I can't see myself going back to listen to this when Townes Van Zandt also exists. Still, enjoyable.

I really enjoyed it a lot. Definitely my kind of folk/blues I enjoy. And Black Baby has aged really well.

Sounds ok

You know this was not a difficult listen, lots of talking blues and guitar picking in an early Bob Dylan style. Jack is a more straightforward proposition, perhaps why he ended up nearer LLewelyn Davis than global megastar.

Wild!

decent

Definitely the inspiration to some later folk music. Still has the real country kick to it.

Nicht mein geschmack

I love cowboy folk music. awesome album!! personal top3 in no order: The Boll Weevil Bed Bug Blues Salty Dog

Finde ich cool, da es einen ein wenig in der Zeit zurück versetzt. 4.5/10

de unaa, 7/10

Could t find the actual album but listened to a bunch of other stuff

Looks like country but it's very much folk. Songs are simple and reflective of the time where they came from. Elliott learned folk the folkiest way possible: on the street. He would later learn under Woody Guthrie and began spreading American folk music to the UK and Europe. Elliott's vocal stylings would influence the great Bob Dylan so his work is the blueprint for a lot of great contemporary folk music in America.

Country

Stripped down traditional folk with not a lot of innovation going on. I like the bareback instrumentation, but not so much the mumbling (or rambling?) in between songs. The best track is without a doubt 'Old Blue'... Which I only afterwards realized was not part of the original release... Sigh.

If you release a shit experimental album, I can hate it but still appreciate what you were trying to accomplish. If you like Ramblin’ Jack Elliot just release an all round boring album with boring stories and unoriginal guitar playing? Well, then you’re doing nothing but wasting my time.

Not on Apple Music auto 0 sounds like it would’ve been a nice pickin time too bad

A good ol' time with some good ol' boys. Ramblin' and hollerin' country folk music. Anyone who is a friend with known communist and fascist hater Woody Guthrie is a friend of mine.

Nicht Meins

An interesting bit of folk history and I can certainly see where he gets the Ramblin' nickname

2.5

Un increíble álbum de Folk, con canciones del imaginario norteamericano de principios del siglo XIX. Las interpretaciones de Jack Elliot son emotivas y sumamente cautivantes. Recomendado para cualquiera que disfrute del género.

Ok, Was not for me

One extra star for being old as fuck

Not very interesting. Voice is a bit whiney and the songs I listed to we're formulaic. Not my cup of coffee, sorry.

Rambling indeed. Quite bad early recorded country. Doesn't even sound sure of his own voice.

Rambling’ is the right word. 1950’s country / folk is not for me.

Just a man rambling over country music 60 years ago

Country nope

talk music is not for me.

Folky country accoustic music. Did not enjoy much.

accoustic country music - not a big fan.

Another review said that you'll probably rate this the same as Bob Dylan. And boy i can see what they mean.

Fun!

Hauska. Viihdyin, mikä varmasti on päämäärä, raikulimusaa kun on. Ramblin tosiaan.

Jackillä on paljon asiaa siitä, mistä nämä biisit mukamas ovat peräisin, eikä turhaan: ajatus myyttisestä folk-Amerikasta on levyn kantava voima. LP:n muodostava lajitelma sisäpiirivitsejä ei ihan sitä ole.

He's so C&W it hurts.... Its another one of those HTF did it get on the list, it's awful. The only good bits were when he's talking in between the songs and because he's shit at that as well, its funny. Particularly when he introduces his mate to sing one of the songs with him. He must be deaf because he shouts his replies...its hilarious. But to sum up, Jack, you can take your floor, your guitar, your harmonica and your weird friends and fuck off ! Its a 1.

Some good folk music here and an enjoyable listen. I'd listen to more!

was kind of enjoying the folksy rambling but even before the end of the first song I was bored and hoping he upped the tempo even a little. As a listen now it's a massive turn off. 1.4

Didn't mind this, but am not a big folk fan, and anything that is claimed to have influenced Bob Dylan I would generally avoid. An interesting time capsule, but didn't really resonate with me on a cold and wet afternoon in London in 2023.

