A few weeks ago, I reviewed THE FOLK YEARS: SIMPLE SONG OF FREEDOM (you can check it out here). I found another volume in the series, THE FOLK YEARS: BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND. I think this 2-CD set is more “folky” than THE FOLK YEARS: SIMPLE SONG OF FREEDOM, but you be the judge. Pete Seeger is included in this set. So is Johnny Cash.
If I had to pick my favorite song from this compilation, I’d have to go with Bobby Darin’s “If I Were a Carpenter.” I was also a big fan of Chad & Jeremy back then. More “commercial” songs (aka, hits) are included in this set, too. Do you remember these songs? Do you see any favorites here? GRADE: B
Tracklist:
| 1-1 | The Kingston Trio*– | Where Have All The Flowers GoneWritten-By – Pete SeegerWritten-By – Pete Seeger | 3:03 |
| 1-2 | We Five– | You Were On My MindWritten-By – Sylvia FrickerWritten-By – Sylvia Fricker | 2:36 |
| 1-3 | Peter, Paul And Mary*– | All My TrialsWritten-By – Milton Okun, Noel Paul Stookey, Peter YarrowWritten-By – Milton Okun, Noel Paul Stookey, Peter Yarrow | 3:16 |
| 1-4 | The Serendipity Singers– | Don’t Let The Rain Come DownWritten-By – Ed E. Miller*, Ersel HickeyWritten-By – Ed E. Miller*, Ersel Hickey | 2:45 |
| 1-5 | The Brothers Four– | GreenfieldsWritten-By – Frank Miller, Richard Dehr, Terry GilkysonWritten-By – Frank Miller, Richard Dehr, Terry Gilkyson | 3:03 |
| 1-6 | Judy Collins– | Both Sides NowWritten-By – Joni MitchellWritten-By – Joni Mitchell | 3:16 |
| 1-7 | Bobby Darin– | If I Were A CarpenterWritten-By – Tim HardinWritten-By – Tim Hardin | 2:22 |
| 1-8 | Dion (3)– | Abraham, Martin And JohnWritten-By – Dick HollerWritten-By – Dick Holler | 3:20 |
| 1-9 | Trini Lopez– | Lemon TreeWritten-By – Will HoltWritten-By – Will Holt | 2:54 |
| 1-10 | Jimmie Rodgers (2)– | Kisses Sweeter Than WineWritten-By – Fred Hellerman, Huddie Ledbetter, Jimmie Rodgers (2), Lee Hays, Ronnie GilbertWritten-By – Fred Hellerman, Huddie Ledbetter, Jimmie Rodgers (2), Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert | 2:19 |
| 1-11 | Harry Belafonte– | Jamaica FarewellWritten-By – Lord BurgessWritten-By – Lord Burgess | 2:49 |
| 1-12 | The New Christy Minstrels– | Green, GreenWritten-By – Barry McGuire, Randy SparksWritten-By – Barry McGuire, Randy Sparks | 2:09 |
| 1-13 | The Mamas And The Papas*– | California Dreamin’Written-By – John Phillips, Michelle GilliamWritten-By – John Phillips, Michelle Gilliam | 2:41 |
| 1-14 | Stone Poneys* Featuring Linda Ronstadt– | Different DrumWritten-By – Michael NesmithWritten-By – Michael Nesmith | 2:39 |
| 1-15 | Chad And Jeremy*– | A Summer SongWritten-By – David Stuart*, Clive Metcalfe, Keith NobleWritten-By – David Stuart*, Clive Metcalfe, Keith Noble | 2:37 |
| 2-1 | The Byrds– | Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is A Season)Written-By – Pete SeegerWritten-By – Pete Seeger | 3:55 |
| 2-2 | The Kingston Trio*– | Blowin’ In The WindWritten-By – Bob DylanWritten-By – Bob Dylan | 2:47 |
| 2-3 | Joan Baez– | Love Minus Zero/No LimitWritten-By – Bob DylanWritten-By – Bob Dylan | 2:43 |
| 2-4 | Johnny Cash– | Don’t Think Twice, It’s All RightWritten-By – Bob DylanWritten-By – Bob Dylan | 2:57 |
| 2-5 | Glenn Yarbrough– | Baby The Rain Must FallWritten-By – Elmer Bernstein, Ernie SheldonWritten-By – Elmer Bernstein, Ernie Sheldon | 2:21 |
| 2-6 | Pete Seeger– | GuantanameraWritten-By – José Fernandez Diaz, José Martí, Julian Orbon, Pete SeegerWritten-By – José Fernandez Diaz, José Martí, Julian Orbon, Pete Seeger | 4:40 |
| 2-7 | The Youngbloods– | Get TogetherWritten-By – Chester Powers*Written-By – Chester Powers* | 4:38 |
| 2-8 | The Lovin’ Spoonful– | Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your MindWritten-By – John SebastianWritten-By – John Sebastian | 2:00 |
