TRANSLATE THIS PAGE into GERMAN | SPANISH | FRENCH | ITALIAN | PORTUGUESE
 HOME |  REGISTER | FORGOTTEN PASSWORD | SEARCH or BROWSE | RECOMMEND | EDIT | LINKS | MOST RECENT
musical taste home
search results
search results for “folk”
download an m3u playlist for all available clips for the search folk

List songs by Song title | Performer | Year

You searched for ‘folk’, which matched 137 songs.
click - person recommending, year, performer, songtitle - to see more recommendations.
C'est Pas De Ma Faute  performed by Brigitte Fontaine
Recommended by djfreshmoney [profile]

Great loungey beat that's dying to be sampled. This is early Brigitte Fontaine and it reminds the folks at Dusty Groove of early Serge Gainsbourg. I agree. Cool upbeat jazzy beat with emotive singing. Wish I spoke French. The only problem with this song is that it's too short.

from 17 Chansons D�cadentes




  jeanette: Ha! If you think this song is too short, you wanna catch the Vous Et Nous album with Areski: millions of songs, most clocking in under 3 mins, many under 1. And they look like primary school teachers on the cover. Good call; brilliant tune.
Never mind it's only love  performed by David Essex
Recommended by Ron1967-1970 [profile]

Sorry folks, I am not a real David Essex fan, but this guy could sure record a great orchestrated popsong... it has all the right stuff (for me that is). The drive, the energy,
the passion and a thumping orchestration, cracking like a whip on the melody...





Sweet Surrender  performed by Tim Buckley
Recommended by Maximum_Bygraves [profile]

At odds with his two fold reputation as a folk-baroque balladeer and avant garde explorer Buckley turns in a tortured ballad worthy of the Reverend Al Green. Imagine a libidinously charged Astral Weeks and you're part way there.

from Greetings from LA


*any*  performed by jack johnson
Recommended by mellocello [profile]

ok, go out and get whatever jack johnson you can get your hands on now! I first fell in love w/ his first album back before anyone knew him. I will admit though, that my little bro and I came up with some pretty hilarious alternate lyrics for his first big song on the radio. It took me a good while to get used to his second album, now I probably listen to that more, and then again with his third album, again, it took me a while. but he is truly great.
he started out filming pro surfing videos, and you can see where he is coming from. really chill, folksy music. good stuff





  rum: does that mean i'm allowed to recommend any (or every) song by richard harris?
Ask me no questions  performed by Bridget St John
Recommended by milhouse-paris [profile]

Bridget St John is an english folk singer, whose records were released through Dandelion, DJ John Peel's record label, in the 70's. Her songs remind me of Nico or Nick Drake.
Take notice : surprisingly enough, there are 2 singers called Bridget St John. The 2nd one is an american pop/rock singer

from Ask me no questions (Dandelion)
available on CD - n/a anymore (see for miles)


In The Garden  performed by Triste Janero
Recommended by mr_klenster [profile]

This whole album is really spectacular. My other favorites are "Today It's You" and "Rene De Marie". All capture this beautiful blend of psychy-pop, bossa rhythm, and folky soul. Great blends of patterns, instrumentation, and vocals, I really love this stuff.

from Meet Triste Janero


dedication  performed by Chuck and mary
Recommended by moondog [profile]

If the free design had come from greenwich village and opted for a more folk pop approach they could have sounded like the candian siblings Chuck and Mary. Their songs perhaps doesn´t have the same strong song hooks as "the design" but way more make up for it in their timeless sound and magical voices. Especially on this heartrending track which you can find in an orchestrted version on their second album or acoustic on their first.I´d go for the acoustic one.


available on CD - the last word or life is a stream (rev-ola)


When I Was a Young Girl  performed by Feist
Recommended by ThisNameIsTaken [profile]

inspired by traditional American Folk Music 'When I Was a Young Girl' contains beautiful vocals, haunting lyrics and a great beat.

Leslie Feist is an incredible artist and i would highly recomend the entire album 'Let It Die' (preferably the 2004 re-release).

from Let It Die, available on CD (Universal / Polydor)



The band played Waltzing Matilda  performed by Eric Bogle, The Pogues, Mike Harding, others
Recommended by godnose [profile]

Genre: Folk. An anti-war song written by a real craftsman. The lyrics vividly describe one man's experience at and after Gallipoli in WW1.





  petalcart: art linkletter made 'we love you, call collect' about his youngest daughter...I can find the version by this title by Art and his daughter Diane but I am looking for the one with Art by himself.......Anyone with wuggestion on how to locate this record, please advise.........Thnaks in advance......
Mushaboom  performed by Feist
Recommended by melpomenex [profile]

This is such a sweet little song. Listening to it always makes me happy. It's quirky and just plain adorable.




Life is a song  performed by Patrick Park
Recommended by FranMusicNotes [profile]

Its just the escense of Folk, and talks about how living is just a journey song




A Family. A Tree  performed by We Are The Willows
Recommended by seike17 [profile]

Soft folk rock song. Beautiful, heartwarming, she has such a gentle voice.




little lion man  performed by mumford and sons
Recommended by megan7872 [profile]

The song has more of a folk, indie sound. I like it a lot because of the instruments used in the song, as well as the talent that the members of the band possess.




I Am  performed by Foot Ox
Recommended by dizzies [profile]

This song is cute, jittery and even just a bit creepy. Teague Cullen is brilliant.

from It's Like Our Little Machine, available on CD


My Own Sinking Ship  performed by Good Old War
Recommended by zmarq13 [profile]

The entire album is incredible but this song is probably my favorite . I love their folksy alternative spin on music it works extremely well with their amazing harmony. Just a great song from a great band. (Band Members: Keith GOODwin, Tim ArnOLD, and Dan SchWARtz)

from Good Old War


Young Folks  performed by Peter Bjorn and John
Recommended by lhirsch92 [profile]




Young Folks  performed by Peter Bjorn and John
Recommended by lhirsch92 [profile]




(Uh-Oh) Get Out of the Car  performed by The Treniers  1954
Recommended by tinks [profile]

Very strongly reminiscent of Etta James' "Rock With Me, Henry", this deals with a subject dear to all of us menfolk, that of having to turn a mistreatin' woman out and makin' her walk home!

from the single (Uh-Oh) Get Out of the Car (Okeh 7050)
available on CD - They Rock! They Roll! They Swing! (Legacy/Columbia)



flickorna i sm�land  performed by delta rythm boys  195?
Recommended by olli [profile]

apparently the delta rythm boys were quite big in sweden in the late fifties, something wich eventually led to them recording this quirky little song. it's a jazzy take on an old swedish folk song, including the swedish lyrics. however, the vocalists didn't speak the language at the time of the recording, so the result turned out to be remarkably strange. still, it�s a fantastic song, and even if you don't understand swedish (well, most people don't) i think you'll appreciate this. it's pretty tough to come by unless you happen live next to a swedish thrift store, but it�s well worth hunting down. i first heard it on the in-film soundtrack to the film "kitchen stories"(salmer fra kj�kkenet) by bent hamer.
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0323872/
i don�t think there's a soundtrack cd out, but the complete song plays during the end credits, and can easily be ripped. (the film is well worth seeing too, if you can stand subtitles, i recommend ordering it)






  bloozshooz: This tune was recorded Aug. 1, 1951, according to a Swedish discography found via Google
  bloozshooz: This tune was recorded Aug. 1, 1951, according to a Swedish discography found via Google
  mettemaj: CDon.com has a compilation of Swedish evergreens from concerts in folkparkerna (the public/folk parks) - and Delta Rythm Boys' Flickorna i Sm�land is on it alongside tunes sung by e.g. Lill-Babs, Siw Malmkvist and Cornelis Vreeswijk (Search for "Guldkorn Fr�n Folkparkerna 100 �r" at http://www.cdon.com/main.phtml?navroot=903&session=1).
  Timpsi: Delta Rythm Boys also had a CD in the Finnish "20 suosikkia" ('20 favourites') series, and "Flickorna i Sm�land" can be found on it too. Other interesting songs on the album are a couple of Finnish language songs, and rare English versions of Finnish classics, such as "Rosvo-Roope" ('Raunchy Ropey'), and "Isois�n olkihattu" ('Grandpa's Strawhat'). At the time of recording the CD, the Boys received some Finnish language schooling from a Harmony Sisters member. The CD is most definitely out of print already, but is available at several Finnish public libraries. Some more information at http://www.fono.fi/Dokumentti.aspx?kappale=flickorna+i+sm%c3%a5land&ID=21a6f890-e470-4992-a847-31a5d67ae46d
Female of the Species  performed by Meg Myles  1961
Recommended by FlyingDutchman1971 [profile]

I can just imagine people sitting in a seedy New York movie theatre on 42nd Street back in 1961 watching a b-movie called "Satan in High Heels". The film is in its last reel and suddenly the main female character comes out on the nightclub stage wearing a leather outfit complete with 6-inch dominitrix boots and a riding crop! The music swells and she starts to sing:
---
i'm the kind of woman, not hard to understand,
i'm the one who cracks the whip and holds the upper hand
I'll beat you, mistreat you, til you quiver and quail,
the female of the species is more deadly than the male.
---
This little film isn't likely to have ever had a soundtrack album which in a way is sad because in addition to this camply little gem there are a couple of other cute vocals by Meg Myles and the other actresses in the film and some great jazz instrumentals sprinkled throughout as well. The fine folks at Something Weird Video have kindly put this little film out on DVD. You can also catch the scene containing this song on their compilation of movie trailers (where I first discovered this film) released to inform people of their DVD catalog.

from from the film "Satan in High Heels" (Something Weird Video www.somethingweird.com)


Winkin, Blinkin and Nod  performed by The Big Three  1963
Recommended by rum [profile]

If you ask any industry bigwig right now what�s gonna be the next big thing, they�ll all say the same, �Sea Shanties�. Every one of them. You think I�m joking? Well listen up ignorami because I�m not.

