Reviews (page 6 of 7)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
2 star. Listened to the end, but reminded me of a straighter, slower version of orville peck.
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.
Not much to say about this. Didn't really resonate with me at all.
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
Too much ramblin' for me.
I'm guessing it was influential to other artists but I could not really get into this at all.
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
The problem is, as a link between Woodie and Dylan, Jack pales in comparison. Not one song rises to a level beyond passable.
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.
He certainly rambles, not for me
Washed up, old-school American country & western. Not particularly interesting and not worth a re-listen.
#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
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.
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.
Couldn't get into this at all.
Too twangy
Some of the songs would kill the invaders from Mars.
pretty mid, wasn’t bad but i wouldn’t listen
Lite trist album.
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.
Couldn’t get this one, so I listened to another from around the same period. Ok. A bit slow.
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.
Could have done without this, ramblin' and babblin' through 11 short songs by a fake cowboy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yeah pretty meh
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 🍦🍦
Very old school cowboy country
jack for fucks sake will you bring the floor back
I can see how this is influential, but can’t imagine I’ll listen again.
Boooo
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
чувак крутой, а альбом хз
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.
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?
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.
Not really my genre, is folk. And the yodelling was especially painful. But as folk goes, yodelling notwithstanding, this wasn't terrible.
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.
Quiero espuelas
Sorry Jack, back to back songs about boll weevils and bedbugs lost me
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
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.
I couldn't bear to listen this mixture of old Country and Folk to the end. It's eye-rollingly boring. 2/5
Meh
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.
Not my cup of tea, too twangy
Don't care for this
Reconheci algumas músicas que são melhores em outras versões.
nope
Nicht mein geschmack
Finde ich cool, da es einen ein wenig in der Zeit zurück versetzt. 4.5/10
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.
An interesting bit of folk history and I can certainly see where he gets the Ramblin' nickname
2.5
Ok, Was not for me
Not very interesting. Voice is a bit whiney and the songs I listed to we're formulaic. Not my cup of coffee, sorry.
Just a man rambling over country music 60 years ago
Country nope
talk music is not for me.
Another review said that you'll probably rate this the same as Bob Dylan. And boy i can see what they mean.
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.
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.
Impressions: Favorite tracks: The Boll Weevil Rating: 2/5
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
Greit nok, men et stykke fra Marty Robbins-nivå
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.
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.
Folky rambling cowboy. Meh
Homey and blessedly short, this little album surprised with 'Cocaine'. Elliott is a good lyricist and is a slice of hardscrabble American history.
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.
Not great. Bit rambly...
Perfectly fine, generic middle of the road country music
An alright talking kinda album, not too good or special
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, couldn’t finish. Classic for somebody I’m sure.
Niet mijn ding, en niet zo boeiend
Too much chatting, too many whoohoos amidst some decent folk.
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.
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
That was a weird one, not to my taste but good on you jack, you do you.
Folksy rambling... Good, just not what I was looking for. 2/5
Not my pick for listening to someone pick pickers.
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
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
The man did what he came to do I guess but it’s not for me and not original enough for me to rate it higher
He be ramblin'
2.5
Difficult to say. Not exactly much depth to be found here. The only thing I could really comment on is it’s excellent lyricism.
the entire album is just this guy jack elliot doing smothers brothers-esque songs until Dink’s Song which is a slow, big band jazz song with a female singer. i don’t know why
idk what to say
Ramblin' all right... This was not my bag, my purse or my cup of tea. I appreciated he kept his rambling brief though, so thank you for that Jack. Low point here was the yodelling, reminded me of my girlfriend's cat asking to be fed every morning only without the tin of tuna to give to him to make him fucking stop. Fun times.
I get what he was going for. I also get that allegedly Bob Dylan patterned his song delivery on Ramblin Jack. But that does not make this a great album.
It’s very meh and boring, not really my cup of tea. It’s pretty repetitive and just VERY boring. Favourite tracks: San Francisco Baby Blues and Cocaine were ok, the rest is meh Least favourite: Black Baby and Mule Skinner Blues. Horrible tracks and Mule Skinner Blues was obnoxious
Extremely average blues/country licks, nothing special about the vocals either.
Along with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, this is an obvious jump point, if not actual influence to Dylan, Byrd's et al. Very rootsy blues/folk. Not a fan of the yodel/howl!
Cowboy/hobo Woody Guthrie. Interesting but a lot of songs about bugs…?