| 2-9 | Sonny And Cher*– | Baby Don’t GoWritten-By – Sonny BonoWritten-By – Sonny Bono | 3:11 |
| 2-10 | Tom Paxton– | The Last Thing On My MindWritten-By – Tom PaxtonWritten-By – Tom Paxton | 3:07 |
I know all the songs here. Pretty much a mixed bag. They are extending the definition of folk to folk rock here (Mamas and the Papas, The Byrds) which results in some of the better songs here. But Sonny and Cher? Still some artists I don’t care for-Trini Lopez, Brothers Four, Serendipity Singers, New Christy Minstrels).
Favorites-Judy Collins, Byrds, Mamas and the Papas, Tom Paxton. Like Dion but not this song. Nor Bobby Darin’s attempts at being a folkie. A B is probably what I would give it.
Steve, I think you’re right about the addition of more “folk rock” songs in this compilation.
I’m familiar with most of these songs, and even like a few of them. What puzzles the hell out of me is the apparent fascination with compilations.
Michael, I like compilations because they are mostly a thing of the Past. Very few of the record companies are putting out collections of songs now. In fact, it looks like music CDs are on Life Support. Streaming music has become the dominant way most people listen to music today.
Again, the definition of “folk” seems awfully flexible on this compilation, but—strictly “folk” or not—I like many of the songs here. Probably my favorites are “You Were On My Mind” and “Baby, the Rain Must Fall.” I have no idea what Sonny & Cher are doing on here—“Baby Don’t Go” is my least favorite song on the CD. I probably wouldn’t change the station if any of the other songs were playing.
Deb, I think Sonny & Cher made an attempt to fit into the “folk rock” scene with Sonny’s furry vest. But you’re right: Sonny & Cher’s sound is far from folky.
As a duo, that was how they were marketed initially.
Todd, Sonny & Cher quickly moved beyond the folk scene.
And almost as quickly broke up.,.Cher to eventually become a drag icon, Bono an unimpressive politician…
Todd, and Sonny had a very unlucky run-in with a tree.
Some of my favourite songs – If I Were A Carpenter, Where Have All The Flowers Gone and more Anything written by Seeger and Dylan …. And of course my all time favourite:
Blowin’ In The Wind – there even was a very successful German version of this
But I have to agree: Folk is not the right description for much of this.
PS:
California Dreamin was also a favourite of mine, but it took me almost 20 years to fulfill my dream and get there – btw on a paid business trip.
I may have written about this already. The IT boss of a customer of mine told me early in 1983 that his team would be going to visit the USA, many IBM facilities and other hard/software companies as well as large institutions, among them the World Bank, to get info on IT trends. I was working on the design of their online- and database system. Then he asked me if I would be interested in accompanying them, but that would have been much too expensive for me …
No, no, he said – we need someone with really god English- and IT-knowledge and our chief programmer said you are the one! So it will be a paid business trip.
We started in NYC, flew to SFO, San Diego, Dallas, the Research Triangle, Boca Raton (where the IBM PC was developed) and Washington DC …
And when the other team members flew home I stayed a few days longer in Manhattan to have a look and buy records and SF books and …
And because we got a lot of important info like which systems were sure to be continued and which might be dead ends that trip was repeated twice in the 80s …
Wolf, I’m always interested in your thoughts about your visits to the U.S.