You might have noticed ripples rolling in from the Indie scene on both shores of the Atlantic, as The Coral, The Decemberists, and others, have romanticised the plight of the seafarer, but now Shanties are due to hit the mainstream, and hard. As I write this Richard X is in his London studio working on the final mix of �Salty Seadog�, an explosive slab of �neo-shant� purred over seductively by Rachel Stevens. Cathy Dennis, my old pal from our days changing skates at Norwich Rollerama, told me yesterday that she�s just sold three �Shanties� to some �top name artists�. For legal reasons I�m not allowed to say who, but let me assure you these are white hot names. The kind of names that kids get on their knees and pray to. So, you see, Shanties are big business. I�ve also heard that Jennifer Lopez, J-Lo, �Loopy� Lopez, Jell-O, whatever, never one to miss a passing fad, is rumoured to be changing her name to One-Eyed-Jenny. Make of that what you will, might just be street talk. Now what concerns me is the forthcoming release from Britney Spears. This you may have heard about. It�s called, �Wingin�, Blingin� and Not!�, and it�s a �fresh� adaptation of the 19th century poem/song, �Winkin�, Blinkin� and Nod� by Eugene Field. I know this song from the glorious version by Cass Elliot�s pre-fame folk trio, The Big Three. It�s less a shanty than a bewitching lullaby, intended to lull a child into restful slumber, as Winkin� and gang sailed not in rusting trawler through the bleak North Sea, but, �in a wooden shoe/off on a river of crystal light/into a sea of dew.� And it contains some of the most hauntingly beautiful oooh ooohs and aahh ahhs ever waxed, as Tim Rose and Mama Cass harmonise the rolling waves of slumber. Nevertheless because of it�s sea-faring theme (�we�re going fishing for the herring fish/that live in the beautiful sea�), it�ll probably get caught up in the nets of the inevitable �Sea Shanty Fever� cash-in compilations that will soon litter our shores like syringes and floor tiling. I wanted to draw your attention to it now before it gets beaten blue and bloody by the Spears, and rattles out over supermarket tannoys the world over.

from The Big Three



  n-jeff: Obviously Mr Scruff is well ahead of the field then, with three songs about Fish (ing) on his first LP...
  tonyharte: Yo ho ho, me hearties. Well I never. Thanks for the tip/warning Rum (where's the bum and baccy?) I predict that this year (in the UK) will belong to The Coral.
  konsu: Um... what about Weens album "The Mollusk"? That was shit was shanty-city! So, whats next? Weavers laments??
Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright  performed by Bob Dylan  1963
Recommended by cstrehse [profile]

This track is folk music, with acoustic guitar and harmonica accompanying Dylan's vocals. I love it because of the sound, as well as the message of the video. Dylan is politely telling his ex how he feels about the terrible way he treated her.

from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan


Spin, Spin, Spin  performed by Terry Callier  1964
Recommended by trivia [profile]

"Spin, Spin, Spin" is a graceful and romantic folk song which Callier sings with a smirk - almost as if he's in on a secret joke. His guitar phrasing is pitch perfect and his voice is both rich and subtle. HP Lovecraft covered this tune as a string-heavy psych-lite track on "HP Lovecraft II," but I prefer this original rendition's low-key and unpretentious acoustic charm.

from New Folk Sound of Terry Callier (Prestige)


catch the wind 1964 live  performed by donovan  1964
Recommended by flange1515 [profile]

Sweet as folk used to be thought of as the UK Bob D for a while




I�m not saying  performed by Nico  1965
Recommended by delicado [profile]

This magical track is from a 1965 single produced by Rolling Stones impresario Andrew Loog Oldham. It's a folky pop song with a manically strummed acoustic guitar and constant beat. There's some more full orchestration (brass and strings), but it's slightly hidden in the mix. The charm of this song for me lies in both Nico's bittersweet delivery ("I'm not saying that I love you/I'm not saying that I care/If you love me..I'm not saying that I care/I'm not saying I'll be there when you want me") and the catchy chord sequence in the verse. Some of the bridge sections are slightly corny and obvious musically, but Nico's majestic vocal lifts the song and makes me want to hear it again.

from the single I�m not saying (Immediate IM 003)
available on CD - The Classic Years (Polygram)




  Gwendolyn: I love this song, Nico is one of my favorites. Her voice has such a uniqueness. It's very deep and peaceful.
  brightdayler: Oh, wow. This comment is four years old! But I just joined this place and this is one of my favorite songs right now, in 2006. I harbor a little resentment for Delicado, who claims the bridge is corny. I know it's not so insightful to say this since two of Nico's songs were used in another Wes Anderson movie, but the bridge section reminds me a lot of Rushmore, when Max and Blume do a simultaneous jump on bikes at the end, after their reconciliation. I guess that's why I like it. I wish Nico would have done more stuff like this.
  belphegor: i grew up on the gordon lightfoot version--but cripes, leave it to nico to so deliciously catastrophize a perfectly good tune. hers is amazingly well executed in the sentiments conveyed, ...and some catchy, too! love it, love it, love it.
Mr. Tambourine Man  performed by Bob Dylan  1965
Recommended by Ibberson45 [profile]

One of Dylan's first electric folk recordings which blended a melodic tune with imaginative lyrics which piled one image on top of another creating an almost psychodelic picture

from Bringing It All Back Home



  Wynnde: Imaginative lyrics? Yeah...imaginative if you are thinking of a drug pusher...which was the origin of the track...eclectic to the extreme, Dylan made it a point of misleading and misconstruing his lyrics to the point of being riddlesome.
I Can't Walk Roads Of Anger  performed by Bob Lind  1966
Recommended by john_l [profile]

A great folk-rock song from the man who had a hit with the sometimes-derided (but, let's face it, excellent) "Elusive Butterfly" in 1966. This one is even janglier, and the tension builds up in each verse then gets released in the chorus (thanks to the drums). Lind's lyrics were always full of adjectives and imagery, maybe over-showy to some, and that's the case here too, but if you like mid-'60s folk-rock then you gotta hear this!

from Don't Be Concerned (World Pacific)
available on CD - The Best Of Bob Lind (EMI)


Will I still be her big man  performed by The Brigands  1966
Recommended by Mirko [profile]

This is a classic garage tune from New York mid sixties band.The rythm is catching and it treats the problems of lower class folks with their classy dates.
The sixties garage at it's best.




White Bird  performed by It's A Beautiful Day  1967
Recommended by G400 Custom [profile]

Any North American readers may already be familiar with this haunting folk-rock number, as I believe it's a bit of an FM staple over there. For UK-based music fans such as myself, however, it's a bolt from the blue. Imagine a combination of The Mamas & The Papas and Jefferson Airplane at their spookiest, with shedloads of virtuoso violin and flanged percussion all the way through.

One more note: the self-titled album from which this song comes has an absolutely gorgeous cover (see http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000000DPF.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg), but the re-release is just white type on black - shame on Columbia.

from It's A Beautiful Day, available on CD




  konsu: Unfortunately, nothing quite this good is an FM staple in the US. Their market is crowded with crap mook-rock like Boston or Journey... Although I have heard their stuff on more "educated" radio, like say NPR or maybe college-based freeform playlists. Great stuff!
  G400 Custom: I love Journey and Boston as well... does this make me a mook? :-)
  konsu: ;) Escape was one of my first records... I have no shame!
  artlongjr: This song got substantial airplay when I was a boy, back around 1970...I loved the melancholy sound that it has. I got the CD as a gift and it is pretty good, although "White Bird" is by far the best song on it. This was one of the second generation San Francisco bands that came up after the Haight-Ashbury era.
This Afternoon  performed by Chad Mitchell  1967
Recommended by konsu [profile]

I almost know nothing about the Chad Mitchell trio, except that John Denver was in the group. I'm not even sure that this is the same guy for that matter. I guess it's really not too suprising that an old folkie would team-up with geniuses like Bob Dorough & Stu Scharf for a little boot in the ass, since those guys seemed to be working a lot of crossover pop material. That's really the reason I picked this up, basically to see what could happen.

The record ends up being incredible actually. Imagine a mix of "golden throat" type schmaltz, Tom Rapp-ish hip folk, Nilssonesque melodrama, and the poetic and jazzy humor of Scharf & Dorough and that will sum it up. It can grow on you for sure.

This track is in the sort of word jazz thing in a highly characterized way hard to describe without taking up too much space... just listen. I think this was a piece from an Alan Arkin LP. Suppose I will have to get one of those now.

from Love, A Feeling Of (Warner Brothers WS 1706)




  b. toklas: The album "Chad" on Bell records is the one to get. Great songs (by Jake Holmes, Joni Mitchell and others) and fantastic arrangements. Hal Blaine and a couple of other wrecking crew members and great musicians are on it, too. In places it also reminds me of the group H.P. Lovecraft. So it might even be interesting for lovers of psychedelic music (not for those who hate strings, of course). I wonder if I should call it a masterpiece.
  artlongjr: I second that on the "Chad" album...it's terrific. There's a 7-minute plus cover of Tim Buckley's "Goodbye and Hello" on there that rather stunned me, since it seems like a very challenging song to sing. The H.P.Lovecraft connection comes through Chicago producer Bill Traut, who owned Dunwich Records (the album is a Dunwich production). Traut was involved with H.P. Lovecraft, and of course the Shadows of Knight.
I saw her  performed by The Charlatans (60s)  1967
Recommended by Mirko [profile]

This song was also covered by Flamin'Groovies.It's a wonderfull ballad, very nostalgic.It's some kind of an old popular folk tune which was taken by the Charlatans but I don't know on which album.

from Live album
available on CD - yes


Georgy Girl  performed by Alan Tew Sound  1968
Recommended by n-jeff [profile]

It starts the LP with a blast of horns and a wail of Harry Stoneham on Organ, with a big intro that makes you check the LP sleeve - Is this really that folky ballad?

A drop down to a cowbell latin beat, and then back into the song proper. The main rendition is pretty good, but theres just something about that introduction that just turns it into a cheeseball, high kicking masterpiece. I start grinning every time I hear it, never fails to lift my spirits.

from Latin Style..plys the hits of Tom Springfield (Contour)


Les Biches  performed by Flora Purim  1968
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

This record is a complete mystery to me even though I have every other Flora album. Dusty Springfield-style orquestrated pop that sounds like nothing you'd associate with her name. There the slightest hint of bossa, and the flipside (actually the A-side, but I find this B much more interesting) is a basic 60s pop ballad with a bit of a European flavor, produced by folk stalwart Milt Okun, interestingly enough. Both sides are meticulously arranged with washes of strings, horns and reverb. Fascinating! The copy I have is a promo copy, and I wonder if stock copies even exist, since it's in no discography I could find. Does anybody know anything about this?

from 7" (Tetragrammaton)



  andyjl: Jacques Brel recorded a song of the same title around the same time. Maybe it's a cover version of his original? Les Biches ('The Does',ie female deer) is also the title of a late 60s film by French director Claude Chabrol, though I don't think the Brel song is on the soundtack.
  gregcaz: Well, the record only lists the producer Tony Harris as the composer of the song, so I kind of doubt. There's also no apparent link between that title and the actual lyrics to the song.
Walk Away Renee  performed by Orpheus  1968
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A really lovely version of this song, which was more famously recorded by The Left Banke. The introduction nicely recalls the melody of The Association's 'Never my love'.

