Ramblin’ Jack Elliot – 100 Classic Recordings 1954-62 – 4CD

Born in Brooklyn in 1931, Jack Elliot was inspired by the rodeos at Madison Square Garden, and began busking for a living, befriending Woody Guthrie. He travelled to the UK to perform and record in the late ‘50s, establishing his reputation in international folk circles, and back in the USA became an early influence on Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. He continued performing and recording for the next half century and more, and is still active in 2023 at the age of 91. This collection brings together many of his recordings from the early years of his career, mainly from albums but including a few singles and EPs. It features most of the titles from his albums for the Elektra, Topic, 77, Prestige & Columbia UK labels, “Bad Men And Heroes”, “Woody Guthrie’s Blues”, “Jack Elliot Sings”, “Jack Takes The Floor”, “Ramblin' Jack Elliot In London”, “Ramblin' Jack Elliott Sings Songs by Woody Guthrie and Jimmie Rodgers”, “Jack Elliott Sings the Songs of Woody Guthrie”, “Ramblin' Jack Elliot”, “Jack Elliott at the Second Fret - Recorded Live” and “Country Style”. It’s a reasonably comprehensive overview of his influential early work, and a great showcase for his talent as an interpretive folk troubadour, bringing old songs to new audiences in his distinctively idiosyncratic way, and underlining why he became such a significant figure in the genre.

Track Listing:

CD1: Ramblin' Jack Elliot: 1. Pretty Boy Floyd -   2. Jesse James -   3. Charles Guiteau -   4. Talking Columbia Blues -   5. Ludlow Massacre -   6. Hard Traveling -   7. Talking Dustbowl Blues -   8. 1913 Massacre -   9. Talking Miner Blues -   10. Pretty Boy Floyd -   City Ramblers Skiffle Group feat. Ramblin' Jack Elliot: 11. Midnight Special -   Ramblin' Jack Elliot: 12. Old Blue -   13. Rocky Mountain Belle -   14. Fifteen Cents -   15. Good Morning Blues -   16. John Henry -   17. San Francisco Bay Blues -   18. Ol' Riley -   19. Boll Weevil -   20. Bed Bug Blues -   21. New York Town -   22. Grey Goose -   23. Mule Skinner Blues -   24. Cocaine -

CD2: Ramblin' Jack Elliot: 1. Dink’s Song -   2. Black Baby -   3. Salty Dog -   4. Rusty Jiggs And Sandy Sam -   5. Git Along Little Doggies -   6. Sadie Brown -   7. Night Herding Song -   8. Chisholm Trail -   9. Fifteen Cents And A Dollar -   10. Rocky Mountain Belle -   11. Talking Blues -   12. Diamond Joe -   13. In The Willow Garden -   14. I Ride An Old Paint -   15. Jack O' Diamonds -   16. Do-Re-Mi -   17. Dead Or Alive -   18. Grand Coulee Dam -   19. Dust Storm Disaster -   20. I Ain't Got No Home -   21. So Long (It's Been Good To Know You) -   22. T For Texas (Blue Yodel No. 1) -   23. Waiting For A Train -   24. Jimmie The Kid -   25. Mother The Queen Of My Heart -   26. In The Jailhouse Now -   27. Whippin' That Old T.B. -

CD3: Ramblin' Jack Elliot: 1. Hard Traveling -   2. Grand Coulee Dam -   3. New York Town -   4. Tom Joad -   5. Howdido -   6. Talking Dust Bowl -   7. This Land Is Your Land -   8. Philadelphia Lawyer -   9. Talking Columbia -   10. Dust Storm Disaster -   11. Riding In My Car -   12. 1913 Massacre -   13. So Long -   14. Brother Won't You Join in The Line? -   15. There are Better Things to Do -   16. Sadie Brown -   17. East Virginia Blues -   18. I Belong To Glasgow -   19. The Cuckoo -   20. Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms -   21. South Coast -   22. San Francisco Bay Blues -   23. The Last Letter -   24. Candy Man -   25. Tramp On The Street -

CD4: Ramblin' Jack Elliot: 1 Railroad Bill -   2. Mule Skinner Blues -   3. Cool Water -   4. Talking Miner Blies -   5. Boll Weevil -   6. How Long Blues -   7. Salty Dog -   8. Tyin' Knots in the Devil’s Tail -   9. Hobo’s Lullaby -   10. Talking Sailor -   11. Rock Island Line -   12. Mean Mama Blues -   13. Low And Lonely -   14. Wreck Of The Old '97 -   15. Old Shep -   16. Wabash Cannonball -   17. Brown Eyes -   18. Lovesick Blues -   19. Arthritis Blues -   20. Take Me Back And Love Me -   21. Tennessee Stud -   22. Those Brown Eyes -   23. Detour -   24. Soldier's Last Letter -