Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Young Brigham (1968)

Ramblin' Jack Elliott is an American folk singer, originally an important part of the American folk revival.

Young Brigham was Jack Elliott's first of two late-60s albums on the Reprise label. His last album had been in 1964. By the late 60s he was a reverred figure in folk music, known as the link between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, but the changes in music had left him behind somewhat. Traditional folk music had largely been replaced by electric folk-rock and singer-songwriters. As his first album on a major record label, there was a chance that Young Brigham could have updated his sound to break him through into the new, younger crowd. However, for the most part, on this album he still sounds like he had done ten years earlier.
Nevertheless there are some exceptions, mostly in the song selections. It features an incredible version of Tim Hardin's oft-covered "If I Were A Carpenter", as well as Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right", and most surprising of all, the obscure Rolling Stones number "Connection". The inclusion of these songs (whether they were Elliott's choice or the record company's) show a glimmer of him finally bringing his sound up to date with what other folk singers had been doing in the 60s, albeit it four years too late. He would pursue this approach further, with more exciting results, on 1970's Bull Durham Sacks & Railroad Tracks.
The album was produced by Bruce Langhorne, a prolific session musician in 60s folk-rock (best known for his work with Dylan). Other musicians appearing include fiddler Richard Green, guitarist Mark Spoelstra and bassist Bill Lee (who plays the organ on "If I Were A Carpenter").

Jack Elliott (1964) <|> Bull Durham Sacks & Railroad Tracks (1970)
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