This bugged me for a few songs because it sounded familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I realised it sounds like Bob Dylan. It pre-dates Bob Dylan, but that's still absolutely no fucking excuse for sounding like Bob Dylan. I thought it was mercifully over at some point because the style changed so dramatically, but no, there's just a fucking show tune halfway through for no reason. It sucked too. Update: just read his wiki, and I'm not American so correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't these tunes a little too southern for a New York jew? haha. I almost gave it an extra point for this, but no. 2/5.
Rambling by name rambling by nature, definitely an acquired taste but not for me
Redneck country
Boring
For what it is musically, it's fine, but the co-opting of Southern culture by a Dylan compatriot definitely reads as anything other than genuine. Throw in some off-base bonus tracks meant to lengthen the album for re-release (including a near-orchestral track with female vocals?) and it's hard to feel that this is a passion project more so than money grab.
Too He Haw.
He sure was ramblin'
San Francisco Baby Blues- 6 Ol' Riley- 4 The Boll Weevil- 2 Bed Bug Blues- 2 New York Town- 3 Grey Goose- 1 Mule Skinner Blues- 1.3 Cocaine- 3.2 Dink's Song- 4 Black Baby- 4 Salty Dog- 5.4
I might be more in the mood for this someday, but today is not that day. I mean... wouldn't it make more sense to just listen to Woody Guthrie instead of this? Maybe that's too harsh, but it's all I can think at the moment. I'll give him credit though. Apparently "Ramblin' Jack" the country boy is actually "Elliott Adnopoz" from Brooklyn. Takes guts to completely reinvent yourself like this and even crazier to think it actually worked out. Good on him?
I may not have loved it, but a good history lesson.
2.7/5
I would probably never listen to this but it's charming in a way.
Auch eher nur musikhistorisch interessant.
Boring old country
Meh
didn’t like it. he was ramblin too much. lives up his name
Iets te gedateerd voor mij
Nee ik word hier niet heel enthousiast van.
This was interesting in that this influenced a lot of folk music I guess. I enjoyed it for the most part.
I get it, but I dont like it
I really enjoyed the first few songs but it quickly got a bit too yodelly for my liking
Fun album, bit twangy
Vähän tällästä kahden markan Dylania! Ei oikeen oo samaa potkuu ku WG:llä tai BD:llä kyl. 2/5
Sinänsä lämpenen musalle, mutta on tällaista parempaakin.
Dated country, don't see this as must listen
This feels old and the mixing is quite complex, I mean it's back from the 50s but still, it's pretty nice as country songs but I'm pretty sure better has been done to this day. I guess that would be fine in the far west but yeah, not astonished overall. 2.25 / 5
The album is not that great.... Overall repetitive and the master sounds old (not point taken out but simply feels bad) some tracks are funny to listen to but I would not recommend as an album... 2/5
Country...
Nah
2.5
I didn't look into the details of this album yet, but I'm making general guesses about the era. This is less good honky tonk, some of the songs were outright annoying.
A poor version of Woody Guthrie (who appears on one track). What makes this worth appearing in the list is unclear. Most of the songs are written by other people, the performance is not exceptional and at times is rather mediocre. Ramblin' Jack Elliot can have been an influence on some, but surely not a strong one
Well, not much to say. Kind of country version of Bob Dylan, but not as poetic and maybe subjectively better singer. Songs about hard life in West USA, for sure he had to be some kind of country prototype. As I mentioned couple times already, neither folk, country or bards are my cup of tea, especially that in my opinion Jack Elliott doesn't stand out in any way.
Pretty solid, if mostly straightforward folk/country record. Always a pleasure to hear a new version of Dink’s Song.
Busker...it sounds like a busker.
Mikill áhrifavaldur segja mér menn. En það er bara ekki nóg kallinn minn.
Сижу как-то я у дельты реки где-то в штате Алабама и слышу этот альбом;)
Rudimentary folk/country music from the late 50's. As a whole, this felt like a mess and even at 30 minutes it was a bit of a drag to get through. Sorry Jack. I do love your 2009 comeback though, so I'm still willing to hear your other albums.
Very rudimentary stuff, I almost died of boredom
Barn síns tíma, for sure. Áhugaverð hlustun.
never heard of this guy before, don't have to listen again
Didn’t mind the guitar. Singing and songs were shite.
Not great
It was fine I guess. Guitar was nice. Boring album overall
Quite boring tbh. Only 1 or 2 songs worth coming back to and one of them was a Sarah Vaughan song (cover?). 3/10
Somewhere between Guthrie and Dylan but not as good as either.
Uff ps supongo que fue bueno en los 50s
Not my thing at all - they all sound remarkably similar
Possibly a fine example of C&W music, and fine if you like that sort of thing. Sounds like whining to me.