This felt like I was intruding on some random strumming his guitar in his bedroom. Ramblin' is indeed the right adjective to describe the racket. I'm not sure why this nonsense is on the 1,0001 albums list. I listened to some Michelle Shocked instead.

Loved. If he didnt yodle that one time

Aptly named. An interesting collection of songs likely to grow on replay.

Impressions: Favorite tracks: The Boll Weevil Rating: 2/5

Not a bad album, I didn't find it too engaging though. However, the influence he would have had on acts like Bob Dylan is very clear.

Not totally my style, but really just some good classic folksy country.

San Francisco Bay Blues - 8/10 Ol' Riley - 5/10 The Boll Weevil - 6/10 Bed Bug Blues - 6/10\ New York Town - 6/10 Old Blues - 7/10 Grey Goose - 6/10 Mule Skinner's Blues - 7/10 East Texas Talking Blues - 6/10 Cocaine - 6/10 Dink's Song - 7/10 Black Baby - 6/10 Salty Dog - 7/10 Brother Won't You Join in Line - 7/10 There are Better Things to Do - 6/10 TOTAL - 96/150

Fun listen.

Greit nok, men et stykke fra Marty Robbins-nivå

i liked it and i like his stage name.

A few cool prison songs!

Perfect for Sunday morning.

👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾

actually kind of enjoyed this surprisingly. liked the casual nature of it, just chatting with friends and jamming. felt like home.

Not sure if I got the right album - wasn’t exactly on spotify - but liked what I heard. Cowboy blues

I enjoyed the lightness of the guitar and vocals. Wouldn’t choose to listen to it, but I felt like I got a good little snapshot into mid-late 20th century rural country music.

Christ

A lot of rambing and yodling on this record. I can see the influence he had on a lot of artists that came later, but those musicians put out better albums than this one. I didn't enjoy this too much, it was average at best.

I love this type of music. Old blues music is where it's at.

San Francisco Bay Blues: 1/5 dude half this song is him giving context and introducing the song… Ol’ Riley: 2/5 ah I get it now… ramblin Jack… because he rambles in the beginning… also this is totally that song from the black and white Betty boop skeleton song when he’s in hell… you know what I’m talking about The Boll Weevil: 2/5 this is Vincent when he sees a bug, he just sings this song to it Bed Bug Blues: 3/5 Bed Bugs sure is mean and evil. So true brother New York Town: 2/5 “Old Partner and Road Buddy” do you think they ever explored each other’s bodies? Grey Goose: 1/5 LAWD AND LAWD AND LAWD… awful Mule Skinner’s Blues: 3/5 sick harmonica bro Cocaine: 3/5 pretty mellow song for the subject matter lol Dink’s Song: 1/5 Spotify played a cover wtf Black Baby: 1/5 …………….um Salty Dog: 3/5 I like dogs :) Overall not my favorite album we’ve gotten so far, actually probably one of my least favorite BUT I can see how this album could have been super influential in terms of early folk music and whatnot.

San Fransisco Baby Blues - Real country music? yes go off king. (4/5) Ol’ Riley - POV: ur in jail and someone’s got a “gee-tar.” (4/5 emotional) The Boll Weevil - 1950s educational radio show for the kids working at the factory or something. (3/5) Bed Bug Blues - why all the bugs Mr Ramblin. as big as a jackass??? (5/5 you’re telling a big jacked this ass? Sandy wants to go home) New York Town - “I am a man of constant sorrows” (3/5 skits) Grey Goose - yikes. (1/5 i can’t) Mule Skinner Blues - damn i didn’t expect yodeling. alright. that note (4/5 respect the skill) Cocaine - A song about the og coca-cola? hm. (2/5 guitar was fun) Donks Song - I love jazz. (5/5 the singing is beautiful) Uhm. i don’t know Salty Dog - alabam. (2/5) i don’t know about this one. it started almost strong and then it fell flat. all i can hear is joe biden. i’m sorry. 2/5 country/blues is not for me at all.

