Various Artists – Jingle Jangle Morning: The 1960s U.S. Folk Rock Explosion [3CD Clamshell]

If, like me, you are interested in how the various strands of rock music, including progressive rock, emerged from the embryonic but frankly unappetising world of the early 60’s pop culture then this compilation does a great job of peeling back another layer of that particular onion. This spectacular Cherry Red release, a four-hour compilation of US folk-rock from the 1960s, across three CDs, focuses on the development of song-writing and musicality within this narrow spectrum but it does signal how the evolution of popular music as a whole was heading for a spectacular upturn in its most dynamic and productive period from 1965 to 1970. Also part of the package is the story behind the music, as explained by detailed liner notes from Richie Unterberger, author of the two-volume 1960s folk-rock history Turn! Turn! Turn!/Eight Miles High.

Whilst the listener is never far away from the jingle jangle sound of a guitar on this extensive and exhaustive (or is that exhausting?) compilation there is a huge amount of variety that demonstrates the extraordinary creativity that was happening in popular music in the mid to late sixties. This is despite the fact that these recordings are from the time just before technological breakthroughs in sound recording and also before the acceleration in the globalisation of popular music via the media of radio and television. As a result, it’s made up of artists mostly living in, or passing through, the same Greenwich Village community, all trying to jump on the same folk/rock bandwagon, and all following a similar artistic blueprint. What stands out though is the sheer size and quality of the talent pool, and hearing how the boundaries of the genre were being stretched as ego battled ego for the largest slices of pie from the increasing commercial rewards of success and stardom. Exceptional examples of imaginative musical arrangements, spirited lyrics, anti-pop sentiments and raw protest are all included here, and many of these songs quickly fired the public imagination and have retained their classic status 60 years or so later.

Across 74 tracks there is folk and folk/rock, obviously, but also more distinctive rock guitar, blues influences, and also orchestral arrangements, horns and flutes. There are solo artists and vocal harmony groups, established stars, up and coming wannabees and a smattering of one-hit wonders. There are also songs of love and relationships mixed with hard-hitting songs of protest, all (well, mostly all) done with a satisfying minimum of cliché and a noticeable, and notable splashes of charm, emotion and intellect. This is also a compilation where the stories behind the songs are just as interesting, and in some cases, are more interesting, than the songs themselves, a truism that makes this package so dern (sic) fascinating.

One of the biggest influencers of popular music in the US at that time was clearly Bob Dylan who by 1965 was already onto his 5th album. The song that arguably signalled the beginning of the ‘new’ folk/rock sound was the Byrd’s cover version of Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man, a dynamic and creative transformation of the original that is included here as the opening track, and of course, lyrically-speaking, provides the title of the set.

1965 was a prolific year for Mr Dylan, who provides Subterranean Homesick Blues as the second track. He mirrors the distinctive guitar sound adopted by the Byrds and delivers his commentary of the zeitgeist at the time with his brand of prototype beatbox vocals, that has inspired many imitations through the years. Two classic folk/rock tunes down, 72 to go.

It wouldn’t be a Cherry Red compilation without a fair smattering of interestingly obscure song picks that provide the important context around the other, more well known ‘hits’, and also give the listener an opportunity to hear familiar (and less familiar) artists at the very beginning of their careers. Judy Henske was an early pioneer in the Laurel Canyon/Greenwich Village folk music community, whose long career started in 1963 and is present here with the many times covered High Flying Bird whereas The Mugwumps only released one album before breaking up whereby key contributors Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty turn up again later in the set performing in the Mamas & the Papas.

The collection continues, and it’s fascinating to be able to follow the evolution of the music in great detail using the accompanying booklet, with its insights and intriguing details of the connections made between the artists and their music. Barry McQuire’s version of the acerbic protest song Eve of Destruction, was the second and more successful version of that song that was released in 1965, it sits alongside Simon and Garfunkel’s graceful Sound of Silence, which (similar to the history of Mr Tambourine Man) hit the top of the charts after receiving a ‘jingle-jangle’ makeover of the original acoustic version. Another outstanding vocal performance features perennial Grammy award winner Judy Collins, one of the chosen pioneers who appears twice in the collection. Some of the lesser-known nuggets include the rock‘n’roll influenced Dion cover of a (surprise, surprise) Bob Dylan song Baby, I’m In The Mood For You, Beau Brummel’s Sad Little Girl, Tim Hardin’s Hang on to a Dream and Blackburn & Snow with Stranger In A Strange Land.

