Customer Reviews

Folk Hits of the '60s

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Only five of these songs were recorded outside the time frame of 1960-1965, and only "Both Sides Now" was written after that time. During this time period, folk music usually fell within one of two groups. There was the political/protest music camp. And then there was the folk/pop group. Nearly all of these songs fall in the latter category. In fact, all but Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and Joan Baez's rendition of the Phil Ochs-penned "There But for Fortune" landed in the Top 40 of the pop charts.

While several of these artists have the pedigree as protest singers (Joan Baez, The Weavers, Woody Guthrie), the focus here is clearly on listener-friendly songs. But even with the compiler's intent to put the focus on folk-lite, it seems a bit of a stretch to include Gale Garnett's "We'll Sing in the Sunshine," and The Wonder Who's version of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" is almost unlistenable. [Note: The Wonder Who is Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, who took this song to No. 12 in 1965!]

With that said, if you like your folk music sanitized and the rough edges smoothed over, this is a very listenable and enjoyable album. The only glaring omission from this collection is the absence of anything by Peter, Paul and Mary. [It would have made more sense to use THEIR hit version of "Don't Think Twice"!] All things considered, this is a delightful album from start to finish. RECOMMENDED

Folk Hits of the 60's is a great CD. It consists of 20 of the best songs written in that era. Some of them could be considered 50's music also. All of the artists and songs bring back great memories of the times.

This is the perfect complement to Sony's latest reissues of Dylan's classic albums: a collection of folk tunes, many of which either influenced Dylan--like Woody Guthrie or the Weavers--or were influenced by him--including Judy Collins and the We Five.

Note that this collection shies away from much of the topical and political material of the period, and instead focuses on folk-influenced songs that hit big on the pop charts. There's even a hint of the nascent world-music scene in Harry Belafonte's track, and hits by a number of lesser-known artists that I'm too young to remember. This disc is well programmed and provides an very enjoyable listen. Recommended for anyone who wants a good overview of folk music.