I wouldn’t choose to listen to something like this but I actually enjoyed it, he just talked most of the time it was great

There's comfort to be found here. Sometimes it's nice to sit back and listen to a man with his guitar playing some other person's songs. Kick back, relax, and enjoy a pleasant voice. He might not be that great, he might not play that well, he might not be all that, but who cares? Life ain't all that bad.

I can see the seeds of influence this album has on a lot of music. I think there are albums very similar to this that are much more polished.

So goddamn boring. Hes like Bob Dylan if he was not as talented, was very annoying and didnt have stories as cool as him.

it’s nice it’s a nice blue album. I knew some songs. I liked the one about big bad bugs and cocaine.

Folky rambling cowboy. Meh

Still feeling fairly ambivalent about American folk and not well equipped to rate it. I guess folk of this style is like a storehouse for American mythologies of rambling men and the frontier spirit, etc. Even when the singer is the son of a doctor from Brooklyn. It's a curious style of American storytelling but I can't say I find the music, vocals or lyrics particularly gripping. I also suspect this was chosen just because it influenced Bob Dylan and other later artists. 3*

Just too old

i've find myself quite fond of some country bluesy classics. This is great stuff

3++

Oof two country albums in a row...

Too much country

This might have been something sometime, but now it's just bantha fodder.

Good

Homey and blessedly short, this little album surprised with 'Cocaine'. Elliott is a good lyricist and is a slice of hardscrabble American history.

This Poser born in Brooklyn, but he fooled me. I appreciated San Francisco Baby Blues track and the Boll Weevil song. I also appreciated that this was really short. The Grey Goose song was terrible.

Well, Jack, you've got the floor. What type of rambler are you? One who walks a lot? Taking the floor and staying put would be significant then. The type who talks on and on? "Jack Takes the Floor" at least doesn't ramble on too long.

The recording is bad, but what can I ask for from 1958. I like the guitar playing a lot. Ramblin’ Jack has a decent voice too.

And it’s a “No” from me !

Not great. Bit rambly...

Interesting folk country jazz sound

Perfectly fine, generic middle of the road country music

Good stuff, different from what I usually see on this list and better for it. 4/5

Pretty good, but I’d prefer Guthrie.

An alright talking kinda album, not too good or special

Folksy... boring, although not bad, nothing is really happening. Not really sure why this is here.

A fascinating little slice of history. Weird to think that this album was released closer to when Marco Polo discovered America than today.

Not available

Cowboy sounds

It is 2023. Bob Dylan is referred to as this guy’s musical “son”. Dude knew Woody Guthrie and taught Woody Guthrie’s songs to his son Arlo. Johnny Carson thought that this guy knew everyone and had a song for everything. And he’s still alive! It’s 2023. This dude is a living musical history treasure trove.

This is my preferred type of country. Folk based and sung with a passion not often seen in the genres modern equivalent. Jack might be rambling’ but it’s choice ramblin’. Simple guitar and vocal folk/country. Really easy to like.

i guess it’s culturally significant and jack looks super-cool in the cover photo but there’s no way i’m ever putting this on just to hear it

Not my style of music, really. Sounds a lot like Hank Williams. Production is bad, even for 1958. But it was OK. I'll be generous and give it a 3/5.

I listen to a good bit of folk music but I’ve never really listened to any this old before besides covers. Really interesting comparison. No particular favourite song but I liked the album.

An important figure in the early folk scene, connecting the dots between Woody Gutherie and Bob Dylan. Much of the music doesn't hold up as well against those heavyweight names but there's some impressive performances on here. It's certainly noteworthy as a document of that era.

Cool so for anyone in the world, you must listen to an album that was only released in the UK where the list was made. Very inclusive. This one isn’t on Apple Music so didn’t listen.