CD2 is similarly stacked with noteworthy songs, much-loved classics and iconic performers. Many US artists seem to have cut their teeth on the folk and folk/rock circuits before branching out into alternative rock communities. Take for example Nico, Richie Havens, and Grace Slick who appears here courtesy of her first band The Great Society and also with Jefferson Airplane. These artists did their future careers no harm at all by riding the waves of the folk/rock movement.

Buffalo Springfield, both collectively and individually, and Gordon Lightfoot stuck more or less, to what they knew best and went on to earn legend status. And, of course, tracks like San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) need no introduction.

Tom Rush’s fame is largely due to successful cover versions of one of his own songs No Regrets, and in this set he is represented by one of his own cover versions, Joni Mitchell’s Urge for Going. It’s all about the connections. Like most of the cover versions featured, this one has its own personal stamp on it, becoming an alternative version rather than a straight ‘cover’. CD2 ends with the Love classic Alone Again Or. As well as being a hugely enjoyable and commercially successful (and progressive?) mini-epic it also embodied the inevitable intra-band tensions of bands on the cusp of fame and fortune, with Arthur Lee re-mixing the original version of guitarist Bryan Maclean’s song with his own vocal, which led to this version of the band promptly splitting up.

Buffalo Springfield also open CD3, with Rock ‘n’ Roll Woman, a Stephen Stills song, with Neil Young supplementing the jingly-jangly guitar sound with some trademark off-script electric guitar licks. This third set doesn’t really warm up until the midpoint, where the re-emerging ex-rock ‘n’ roll star Dion appears again with his, the first of many, version of Abraham, Martin and John, another classic song with thoughtful lyrics respectfully referencing the four most infamous assassinations from US history, another iconic track that would spawn numerous cover versions.

Dion is followed by Judy Collins, this time from 1968, singing and having a hit with the Joni Mitchell penned Both Sides Now, a track that Joni didn’t release herself until a year later, on her second album Clouds. After the demise of Buffalo Springfield, the country/rock baton was picked up by ex-members Richie Furay and Jim Messina in Poco, featured here with What a Day, and Arlo Guthrie added some jingle-jangle to the Guthrie dynasty with Coming in to Los Angeles.

Some slower tempo songs are grouped together in the second half of CD3 featuring an amazing array of (more) talent. Tom Paxton was singing his own country folk songs in Greenwich Village bars when Bob Dylan was still crooning traditional tunes and is credited with inspiring the early folk/rock artists to follow his lead and create original material. Michael Nesmith contributes Joanne, as a solo artist after the breakup of the Monkees, and Linda Ronstadt gets a second outing, also this time as a solo artist, following on from her earlier contribution as singer in the Stone Poneys.

In the timeline, we are now into 1970 and the set closes out with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Mr Bojangles another of the iconic songs of the US folk/rock scene, and we are all set for Bob Dylan to square the circle in 1973 with his cover version of the song released on the outtake album Dylan. It really is all about the connections.

This package is a musical history lesson that has been executed by Cherry Red/Grapefruit Records quite magnificently. It may not be the obvious choice of subject matter for the average prog rock follower, and the musical range is, let’s be honest, somewhat narrow, but it’s full of interest and enjoyment for any music lover curious about this era. Whether you are re-visiting some classic tunes or reading about the early careers of rock music icons you are guaranteed entertainment and will come out the other side with an extensive font of knowledge.