The instrumentation has a folk flavour, with a nice strummed acoustic guitar. The production is superb, with great, slightly distant sounding vocal harmonies and occasional sparkly percussion sounds. Overall, it's a sound not millions of miles away from groups like Spanky and Our Gang, but it has a melancholic edge to it that makes it more listenable to my ears. Something has happened to me over the last couple of years, and some of the more lightheartedly happy music I used to like appeals to me much less.

from Ascending (MGM MGM 4569)
available on CD - The Very Best Of Orpheus (Varese)




  executiveslacks: I had just finished recommending Belle & Sebastian's "Piazza, New York Catcher" when I came across this recommendation. They namecheck "Walk Away Renee" in "Piazza..." I haven't heard this song, but now I want to hear it!
  WayCool: Orpheus' version of "Walk Away Renee" is a classic example of how this group effortlessly applied their distinctive sound to material by other bands. I enjoyed the original version by The Left Banke but always thought the wimpy vocals could have used some testosterone. The Orpheus version is without fault and I'm totally puzzled why it failed to eclipse the original.
  jeanette: I hear the legendary Pink Lady have also recorded a version - what a treat! Anyone heard?
  delicado: Having heard several versions of this song (most recently, The Blades of Grass), I'd just like to reiterate that this for me is THE rendition of the song - I'm with WayCool on this one!
  artlongjr: I have a 45 of this by the Four Tops...I like their version, it sounds very mature the way Levi Stubbs sings it, compared to the youthful innocence of the original! I have the Orpheus version and it's great, but I will always like the Left Banke original best...I wonder if anybody ever covered "Pretty Ballerina"?
Early Sherwood  performed by Philamore Lincoln  1968
Recommended by geezer [profile]

From a recent cd re-issue of a for once real lost classic from the enigmatic but well connected Mr Lincoln. This sort of mines the same seam as Syd Barrett but this is psyche pop firmly rooted in English folk/folkloreand the joining of a collage of three different song parts,what some would refer to as an opus or epic.Haunting nursery rhyme intro makes way for weird fairground interlude and lysergic distraction before concluding with the painfully beautiful intro section,before finishing way too early for its own good.They dont make them like this anymore and couldnt if they tried this is from a different time and place.

from The north Wind blew South
available on CD - The North wind Blew South


New Song  performed by Judy Mackenzie  1969
Recommended by Ashley [profile]

God-bothereing at its finest. Judy Mackenzie was a late 60s folkie with a Christian perspective who was ushered into the studio in 1969 courtesy of tiny label Key. The album isn't that great, but this uplifting brass-heavy pop tune and the the iredeemably sad strum-along Sally Brown are simply divine. Both can be found on the excellent Resurrcetion CD.

from Judy (Key)
available on CD - Resurrection (Second Coming)


C�mon And Join Us  performed by Alzo & Udine  1969
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

Folk? Soul? Pop? Rock? I don't know, I just know I REALLY like it. The sole album by this mysterious duo (Alzo's got a solo album too) is the very definition of groovy. This song, like the rest of the record, is hard to describe, but let's just imagine a funkier version of the 60s Bee Gees crossed with, I don't know, Donovan? No, maybe the Rascals crossed with Jose Feliciano and Joe Bataan is closer to it. It totally works, especially when they get to the falsetto chorus of "Everybody feel iiiiit......come on and clap your hands!" People, find this record: it will improve your life!

from C'mon And Join Us!, available on CD (Mercury)



  delicado: It totally works; thanks for bringing it to my attention!
Nice Folks  performed by Fifth Avenue Band  1969
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

Two and a half minutes of infectious, sunny folk-rock with extra added jazziness in the changes. The FAB were a Lovin' Spoonful spinoff of sorts, produced and overseen by the troika of Jerry Yester, Zal Yanovsky (RIP) and Eric Jacobsen. Bassist Kenny Altman, who wrote this gem, later wrote "Feelin' Blue" which was memorably recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire and today apparently is in the restaurant business. Too bad he's not still cooking up delicious tunes like these!

from The Fifth Avenue Band (Reprise RS 6369)



  JoNZ: I totally agree. Hands down, one of the hottest tracks ever put to wax. It sends me.
Eden Rock  performed by Fifth Avenue Band  1969
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

Another stunner from an album full of them, "Eden Rock" finds common ground between folk-rock and quiet storm, sounding very ahead of its time. Piano, congas, bass, Spanish guitar and a smoooove lead vocal over jazzy changes mark this as a lost classic. It anticipates many of the paths that 70s pop, rock and R&B would follow. Two minutes and twenty-five seconds of joy.

from Fifth Avenue Band (Reprise RS 6369)


Atlantis  performed by Donovan  1969
Recommended by xfanatic50 [profile]

I feel like very few people fully appreciate the music of Donovan, which is a shame because he may be the greatest musician of the psychedelic era in the 60's. Atlantis is his best song. A sort of whimsical and beautiful song which tells the story of the lost continent. Probably the best psychedelic song there is. It lacks the self-indulgent meandering that plagued the Grateful Dead, and lacks the obvious drug references of most psychedelic music. It's not overly rock and roll, but not overly folk either. A brilliant song with a very strong, beautiful melody.

from Barabajagal (Epic)


can i change my mind?  performed by tyrone davis  1969
Recommended by shaka_klaus [profile]

one of my fave soul songs. i like everything about it. the tempo, the romantic feeling (ok, i'm kinda drunk at the moment...), the guitar licks...





  snafkin: Check out Willie Henderson's version!
It�s A Lovely Game Louise  performed by The Cyrkle  1969
Recommended by konsu [profile]

I'm always suprised by this group. The freshness of this song is hardly questionable, mainly because the soundtrack is a hidden gem recently unearthed. And for Cyrkle fans like me, it's a dream come true. The song is a spare bossa-tinged affair, done as sort of a stripped down folky interlude. But the track stands on it's own amongst their better known tracks like "The Visit", of which it bears a resemblance. It sounds like Tom Dawes took the reigns on this project, arranging and producing the whole thing to make one of the more memorable and interesting soundtracks I have.

Fans of Elliot Smith should check this one.

from The Minx (Flying Dutchman Amsterdam AMS 12007)
available on CD - The MInx


Sailors Song  performed by Fairport Convention  1969
Recommended by n-jeff [profile]

I first heard this cover of a traditional folk song via the 20 jazzfunkgreats blogspot. But I'd heard of Fairport convention previously, Sandy Denny, Richard Thompson and all that, but like so many English people i couldn't bring myself to listen to an English folk group - well MY LOSS.
The song is in two parts, with an eye opening second half drone jam. Spellbinding stuff, with the violin scraping long notes, and (presumably) Richard Thompson scattering trebly white noise almost chords around on top it. It's hard to gauge how much cross fertilisation back and forth between America and the UK their would have been but it's hard to imagine that this wasn't informed by the Velvet Underground.

from Unhalbricking (Island)
available on CD - Unhalfbricking (Island)


Riverman  performed by Nick Drake  1969
Recommended by geezer [profile]

The most beautiful song ever recorded ,hard to qualify,hard to measure,i know ,but one listen of this gentle folk infused languid samba will convince and convert.
Everything on this is right,the apologetic vocal,the crying strings and a portentous forboding lyric,everything seems to move along at a rivers pace.it could last for two minutes or two hours,its effect on your senses would still be divine

from Five Leave Left
available on CD - Five Leaves Left


Lavender Thursday  performed by Nanette Natal  196?
Recommended by konsu [profile]

A lost folk-jazz classic. I remember hearing this the first time and thinking that Portishead must have used this as a schematic for their live album.Spooky art-school-chick folkie lyrics with lush,velvety arrangements by an enigmatic Leon Salem. Jazzy and very passionate!



from Yesterday,Today,Tomorrow (Vangaurd VSD-6508 (OOP))



The Lily  performed by Shelby Flint  196?
Recommended by konsu [profile]

This song is really nice.... Shelby's voice floats pillowy-soft above a lush, paced,jazz ensemble with vibraharp chiming chords alongside a heartbeat-like rhythym section.Her voice dipping down to touch it like a feather only to be lifted by the wind again... and again... A nice "Ode to a flower" almost in a hobbit rock mode, only without the schtik........

This is one of two that she wrote herself for (as far as I know) her only LP. The rest of the record is good, mind you. But the two songs she wrote are worth the price of the record. The other one is "Moonlight", which is an almost Stu Phillips-like bossa-nova...... Very pretty.

The Adrissi brothers look like they did some arranging, alongside Perry Botkin Jr., who did the two she wrote for the record. He's well known as an arranger and had done work with Harpers Bizarre, among others.

Good if you like A&M pop with folksy touches...

Claudine maybe?

from Cast Your fate to the wind (Valiant VLM-2/5003)
available on CD - S/T (Collectors Choice CCM 273-2 USA)


Meet On The Ledge  performed by Fairport Convention  196?
Recommended by ElOleg [profile]

Just a beautiful song, great lyrics... very folky. Also is great to listen to the cover that Ocean Colour Scene made of this song.




Blues Jumped A Rabbit  performed by Bonnie Dobson  196?
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

Not usually a great folk lover but this has such a beauty to it. In terms of texture its flawless, swinging between the fluctuating notes of Dobson and two guitars. A very pure sound darkened in a positive way by Dobson's lyrical treatments.

Certainly one to put on if you wake up in the middle of the night.

from Dear Companion (Prestige 14007)



chit it laeng  performed by sinn sisamouth and ros serey sothea  196x
Recommended by olli [profile]

I won't pretend to know anything about this, i just found it while searching the web for more cambodian rocks-esque music. Old cambodian folk-pop piece with a comforting beat.
It sounds very familiar somehow, so it might be a cover of a well known song i can't dig up from my subconsience right now. listen and tell me if something pops into your mind.