Hard to track this one down, couldn't find it on Apple Music in the US. But there's a sort of rerelease album called "Muleskinner" with all the same tracks, so I listened to that. I like this style, it's like archival blues/folk music, definitely appreciate an album like this. Makes me think of Lead Belly, an even earlier blues musician responsible for some of the earliest recorded music in the genre. Lead Belly recorded albums as early as 1939! Lord knows the British bastard who made this list doesn't know about American blues like that, but I would absolutely add one of those in a redo of this list. This one's pretty good though, too. Favorite tracks: East Texas Talking Blues, Old Blue, Salty Dog. Album art: This one on the website is just a picture of the guy, it's pretty low-res, nothing much at all to it. The Muleskinner repackage album has a cool scribble-drawn portrait, I do like that one quite a bit. 3.5/5

Solid

It’s not my scene but i enjoyed it

I like it. Reminded me of Saturday mornings at my dad's house. He'd get up and make coffee and it'd be cowboy music hour on public radio.

Maybe it was C's reaction but I expected this to be horrendous, and it was surprisingly good. Not anything I'd choose to listen to regularly, but not unpleasant. Liked New York Time, Muleskinner Blues, disliked Grey Goose.

no.

Not my style, couldn’t finish. Classic for somebody I’m sure.

Niet mijn ding, en niet zo boeiend

man with guitar and some singing - i prefer this over frank sinitra, but it is still very average compared to other 50s music. my predicted score in 1958: 1 my real score in 2023: 1.

Too much chatting, too many whoohoos amidst some decent folk.

This was so wonderful!! Salty Dog was a fun highlight and also the tracks with what I think was a woman's vocals? Really nice vintage country vibes. Never heard of Jack Elliott before but all of the Spotify suggestions after the album were corkers too so that's always a great sign!

At first couldn't connect with this music but it got better as it went on I thought salty dog was fun -kinda kinky Liked 'brother won't you join in the line' the best

Some lovely cowboy music that! I do enjoy the speaking over the top of acoustic guitar styley, the recently deceased Rodriguez did this in a few of his songs and I find it very impactful.

Loved this. Didn't know this guy but read about him. Good mates with Woody Guthrie, as we know from that one song, and certainly sounds like him. Very good stuff.

I recognize the significance of this guy. Without him I guess there could be no Dylan. The music didn’t do it for me, but I do like his sense of humor.

Yep, that's some mid-century folk music alright.

Could be nice to have live in a bar.

Oh fuck yeah. Jack outdylans dylan all over the place. Muy autentico.

If they ever trap me inside a metal crate I want this album to be playing in the sped-up montage of me slowly losing my mind. Is this a real album or was poor old Ramblin' Jack Elliott recorded without consent by his next-door neighbor? I feel like I'm in a college dorm having to listen to a guy practice guitar at 3AM. Wanna throw canned beans at him. 2/5

Pretty good classic country, nothing too special but Jack’s lyrics can be pretty funny sometimes

That was a weird one, not to my taste but good on you jack, you do you.

Country. Ni fu ni fa.

It's nice to hear something new... or rather old on this list. Taken at face value, the album isn't incredibly special but I suspect it's included on this list as a bridge between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. Overall a collection of nice folk tunes. It's clear Jack walked so Bob could run.

Nice!

Folksy rambling... Good, just not what I was looking for. 2/5

Some of the songs are more folky than others. But overwhelmingly, it is very country and that is not for me. Spotify does not have the complete album on there but there is a playlist was created to mimic it.

Not my pick for listening to someone pick pickers.

Just a nice chill old bag of blues. Bonus points for two tracks in a row being about bugs and a track about the borax mines. It sounds more timeless than a lot of tosh from the 50's and I like how it sounded like just him, his guitar and a mike. Woodie Guthrie has a very strange speaking voice

Again, another album that is pleasant enough, but doesn't really seem to warrant inclusion on its own merit. Sure, maybe it did influence a lot of other albums that are included in the list - Dylan et al - but in it's own right..........? Hard to see why personally.

