The Best Folk Music Box Sets
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The Best of the 60s
If you’re looking for the best folk music box sets, the 60s is a great place to start. This was a decade that saw the rise of many great folk artists, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Simon and Garfunkel. The 60s was also a time when folk music became more popular with the general public.
The Beatles – The White Album
The Beatles – The White Album – This 2 CD set contains the entire double album plus a bonus disc of outtakes, alternate versions and demos. It’s a must for any Beatles fan.
Simon and Garfunkel – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme
This is the third studio album by Simon and Garfunkel, released in October 1966. It reached number four on the Billboard pop albums chart and number sixteen on the UK pop albums chart. The album was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Best Contemporary Album, and Best Engineered Recording.
The album includes three of Simon’s most well-known compositions, “The Sound of Silence”, “Scarborough Fair/Canticle”, and “I Am a Rock”. It also features their first major hit single, “The Dangling Conversation”, which peaked at number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1967 and was eventually certified platinum in 1998.
Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
Dylan’s second album is a triumph of songwriting, with classics such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” that would come to epitomize the early-’60s folk revival. It also sees him moving beyond the traditional folk repertoire with originals like “Bob Dylan’s Dream” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.” The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is one of those albums that transcends its time and genre, sounding as fresh and relevant today as it did upon its original release.
The Best of the 70s
If you’re a fan of folk music, then you’ll love this list of the best folk music box sets from the 1970s. These sets include some of the most iconic and influential folk albums of all time, and they’re essential for any music fan’s collection.
Neil Young – Decade
Decade is a 3-CD compilation album by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, released on October 25, 1977, His tenth studio album, it comprises 35 of Young’s songs recorded between 1966 and 1976, among them five tracks that had been unreleased up to that point. It peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Joni Mitchell – Miles of Aisles
One of the most cerebral and emotionally distilled songwriters of her generation, Joni Mitchell made her recorded debut in 1968 with Song to a Seagull. A year later she released Clouds, an uneven but nonetheless intriguing set distinguished by her idiosyncratic takes on traditional folk and pop forms. After an abortive attempt at recording an electric folk-rock album with Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, Mitchell returned to a more personal muse with Court and Spark in 1974. The album — which yielded the hit singles “Help Me,” “Free Man in Paris,” and the Grammy-winning “Big Yellow Taxi” — was a critical and commercial triumph that firmly established Mitchell as one of the leading singer/songwriters of her era.
Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks is widely considered one of the best albums of the 1970s. Released in 1975, the album was a commercial and critical success, spending six weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 and spawning several hit singles, including “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Simple Twist of Fate.” Blood on the Tracks is widely regarded as one of Dylan’s finest works, and it has been included on several lists of the greatest albums of all time.
The Best of the 80s
The decade of the 1980s saw a massive revival in the popularity of folk music. This was due in part to the success of the movie “The Folk Singer” starring Bob Dylan. The film inspired a new generation of folk singers and fans. Box sets were released by various artists during this time, many of which are still considered essential today.
The Smiths – The World Won’t Listen
The World Won’t Listen is a compilation album by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released on 16 February 1987 by Rough Trade Records. The album peaked at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and reached the top 40 in several other countries.
In October 1986, roughly six months after the release of The Queen Is Dead, Rough Trade released “Panic” as a single without consulting Morrissey or Marr. The song became a surprise hit, reaching No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1986. Rough Trade label head Geoff Travis suggested to Morrissey that he compile a new album consisting of singles and B-sides to cash in on the band’s newfound popularity.
R.E.M. – Murmur
R.E.M.’s debut album, Murmur, is a perfect example of the jangly, guitar-driven sound that made the band one of the most popular alternative rock bands of the ’80s. The album’s 12 tracks are filled with memorable hooks and unconventional lyrics, and it remains one of the band’s most beloved albums. If you’re a fan of ’80s alternative rock, Murmur is a must-have.
The Pogues – If I Should Fall from Grace with God
The Pogues were an Irish folk punk band formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band was initially focused on rebel music, but their sound and style evolved over time, culminating in their 1987 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God, which is widely regarded as one of the best folk rock albums of all time. The album features the band’s signature song “Fairytale of New York”, which is a duet between MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl.