Mrs. Robinson  performed by The Ray Bloch Singers  1970
Recommended by tinks [profile]

Wow. This is just...wow. I've just gotta say that I have an absolutely unnatural attraction to this group. Imagine if you will, a chorus of super-square middle-aged white folks, swinging it's way through the rockin' hits of the day, only performing them all with absolutely perfect diction & grammar. The mastermind behind this way one Mr. Ray Bloch, who, according to the back cover to every one of the LPs that I own, was the musical director for the Ed Sullivan Show. All I know is that anything the man touched was gold! Check out his versions of "Penny Lane" and "Light My Fire" on the "Hits of '67" LP, or his absolutely quizzical take on the ENTIRE soundtrack from "Hair".

from Hits of '68 (Ambassador)



  konsu: Too true... I love the cover too. With the spunky teens shopping and sippin' on ice cream sodas in a flower montage.
  tinks: i'm glad i'm not alone in my unholy obsession!
Northern Sky  performed by Nick Drake  1970
Recommended by genebean [profile]

Nick Drake's style is probably catagorized under British folk rock. This song is smooth with the happy keys jumping around and the organ in the background. Best if played while driving with the windows down on a cool morning.

from Bryter Layter, available on CD (Hannibal)



  eftimihn: A song of plain, pure beauty. It's emotionally moving, especially when he sings "Would you love me through the winter/Would you love me 'til I'm dead"
Sweet Surprise  performed by Blossom Dearie  1970
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

This is a track of off Dearie's second Fontana album "That's Just The Way I Want To Be". An overlooked gem of a record, unusual sounding for Blossom, blending together jazz, bossa nova and folk with nicely arranged orchestration. "Sweet Surprise" has a dream-like, airy feel with it's jazzy waltz rhythm. The album is available on the japanese "Whisper for you" compilation. Unfortunately, her first Fontana album "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from 1967, featuring lots of Jobim and Bacharach songs, has yet to be released on CD.

from That's Just The Way I Want To Be (Fontana)
available on CD - Whisper For You




  FlyingDutchman1971: The album 'Thats Just the Way I Want To Be' is now available on CD. There is also a really good Japanese compilation CD of the Fontana and Verve years called 'For Cafe Apres-midi'. Several tracks from 'Soon Its Gonna Rain' are featured so those of us who love Blossom will have to savor these meager crumbs unless the evil music overlords open the vaults.
  eftimihn: You're right and i forgot to mention the "For Cafe Apres-midi" compilation, this one features all tracks of "That's Just The Way To Be" except one track (they left out the opening track, not a bad choice though since it's the weakest track on the album and not quite fitting to the rest of the songs). Unfortunately there are just 2 songs from "Soon It's Gonna Rain", Meditation and Dindi, on it. But these sound absolutely gorgeous, arranged with some very cool harp embellishments. Too bad the entire album hasn't been picked up by some japanese label yet.
  konsu: Great song, great album, great singer/composer. Why she's not completely worshipped in the USA I have no idea. I really have to disagree with eftimihn on the opening track, it's in my opinion one of the coolest things she ever did! Sure her jazzy renditions of evergreens and her more hip stuff are great, but to stretch out like she does on "That's Just the Way" is just sublime. What was she doing there? Some kind of CA inspired latin/folk/psyche-pop? Genius! True, it isn't like the rest of the album... Also her great take on Frishbergs "Long Daddy Green" is worth mentioning for it's uniqueness.
Murdoch  performed by Trees  1970
Recommended by standish [profile]

Taut and elegant. A cut above most of the progressive teapot folk-rock of the era. Broadcast and Stereolab fans - or those who think all this stuff is a mix of dull traditional tunes and clodhopping blues guitar - should give "On The Shore" a listen.

from On The Shore, available on CD


Cruel Sister  performed by Pentangle  1970
Recommended by rum [profile]

A bewitching song about a young woman who, to win the hand of a handsome knight, does her rival sister in. The dead girl then comes back to haunt the �black-haired bride� as a harp fashioned from her breast bone and three locks of her hair. �Cruel� may seem too kindly a description of a girl who when her sister pleads, �Oh Sister, Sister, let me live, and all that�s mine I�ll surely give� says, �It�s your own true love I have and more, but thou shalt never come ashore� before abandoning her body to the rough North Sea. Cruel? Should the sister therefore be scalded for her little� transgression? She�s an evil and monstrous sister, surely? But then this is centuries past, a time when sibling murder and human harps were commonplace. I am not likely to understand in this more civilised 21st century. Which may be why the kids don�t really dig British folk music anymore, or the mighty Pentangle. And it�s a crying shame because this is a stunning track, hauntingly sung by Jacqui McShee. I hesitate to use the term �masterpiece� in case that great oracle of musicaltaste.com, fmars, overhears and tells me that I�m wrong.

from Cruel Sister



  konsu: Alright.In your own special way you've convinced me rum. I've been told for years to pick up some Pentangle by certain freinds (the ones who hear me playing Steeleye Span). Surely I must be missing out on something... I will consult the great one.
  rum: Heh-heh, thank you. I�m certain you�ll appreciate these, you�ve got eclectic taste, you�re not gonna be out for my blood (unlike all those that have begged and borrowed, stolen from their dying grandmothers, to buy Manowar CDs). And they�re no way as folk folk as the Span, they spin out an equally eclectic mix of folk, jazz, blues, rock and Elizabethan dances. It�s time people stopped harping on how great it was that the Velvets, the Stooges, punk etc made you wanna go out and form a band. So simple they sounded. Pentangle are so incredibly talented, so learned, so jazz, but still so unassuming and cool, they make you want pack up the band, trash the guitar, and burn down your house. Or is that Jet? I don�t know now. Well anyway the �Sweet Child� album is the one.
James Brown  performed by Nancy Dupree  1970
Recommended by Festy [profile]

So, the song is called 'James Brown' and is written by a teacher, Nancy Dupree, with her students who are heard singing. It was recorded in 1970. By all reports a strong-headed and hearted woman, Nancy Dupree had much motivation for social causes and artistic output which didn't reach far beyond her home town of Rochester, NY, until the last decade or so. It was during this last decade that I first came across this track on a German compilation focussing on 'black movement' songs.

The track itself is interesting, but obviously very serious for the students as they sing about their hero. It's innocence, yet clear ability to capture a moment in time, is probably more real than many blaxploitation or struggle albums that were recorded around the same time. Ultimately though, it's one of those tracks that is unusual and makes me think "how did this come to be?". I think we should all sing:

Ugh... With your bad self
Ugh... It's funky
Ugh... I can�t stand it
Ugh... Good God

from Ghetto Reality (Folkways Records FC 7520)
available on CD - Black & Proud Vol. 1 - The Soul Of The Black Panther Era (Trikont)



Niki  performed by The Third Wave  1970
Recommended by Festy [profile]

It took me a while to get a copy of this album as even the out-of-print re-issue on Crippled Dick Hot Wax (that's the name of the label, folks. Promise!) sells for a bit these days. I'm glad I got it as it's a fantastic album - the only LP released by the 5 Filipino/American sister vocal group, although I think they released at least one 45". Discovered by George Duke, he wrote the arrangements and his trio of the time provides backing. The album was recorded in Germany (released by MPS) and is a little bit poppy, a little bit jazzy, a little bit funky. There are a number of songs which could be recommended (a number of them jazz standards, such as 'Maiden Voyage' and 'Cantaloupe Island'), but the one I've chosen is 'Niki'. I hadn't come across this track before getting the album, unlike a few of the other tracks which have turned up on compilations over the years.

'Niki' is a song that builds. It starts off fairly casually and builds up to a swinging chorus, accented by some very hip playing by George Duke, still on an acoustic piano during this stage of his career.

Another commendable and notable track on the album, and which I discovered through a compilation created by 'mine host' of Musical Taste, Senhor Delicado, is "Waves Lament". Absolutely fantastic.

from Here & Now, available on CD



Evol  performed by Aguaturbia  1970
Recommended by chanchoenroca [profile]

If you like psychedelic like Jimi Hendrix o Janis Joplin, you must liten to Aguaturbia the greatest psychedelic band from Chile, a real nice distortion, folk sounds, blues, crazy to the max! the real deal when you want to talk about south american psychedelic.
Totally recommenden for having a great time.

from Psychedelic Drugstore , available on CD


N�e dans un ice-cream  performed by Michel Polnareff  1971
Recommended by tempted [profile]

A key song from the French folk rock bohemian's ambitious concept album, Polnareff's. This could have been produced by David Axelrod but wasn't. Beautiful, aching pop song with grandeur and despair. And a rhythm section that's so groovy. Another example of how great the studio orchestras sounded in France back then. What an arrangement. As hip as it gets.

from Polnareff's, available on CD




  Sem Sinatra: Totally agree ... all Polnaref's early 70s albums have killer tunes backed up by orchestrations to die for
  jezandliz1: The orchestra backing on Polnareff's is excellent and was recorded in the UK using UK session musicians who also played on some of the best groovy uk library and soundtrack music of the late 60s. Try the three instrumentals on Polnareff's - so funky they're ridiculous!
Long Way Down  performed by Jimmie Spheeris  1971
Recommended by konsu [profile]

Found this sealed copy at a local thriftery, an artist i've never heard from a good period at Columbia. Most of the LP meanders in a poetic way, highlighting Spheeris's moody lyrics, sometimes getting a little too "drippy" at times. This track stands out like a champ from the rest, and was penned by a sideman on the LP, Lee Calvin Nicoli. It has such a great pop appeal, in a sort of Cat Stevens way, with a brilliant arrangement (by the author no doubt), that moves along bouncing and resting... A perfect song for a rainy sunday afternoon!

Seems this fellow died very young, and has quite a cult following from what i've read. Should be a nice discovery for fans of 70's folk. And singer-songwriter stuff.

from Isle of View, available on CD


Brand New Key  performed by Melanie  1971
Recommended by Gwendolyn [profile]

This song is SO bittersweet: "Oh, sometimes I think that you're avoiding me/ I've got a brand new pair of rollerskates; you've got a brand new key." And her voice is pure heaven, she's got that raspy-ish thing goin on, but she just sounds like an angel who smokes a pack a day. I guess you could call this folk music.




