The Best Folk and Singer-Songwriter Albums of the 1960s
Folk's political revival: protest song, British folk revival and the first singer-songwriters. These 23 1960s records are where the modern folk tradition rooted itself.
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1At Folsom PrisonJohnny Cash
At Folsom Prison
Recorded live for an audience of inmates, it captures Cash at his most charismatic and human. Raw, funny and moving. One of the great live albums.
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2Five Leaves LeftNick Drake
Five Leaves Left
A gorgeous, string-laced debut of melancholy English folk, understated and beautifully arranged. A grower that becomes essential. One of the genre's most affecting records.
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3Songs of Leonard CohenLeonard Cohen
Songs of Leonard Cohen
A debut of literary, world-weary folk that introduced 'Suzanne' and 'So Long, Marianne'. Spare and poetic. The foundation of a long, great career.
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4Astral WeeksVan Morrison
Astral Weeks
A mystical, free-flowing fusion of folk, jazz and soul, unlike anything before or since. Improvisational and transcendent. Frequently named among the greatest albums ever.
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5Everybody Knows This Is NowhereNeil Young
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
The first with Crazy Horse, ragged and electric, home to 'Cinnamon Girl'. Loose and powerful. A landmark.
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6BookendsSimon & Garfunkel
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7Sounds of SilenceSimon & Garfunkel
Sounds of Silence
An early peak built around its hushed, electrified title hit. Tuneful and beloved. A breakthrough.
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8Liege & LiefFairport Convention
Liege & Lief
A landmark that invented British folk-rock. Bold and influential. A genre cornerstone.
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9Basket of LightPentangle
Basket of Light
A peak of British folk-jazz fusion of intricate playing. Beautiful and beloved. A genre classic.
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10CloudsJoni Mitchell
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11Happy SadTim Buckley
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12Townes Van ZandtTownes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt
A spare, devastating record of peerless songwriting. Beautiful and beloved. A genre cornerstone.
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13Bert JanschBert Jansch
Bert Jansch
A landmark British folk-guitar debut. Influential and beloved. A genre cornerstone.
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14UnhalfbrickingFairport Convention
Unhalfbricking
A pivotal record bridging folk and rock, home to 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes?'. Beautiful and influential. A landmark.
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15Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and ThymeSimon & Garfunkel
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
A peak of intricate, literate folk-pop. Beautiful and beloved. A high point.
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16The Gilded Palace of SinThe Flying Burrito Brothers
The Gilded Palace of Sin
A foundational country-rock landmark led by Gram Parsons. Beautiful and influential. A genre cornerstone.
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17At San QuentinJohnny Cash
At San Quentin
A raw, charismatic prison live record, home to 'A Boy Named Sue'. Electric and beloved. A live landmark.
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18Joan BaezJoan Baez
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19Joan Baez, Vol. 2Joan Baez
Joan Baez, Vol. 2
The follow-up deepened the debut's promise, widening the repertoire and cementing her place at the centre of the Greenwich Village scene.
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20Farewell, AngelinaJoan Baez
Farewell, Angelina
Dylan songs and traditional ballads in a set that showed how far her interpretive range had grown since the debut.
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21Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.Simon & Garfunkel
Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.
The debut, mostly traditional folk, with hints of the sound that would make them one of the decade's defining acts.
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22Goodbye and HelloTim Buckley
Goodbye and Hello
His second album and first masterwork — folk-rock ambition colliding with his extraordinary vocal range across an ambitious, orchestrated set.
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23Eli and the Thirteenth ConfessionLaura Nyro
Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
Soul, gospel, and folk woven together by a singular compositional voice; widely covered, quietly influential, endlessly rewardable.