I've never heard of this man before, but I'm glad to see he's still alive. There's yodelling and songs about weevils - it's hard not to be at least a little charmed. Plus, the recording is *so* primitive and the chat *so* typically old-timey, it has to be the real deal, right? 2.5
Meh. Although I can recognize its importance and understand why it would be included on a list like this, I ultimately found this album unimpressive and pretty average. It is hard to even call it an album as it is more of a collection of random songs Jack Elliott recorded at the time (it doesn't even show up as an album on Spotify; it shows up as a playlist). I'm sure what he was doing at the time could be considered groundbreaking in the folk scene, but I didn't feel the same impact that I do when I hear a rock or blues album from the 1950's in that the songs here are pretty simple and somewhat forgettable. One track that stood out to me was 'Grey Goose', and that is only because it sounds straight up like an Adam Sandler song. Another track, 'Cocaine', I remember for its unique reference to a drug that I'm sure wasn't being done very often, but I cannot tell you anything about the song other than that. Overall, there just wasn't enough depth or emotion here that would make it stand out when compared to other folk artists who came afterwards that were most likely influenced by Elliott. I didn't hate it, but I ultimately found it perfectly mediocre. 2.5/5.
Zupełnie nie trafił w mój gust
5/10
probably would have enjoyed it more then
Never heard of him before but his music sounds familiar. Either he is doing someone else's style or they are all doing his. Good for what it is. 2/5
This reminds me of some of the stuff grandpa Kenny used to sing/strum, but his voice was WAY better. For me, this has only historical value.
It was a simpler time, I suppose.
Un altre dels discos històrics que ha perdut ja gran part de la seva rellevància. Acòlit de Woody Guthrie i per tant un dels primers mestres de Dylan, els temes sonen ja prehistòrics i cal tenir una gran conciència històrica del folk i la música en general per poder acceptar la seva importància
Ja fint nok. Men lidt ligegyldigt
sygt at det er lavet i 58
Like a time capsule - interesting, but dusty.
A goofier Guthrie. A cowboy Woody. I can dig it. No doubt Bob D took a page from Jack's book on how to sing through your nose. Compared to those two folk titans Jack seems like a lightweight. Woody had a way of making simple things universal, and Bob is untouchable Bob. Do I need more Oakie Folk in my cereal? Probably not, but Jack's a goofy marshmallow. C. P.S. did Sarah Vaughan randomly drop in the middle of this album for you too?
Recognized a lot of these songs. Enjoyable, but not something I’m going to seek out again to listen to on my own.
Pretty samey but Mule Skinner's Blues is a great little ditty.
Not super interesting.
obviously it isn’t my favourite but i didn’t hate it. the talking was a little awkward and there were some like screeching noises? but it’s was funny
Especially i don't like man vocal in a country music
Non è un album che risentirei, non perché sia brutto, ma non è scattata la scintilla tra me e Jack Eliott. E' un album molto vecchio, 1958, che quindi è anche difficilmente valutabile secondo gli standard attuali però nessuna canzone mi è rimasta nel cuore. Un country folk da 2.5.
Not for me
An incredibly talented guitar player and folk singer. Huge influence to dozens of other famous folkbartists, including Dylan. First song is a folk classic but the rest serve as nothing more than display his talent. This album is probably on this list solely for the first song.
Saved Prior: Do I even need to say none for this one. Off Rip: San Francisco Bay Blues, The Boll Weevil, Salty Dog Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Cool that he has so many songs in his repertoire, like a modern day Homer. Not a huge folk guy, so it's more cool in theory than in practice. Also features the most subdued song about cocaine I have ever heard. Plus the Spotify version of this album for whatever reason has a Sarah Vaughan version of Dink's Song instead of the Jack version? Her version can't be found anywhere else?? It just exists under his name on this album???
Is a bit of a slog to be honest. And it’s only a brief album! The most interesting thing is reading about Elliott’s background. Dink’s Song is very pretty. But nobody needs folk songs about Boll Weevils or Bed Bugs in their life.
I personally find this pretty dull but i understand why it has it's place in musical history. Quite liked having it in the background. 2 stars
Wow. Was good for it's time. Considering the low tech approach still could have been better
Pass. Not for me.
Rough. Can see the importance, wouldn't listen to it often though.
Cowboy blues
Not for me. Never heard of him. All sound the same.
Wasn't fully sold on these rambles. Folksy cowboy hat pickins, but I can't identify any qualities that make this stand out from the rest of the genre.
Sounded a bit screechy and annoying.
