Folk rock essentially began when the Byrds transformed Bob Dylan‘s five-and-a-half-minute folk ballad “Mr. Tambourine Man” into 138 seconds of poppy jingle-jangle in the first half of 1965.
From there, the scene only gathered momentum as artists on both sides of the Atlantic lined up with their 12-string guitars, sociopolitical musical poems, and often heaven-scraping harmonies, as highlighted in the UCR staff’s list of the Top 30 Folk Rock Albums below.
But like many musical movements of the fertile 1960s, folk rock wasn’t always easy to pin down to a single sound or style, then or now. It spans everything from Van Morrison‘s traditional Celtic songs to the Band reviving early country and blues roots, creating a modern Americana sound grounded as much in tradition as in rock ‘n’ roll.
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Matters became even more complicated in the ’70s, when solo singer-songwriters and country rock groups blurred the lines of folk rock even further. The basic principles remained, though, even as new forms grew from the seeds and developed over time.
But as folk rock carried on through the years — through artists as varied as the Waterboys and Fleet Foxes — its core foundations never wavered. Those 12-string guitars, soaring harmonies, and dedication to themes as specific or universal as the moment demanded never wavered. The best folk rock albums capture their time while remaining timeless. Listen to any record on the list below, and you’ll hear music that honors the past while moving forward.
Top 30 Folk Rock Albums
The jingle-jangle sound that came of age in the mid-’60s.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
