From: martin@lyra.cis.umassd.edu (Gary Martin)
Subject: Re: Top 10 folk albums
Organization: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 04:40:29 GMT


While we're on Top 10 lists, I'd like to quote Gordon Bok's comments
when the New England Folk Almanac asked him (and several other folk
personalities) for a list of all-time favorite folk recordings (with
reasons).

"I don't have favorite ones.  I have favorite ones for a moment, and
they sort of submerge and recycle again; it's a constant state of flux.
And it's so widespread, I couldn't even give you a favorite type.  Many
times it's one song on an album, or a sound.  And it might be a northern
Italian tape or an old Scots ballad or what-all.  I was just listening
to a tape that was a favorite of mine a little while ago, and, I don't
know, it didn't sound so good now.  But it might again in two years.
I could pick out some as a nice piece of work, you know, but not really
as favorites.  As far as any being influential, I think I'm influenced
by everything I hear, or at least by everything I like."

Chris Smither listed Lightnin' Hopkins' "Blues in My Bottle",
"Blues at Newport 1963", all of John Hurt's and John Hammond's 
recordings, and Dylan's "Blonde on Blonde".

Lui Collins said her choice was "really arbitrary", but named Joni
Mitchell's first album, Stan Rogers' "From Fresh Water", and Gorka's
"Land of the Bottom Line".

Dave van Ronk mentioned Paul Geremia's "I Really Don't Mind Living",
the Folkways Anthology of American Folk Music, the Harry Smith collection,
Gary Davis' Yazoo record, John Hurt's 1928 sessions, Dylan's "Freewheelin'",
Joni Mitchell's "Blue", Jelly Roll Morton's Library of Congress recordings,
"The Song Project", the whole Fast Folk series ("some of the music is
really bad, but it is the most comprehensive survey, not just of the 
New York scene, but everybody who was passing through"), Columbia's
Blind Willie Johnson, and Pete Seeger's "Darling Cory".

Catie Curtis listed Melanie's "Stone Ground Words", Ferron's "Shadows
on a Dime", Chris Smither's "Another Way to Find You", and John
Hiatt's "Stolen Moments".

Johnny Cunningham suggests Tommy Potts' "The Liffey Banks", John
Martyn's "Solid Air", the Bothy Band's "Old Hag You've Killed Me",
"Never Mind the Bollocks" by the Sex Pistols, Bill Morrissey's "Inside",
everything by Howlin' Wolf, Hank Williams, and Patsy Cline.

Dick Pleasants narrowed it down to about 30.  He claims to play about
13000 albums on the radio, but if you believe his arithmetic, only
listens to about 13 of them at home. ("I have 10000 records and
3000 CDs which I play consistently on the radio.  The ones I listen
to at home are just one-tenth of one percentage of that, but I still
feel bad because I know I can't mention all of them.")  He includes
Pete Seeger, Tom Rush, Geoff Muldaur, Leo Kottke, Robert Johnson,
Judy Collins, John Prine, Steve Goodman, Mary McCaslin, Paul
Siebel, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Paxton, Mason Daring and Jeanie Stahl, Bill
Staines, Jack Dupree, Paul Geremia, Willie McTell, Memphis Minnie,
Rosalie Sorrells, Kate Wolf, Utah Phillips, Guy Clark, Greg Brown,
Bob Franke, Nanci Griffith, the Louvin Brothers, Joe Val, Tim and
Mollie O'Brien, Stan Rogers, Patty Larkin, Christine Lavin, ...

Personally, I'd have to lean toward Bok's point of view.  I've
found very few albums that contain no mediocre songs.  (Traditional
musicians have it easier here, since the bad songs haven't been
preserved.)  I've found that recordings by Cindy Kallet, Cindy
Mangsen, Roberts and Barrand, and maybe a few others who escape
me at the moment, have worn very well for me.  Michael Cooney and
Louis Killen I played to death - I don't listen to them much these
days, but I know them so well, I don't need to.  Andrew Calhoun's
albums have kept me intrigued for two years now, but I'm getting
to that point where I don't have to play them to hear them.


--
Gary A. Martin, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, UMass Dartmouth
Martin@cis.umassd.edu