The Folks Who Live on the Hill  performed by Little Jimmy Scott  1972
Recommended by tinks [profile]

Jimmy Scott turns in a monumental take on this Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein standard. Scott's languid feminine phrasing and incredible diction really cause him to stand head and shoulders above nearly all other jazz vocalists. In this performance, he takes material that could come out rather saccharine and injects a healthy dose of pain into it. The result is a throughly memorable, soulful ballad. Due to Scott's lack of a record contract, this recording remained unreleased until 1993.


available on CD - Lost & Found (Rhino)



Spring Song  performed by Linda Lewis  1972
Recommended by Pal [profile]

Fantastic folky soul...

from Lark (Wea Records)


Battened Ships  performed by Odyssey  1972
Recommended by Pal [profile]

My Favorite for the moment, charmy folky soul! Don�t mix this Oyssey with a later one who were more into the disco.

from Odyssey (Mowest)


Minha Gente  performed by Erasmo Carlos  1972
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

Virtually every song on the utterly incredible parent LP is worthy of a separate entry, but I'll just go with this folksy-cum-spaced-out rumination on the way he identifies with the people he surrounds himself with, musically reminiscent of Pink Floyd in the best possible way. Great playing by various Azymuth and Som Imaginario members.
The dateline in the album's title, by the way, is a reference to the time period Erasmo had experienced from birth up to the album's release, he's fortunately still with us!

from Sonhos e Memorias 1941-1972 (Polydor)


Takin’ So Long  performed by Alzo  1972
Recommended by mariacuccia [profile]

This album was long overdue on its release. It was recorded by Alzo in 1972 while signed to Bell Records. The album was recently released in Japan Arista/BMG. Produced by Bob Dorough, (Multiplication Rock) the music possesses a jazzy folk feel with a great deal of brazilian soul. Alzo's story is just as impressive as his music....

from Takin' So Long, available on CD


Which Will  performed by Nick Drake  1972
Recommended by MoeShinola [profile]

A really quiet song, guitar tuned low, has a more traditionally folksy sound than other Drake tunes, which are pretty unique-sounding for the most part. But with his song it works well, and it's my favorite on this record.

from Pink Moon (Island)


The Poacher  performed by Ronnie Lane  1973
Recommended by geezer [profile]

A beautiful odd song built around chamber strings and a clarinet line and great folk guitar,a kind of British country and Western from ex Small Facer Lane

from Anymore for Anymote
available on CD - Anymore for Anymore


Amelia  performed by Joni Mitchell  1976
Recommended by pleasepleaseme [profile]

Joni Joni Joni. Great poetess of the north! A wonderful merging of folk & jazz here. Some of the most beautiful poetry by this already prolific artist. Also a standout on this record is the bass playing of Mr. Jaco Pastorius. From the poet who said "we are stardust,we are golden,we are billion year old carbon,and we've come to find our way back to the garden. Joni Mitchell "Woodstock"

from Hejira, available on CD



  joe o: i was going to recommend this one. It really is beautiful.
The Things we do for Love  performed by 10cc  1976
Recommended by Mike [profile]

I'm sure I've already said this about another recommendation, but this is just superb pop. 10cc were a group whose hits were very familiar to me as a child, although I wasn't particularly keen on them then. (We're talking the 1970s, folks!).

The group fused influences from the Beatles (particularly McCartney) and prog rock with their own brand of distinctively British whimsy (precursors of the Korgis here). They were also excellent harmony singers. I'm just discovering some of their album back catalogue for the first time - there is some superb material, to my ears. Their biggest hit was 1975's "I'm not in love", which I think reached no.2 in the UK and US singles charts - I've always dismissed it as being very saccharine-sweet. This group doesn't generally get the respect their output deserves for its quality and influence.

from Deceptive Bends
available on CD - several Mercury/Polygram/Universal compilations



  wimberly300: My passion for love and life has made me take on here to tell everyone how DR JAMIN ABAYOMI brought back my lover who has been gone for 6 years.It was all confusion and distress to me when my lover whom i love and cherish wouldn\'t love me anymore but
Mr. Sellack  performed by The Roches  1979
Recommended by swaltonb2003 [profile]

It's sort of your typical folk,barbershop quartet,with a couple of jazz and rock touches. The lyrics are funny and sad and just about anyone can relate to them. The Roches voices are gorgeous and the melody will stick with you for decades(believe me !).

from The Roches, available on CD


Married Men  performed by The Roches  1979
Recommended by swaltonb2003 [profile]

A typically folky,eclectic mix of styles that sounds as great today as it did 25 years ago! I'm on a personal crusade to expose more people to the Roches wonderful music. They're three of the most talented people that most people have never heard of.

from The Roches, available on CD


Tear It All Away  performed by The Church  1981
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

Following shortly on the heels of Of Skins and Heart, "Tear It All Away" still was the picture of a developing band, but one already more comfortable with the studio, able to use subtlety and quiet drama to inform its cool, soothing yet tense take on post-punk filtered through psychedelic touches. The familiar Byrds-derived guitar and Bowie-tinged lyrical regret and sighing crop up as they so often would in the earliest days, but there's a clean, blue tinge to the whole performance, something that feels inexpressively like an eighties recording rather than a sixties throwback. Call it the space in the mix, the gentle keyboards here and there, or the substituting of folk and country roots for something more urban and faster-paced. The lovely mid-song solos show the Marty Willson-Piper/ Peter Koppes team still well within its element, and the whole composition has a rich, lush feeling to it that's most attractive.
(AMG)

from Of Skins and Heart, available on CD


Senses Working Overtime  performed by X T C  1982
Recommended by geezer [profile]

From its folk song intro to the tweeting bird conclusion this is a master class in pastoral pop,unmistakably English and undeniably brilliant .
This is XTC,s finest moment and their biggest hit ,that tranquil introduction explodes into a football terrace style chorus becoming more euphoric at each turn slowly winding down to its resting place somewhere in a quiet church yard

from English Settlement, available on CD


Crazy Dreams  performed by Paul Brady  1983
Recommended by Stian______ [profile]

Singer\songwriter Paul Brady deals with Folk music . This song is in my opinion up to the level of Bob Dylan \Neil Young . Its melancholic but still up-beat .I like the lyrics a lot : " Tonight were gonna paint this town, were gonna drink champagne till we both fall down ,we'll find some other crazy dream -tomorrow" . Its hard to explain ,but the song moves me very much, the song is pretentious in some ways , but Bradys simple(but not dull) singing makes it not sum up as such.

from Hard Station, available on CD


Jesus Calling  performed by The Triffids  1984
Recommended by n-jeff [profile]

For a start we need more in the Australia section than Nick Cave and his assorted Combo's. Although I think the bass player from the Triffids now plays with him. And then I can't believe I've not recommended the Triffids before. This is quite an early one from when they were still playing London pubs. I don't know what its about (blood on my thighs and milk on my knees the sign outside says vacancies), theres lots of violin without it being folky or too countrified, and the chorus is insanely catchy with lines alternated between the late David McComb and Jill Birt the keybboard player. They were a big part of my musical life in the eighties, and 'In the pines' is still a great LP 15 years on.

from Raining Pleasure



Bill Drummond Said  performed by Julian Cope  1984
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

A key track from Julian Cope's fragmentary second solo album, 1984's Fried, "Bill Drummond Said" is the only song on the album that resembles the swirling psych-pop of his old band the Teardrop Explodes. This is no doubt intentional, as the lyrics take aim at the group's former manager, Bill Drummond (later half of the Timelords, the KLF, and the JAMS), albeit in a typically vague way. The lyrics are skeletal enough that several interpretations might be brought to them, but they seem to recount a dream in which Cope witnesses his former manager in the act of strangling an unidentified woman to death. In contrast to the vaguely unpleasant lyrics, this is by far the catchiest and sweetest tune on Fried, with a dreamy folk-rock sound to its ringing 12-string guitar riffs and breathy harmonies. Coming between more disjointed and edgy tracks like the bizarre fairy tale "Reynard the Fox" and the Syd Barrett-like ramble "Laughing Boy," "Bill Drummond Said" sounds downright bubblegummy. Unsurprisingly, the always combative Drummond got in the last word with his answer song, "Julian Cope Is Dead," a sarcastically folky acoustic tune from his odd 1986 solo album The Man in which Drummond claims that in the waning days of the Teardrop Explodes, he had suggested that Cope commit suicide to make the band famous and laments that the singer didn't take him up on it.
(AMG)

from Fried, available on CD


Moonchild  performed by Rick James  1985
Recommended by Nickfresh [profile]

Rick James rocks. but he also can croon. His 1985 LP, "Glow," was highly underrated, and because of this fact, many folks passed up this gem of an album. "Moonchild," with its lush bassline - dreamy keyboards - and somewhat inspired lyrics, is one of the many tracks should've made RJ a bigger star than he was. Motown really dropped the ball on not releasing this ballad as a single or promoting the album, PERIOD. Mary J. Blige brought this song back to life (without butchering it) with 1997's "Love is All We Need."

from Glow (Gordy (Motown) 6135 GL)



Where did you all go  performed by Thirteen moons  1987
Recommended by moondog [profile]

One of these songs that i never tire of, that sounds as fresh and moving as the first day i heard it twenty years ago. Thirteen moons were like no other swedish band i have heard before or after.A haunting melancholy sound that in lesser musical hands would have sounded unbearably pretencious. If scott walker were to sing the swedish books of psalms in a folkjazz setting you are close but nah. This track though is instrumental and have one of the most powerful stringarrangemnts i have ever encountered.

from Origins (Wire)
available on CD - origins/little dreaming boy


It’s Cool Not To Care  performed by Mark and the No-Marks  1988
Recommended by rum [profile]

The late eighties wasn�t the ideal time for Mark & The No-Marks� deranged hybrid of English folk, free jazz and ghost puppetry, but there never has been an ideal time. Exclamation Mark, dressed up in his ridiculous David Crosby-esque green cape, refused to pander to contemporary fashions and trends, and even seem to resent any acclaim or approval, as if it was a sign that he was doing something wrong. This may explain why he hated this live favourite, scornfully introducing it at shows as �our sell-out�.

I chose the track not only because it�s the only thing that was ever officially released (along with its b-side, an utterly spastic reworking of the Monkees� Theme called �March of the No-Marks� replete with Tube station announcements- �this is the Bakerloo line service to Elephant & Castle�- and girls yelling, �Mark NO! No MARK!!!� at the singer) but it is also by far the best thing they ever did. And it was still far, far from sell-out material (it barely sold any). It is the only No-Mark record you need to hear. All of their less grating eccentricities are here, the schizophrenic dialogues, the lyrical obsessions with pylons and German bunkers, the shoddy jazz drumming, the demonic chanting, the cackling, the mewing (!), but this time it�s all held together by an ace nagging riff, and a supremely warped and swashbuckling chorus where an increasingly unhinged mark sneers, �it�s cooool not to care, sooo cooool not to care�� before he eventually loses all sense entirely and barks breathlessly, �NOT NOT, it�s not sooo care! COOL!!!�

Mark of course was incensed that their label released it as a single and vowed never to �bow to the pound� again. And as a result retired to his studio cave, muttering that their forthcoming album, �a didactic concept album about animal reincarnation� would be their most progressive work yet. And disastrous. If the rumours are true �My Family Are Other Animals� was abandoned after a record company executive visited the studio, described the tapes as �utter utter shit�, and then tried to throttle Mark with a microphone cable.





  n-jeff: This would be your band perhaps?
I think I recognise the attempt to write about ones own music.

  rum: good guess, but not my band no. i'm much too young. just used know a couple of No-Marks. local heroes/weirdos about town. they were very resentful of the whole experience, so i thought i'd give them their small dues.
  Gnasher: Was this the same Mark from 'Mark and the Monsters' infamy? I saw them once, in a mirror. Their sound made me want to pull my brain out through my ears and beat myself about the head with it. Shame, really, they looked really mad.
  rum: No, Gnasher, what you see in a mirror is a very troubled and confused soul, who needs alot of care and attention. Unfortunately musicaltaste.com is not the place.
  gnasher: Be nice!
The Road to Happiness  performed by The Lilac Time  1988
Recommended by geezer [profile]

Recorded early in Stephen Duffys long and mostly un recognised consistantly brilliant career ,this from the first Lilac time L.p ,itself,an eclectic jewel amidst late 80,s polished mediocrity .A mournful folky number played out on a harmonium,accordion and light percussion ,sadness never sounded so uplifting and hopeful.Everytime i hear Duffy now i cam imagine Robbie williams covering .

from Lilac Time, available on CD


Swing Like Thunder  performed by Boy from Arkansas  198?
Recommended by mattypenny [profile]

This is partly a recommendation, partly a request for information if anybody has it. (hope thats not an abuse of the website)

I recorded this by accident off of a John Peel show in the late 70s/early 80s. Its a dance-y dub-by version of a old American square dance song I believe. Its not unlike Malcolm Maclarens stuff of the same time in concept, but its al lot more taste.