3.5
Eh... it’s ok. Not a huge fan of how short and disjointed most of these songs were after you got through the talking, but there are some decent ideas on here Favorite track(s): “Cocaine” and “Salty Dog”
I was pretty bored by this one, the woodie Guthrie track was fun though, that’s the most I got out of this though
A classic, something I'm glad to have heard but will not listen to again.
He do be ramblin’
A bit too country for my taste.
1958. Key Songs: San Francisco Baby Blues
This is not a grand, canonical singer-songwriter masterpiece in the modern album sense.
well he was differently rambling
yeah... i don't even know what to say... this was ass.
Annoying voice, out of tune guitar, unnecessary intros, boring country songs... what a mess. Don't care this guy influenced Bob Dylan, doesn't make this any more interesting. Still an awful experience. I don't want to leave the review at a super low bar, so I'll say that the guitar playing can be quite playful, and at least is not incredibly cheesy country.
Please take him off of the floor, thanks
smh no
לא נהניתי כלל
Bland, boring songs; poor singing, childish lyrics, all with a annoying fake cowboy I-do-care-bout-anything attitude. 2/10
I don't think there is a single instance where I would casually listen to a singular song of this album.
Not on Spotify 1/5
So boring. Do I just hate folk?
This album is bad all the way through, but Ol’ Riley and Grey Goose are particularly horrible. 2/10
Ainoo positiivinen asia tässä oli levyn kesto joka oli vaan nipin napin yli 30minuuttia... ei vaan lähteny
Tää kuulostaa vähän samalta ku ite menisin kännissä vetään.
Terrible, wouldn't believe it went down a storm in 58 either
Just because it laid the foundation for American folk music to come, doesn’t make it any less boring. Also, what the fuck was he thinking when he recorded the song “Black Baby”? I know it was the 50s but, Jesus.
Thanks for the experience, not knowing what to expect, glad it was more folk than country. Not my bag tho. 1.5/5
Sorry not for me
I imagine in the old days music was always this bad. Pants.
I can’t really listen to this
Nope too weird
Jaakko otti lattian mutta muuta se ei saanu. Ees kovin montaa tähteä multa. Oli vähän yksinkertaista jodlausta.
This is just a prank. This is a Jewish guy from Brooklyn and he is still alive. Well played, I guess.
594/1001 2026.04.16
Somehow I made it through. It certainly was ramblin. Part country, part folk, part comedy act, all terrible.
Nice. But couldn’t relate.
Сильно не моє.
That's one I could have missed
Didn't like anything about this album. I could not listen to it all
Rambling does describe this quite accurately. It’s also generally awful. Really dislike the speaking.
Really not for me. Hate all the talking! My word did this album drone on!
Good songs but barely remember
this bad. folk
it's like if Bob Dylan somehow got worse
Oh my god - fuck this album. There were TWO songs dedicated to bugs, his guitar is out of tune half the time, and he's WAY too confident with his shitty voice.
no
1.5/5
Not on apple music (no i didnt bother seeking ramblin jack elliot)
There must be some incredible back story for this one, that i don't know about, but it's just a live American folk gig and it doesn't inspire me at all
Was going to be a 2 but then I got to the yodelling.
It’s hard to describe the hatred I felt for this by the end of the record. I’d rather listen to that Liars record, and I fucking hated that. This is basement level folk rambling, with little to recommend in terms of music, lyrics or the singer. Never again.
Sorry really not one I can get into. Can here influences on other music that came later, but can't get past the tone of the songs and the occasional out of tune guitar.
Very old folk sound. The songs are fine, but I struggled to get much enjoyment from it. I think stripped back folk like this needs to have more meaningful lyrical content. Songs about weevils and bed bugs don’t cut it.
This guy is still alive believe it or not
Glad I’ve heard it… to never hear it again
I like to try to put things in context and give all songs at least a partial listen. But I couldn't do it. This was unlistenable.
no album needs two songs about bugs
Not my favorite. I struggled to find much to like really.
A hard to find late 50s folk album from some guy who pretended to be from a folk background. Said to be a Dylan inspiration, you can definitely hear the similarities to both. Not really sure why this would be included in the book but I don't think it really sounds good at all.
C'était boring de fou et pas du tout ma came.
Definitely not my kind of country music.
Стига вече конска музика!
Not for me
I understand the ramblin part. Wish he had something else to say
just-a-hootin'-and-a-hollerin'
country mal do mundo [2]
There are good country albums, decent ones and then there is this. Maybe it was a pioneer in it’s genre but it’s still a poor show.
