The title is a good teaser. The Only Folk Collection You’ll Ever Need gathers 30 original recordings that shed light on America’s folk music tradition—and its offshoots. The two discs include such roots of Americana as the Carter Family (“Can the Circle be Unbroken”) and Woody Guthrie (“This Land is Your Land”) before moving into the early ‘60s folk revival with the Kingston Trio (“Tom Dooley”) and Peter, Paul & Mary (“Blowin’ in the Wind”). Major figures are represented, including Bob Dylan (“The Times They are a-Changin’”). The collection spreads out by embracing the folk-rock of the Byrds (“Mr. Tambourine Man”) and ‘60s-‘70s tracks from a pair of British acts, with Donovan at his most Dylanesque (“Catch the Wind”) and a lovely number by Fairport Convention (“Who Knows Where the Time Goes”).
The only folk collection? Judging by the broad definition offered here, you might want to own many other albums. But this compilation is a good place for beginners, offering the familiar with the less familiar and a glimpse of the richness of the traditions that have come to be labeled as folk music.