Country 50's

ramblin man with a guitar and what seems like an unusual interest in household insects

No me gustó, no soy fan del country y menos cuando parece que agarraron un banjo y se pusieron a entonar lo primero que se le vino a la mente

The country girl in me loves this. Makes me think of 4th of July on the lake with my family. San Francisco Bay makes me want to learn how to line or swing dance. Honestly love the yodel/folk/bluegrass vibes. So fun. Obsessed with the harmonica. We need more harmonicas in music.

Welp this things has finally taken me to the other side of the tracks where I've never wandered before. Apparently Muleskinner is the same album plus two songs. San Francisco Bay Blues starts off the album with a sparse arrangement of plucked guitar melody with some spoken word overlay. Opens up about halfway through into a pretty traditional sounding Blues song. I'm into it -- seems like the sort of stuff that the Dead inspired a lot of their Workingman's Dead era songs from. The Boll Weevil and Bed Bug Blues are both super folky. Feels like a natural precursor to Dylan (side note: apparently they were friends). I kind of tuned out after this point and let the album fall into the background. This is fine, but not great folk music. I can see where it was ahead of its time in some respects, but its not something I would come back for repeated listens to. Soft 3/5.

I think I expected to like this album more than I did. I generally like older American music from a history standpoint. While I enjoyed listening to the album from that perspective, I was never too invested in the music itself.

The Boll Weevil song is a jam. Oh hell yeah 2 songs about bugs in a row I had no idea what to expect with this album and what I really didn't expect was a song about woof to end it

Already showing age here by not appearing on Apple Music. What up Youtube! Bed Bugs Blues is giving me flashbacks. Wow Clapton way to steal Ramblin' Jack Elliott's song about cocaine. Another knock on Clapton. Using this more to shit on Clapton. What's the difference between a bag of cocaine and a baby? Eric Clapton wouldn't let a bag of cocaine fall out of a window. 2/5

The human version of Uncle Pecos, Jerry's country music singing uncle from the Tom and Jerry cartoon 'Pecos Pest'. It genuinely wouldn't surprise me if Ramblin' Jack Elliott was the inspiration behind Uncle Pecos. Several tracks on the album are reminiscent of 'Froggy went a-courtin' and one song even has a yodel part that's a little to high for him. Whilst it's tempting to give this a pass as a museum piece, songs about the types of insects that annoy Elliott most don't really resonate in 2023, and the pre-song chat that precedes many of the tracks just seems like a parody today. Rating: 1.5/5 Playlist track: Salty Dog Date listened: 06/07/23

Inspired by Woody Guthrie, traditional folk country, good story telling. Simple music with just guitar and voice and the occasional harmonica.

Not for me.

So happy to listen to this. I did need to find this on vinyl preferably a little scratched up, get a heavy pour of cheap bourbon and sit back and enjoy.

I love stripped down folk country. This sounded like it was recorded at open mic night with the song intros and the live, “first take” quality of the music. Sounds like this was a pretty heavy influence on Arlo Guthrie (East Texas Talking Blues v. Alice’s Restaurant). And I had no idea Jackson Browne didn’t write Cocaine! Neither did Elliott, but at least he credits Rev. Gary Davis introducing the song. I will absolutely listen to this again.

This didn't work for me.

This wasn't for me. A little too much Ramblin I guess. I can see how he would go on to influnce artists that I do like, so that's good. But I can never see putting this one on again.

Boring

I liken this to the Robert Johnson recordings. It's a very simple recording: the man and his guitar. That doesn't mean the recording themselves are simple. There's not much to add to what Elliott puts into it. The sparseness of the songs really doesn't matter. The album is only 30 minutes long, which I think was probably the sufficient length. Anything longer would start to be a bit much. I liked the album for what it was, a simple blues album. Once I realized what it was going to be I was not expecting it to be more than that.

Yeah Jack Elliott rambles alright. Each song has a meandering and possibly unnecessary intro from Elliott (and Woody Guthrie to boot). Then again, it's kind of the charm, giving the album a feel of a live performance and letting him put his own twist on the songs, which are rarely his. I don't mind his simple plucking and playing but I'm not rushing out to find more of it either. Next.