So does anybody else know it?





  n-jeff: Hmmm, Sounds like the sort of thing the Suns of Arqa were up to at that time, the early stuff tended to mix uptempo dubby backings with guitar and or fiddle, and then do something daft like phase the hell out of it. I should say it would be worth eliminating, I'll try and find te hname of the LP I have thats like that.
Suns of Arqa - Sounds like thunder ? could be...

  mattypenny: Jeff - judging by the website, that's a really good call. I shall investigate...Thanks, Matt
  n-jeff: Glad to be of assistance. Suns of Arqa are well worth checking out anyway, I saw them live a couple of times in their Indian phase, Tabla's, Sitar, drums and Wadada on deep bass. At the time there was no-one like it. Nice.
Step On  performed by Happy Mondays  1990
Recommended by FlyingDutchman1971 [profile]

What happens when a record company dusts off an old obscure folk song from 1970 and hands it over to a British electronica band? Greatness! With an irresistable dancy beat and a great bass line, the Happy Mondays put a great spin on this old "sandals-and-granola meets Billy Jack" relic without insulting or demeaning the original song. The 1991 remix is sure to twist your melon... and the colored girls sing, "he's gonna step on you again!"

from Pills, Thrills, And Bellyaches, available on CD


Noah’s Dove  performed by 10,000 Maniacs  1992
Recommended by Yammer [profile]

For admirers of classic pop song construction, production, and performance, Noah's Dove is jaw-dropping in its perfection. The subtle piano hook, deep and dark chord changes, and the warm, dry-eyed, heartbreakingly acute singing grab your ears, while the lyrics (an unhurried, unsparing epitaph to a relationship with a cheating scumbag) clench your heart. The best part may be that it introduces Our Time In Eden, a collection of finely-crafted folk-pop songs that served as a worthy finale for the Maniacs.

from Our Time In Eden


Wild Horses  performed by The Sundays  1992
Recommended by genebean [profile]

This song has a folk-based sound on guitars and pop melodies. Its an awesome song for those who are into slow music. Those of you who are familiar with The Sundays can understand the sweet voice of Harriet Wheeler.

from Blind, available on CD


Love’s Secert Domain  performed by Coil  1993
Recommended by robert[o] [profile]

A moment of silence, (and/or eardrum-shredding noise), please folks, for the memory of the late, great Mr. John Balance of Coil who passed earlier this month. This track is one of my favorite �songs� by this organization, the title track from their sardonic exploration of club culture in the early 1990�s. Coil were never an �industrial� band � though they could create tracks of brutal, grinding sound. They were always too musical, too playful, too smart. On this tune � and there is a really catchy tune here � Balance does his best Christopher Lee impression, growling/singing of love as sickness, mixing quotes from William Blake and Roy Orbison, over a backing track that sounds like H. P. Lovercaft does Esquivel. Brilliant stuff from a brilliant man, who will be missed.

from Love's Secert Domain


Heaven Knows  performed by The Corrs  1995
Recommended by Mike [profile]

According to most educated musical minds, the Corrs are purveyors of irritating, unambitious, tasteless pop tinged with Irish folk. I'd tend to agree strongly, and this track starts off so as to suggest nothing better - twelve seconds of unimaginitive and poorly-recorded drum solo, which moreover reappears with just over 3 minutes on the clock, followed by a truly dreadfully contrived-sounding modulation to the supertonic � la Eurovision. And a horrible brassy backing at one point towards the end.

However, there is definitely something I really like about, even esteem in what occours between those two points. For one thing, there is the way the depressive lyrics are sung to an assertively forward-moving minor key backing. There is something about the rhythm of word-setting that grabs me. I like the chord sequences. The melody's quite good. I like the violin solo in the middle, and the use of the violin for the riff heard during the introduction. Even if it's just a cheap piece of pop, it sounds as though some intelligence and emotion went into its creation. And as i say, for some reason, something about it seems to click with me somehow.

from Forgiven, not forgotten, available on CD


Nothing Left To Borrow  performed by The Jayhawks  1995
Recommended by MoeShinola [profile]

This songs stands in for "Sister Cry", "Settled Down Like Rain", "Clouds". "Two Angels", "Blue", and all the others from The Jayhawks' last two records with Mark Olsen, as well as on it's own. The harmonies are just the most raggedy and pure I've ever heard(sorry, King's X). I used to listen to this one over and over.

from Tomorrow The Green Grass (American)


Get Me Away From Here, I�m Dying  performed by Belle & Sebastian  1996
Recommended by Carrie [profile]

Ooh, get me away from here, I'm dying,
play me a song to set me free..


Alternative folkish. The lyrics are kind of random, which I like. I like the general feeling of this song.

from If You're Feeling Sinister, available on CD


Wendy McDonald  performed by Spookey Ruben  1996
Recommended by DecemberGuy [profile]

Predating "Fast Food Nation" by a number of years, Wendy McDonald is a two and a half minute pop song critiquing our need to have things fast and easy..like fast food. I love this song because not only does it make you think, but it also has this hip-hop folk beat to it, that's reminiscent of artists like Beck, Bran Van 3000, or Self. If you're a fan of these artists,..you'd love this.

from Modes of Transportation Vol. 1 (TVT)


Lanterns  performed by KILLING JOKE  1996
Recommended by beautifulmutant [profile]

The Joke have not released anything not worth owning (minus the strange "Outside The Gate") but this song in particular grabbed me when I first heard it and did not let go. It put into words scenarios I have long envisioned. Why more people do not support and name-check this band, I do not know
"And if it all fell through tomorrow
Put a pack on my back,
and it's home where the lunatics roam...
Faith, faithj moved the mountain...
Where the rivers are so clean
and the conciousness is so green
and the luminous folk shine like
lanterns of hope... all shine on..."

from Democracy (Zoo)



  kohl: indeed, they're fantastic.
The Ballad of Mary Magdalen  performed by Cry Cry Cry  1998
Recommended by indigobo [profile]

This clever little gem was written by folk singer/songwriter Richard Shindell and originally appears on his 1994 Shanachie release, Blue Divide, as "The Ballad of Mary Magdalene." A perfect example of Shindell's non-confessional, often ironic, storytelling, it recounts the ill-fated love affair between the title character and JC: "Jesus loves me, this I know/ why on earth, did I ever let him go?/ He was always faithful, he was always kind/ but he walked off with this heart of mine." On this version, Shindell is joined by fellow folkies Dar Williams (lead vocal) and Lucy Kaplansky (harmony). In 1998 A.D., the three artists became incarnate as Cry Cry Cry for one album, which, if you like three-part harmony, is almost a religious experience. A good example, too, of what Shindell can do with a Martin acoustic.

from Cry Cry Cry (Razor and Tie)



For a short time  performed by Tiddas  1998
Recommended by phil [profile]

Absolutely fantastic, amazing, beautiful singing - it'll really knock your socks off. The tiddas seem to concentrate on singing above everything else - they are three women, two of whom play the acoustic guitar, and that's it, but the result is just sensational harmonies and brilliant interpretations of songs, some of which are aboriginal folk songs, others their own, and others just covers.

This is a cover of a song by the splendidly-named Weddings, Parties, Anything. Both versions are absolutely brilliant but the singing on this tiddas one is just out of this world.

from Lethal by the kilo, available on CD


He was here but not for long  performed by Sally Dastey  1998
Recommended by phil [profile]

Ridiculously sentimental and melodramatic like a number of songs on this album, but as often rescued by the singing and in particular by Sally Dastey's voice - really, this woman is genuinely the best singer I have ever heard - a beautiful, plaintive Australian accent that deserves to be ranked with asrtud gilberto as one of the most distinctive voices in pop.

The music here on this song very simple - just a banjo, guitar, and mouth organ for backing, with Dastey singing 'he was here, but not for long/ I'll let you in on a little secret now/' before suddenly just speaking, with immense sadness - 'he wasn't the best worker we ever had'. Really fantastic folk music.

