The Best Folk Albums Of All Time Ranked
The terms folk music, folk song, and folk dance are comparatively recent expressions. They are extensions of the term folklore, which was coined in 1846 by the English antiquarian William Thoms to describe “the traditions, customs, and superstitions of the uncultured classes”. The term further derives from the German expression volk, in the sense of “the people as a whole” as applied to popular and national music by Johann Gottfried Herder and the German Romantics over half a century earlier. Though it is understood that folk music is the music of the people, observers find a more precise definition to be elusive. Some do not even agree that the term folk music should be used. Folk music may tend to have certain characteristics but it cannot clearly be differentiated in purely musical terms. One meaning often given is that of “old songs, with no known composers,” another is that of music that has been submitted to an evolutionary “process of oral transmission…. the fashioning and re-fashioning of the music by the community that give it its folk character.” Here are the best Folk Albums of all time.
Don’t miss out on the TIMELESS Folk albums below! Click to experience the music at its finest!
12. Either / Or – Elliott Smith
“Smith’s music consisted of wispy, weary vocals alongside a solitary acoustic guitar, an all-too-apt representation of his desolate and twisted emotional states. Although he had a fragile opinion of himself, one listen to Either/Or reveals him to be an exceptional talent. Even as Smith was buckling under the weight of depression and addiction, the album expanded his sound, intertwining his acoustic foundations with electric guitars, bass, keyboards and drums—all played by Smith.”
11. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
“Neutral Milk Hotel made a timeless record by taking a snapshot of a reality that never existed. Lyrically, Jeff Mangum imagines ghosts and circus freaks and Jesus Christ dancing around burning Nazi propaganda, and the damaged sonic treatment furthers the vision; those horns on “Holland, 1945” sound like an imaginary Dr. Seuss-drawn instrument realized. But the most mythical character to develop from In The Aeroplane Over the Sea was Mangum himself, who avoided the limelight for a half decade following the album’s release.”
10. Nick Drake – Pink Moon
“Few albums from the 1970s have aged as well as Nick Drake’s final album from 1972, recorded in a pair of post-midnight sessions with just Drake and producer John Wood. The simplicity of acoustic guitar, subtle piano and whispered vocals could have been recorded four decades later—and indeed many more copies of Drake’s albums have sold since his death in 1974. And, of course, the heartbreak of which he sings will never become irrelevant.”
9. The Band – The Band
“The Band” is the eponymous second album released by Canadian-American rock group The Band. It was created as a concept album to highlight the culture of a forgotten era of Americana, and it included many of their iconic songs, such as “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” The album received a slew of accolades, from Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time to Time magazine’s 100 greatest albums.”
8. Simon and Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
“Before folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel called it quits, they came out with their final album, “Bridge over Troubled Water.” The 1970 record spanned gospel, rock, R&B and classical music, with Pitchfork referring to it as “both their most effortless record and their most ambitious.”
7. Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
“Although Bob Dylan’s previous albums were works of protest, his fifth studio album, “Bringing It All Back Home,” takes a different approach, utilizing a mix of electric and acoustic sounds. The album hit #6 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart—the first of Dylan’s records to do so.”
6. Neil Young – Harvest
“Perhaps Neil Young’s most recognized album, “Harvest” was released in 1972 and features notable guest performers, from the London Symphony Orchestra to James Taylor and Crosby, Stills and Nash. It was the best-selling album of the year, and its single “Heart of Gold” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.”
5. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – DÉJÀ Vu
“Deja Vu” appeared in 1970 as the second studio album from Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the first album with the addition of Neil Young. The album came on the heels of the quartet’s performance at Woodstock in 1969 and its biggest single was the song “Woodstock.” “Deja Vu” has gone platinum seven times over.”
4. Neil Young – After the Gold Rush
“After the success of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s album “Deja Vu,” each member of the folk quartet went on to release a solo album. “After the Gold Rush” was Neil Young’s endeavor, and the folk album featured hit singles like “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and “When You Dance I Can Really Love.” The album made its way into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.”
3. Gillian Welch – Revival
“Gillian Welch and her musical partner David Rawlings hail from Los Angeles and Rhode Island, respectively, but they arrived on the indie folk scene in 1996 as if they’d just melted out of Depression-era Appalachian Mountain ice. The tales of moonshiners and brothel girls matched the old-timey twang of Welch, and didn’t seem forced in the least. It’s no surprise that a debut like Revival marked the beginning of a spectacular career”
2. Bob Dylan – Blonde On Blonde
“Released as a double album in 1966, Bob Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde” is the artist’s seventh studio album. The album completed a rock trilogy with Dylan’s other records, “Bringing It All Back Home” and “Highway 61 Revisited.” It peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 and eventually went double platinum.”
1. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
“Speaking of “Highway 61 Revisited,” this sixth studio album from Bob Dylan debuted in 1965 and was one of the first instances of Dylan using rock musicians as his backing band. The album features classics like “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Ballad of a Thin Man.” The album spent 47 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at #3.”