Welcome to Folk Fringes…
Beginning in the early-1960s new strains of popular music emerged that were heavily influenced by folk traditions. Leading the way was young folk singer Bob Dylan who took his cue from a unique concoction of Woody Guthrie, country legend Hank Williams and the blues. While 'folk' and 'blues' are relatively straightforward terms to define, what made Dylan controversial is that he and the artists he influenced tended to operate on the fringes. By the close of the decade the 'folk-rock', 'singer/songwriter' and 'country-rock' styles had all emerged as distinctive identities.

Today a host of folk-influenced styles of music are widely recognised, generally (but not always) featuring a healthy dose of acoustic folk instruments from the American and British traditions. The songs themselves are often topical and the sound is typically easy on the ear. Trying to decide what music qualifies for listing is certainly not black and white, so Folk Fringes is always open to constructive criticism and helpful suggestions.

The Top 100 Folk Albums…
An 'all-time greatest' list based on a comprehensive statistical survey of popular opinion and site visitor feedback. For artists like Bob Dylan who have several albums that could conceivably make the grade, only the best albums highlighting their various stylistic directions have been included. Albums by artists who have only made the occasional foray into folk or roots music (e.g. Beatles, Rolling Stones) have also been included.

The Top 100 New Folk Albums…
This list focuses on contemporary folk artists and albums released in the last ten years. Based partially on radio playlists, only a handful of the artists featured have achieved significant commercial success. As such, much of the music found here represents the folk 'underground'. The 'all-time greatest' list is a terrific place to start exploring the history of popular folk music, but this is the place for those who love all the mod cons.

Rising Star

Antje Duvekot
Big Dream Boulevard
(2006) Black Wolf

Folk in Focus: Bob Dylan

Folk's most lauded artist has had a chequered career spanning over four decades of tunes and turmoil.

Antje Duvekot's Big Dream Boulevard ups the ante on a career that finds her star on the rise.

Duvekot's joy-filled childhood years in Germany came to an end at age 13 when her mother re-married and the new family moved to Delaware. What ensued was a period of loneliness where music was Duvekot's "lifeboat", underpinning many of the sparse confessional singer/songwriter lyrics of her early work.

Boulevard successfully balances her earlier sound with more elaborate production. Duvekot notes the tracks are "… just a few minutes long, but you can live a whole life in a song." With many songs laced with confronting Biblical allusions, on 'Sex Bandaid' one gets the feeling she is just about to break loose before reeling in some original sin.

The real hint of potential greatness comes with the record's concluding outtake… a snippet from the 'Go Now' sessions with the backing vocals building to a stirring crescendo. With a shy laugh Duvekot ends it all when she says, "I really want to go now, I think we've got enough." Many of us would like to hear much more.

Bob Dylan began his career as one of a number early-60s of Greenwich Village folkies. After a solid eponymous debut in 1962, the following year he unleashed the brilliant Freewheelin' album which set the musical standard for singer/songwriter efforts for years to come.

In May 1965 Dylan tested the waters with the half electric/half acoustic album Bringing It All Back Home. Despite savage criticism from purist critics and fans in 1965-66 he went on to record two definitive folk-rock classics in Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde.

While convalescing from a serious 1966 motorcycle accident Dylan undertook some self-examination before recording The Basement Tapes with The Band the following year. Saturated with Americana, the tapes were popular bootlegs before their official release in 1975.

Although shunned by critics and fans at the time the official comeback album, John Wesley Harding (1968), is a superb country-rock record. The straight country follow-up Nashville Skyline (1969) further alienated many Dylan fans, even featuring a duet with the legendary Johnny Cash.

Canadian Duo

Kyra and Tully
Kyra and Tully [EP]
(2005) Buster

Some erratic early-70s albums didn't help matters, with some scathing reviews from prominent critics highlighting Dylan's artistic slide. In 1975 Dylan responded in the best way possible with what many regard as his finest album, Blood on the Tracks. Another strong album followed (Desire, 1976), but for the remainder of the 70s and beyond it is fair say his recorded output was of varied quality.

With the release of the gospel-influenced Slow Train Coming (1979) speculation was rife that Dylan had become a born-again Christian. Only two 80s releases really came close to capturing some of the old magic - Infidels (1983) and the slightly stronger Oh Mercy (1989).

Despite cracking in his ageing voice, a trilogy of bluesy 1998-2006 albums (Time Out of Mind; Love and Theft; Modern Times) found critical favour and attracted a new audience of younger listeners.

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Folk Fringes
PO Box 771
CANNONVALE  Q 4802
Australia

Change of Address

Our apologies to site visitors who have had trouble finding Folk Fringes because of the recent change of address. While the change was unfortunately unavoidable, rest assured that Folk Fringes remains committed to bringing you the very best in folk-influenced music for years to come.