This is a pretty good one to me. I know most of the songs. I think my knowledge of popular music ended around 1970 so this looks like one to have. Although sadly I never play CDs anymore. I just ask Alexa for whatever I want to hear and if Amazon Music has it , I hear it.
Patti, Patrick and Katie listen to music on their phones. We have GOOGLE Home so music is available to us that way, too.
Other than in the car—where I listen to Sirius/XM—I must admit that I mostly listen to music through Spotify (my playlists or others or albums). I have a wall of CDs, but rarely listen to them anymore. Very similar to what happened to videos & VCRs—after a while, the idea of using them just faded away.
Deb, I’m still Old School when it comes to music: CDs are stacked here everywhere!
Most of these would fit well on the old HOOTENANNY television show, far less so on Club 47 in Harvard Square.
Jerry, I think some of these performers did appear on HOOTENANNY and SHINDIG back in the day.
Mostly pleasant folk-pop, folk-rock, and similar pop music.
I like my own selections better, on balance (odd, that):
https://socialistjazz.blogspot.com/2017/03/some-further-folk-rock-saturday-music.html
Todd, excellent selections! I do have two more volumes of THE FOLK YEARS to listen to…and inflict on this blog!
Obviously, this is mostly the other half of that three CD set I listed when you listed your first group. The first CD is probably the most real “folk” of any of them. I like most of the songs (never liked Trini Lopez). Some I like are Get Together, You Were On My Mind (which I think was originally done by Ian & Sylvia), Greenfields, California Dreamin’.
Jeff, I never hear these songs played on any of the radio or Sirius/XM channels I listen to. When I listen to these songs on THE FOLK YEARS discs, it takes me right back to the 1960s! I get a rush of nostalgia!
Sylvia wrote “You Were In My Mind,” I believe. Although it wasn’t a big hit for Barry McGuire, I always liked his version—he really sounded as if he had “wounds to bind”!
Deb, I agree. Marry McGuire’s version projects a lot of angst!
Better than the last one, pretty good, in fact. I know and like a lot of these songs.
Rick, I grew up listening to these songs and I’m happy to be listening to them again after all these years. I haven’t heard some of these songs in decades!
Same here!
For us students in Germany (and probably all over Europe) this was a fantastic time in the 60s. So many new styles of Folk, Pop, Rock …
variations in style and sound that we had never had before – and totally different from the pop music of our parents.
It was a kind of rebellion on different levels – of course the political too.
You have to consider that I grew up under the rule of “clerical fascists” as we later called them. The CDU had taken over many Nazi laws, especially in the area of sex:
No abortions, a woman couldn’t even ask for sterilization after she and her husband had enough children and the people who rented you a room would have gone to jail (in theory …) if they let you have a woman stay overnight.
And of course homosexual activities sent you to jail – in theory.
So there was this parallel development, music and arts generally, especially literature and politics and freedom – which was of course extremely important for us.
That Rock and Folk music was an important sign for us that ” the times they are a’changing” …
Wolf, you’re right about the parallels in U.S. music and social change.
I like virtually all of these songs for nostalgia appeal if nothing else, but “The Top 40 Years” would be a more accurate title. But then, most of what we now remember as “folk” from the ’60s was actually pop, and mostly MOR pop at that.
Fred, good point. The folk (or folk rock) songs on these CDs are mostly commercial pop songs.
I don’t like Sonny and Cher because Sonny became a Scientologist! Luckily, he wasn’t OT enough to avoid skiing into a tree and killing himself! Cher took over the fag hag title from Judy Garland! Lemon Tree, b Trini Lopez, is awful! He not only blows the lyrics on one verse but makes those pig noises during the song that were some kind of signature! Oddly, Trini did a good job on Adam-12 as a barrio priest!
The other songs are mostly enjoyable to me! I used to love Hootnanny!
Bob, I would have never guessed you were a HOOTNANNY fan!