Jack Takes the Floor

Why is the sound quality reminiscent to a basement home recording? Why are there random people teaching themselves to sing at the end? WHAT IS WITH THE OVERTLY RACIST SONG ABOUT THE BLACK BOLL WEEVILS FROM MEXICO THAT ARE LOOKING FOR A HOME AND NEED TO BE KICKED OUT?!?!?

It’s hard to describe the hatred I felt for this by the end of the record. I’d rather listen to that Liars record, and I fucking hated that. This is basement level folk rambling, with little to recommend in terms of music, lyrics or the singer. Never again.

Jack Elliott earned the Ramblin' in front of his name for being garrulous, so it's hardly a surprise that he's chatty between songs even on a recording.

The music itself is decent, but nothing to write home about.

Jack Takes The Floor is fairly enjoyable, if not particularly explorative. Jack Elliott is a charismatic performer, and a talented musician, but this album consists almost entirely of Woody Guthrie covers and traditional folk songs, all played pretty straight. But his importance is chiefly in being the lesser discussed link between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan in a *very* direct way. It turns out that he is a vital component of the American folk music family tree. Woody Guthrie took Jack Elliott under his wing, and in turn Jack Elliott took Dylan under his own wing. Although, this *does* put Elliott in a really bad place in the broader arc of music history. He was mentored by one of the most influential, iconic, well-loved, and timeless songwriters ever. Then he helped usher in the career of another one of the most influential, iconic, well-loved, and timeless songwriters ever. This leaves Jack Elliott in an unfortunate limbo where he is a vital component of music history whose output isn't well-known for really expanding the sound of folk music. But he does need to get his flowers; as I said, Jack Elliott is a charismatic performer, a great interpreter of classic folk pieces, and a vital piece of folk history. And Jack Takes The Floor seems to be an album that showcases Jack Elliott's skills in an enjoyable way.

Album cover just makes me think of him (and his buddy) sitting around a campfire eating beans.

He's a shitter Bob Dylan, without the songwriting talent.

bom definitivamente é um album próprio pra ir se aventurar num lamaçal bacana
mas nao eh mto pra mim nao. nao eh ruim, mas acho que tem que prestar atenção na letra e eu tava com 0 vontade xD

Fantastic. Great old school folk and country and maybe a little jazz. I would give it another listen or thee.

Listening to Jack Elliott feels like sitting by a campfire with a weathered storyteller who’s more interested in the journey than the destination. As a bridge between the raw dust-bowl era of Woody Guthrie and the early, hungry years of Bob Dylan, Elliott offers a fascinating slice of American folk history. His rambling style is an acquired taste at times, and the yodeling and pre-song "yapping" feel like a charming, intimate performance just for you, if you're into that, I wasn't.

Ultimately, this is a record of simple, stripped-back vibes that prioritises character over technical perfection and lacking any real depth

I kinda liked how casual and laid-back his delivery is on these songs. Like a guy just hit record and Jack just rambled whatever came naturally. Didn't expect to score this high but here we are.

Rather unremarkable country/folk

I understand the ramblin part. Wish he had something else to say

I’d never heard of Ramblin' Jack Elliott before this listen, so I went into Jack Takes the Floor with no expectations.

It turned out to be good fun — I enjoyed it more than I thought I would — but nothing really leapt out or grabbed me enough to make me want to return to it. The whole album has the feel of an early Johnny Cash record: warm, earthy, and charming, but fairly samey across the tracks.

Favourite track: Nothing truly stood above the rest, though I did enjoy the between-song chat and personality scattered through the album.
Least favourite track: Nothing was bad; it’s all consistently solid.
Album artwork: Standard folk album cover

Because Jack Takes The Floor wasn't on Spotify, i couldn't really scout ahead and use the previews to see what it was gonna be like but i was not expecting it to be this bad but that's what it ended up being. I know this may be the second country and the second folk album on this list in release order (after The Louvin Brothers' Tragic Songs Of Life) but i still gotta attack this album for everything it gets wrong. I could maybe see some potential in Elliott's songwriting but there is one problem, It's that I CAN'T HEAR ANY OF IT! This is easily some of the worst recording quality i have ever heard on an album. Combine that with the fact that every song sounds the same and you got a recipe for an absolute dud of an album.
Best Song: Salty Dog
Worst Song: Mule Skinner Blues

So hard to listen to this on its own terms as opposed to being just a progenitor, as something typical of one of the major traditions that fused and morphed until it became the basis of huge swathes of American popular culture. But what it is is a man and his guitar and a nice singing voice who isn't afraid to yodel or trade verses with a pal.

It is funny to see how far back anxieties about Americana authenticity go, how long city slickers have wanted to play cowboy, how much traditional genres are co-opted and re-animated by interlopers and commercialism, and how unstable the whole mess of roots has always been. In the end, the real America is wanting to be country, being worried someone will call you phony, and overcompensating by being as old fashioned as possible.

He has a way with words and I didn't get particularly bored listening through.

War okay, teils nervig. Grey Goose Quack Quack

This generator is pulling out quite a few surprises for me lately. Having an album of this era is always a special occasion. Before the concept album, before singles were included on albums and this one is even from a time when the 10 inch LP was the standard option. It's a nice collection of songs, some of which went on to be covered lots of times in the Greenwich Village-era Folk of the 60's. It's not the most interesting listen in 2025 though. I like older Folk music, but the old folk that didn't push any musical boundaries doesn't really feel like a memorable listen to me. It's good but not really outstanding.

I have heard a great deal of dusty old 50s/60s records on this list - particularly this week. But this is by far the dustiest of all and the recording quality is so bad. Thank god for artists like bob dylan for modernising the folk genre.

I listen to some older albums and you can’t believe they’re not more modern. This is not one of those. Enjoyed listening to it. Apple Music decided to play “don’t think twice it’s alright” straight after which I think was a little mean.

Surgeon’s son New Yorker cosplays as a cowboy.

Imagine Bob Dylan didn’t bother with politics, poetry and storytelling and instead sang songs about bed bugs and weevils.

The cocaine song had something to it. Sounds like it should be over the closing credits of a Coen brothers movie. The rest was unbearable.