VA - Four Decades Of Folk Rock [2007] (4 X CD's)

40 YEARS OF FOLK ROCK

VA - Four Decades Of Folk Rock [2007] (4 X CD's)

Another great Time Life Set. Four Decades of Folk Rock is an expansive box set, allowing one disc and over an hour of music for each decade. For those who would argue that folk-rock was primarily a 1960s phenomenon in the United States and a '60s and '70s phenomenon in Britain, the box counters that the musical strains of folk-rock have informed everyone from R.E.M. to the Bangles to David Gray. It's unlikely, though, that anyone but record shop nerds and music historians will be very interested in the debate. For everyone else, the set will be measured by the quality of the music itself, and on that account, Four Decades delivers a remarkable set list.

Overall, the first two discs covering the '60s and '70s are likely to be the most familiar to listeners, perhaps because much of the music was issued at a time when rock seemed less divided by subgroups than today. Yes, the Byrds' "Turn! Turn! Turn!" may have been "folk-rock," but the rock family was broad enough to encompass the Byrds and Jefferson Airplane, Donovan and the Band. Still, one of the strong points of these early discs is the mixing of less familiar tracks with material that still circulates on Oldies stations. Most listeners, for instance, will be familiar with Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" and the Stone Poneys' (with Linda Rondstadt singing lead) "Different Drum," but are less likely to be on a sure footing with Tim Buckley's "I Never Asked to Be Your Mountain" and Tim Rose's version of "Morning Dew." The collection also makes a smart move by including a number of British performers including Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, and Steeleye Span.

The latter two discs representing the '80s and '90s (and beyond) may lack the cohesiveness of the earlier discs, but the music is nonetheless solid. Part of the problem stems from the shattering of once seemingly stable categories like rock/folk-rock into alternative rock, singer/songwriter, and Celtic. Unless one is a fan of every subgenre, she is unlikely to sing along with a number of these songs. Also, the mixture of such disparate categories is bound to create odd pairings.  It's odd, for instance, to stick Dexys Midnight Runners' "Come on Eileen" between Richard and Linda Thompson's "Wall of Death" and R.E.M.'s "Talk About the Passion." And it's selections like "Come on Eileen" and 10,000 Maniacs' "Don't Talk" that will lead record shop nerds and music historians to cry foul: in what way does either song relate to folk-rock? But other cuts, like the above mentioned "Talk About the Passion," along with David Gray's "Babylon" and Natalie Merchant's "Where I Go," fit just fine, whether one is pointing to something called folk-rock or just good music. These discs are also strong on including female voices like Sarah McLachlan's "Drawn to the Rhythm," Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You," and Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home."

Like all collections, Four Decades of Folk Rock is a selective view of music history that some may choose to contend. More than history, though, the collection succeeds by putting together a solid and likable set list that balances the familiar with the lesser known, the American with the British, and, thankfully, both male and female performers. (Amazon)

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VA - Four Decades Of Folk Rock [2007] CD1+CD2
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VA - Four Decades Of Folk Rock [2007] CD3+CD4
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or

VA - Four Decades Of Folk Rock [2007] ALL
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Track lists

CD1    60's

01    Bob Dylan    Like A Rolling Stone    6:08
02    Barry McGuire    Eve Of Destruction    3:36
03    Turtles    It Ain't Me Babe    2:08
04    We Five    You Were On My Mind    2:36
05    Lovin' Spoonful    Do You Believe In Magic    2:04
06    Byrds    Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)    3:54
07    Mamas & The Papas    Go Where You Wanna Go    2:27
08    Tim Hardin    Don't Make Promises    2:24
09    Donovan    Season Of The Witch    4:54
10    Fred Neil    That's The Bag I'm In    3:35
11    Youngbloods    Get Together    4:37
12    Jefferson Airplane    Today    3:00
13    Buffalo Springfield    For What It's Worth    2:37
14    Tim Buckley    I Never Asked To Be Your Mountain    6:00
15    Tim Rose    Morning Dew    3:43
16    Stone Poneys    Different Drum    2:36
17    The Band    I Shall Be Released    3:11
18    Nilsson    Everybody's Talkin'    2:51

CD2    70's

01    Crosby, Stills, & Nash    Wooden Ships    5:27
02    Fairport Convention    Fotheringay    3:03
03    Arlo Guthrie    Coming Into Los Angeles    3:05
04    James Taylor    Anywhere Like Heaven    3:25
05    Traffic    John Barleycorn    6:25
06    Grateful Dead    Box Of Rain    5:17
07    Nick Drake    One Of These Things First    4:51
08    Rod Stewart    Reason To Believe    4:09
09    Don McLean    American Pie    8:32
10    Pentangle    People On The Highway    4:43
11    Jackson Browne    Rock Me On The Water    4:12
12    Linda Rondstadt    Birds    2:58
13    Thin Lizzy    Whiskey In The Jar    5:43
14    Bonnie Raitt    Love Has No Pride    3:46
15    Joan Baez    Diamonds And Rust    4:42
16    Steeleye Span    All Around My Hat    4:04
17    Fleetwood Mac    Gold Dust Woman    4:56

CD3    80's

01    Richard & Linda Thompson    Wall Of Death    3:42
02    Dexys Midnight Runners    Come On Eileen    4:44
03    R.E.M.    Talk About The Passion    3:20
04    Rain Parade    What's She Done To Your Mind    2:55
05    Lone Justice    Pass It On    3:37
06    Pogues    A Pair Of Brown Eyes    4:52
07    Roches    Love Radiates Around    4:47
08    Steve Earle    Someday    3:47
09    Suzanne Vega    Luka    3:52
10    Dave Alvin    Fourth Of July    3:56
11    X    See How We Are    3:47
12    Dream Syndicate    Let It Rain    3:55
13    10,000 Maniacs    Don't Talk    5:02
14    Waterboys    Fisherman's Blues    4:19
15    Bangles    Hazy Shade Of Winter    2:47
16    Jayhawks    Five Cups Of Coffee    3:50
17    Lucinda Williams    Passionate Kisses    2:37
18    Peter Case    Put Down The Gun    3:40

CD4    90's

01    Steve Wynn    Carolyn    3:55
02    Sarah McLachlan    Drawn to the Rhythm    4:08
03    Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey    Angels    3:36
04    Uncle Tupelo    Still Be Around    2:44
05    Indigo Girls    Galileo    4:11
06    Mazzy Star    Fade Into You    4:51
07    Wilco    Box Full of Letters    3:06
08    Natalie Merchant    Where I Go    4:00
09    Son Volt    Loose String    3:43
10    Corrs    Love to Love You    4:08
11    John Hiatt    Shredding the Document    5:02
12    Shawn Colvin    Sunny Came Home    4:24
13    Billy Bragg & Wilco    She Came Along to Me    3:25
14    Sixpence None the Richer    We Have Forgotten    5:09
15    David Gray    Babylon    4:26
16    Patty Griffin    Chief    3:10
17    Anne McCue    Stupid    4:35
18    Eastmountainsouth    Rain Come Down    4:05

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