Sally Dastey was one of the Tiddas, who I have gone on about elsewhere on this site.

from Over In The West
available on CD - Over in the west


Space Lord  performed by Monster Magnet  1998
Recommended by King Charles [profile]

After nearly three and a half years of speculation, I finally bought this album in the fall of 2003. Wow. As soon as I popped it in, I knew that it was Monster Magnet, but I knew I had a new band to add to my favorite list. These guys rock, period, they're in the lower upper class of hard rock (with upper upper being reserved for such acts as Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Dream Theater), hell I don't even want to categorize them, as this would place a restriction on their potential (in much the same way the Jewish cannot write the word "God," and Muslims cannot draw Him, according to friends I have of those faiths). The song starts off like a fireside story, we've got a low bass beat, a great little intro compliments of Ed Mundell. Wyndorf's space, money, power, sex and religion influenced lyrics become prevalent as soon as the song begins, and we are launched into a maracca, tambourine, and 70's/80's hard line influenced metal trip. Ned Raggett's characterization of an 'acid folk' edge to the beginning of the song gives it good justice, and Space Lord slowly cranks up the volume, settling down once, and then cranking it up again, ready to conquer worlds with the hard rock edge that has kept Monster Magnet in the limelight, but away from the new age/pathetic sounds. Upon listening to this song, we think "classic rock," not because of it's refusal to metamorphose (or rather, transmogrify) into today's rock, but because of it's influence from the aforementioned 60's - 80's hard core, unfiltered, instrumentally diverse sound (including alternate percussive effects from tambourines and maraccas, as well as keyboard infiltration that would make The Doors jealous), which is uniquely self-complimenting, orchestrated, and coherent. Space Lord deals with becoming (unconsciously) corrupt with power, wealth, and ultimately desire (Now give me the strenth to split the world into, yeah/I've ate all the rest, and now I've gotta eat you), which may delineate the stereotypical American 'powertrip,' hence the album's appropriate name. If you are looking for unrelenting excellent rock, which isn't too harsh to listen to, but most certainly isn't along the lines of Phish or Weezer (in any respect at all), I recommend this song, album and any others one could get one's hands on. 5 out of 5 stars for its genre.

from Power Trip


Cupidz Tune  performed by Hugh Doolan  1998
Recommended by jinjahman [profile]

Classic Byrdsey tone to this folk rock gem from the album 'Slopey'. the drumming is pure delight and the chorus is a gospel-binding rouser

from Slopey, available on CD


daniella  performed by Shack  1999
Recommended by simon [profile]

a song perched on the end of Shack's half realised album'H.M.S Fable'album-a haunting folk ballad that is close to death and as beautiful as a sunny winter's morning...the melody spooks you and as the head brithers are no starngers to the perils of hard drugs it makes the song even more poignant.the Head brothers continue to remain the U.K's most underrated songwriters-sort of like the older,wiser and more sussed father's of the Coral and all those new scally psych bands that will never be anywhere as good as this...investigate!!!

from H.M.S Fable, available on CD


Balada Conducatorolui  performed by Taraf de Ha�douks  199?
Recommended by nrnono [profile]

Romanian gypsy music at its best:
- fast rhythm and chord progressions that make you listen in anticipation
- singer's voice (singing in Romanian/Gypsy?) rough sincerity reminds me of an old black delta bluesman
- the coolest violin riff ever.

from Taraf de Ha�douks (Elektra/Asylum)


A Fairy Tale of New York (live version)  performed by Christy Moore  199?
Recommended by mattypenny [profile]

Thought I might see if I can type in some Christmas favorites...

This is the Pogues song, sung by Christy Moore, the great Irish balladeer, folk singer and all round good bloke.

There's a studio version on his 'Smoke and Strong Whiskey LP'. The LPs great, but the version of 'A Fairy Tale' is not half as good as the live version from (I think) Live at the Point.

Christy's shows at the time were just him and an acoustic guitar. It was still a cracking show. He's now accompanied by another acoustic guitar (hey - lets rock!! :) ).

Anyhow he seems to get a big sound out of just guitar and voice.

Coming to the point...

This version is just Christy and his guitar. It preceded by a long story about how he 'stumbled into a fairy ring and bejasus I couldnt get out'. He's eventually helped out by a stranger who takes him by the hand and takes him to a pub. They sing each other songs and tell each poems. Then the stranger starts to sing 'It was Christmas Eve, babe...' .... and you know the rest. It finshes with Christy kissing the stanger on the lips and declaring Shane MacGowan 'I love you baby too'

Other Christmas songs:
Cajun Christmas
Il est Ne le Devine Enfant - Siouxsie and the Banshees
All I really want for Christmas - Ini Kamoze (maybe?)
Christmas Lullaby - Shane MacGowan
White Christmas - The Drifters

from Live at the Point


The River(live)  performed by Bruce Springsteen  2000
Recommended by giant [profile]

Ok, Ok, cut it out, we all know Bruce went ultra commercial and slightly "rock n roll artificial" there in the eighties but what the mainstream listener doesn't know, is that Springsteen has some very powerful songs tucked under his belt. Similar to the Beach Boys, Bruce is widely known on the weight of his biggest commercial succeses, ie. "Born in The USA", however he has written some incredibly moving songs, most of them acoustic on such albums as "Nebraska" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Here is Bruce in the vein of our great American folk singers like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash(who has covered a Springsteen Song)in one of the most tender and haunting songs, sung live, Harmonica by bruce as well, and it is called "The River" This concert was also televised, and the tear I noticed in his eyes as he performed this lovely and sad song further shows how much he brings and to what depth he is able to express.

from live in New York City
available on CD - live in New York City



  phil: Hm - a very good friend of mine is really into Bruce Springsteen, and out of the respect I hold him in I have tried listening to the Boss' stuff. And I really began to like this one - I have a live version of this from Barcelona which is really very moving, in which Bruce talks about failing his medical for the Vietnam draft.

It always strikes me as - er - outdoor music, quite different from the hair-splitting, neurotic, urban stuff I usually listen to. Definitely worth a listen if you have previously sniffed at the springsteen but are willing to have another go - as giant says, it's real great american folk singer stuff.

Incidentally, while recording my band's last demo, the rest of the band described a solo I played as 'sounding like bruce springsteen'. A small chill ran down my spine.

capsized  performed by Sarah Harmer  2000
Recommended by mitchiavelli [profile]

This song is haunting. The lyrics are about loss and are bouyed by a simple arrangement of guitar and organ.

I like this album more with each listen.

'You Were Here' is the first solo album from Ms. Harmer who is also one of the principle members of a Canadian folk/pop group called 'Weeping Tile'.

from You Were Here (Cold Snap/Universal in Canada - Rounder Records)



He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot.  performed by Grandaddy  2000
Recommended by pleasepleaseme [profile]

Weirdly wonderful electro-folk-rock number.
It reminds me of "space oddity" by Bowie but in a K-Hole.

from The Sophtware Slump, available on CD


To slow things down  performed by Random Bruce  2001
Recommended by phil [profile]

More grist to my mill that there are lots of really good things going unsigned in the easy listening-folk- pop world - the fella that wrote this sits very close to me where I work. A really nicely-put together, low key pop song with a beautiful vocal melody. Available for FREE dammit at http://artists2.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Random_Bruce/. 'Sometimes anything' and 'had to be there' are also well worth a listen.

from - (- -)
available on CD - not currently professionally recorded



Light Enough to Travel  performed by the Be Good Tanyas  2001
Recommended by mitchiavelli [profile]

'Light Enough to Travel' is from 'Blue Horse', the debut album from the Be Good Tanyas.

The Tanyas are are Frazey Ford, Samantha Parton, and Trish Klein, and hail from Vancouver, BC, Canada.

They sing up tempo folk / bluegrass, and have been received with wild acclaim in both Canada and the UK.

'Light Enough to Travel' is representative of the Blue Horses. I guarantee it will get your toes tapping and hips swaying.

Here is their website: http://www.begoodtanyas.com/

from Blue Horses, available on CD



  umbrellasfollowrain: There's something about the attitude of this song that I love. The song is originally written by this guy who only plays and composes on accordian. I heard him play once on CBC Radio and he brought his two kids because he couldn't afford a babysitter and the kids kept talking all the way through his songs. This is perfect mixed tape fodder. For that driving mix you're giving to your best gal friend.
Mad World  performed by Gary Jules  2001
Recommended by cryofthecelt [profile]

"Mad World" was written and originally performed by the popular 80's band Tears for Fears. A more mellow, piano-based cover of the song was featured in the cult movie "Donnie Darko" (Jake Gylenhaal, Patrick Swayze) as performed by folk artist Gary Jules. His version of "Mad World" reached the coveted Christmas #1 spot in the UK in 2003, despite that it was 3 years old and performed by an unknown artist.
This song is quite possibly my favorite song of all time, at least in my Top Ten, because I feel that it describes life very accurately. The chorus of the song is:
"I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had."
To me, this song is saying "Hang in there...I know life sucks on this earth, but you will go to a far better place after your death."
Depressing? No. This song helps me to carry on.

from Donnie Darko (Enjoy)
available on CD - Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets (EMI International)



  malpt: This is a rare occasion where I love the cover more than the original. A very awesome song.
resistansen  performed by kaizers orchestra  2001
Recommended by olli [profile]

some nice tom waits-esque norwegian gipsy punk/ folkpop for you. You probably won't understand a word of what they're saying, as it's sung in a weird norwegian dialect, but most of it is about russian roulette, alcohol, corrupt priests, floods, polka, treachery and other things we enjoy here in norway. it's dramatic, fun and entertaining, so go ahead and buy it/ download from some file-sharing service. you won't regret it.

from ompa til du d�r, available on CD



Why Georgia  performed by John Mayer  2001
Recommended by cmrosuello [profile]

Folk-Rock

from Room for Squares


Penetration  performed by Pedro The Lion  2002
Recommended by Herr V [profile]

I could recomment almost any song Pedro The Lion has recorded, but this recent song embodies most of what PTL stands for: quiet, folky, melancholy lyrics but also angry, hard and bitter. You can download this song from the label website: www.jadetree.com

from Control, available on CD



Breathe In Now  performed by George  2002
Recommended by sunsilk [profile]

A band that blend elements of classical, jazz, funk, rock, folk, and electronic music.

Why i like it; a beatiful song about moving forward in life, and Katie Noonan's vocals are wonderful to listen to....

...Say i love, i live and breathe in now....

from Polyserena, available on CD


Stars  performed by Tatu  2002
Recommended by Mike [profile]

There are some disposable pop records that have certain things going for them which lift them above the norm and confer a kind of appeal which, though often temporary in nature, shines through in spite of their annoynances.

So it is with this one, which has a chord sequence that repeats over and over on the synth, and a rather annoying melody/rap sequence. It's also rather rhythmically unimaginative, and most western listeners will find that the Russian folk instrument (don't know what it is) will grate mercilessly. And if that wasn't enough, it ends unforgivably unmusically when an electronic beep simply cuts in suddenly.