He certainly rambles. Hated it x
Because Jack Takes The Floor wasn't on Spotify, i couldn't really scout ahead and use the previews to see what it was gonna be like but i was not expecting it to be this bad but that's what it ended up being. I know this may be the second country and the second folk album on this list in release order (after The Louvin Brothers' Tragic Songs Of Life) but i still gotta attack this album for everything it gets wrong. I could maybe see some potential in Elliott's songwriting but there is one problem, It's that I CAN'T HEAR ANY OF IT! This is easily some of the worst recording quality i have ever heard on an album. Combine that with the fact that every song sounds the same and you got a recipe for an absolute dud of an album. Best Song: Salty Dog Worst Song: Mule Skinner Blues
yikes
Just couldn't...
Too odd old-school country like. Not into it.
One of the most country of country music albums I have heard. Not really for me at all.
terrible back to back days. he rambles, he hoots, he hollers. (at one point he just repeats "quack" for about 3 lines). mule skinner blues has some unlistenable YODELS in it??? disastrous, even worse than the previous one
What in the lato-orkesteri is this? Aivan kammottavaa - välillä puhelaulua, välillä rääkymistä, väliaplodeja ja ihme äänitehosteita. Esittikö tämä musiikkia?
I have heard a great deal of dusty old 50s/60s records on this list - particularly this week. But this is by far the dustiest of all and the recording quality is so bad. Thank god for artists like bob dylan for modernising the folk genre.
Surgeon’s son New Yorker cosplays as a cowboy. Imagine Bob Dylan didn’t bother with politics, poetry and storytelling and instead sang songs about bed bugs and weevils. The cocaine song had something to it. Sounds like it should be over the closing credits of a Coen brothers movie. The rest was unbearable.
What the hell is going on here? I thought I was starting to get used to the nonchalance of the recording, and then they throw a jazz song just right into the middle of it. Jack Elliott isn't even in the song? I'm interested in the music. I like some of the songs. I like the glimpse into late 50s recording studio culture. Woody Guthrie was a cool addition. But I hate this as an album. I wouldn't be upset listening to some of these songs again, but I don't want to hear this album again. Favorite Song(s): The Boll Weevil
Es un género que casi no me agrada pero gracias por la propuesta
The soundtrack of white supremacy.
i'm sure this is some influential album and marks some important steps in music history. but i thought it sucked and wanted it to end. Only redeeming song was Dink's Song, which was a nice soul number and the dude didn't sing or play on
eh
Honestly I can't imagine willingly wanting to listen to this. On top of a bad recording, it's just all sounding the same and is as old country as you can get. Guitar play isn't even all that great, in my opinion. And we're singing about bugs. Man what are we doing? 2/10
I ain't really a sucker for angrezi gavthi music, had to click off after 3 songs.
Talk singing nightmare
Country, 25eme album => 1/5
No. Just no. There’s almost zero reason for this to be here. Apparently, it may have influenced Bob Dylan, but like…ok. I don’t care. It’s just 30 minutes of him yodeling and yelping like a store-brand Johnny Cash. And that might be an insult to store-brand items. I have zero incentive to return to any of these songs here. Granted, I hate country as is, but I’ve been proven that great country can exist. This ain’t it. I normally put my favorite track here with some other songs I liked, but I genuinely cannot list one song. It’s that bad.
Son of a NYC surgeon, I understand that this man had everything lined up for success, and somehow his big move was to go full redneck rambling cowboy. Makes no sense… which might be the whole point of him being in this list. Even more over-the-top than the yelling cowboy archetype. No!
Итс окэй, наверное, но еще более невыразительно, чем вайбовый сол парой дней ранее. Мне странным образом некомфортно давать эту альбому 1 звезду, но альбом прошел совсем мимо меня. Лучшая песня - San Francisco Bay Blues.
This album legitimately makes me nauseous, idk why. It's listenable, but makes my head hurt because of the mixing and the background noise. I only want to suffer socially for the music I like, not physically.
He's just a generic country folk singer without the charm of Cash nor the lyrics of a Dylan or a Guthrie.
The hooting and hollering was hilarious.
Boring ass country folk.
No thank you! Talks too much, yodels not particularly well. Couldn’t wait for it to be over. Clearly was an influence of Dylan’s, whose early music is also annoying, so that tracks. This was a true struggle to get through. Short songs never felt so long.
1.5 - Bad
Gear: Grado Hemp Artwork: 🤠🥴🍻 Production: 🎧🥴🍻 Music: 💬🥴🍻 Rating: 🍺/5
This album isn't catching me, like at all. I do enjoy folk/country from time to time but the name "Ramblin' Jack Elliott" truly holds up to his promise of rambling. I wouldn't listen to the album again if avoidable.