manosg
Emeritus

Reviews 172
Approval 99%

Soundoffs 1,168
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Album Edits 846

Album Ratings 4825
Objectivity 77%

Last Active 02-23-23 10:30 am
Joined 09-04-12

Review Comments 12,708

 Lists
10.28.14 Folk ♦01.22.14 Savatage Ranked
01.22.14 Savatage Ranked10.06.13 Great Albums With Less Than 10 Ratings ♦
04.03.13 The Blues ♦12.28.12 Great Debuts Part 2/2
12.27.12 Great Debuts Part 1/212.17.12 My Favorite Live Rock/Metal Albums

Folk

55 folk/heavy on folk albums that I thoroughly enjoy + 5 metal albums that stand out to me because of their folk influences. First three are my all time favorites while the rest are not ranked.
1Van Morrison
Astral Weeks

Van Morrison's ability to create images with his lyrics and music is unmatchable for me. Astral Weeks is melancholic, hypnotic and perfect for autumn afternoons.
2Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited

Instrumentally, this one is incredible as it features the likes of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper while the lyrics are absurd and exceptional. A complete folk album.
3Van Morrison
Moondance

More upbeat and lively than Astral Weeks, Moondance was recorded while Morrison's wife was pregnant with their daughter and that shows on the album's content.
4The Pentangle
Basket Of Light

Best folk you never listened? Maybe. Pentagle is all about Brit folk, tight songwriting, excellent vocals and lush instrumentation.
5Carole King
Tapestry

Absolutely brilliant album with solid songwriting and variety. Great instrumentation and overall consistency as each track has its moments. A few poppy moments as well.
6Donovan
Sunshine Superman

Folk in the middle of the summer of love. Psychedelic folk with a very warm feeling.
7John Prine
Sweet Revenge

Plenty of country influences and some brilliant lyrics. Fans of Townes Van Zandt will probably enjoy this one.
8Joni Mitchell
Ladies of the Canyon

Not Joni Mitchell's best album but still awesome. Some of her best guitar playing and vocals are included on this one.
9Shelagh McDonald
Stargazer

Singer-songwriter, beautiful guitar and voice. Emotional, Scottish. Reminds Renaissance at some parts.
10Tim Buckley
Goodbye and Hello

Singer-songwriter folk blended with psych. If you're looking for some experimental folk make sure to check his subsequent releases such as Happy Sad or Starsailor that have a lot of jazz elements.
11Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
Deja Vu

Incredible vocal harmonies, strong songwriting and some great guitar licks by Young.
12Jethro Tull
Songs from the Wood

Wonderful melodies on this first chapter of Tull's folk trilogy. A brilliant folk prog album.
13Leonard Cohen
Songs of Love and Hate

Leonard Cohen is first and foremost a lyricist but that doesn't mean that the instrumentation on this album is sub par. Nevertheless in order to fully appreciate Cohen's music, one has to devote time reading the lyrics and repeated listens are certainly needed.
14Nico
Desertshore

Avant-folk involving Nico and her harmonium. Pretty gloomy stuff that might appeal to some gothic/post punk fans.
15The Band
Music From Big Pink

With influences from Bob Dylan, The Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead, The Band is an essential listen.
16Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt

Country/folk with emphasis on some brilliant but quite heavy lyrics. Very consistent album.
17Ulver
Kveldssanger

Probably first neofolk album that I enjoyed and maybe my favorite of the genre. A huge surprise at the time following Ulver's debut, Kveldssanger is pagan folk at its finest.
18Woody Guthrie
Dust Bowl Ballads

This album feels like a window to the US during the era of The Great Depression. Perfect companion to The Grapes of Wrath.
19Planxty
Planxty

Checked this one after user headphones rec'd it to me. Excellent album with strong Irish flavor, Chroo00oots!
20Comus
First Utterance

Genre-hopping, experimental, trippy and genuinely scary. The combination of folk/prog/psych with crazy lyrics create a schizophrenic and dreamlike atmosphere.
21Vashti Bunyan
Just Another Diamond Day

The fact that she was characterized the female Bob Dylan at the beginning of her career speaks volumes about the artist even though her music is very different than Dylan's. Beautiful stuff that makes me feel that this is how Joanna Newsom would sound in the '60s.
22Muddy Waters
His Best: 1947 to 1955

Folk blues. Pretty much acoustic blues badassery.
23Jackson C. Frank
Jackson C. Frank

How to distinguish the man and his life's story? This album is almost as heart wrenching as his life and nearly as haunting as Nick Drake's work.
24Jim Croce
You Don't Mess With Jim

Strong American flavor and one of Croce's most well known tracks in Time in a Bottle.
25Horslips
The Book of Invasions: A Celtic Symphony