However, because I am a such a sucker for this kind of minor key chordal writing, particularly when synths are involved, I enjoy the record, which at least does lack the merciless rhythmic hammering effect of their hit single "All the things she said".

from 200 km/h in the wrong lane, available on CD



  olli: now that's a careful, careful recommendation:)
  Mike: Hmm, yes. I'm a very careful kind of guy!!!!
  Mike: And I think you'd be a lot more concerned if you'd seen a less than careful recommendation for this one!
  olli: hmm, yes. true.
Before We Begin  performed by Broadcast  2003
Recommended by tempted [profile]

Peers and close friends of Stereolab, Birmingham's Broadcast are one of the most interesting alternative pop acts in the world. This song is an example of their extraordinary skills in crafting a haunting, beautiful melody to go with a sound that's like a son of the band The United States Of America and Ennio Morricone. These folks took four years building their own studio. Can't blame them a bit as the results are simply stunning.

from Ha Ha Sound, available on CD



  eftimihn: Oh yes, this track is gem, no doubt about that. To me the melody and harmonies incorporated are quite reminiscent of late 60s sunshine pop/soft rock stuff of that era.
  tempted: You're correct there. They must be fans of people like Curt Boettcher and Margo Guryan, too!
  tinks: i love this band. they are so very excellent to see live, as well. and they'll be here in about a month! woohoo!
The Hardest Part of Hurting Is The Hope  performed by Scott Gibson  2003
Recommended by wattsup [profile]

This is the last tune on the disc "Make REady" by Scott. It is a gorgeous slow love song with a killer refrain and title; "The Hardest Part of Hurting Is The Hope". It features Scott's voice as well lap steel and acoustic guitar. They fit together so well--it is like they are a single performer. It is a great finish to this wonderful disc. It makes me want to start the song all over again [I think I will--grin!].

from Make Ready (Hayden's Ferry B0000A4G4H)


Piazza, New York Catcher  performed by Belle & Sebastian  2003
Recommended by executiveslacks [profile]

This is such a pretty song. With just an acoustic guitar and voice, it could've easily sounded like any other folk song, yet I find something incredibly endearing about it.
Lyrically, it's a love story interrupted with baseball imagery (very strange for a Scotsman to display an understanding of the sport).

from Dear Catastrophe Waitress, available on CD


det sista �ventyret  performed by sagor & swing  2003
Recommended by olli [profile]

dreamy, ultrascandinavian mellow forest music played on drums and electric organ. beautiful. simple melodies that make me think of mist, small cabins in the woods, owls and little lakes.
try listening to this when you're far from civilization. it's amazing.


available on CD - allt h�nger samman (hapna)



the beer  performed by kimya dawson  2003
Recommended by olli [profile]

on a post-moldy peaches roll today.
lo-fi, blackly humorous, unrelenting singer-songwriter antifolk material. the lyrics are a stream-of-consciousness portrait of life in lower-class america, filled with weirdo pop culture references. i fell in love with this song from a badly recorded live version, available on her homepage: http://www.kimyadawson.com/audio/10_Kimya_Dawson_-_The_Beer.mp3
there`s an album version of the track on "my cute friend sweet princess", but i think it lacks a lot of the drive from the live recording (and the sound quality`s not really that much better, anyway. i wonder how this would sound on one of those ludicrously expensive hi fi sets that guys in cornflower-blue shirts tend to buy)

"even though i`ve never ever been in a band,
i`ve got cool as black ice tattooed on my hand.." gotta love that line.

from my cute friend sweet princess (important records)


Up In The North  performed by The Fiery Furnaces  2003
Recommended by alba [profile]

this is one of the best rock songs released recently...i love the piano...its got a folky, rootsy thing going on

from Gallowsbird's Bark


Más Papaya  performed by Sidestepper  2003
Recommended by Betto_Colombia [profile]

Cumbia folk music from Colombia with really cool modern arrangements. An amazing fusion of Carribbean with electronica with a very unique Afro-Colombian style.


available on CD - 3 AM


Who Could Win A Rabbit  performed by Animal Collective  2004
Recommended by sok186 [profile]

Psychedelic Gospel? Why not. Somewhere between the acid-casualty chants of The Beach Boys (think Smiley Smile) and the folk-stylings of Devendra Banhart. Make sure to check out the previous trakc on Sung Tongs as well, 'Leaf House'.

from Sung Tongs (Fat Cat)
available on CD - yes (Fat Cat)


La Princesa y El Soldado  performed by Carlos Vives  2004
Recommended by Betto_Colombia [profile]

What can I say. You are not going to find a colombian who doesn't like Vives. He just took folk vallenato music and made it rock!! This tropical sounds of thumbs, pipes and acordion mixed with some rock are brilliant. This is really "The Rock of My Town". Ay hombeeeeeeee!! From Vives I would reccomend every single song, but this one is very special cause he dedicated it to his daughter and son. The lyrics is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.

P.S. Now a little of General Culture: It's Colombia, not Columbia!!


available on CD - El Rock de Mi Pueblo


Scar  performed by Missy Higgins  2004
Recommended by Circusfreak [profile]

Sounds like Australian Folk music that center's around her piano playing (though she also plays guitar). It's quite upbeat and has lyrics I think we can all relate to. It's a beautiful song.


available on CD - Sound Of White (Warner Bros)



  BrSoccerChic89: True, the upbeat instruments do give a nice touch. Her voice fits so well in it!
  MoeShinola: I love this song, too! It was on a Paste Magazine comp.
Different From The Rest  performed by Alice Peacock  2006
Recommended by musicman [profile]

New song that comes out on Alice's new CD, "Who I Am" June 13. You can hear it on www.myspace.com/alicepeacock - song sounds like it came out of Carole King's "Tapestry" album...nuff said.

from Who I Am (Peacock Music)


Wrong Again  performed by Louise Setara  2006
Recommended by chipster [profile]

Amazing new song from brand new artist from the UK. This is the new Mariah Carey meets Alicia Keys folks - you heard it here first!!!

from Still Waters (Manhattan/Blue Note)


last of the hobo kings  performed by gauthier mary  2007
Recommended by flange1515 [profile]

good folk singer




The Rip  performed by Portishead  2008
Recommended by robert[o] [profile]

Damn, the new Portishead LP is good!
This song mixes eerie theremin tones, acoustic and surf guitars, Kraftwerk-esque keyboards and a swell kraut-rock drumbeat.
Meanwhile Beth Gibbons drifts in from above, doing her best "Sandy Denny sings the Nico Songbook" impersonation.
Outstanding!


available on CD - Third


Eat Yourself  performed by Goldfrapp  2008
Recommended by robert[o] [profile]

My favorite track from the latest Goldfrapp LP.
The song takes AM-Radio sunshine pop and exposes the concept to English psychedelic folk at its most radioactive.
The resulting mutation is both sexy and ominous.
The groove is languid, but insistent.
The samples and the synths sound dusty/dirty.
The strings/guitars/harps brood luxuriously.
And then there is Allison's lovely/creepy voice/melody: all woozy sex appeal and little girl menace.
It sounds like that image from the film "Blue Velvet" - lovely summer lawn under which throbs thousands of huge bugs.
Wonderfully slurred....

from Seventh Tree


Reading is Sexy  performed by Stone Avenue Musical Endeavors  2008
Recommended by StoneAvenue [profile]

Hi my name is Bradley Barnes, and I front a small folk-rock band in Florida called Stone Avenue. I have a song I'd like you to listen to.

It's called: Reading is Sexy.

It is streaming on our MYSPACE page.

www.myspace.com/stoneavenue


Take a listen, see what you think! Thanks a bunch!

from Live in Nashville


Shape of my Heart  performed by Noah and the Whale  2008
Recommended by KSJ_r_critics [profile]

love duvy folk pop with a very "now" sound. Probly a iPOD comercial contender




The Most Beautiful Girl (In the Room)  performed by Flight of the Conchords  2008
Recommended by Festy [profile]

Fans of Flight of the Conchords, who bill themselves as "New Zealand's 4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo", will know this track already as it is one of their most popular. Although lyrically clever and funny, I think their music writing is saved a lot by the production, to the point where the songs are very listenable and enjoyable (I wouldn't be recommending other wise, I guess). From their first widely available album (self-titled), this track is a highlight, as is 'Ladies of the World' (especially the shortvocal reprise - hard to believe it's them at times), and 'Business Time'. The second album has some great tracks also. The TV show's worth catching also.

from Flight of the Conchords, available on CD



Losin Yo Head  performed by Monsters of Folk  2009
Recommended by vinnyshades [profile]

Jim James from My Morning Jacket sings this rock masterpiece with his new super-group side project Monsters of Folk (with M. Ward, Conor Oberst, and Mike Mogis). Totally catchy with a brilliant theme. Not too "hooky," but very melodic and catchy. Jim's voice will MAKE you sing along to this song every time.

from Monsters of Folk


Sawdust and Diamonds  performed by Joanna Newsom  200?
Recommended by phil-e-most_1 [profile]

Sort of a neo-folk tune that is very poetic and rich in symbolism. Beautifully sung and written. It will be on the Album due out on Nov.14th 2006. If you would like to hear this tune try posting the following address in you broweser for a Live performance:

http://www.mp3fusion.net/mp3_download/5338635/Joanna_Newsom_Joanna_Newsom___03__mp3.html


available on CD - Y's (Drag City)


Impossible  performed by Norfolk & Western  200?
Recommended by Colourout [profile]

It's a somewhat sad sounding song, and just great to listen to. The sound of the instruments really got me into the song and band.

from Dusk In Cold Parlours, available on CD


Silent time of earth  performed by Candy claws  2010
Recommended by wilgodoy [profile]

from Hidden lands


Organ Grinder  performed by The Migrant  2010
Recommended by miranda [profile]

Has a nice folky feel to it. Very relaxing.

from Travels In Lowland, available on CD


Roll Away Your Stone  performed by Mumford & Sons  2010
Recommended by Jschlach [profile]

kinda Indy-Folk. (Listed as Alternative on iTunes)

Check this out, trust me.
The whole CD is great.

from Sigh No More
available on CD - Yes



  amberlynn: Thanks for this. We have similar tastes.
Radio Hello  performed by Enej  2010
Recommended by ESC_Dream [profile]

Very energetic folk song in Ukrainian language with accordion, trumpet and great vocal. Addictive!

from Folkorabel, available on CD


Love in Rewind  performed by Dino Merlin  2011
Recommended by ESC_Dream [profile]

Folk ballad by Bosnian singer and composer, Dino Merlin. Bosnian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, 6th in the final




Where Is the Soul of America  performed by Mike Stout  2013
Recommended by radiofreetunes [profile]

Where is the soul of America? - In these times of warring political factions putting the government in unproductive grid lock Mike Stout asks what happened to the driving American spirit that united Americans to do great things. In this bluesy slide guitar driven tune a big chorus of singers asks:
�Where is the soul of America? Where is the spirit that made you great? Where is the soul of America? We need it now more than ever today. Where�s the will, that brought the Bill of Rights to stay, The ways and means to bring about our common dreams�now?�

Hear it at http://www.reverbnation.com/mikestout/song/18784586-where-is-the-soul-of-america

from Time To Build A New World, available on CD


100  performed by Dean blunt   2014
Recommended by Pinkfoxracing [profile]

The sweet soft voice of joanne Robertson makes a really cool contrast with the graspy and kinda dark voice of Dean Blunt plus the classical guitar playing chords that sounds like the end of a movie or a sunset. IDK it just sounds pretty cool, one of my favorites songs of my life.

from Black metal, available on CD


   Try another search:

musical taste home

© zarmi 2000-2024
CONTACT | ABOUT