Troubadours of the Folk Era Volumes One to Three (Rhino 1992)
An on the surface glimpse of a period that can't adequately be captured on three discs.
Troubadours of the Folk Era Volumes One-Three (Rhino) surveys the urban folk music movement of the '60s (with a couple of tracks from the previous decade). The three discs (available individually) are an on the surface glimpse of a period that can't adequately be captured on three discs, even though the long-term value of much of the music is dubious. It should be noted that most of the musicians chronicled were what Sing Out! magazine, the then-bible of the folk scene termed "city singers." These weren't people who had learned the music in some sort of "family tradition." Traditional country singers like Doc Watson or blues songsters like Mississippi John Hurt who were as much a part of that era as the musicians included are not represented. The singers documented picked up a guitar or banjo were primarily influenced by Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and The Weavers.
The folk scene (at that time) was actually one of the weirdest occurrences in American popular music. It was dominated by left-wing New Yorkers who thrived on camps and factions with the bad guys such as the Kingston Trio being "commercial." There were also geographical factions. Again New York was the controlling center, followed by the less overtly political musicians from Boston and after that California followed by everywhere else in between. Happily, Troubadours makes no such distinctions. It includes (almost) everybody from the great to the truly awful.
The first two volumes are (basically) devoted to solo artists and duos. The third concentrates on groups. Rhino was unable to obtain the rights to recordings by Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, but in a one-song-per-artist collection, what difference does it really make? (Would they have used "Blowin' in the Wind for Dylan or Peter, Paul and Mary?) Also not included are Gordon Lightfoot, the Chad Mitchell Trio and Arlo Guthrie (serious omissions), and though they're mentioned in the notes, Pat Sky and David Blue. The British scene is represented by Donovan and Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. But if you include them, where's Fairport Convention or Pentangle?!?
Ted Myers who compiled the sets does a pretty good job of finding the right song for each artist and author and editor of Guitar for the Practicing Musician, Bruce Pollock does his best to make sense of it all in his liner notes which are often more informative than the music.
The set appropriately off with "This Land is My Land" by Woody Guthrie who was no longer performing by the time of the era documented. But he -- through the work of Pete Seeger who diligently sang his songs and spread his message throughout the '50s -- was absolutely the chief inspiration.
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