Amazing folk prog from Ireland.
26Daemonia Nymphe
Krataia Asterope

Classified under the neofolk tag, these guys actually play ancient Greek music.
27Blackmore's Night
Under a Violet Moon

Renaissance/medieval music with a modern twist. As with every Blackmore release, the focus is on guitar playing. The vocals are pretty good and a few traditional songs are included as well.
28Joanna Newsom
Ys

Minimalistic and quirky. Sounds constrained at times but overall highly interesting.
29Bob Dylan
Blonde on Blonde

One of the first double albums and the last of Dylan's electric trilogy. To release a double album of that quality is one thing. To follow Highway 61 Revisited is mind boggling.
30The John Renbourn Group
A Maid in Bedlam

This is basically traditional British folk that dates back to the Renaissance. Very well performed and sounds sincere.
31The Grateful Dead
American Beauty

Describing this one simply as folk wouldn't do justice to the album. There's so much going on; psych, blues, bluegrass and of course folk rock.
32Anthony Phillips
The Geese and the Ghost

Prog rock with a lot of folk influences.
33Loreena McKennitt
Nights From the Alhambra

With influences from over the Mediterranean, this live album is a true piece of art.
34The Incredible String Band
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

Very trippy. Psychedelic folk with medieval influences
35Neil Young
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Best tracks of the album were written while Neil Young had high fever. His guitar playing is incredible on "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Down by the River".
36The Tallest Man on Earth
The Wild Hunt

The comparisons with Bob Dylan are inevitable. One way or another though, this is great modern folk.
37Exuma
Exuma

Caribbean folk that pretty much resembles a tribal ritual.
38Jethro Tull
Heavy Horses

The very definition of a grower and at the same time a very demanding album for the listener. Exceptional lyrics and solid songwriting.
39Renaissance
Ashes Are Burning

Absolutely beautiful prog folk rock with some of the best female vocals ever.
40Bert Jansch
Bert and John

Almost purely instrumental. Great guitar work with great melodies. Works better with vocals.
41Simon and Garfunkel
Bookends

You can make a case about any of their last four albums for being their best. This is where it all clicked for me with these guys. Beautiful vocal harmonies, strong songwriting and feels.
42Sonny Boy Williamson
Bummer Road

See Muddy Waters.
43Nick Drake
Pink Moon

Emotional and haunting. I don't love this one as much as the majority on here but still can't deny the feels of Nick Drake's music.
44Sandy Denny
Sandy

Formerly a member of Fairport Convention, the very talented and troubled Sandy Denny is quite underrated on Sput. If you feel like listening to some solid singer/songwriter Brit folk with female vocals, make sure to check her out.
45Vali
Forlatt

Neofolk is a big deal on Sput even though I easily prefer traditional folk. This album is absolutely beautiful.
46Joan Baez
Diamonds and Rust

You all know the t/t and it's a great track. Other than that, there's not much into this album but Joan Baez has a really good voice and does worth checking out.
47Cat Stevens
Tea for the Tillerman

Dealing with every day issues and using the acoustic guitar along with the piano make an overall emotional and introvert experience.
48Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman

Excellent vocals and a 90s flavor make up for an overall beautiful album.
49Phil Ochs
I Ain't Marching Anymore

Phil Ochs' music deals mostly with political activism and social rights. Even though his inspiration was drawn from events that happened during the '60s, his work sounds damn fresh even today.
50Bob Dylan
Blood on the Tracks

Coming after a mediocre album run, Blood on the Tracks must had been a huge surprise at the time. Maybe Dylan's most consistent effort.
51Steeleye Span
Below the Salt

Electric folk with medieval elements. Steeleye Span typically cover traditional songs on their albums and include few of their own compositions.
52Fairport Convention
Unhalfbricking

Brit folk rock from one of the most influential bands of the genre.
53Richard and Linda Thompson
I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Similar to Fairport Convention and The Pentagle. Brit folk with medieval flavor.
54Agnes Obel
Aventine

Great combination of piano and string arrangements make up for a highly atmospheric and delicate album.
56Amorphis
Tales From the Thousand Lakes

Melodic death metal with elements of Finish folk. One of the most atmospheric albums for this time of the year.
57Bathory
Hammerheart

The blueprint for viking metal. Epic as it gets.
58Orphaned Land
Mabool (The Story of the Three Sons...)

Progressive metal combined with Israeli folk. Took six years to complete and it's definitely worth it.
59Villagers of Ioannina City
Riza

Stoner/psychedelic rock combines with northern Greece folk. Highly interesting but a bit hard to get into.
60Skyclad
Prince of the Poverty Line

Hugely innovative and probably the first folk metal band. Clever lyrics, exceptional melodies and fantastic use of the violin.
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