VA - The Greenwich Village Folk Scene, Original Album Series [2014] (5 x CDs)

FOLK

VA - The Greenwich Village Folk Scene, Original Album Series [2014] (5 x CDs)

Pull up a chair and pass the coffee, released by Elektra Records as part of their Original Album Series line, The Greenwich Village Folk Scene, Original Album Series feels like settling in for a long, winding story from the heart of Bleecker Street itself. This five-CD box gathers full, original albums from five artists who didn’t just play the Village, they were the Village. No glitz, no filters, just pure, honest folk in all its scrappy glory.

What makes this set sing isn’t just the familiar names, it’s the hidden corners and rare threads that remind you this was a living, breathing scene. You’ve got the Even Dozen Jug Band, a joyful noise featuring pre-fame Maria Muldaur and John Sebastian, mixing jug band revivalism with wild charm. There’s a rare acoustic version of The Blues Project, long before they plugged in, stripped-down bluesy cuts with Dave Van Ronk and Danny Kalb that capture the scene’s gritty roots.

Then you’ve got Phil Ochs’ protest fire on I Ain’t Marching Anymore, as biting now as it was in '65. The title track, “Draft Dodger Rag,” and “Here’s to the State…” are still some of the sharpest pens ever put to song. Fred Neil’s Bleecker & MacDougal? That one’s a deep, moody drift into the Village’s late-night soul—his voice alone could stop traffic on MacDougal Street. And Tom Paxton’s Ain’t That News weaves wit and heartbreak into songs that still feel startlingly relevant today.

The real power of this set is how it threads it all together, protest and poetry, heartbreak and humor, community and defiance. It’s not a “best of” it’s a portrait. A rare one, too, these are full albums, not cherry-picked singles, so you get to hear the flow, the context, the heartbeat of what folk sounded like as it was happening.

If you’re building a mix with heart or want to breathe life into a set that captures the why behind the folk revival, not just the hits but the soul of the thing, this is a perfect place to begin. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Take Your Fingers Off It 2:23

02 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Come on In 2:39

03 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Mandolin King Rag 1:44

04 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Overseas Stomp 1:42

05 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Evolution Mama 3:16

06 The Even Dozen Jug Band - The Even Dozens 2:53

07 The Even Dozen Jug Band - I Don't Love Nobody 2:53

08 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Rag Mama 2:11

09 The Even Dozen Jug Band - France Blues 2:39

10 The Even Dozen Jug Band - On The Road Again 3:15

11 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Original Colossal Drag Rag 2:56

12 The Even Dozen Jug Band - All Worn Out 2:49

13 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Lonely One in This Town 2:59

14 The Even Dozen Jug Band - Sadie Green 2:10

CD2

01 The Blues Project - Fixin' to Die 3:49

02 The Blues Project - Blow Whistle Blow 2:45

03 The Blues Project - My Little Woman 2:12

04 The Blues Project - Ginger Man 2:07

05 The Blues Project - Bad Dream Blues 3:54

06 The Blues Project - Winding Boy 3:28

07 The Blues Project - I'm Troubled 2:30

08 The Blues Project - France Blues 2:30

09 The Blues Project - Don't You Leave Me Here 2:48

10 The Blues Project - Devil Got My Woman 4:08

11 The Blues Project - Southbound Train 4:05

12 The Blues Project - Downtown Blues 2:30

13 The Blues Project - Leavin' Here Blues 4:50

14 The Blues Project - Hello Baby Blues 2:02

15 The Blues Project - She's Gone 2:07

16 The Blues Project - Slappin' on My Black Cat Bone 2:15

CD3

01 Phil Ochs - I Ain't Marching Anymore 2:35

02 Phil Ochs - In The Heat of The Summer 3:06

03 Phil Ochs - Draft Dodger Rag 2:11

04 Phil Ochs - That's What I Want to Hear 3:10

05 Phil Ochs - That Was The President 3:25

06 Phil Ochs - Iron Lady 3:35

07 Phil Ochs - The Highwayman 5:41

08 Phil Ochs - Links on The Chain 4:21

09 Phil Ochs - Hills of West Virginia 3:23

10 Phil Ochs - The Men Behind The Guns 3:03

11 Phil Ochs - Talking Birmingham Jam 3:13

12 Phil Ochs - Ballad of The Carpenter 3:55

13 Phil Ochs - Days of Decision 3:12

14 Phil Ochs - Here's to The State of Mississippi 5:51

CD4

01 Fred Neil - Bleecker & Macdougal 2:15

02 Fred Neil - Blues on The Ceiling 2:26

03 Fred Neil - Sweet Mama 2:39

04 Fred Neil - Little Bit of Rain 2:24

05 Fred Neil - Country Boy 2:29

06 Fred Neil - Other Side to This Life 2:58

07 Fred Neil - Mississippi Train 2:22

08 Fred Neil - Travelin' Shoes 2:19

09 Fred Neil - The Water is Wide 4:19

10 Fred Neil - Yonder Comes The Blues 1:53

11 Fred Neil - Candy Man 2:30

12 Fred Neil - Handful of Gimme 2:16

13 Fred Neil - Gone Again 3:16

CD5

01 Tom Paxton - Ain't That News! 1:34

02 Tom Paxton - The Willing Conscript 2:33

03 Tom Paxton - Lyndon Johnson Told The Nation 2:59

04 Tom Paxton - Hold on to Me Babe 3:12

05 Tom Paxton - The Name of The Game is Stud 1:59

06 Tom Paxton - Bottle of Wine 2:22

07 Tom Paxton - The Natural Girl for Me 2:36

08 Tom Paxton - Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney 2:42

09 Tom Paxton - We Didn't Know 2:22

10 Tom Paxton - Buy A Gun for You Son 2:31

11 Tom Paxton - Ev'ry Time (When We Are Gone) 3:10

12 Tom Paxton - Georgie on The Freeways 3:09

13 Tom Paxton - Sully's Pail 3:12

14 Tom Paxton - I'm The Man That Build The Bridges 2:48

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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