TRACK LISTING
DISC ONE
01. The Byrds – Mr Tambourine Man (2:33)
02. Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues (2:21)
03. Judy Henske – High Flying Bird (2:59)
04. The Mugwumps – Here It Is Another Day (2:14)
05. The Lovin’ Spoonful – Do You Believe In Magic (2:07)
06. The Beau Brummels – Sad Little Girl (3:31)
07. Sonny – Laugh At Me (2:56)
08. The Rising Sons – 2:10 Train (4:11)
09. Barry McGuire – Eve Of Destruction (3:38)
10. Mouse – A Public Execution (2:47)
11. Dion – Baby, I’m In The Mood For You (2:40)
12. Simon & Garfunkel – The Sound Of Silence (3:07)
13. The Mamas & The Papas – Got A Feelin’ (2:54)
14. The Leaves – Hey Joe (2:50)
15. Tim Hardin – Hang On To A Dream (2:04)
16. Jim & Jean – Strangers In A Strange Land (2:31)
17. The Ashes – Is There Anything I Can Do (2:29)
18. Judy Collins – Hard Lovin’ Loser (2:41)
19. David Blue – Midnight Through Morning (4:54)
20. The Blue Things – Doll House (2:29)
21. Phil Ochs – I Ain’t Marching Anymore (UK single version) (2:51)
22. The Fugs – Morning Morning (2:10)
23. Johnny Winter – Birds Can’t Row Boats (2:56)
24. The Stone Poneys – Bicycle Song (Soon Now) (1:55)
25. The Great Society – Didn’t Think So (3:22)
26. Fapardokly – Lila (3:25)
27. Blackburn & Snow – Stranger In A Strange Land (2:29)

DISC TWO
01. The Buffalo Springfield – For What It’s Worth (2:40)
02. The Beau Brummels – I Want You (4:01)
03. The Blue Things – Desert Wind (3:09)
04. Jesse Lee Kincaid – She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune (2:21)
05. Fred Neil – The Dolphins (4:05)
06. Ian & Sylvia – Lovin’ Sound (2:35)
07. Richie Havens – Handsome Johnny (3:55)
08. Tom Rush – Urge For Going (single version) (3:36)
09. Gene Clark – Tried So Hard (2:22)
10. Big Brother & The Holding Company – Coo Coo (1:58)
11. Jefferson Airplane – Today (3:00)
12. Scott McKenzie – San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) (3:01)
13. Nico – The Fairest Of The Seasons (4:09)
14. Bob Lind – English Afternoon (2:40)
15. The Rising Storm – Frozen Laughter (3:09)
16. The Youngbloods – Get Together (4:38)
17. P.F. Sloan – I Can’t Help But Wonder, Elizabeth (3:43)
18. H.P. Lovecraft – The Drifter (4:14)
19. Tim Buckley – No Man Can Find The War (3:00)
20. Gordon Lightfoot – Black Day In July (4:13)
21. David Blue & The American Patrol – Best Of Your Childlike Smiles (4:57)
22. The Sunshine Company – I, To We, And Back Again (3:54)
23. Love – Alone Again Or (3:16

DISC THREE
01. The Buffalo Springfield – Rock ‘N’ Roll Woman (2:47)
02. The Lemon Drops – Guinevere (4:00)
03. Quicksilver Messenger Service – Pride Of Man (4:08)
04. Dan Hicks – The Innocent Bystander (3:25)
05. Stone Country – Woman Don’t You Weep (3:35)
06. Stourbridge Lion – Watch Me Walk Away (3:47)
07. Merrell Fankhauser & H.M.S. Bounty – A Visit With Ashiya (3:22)
08. John Stewart & Buffy Ford – Draft Age (2:59)
09. Dion – Abraham, Martin And John (3:22)
10. Judy Collins – Both Sides Now (3:17)
11. Poco – What A Day (2:30)
12. The Gosdin Brothers – She’s Gone (2:09)
13. Arlo Guthrie – Coming In To Los Angeles (3:02)
14. The Holy Modal Rounders – Bird Song (2:39)
15. The Dillards – Brother John (2:54)
16. Tom Paxton – All Night Long (2:31)
17. Steve Young – Seven Bridges Road (1969 version) (3:40)
18. Lamb – The Odyssey Of Ehram Spickor (3:14)
19. Michael Nesmith & The First National Band – Joanne (3:13)
20. Linda Ronstadt – Long Long Time (4:22)
21. Melanie – Leftover Wine (6:14)
22. The Grateful Dead – Uncle John’s Band (4:44)
23. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Mr. Bojangles (3:36)

Total Time – 238:00

ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Grapefruit | Cherry Red Records
Countries of Origin: International
Date of Release: 21^st March 2025

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