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10 Essential Albums for Your Americana Collection

I want to get some ideas of great albums that every fan of the genre - slippery to define though it may be - shouldn't be without. I grew up with a lot of old country but really don't know where to go from there.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Ferrandino on March 21, 2012 at 6:57pm

I'm winging this one...Alejandro's "A Man Under The Influence" came to mind first. Phosphorescent's "To Willie"... Or is it "For Willie". Neil's "Harvest". John Fogerty's "The Blue Ridge Rangers". "Being There" by Wilco. The Kinks "Muswell Hillbillies" is on my top 10 all time list and fits the bill as well.

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Permalink Reply by Louis Richardson on March 26, 2012 at 8:40am

I love "Muswell Hillbillies". It was the first Kinks album I really listened to, and nothing by them has come close for me.

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Permalink Reply by LB Ellis on March 22, 2012 at 12:48pm

Checking out some of these lists I realize there's some music I need to be checking out.

Here's my top ten essential LP picks.

1 Flying Burrito Brothers "Guilded Palace Of Sin"

2 Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road"

3 Drive By Truckers "Decoration Day"

4 Steve Earle "The Revolution Starts Now"

5 Uncle Tupelo "Anodyne"

6 Bobby Bare Jr. "from The End Of Your Leash"

7 Sun Volt "Trace"

8 Glossary "For What I Don't Become"

9 Wilco "Being There"

10 Whiskeytown "Strangers Almanac"

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Permalink Reply by steviedal on March 22, 2012 at 4:19pm

Oh , i don't know , you seem to be doing OK so far !

Mr Earle's made WAY better albums than The Revolution..............though !

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Permalink Reply by Tuco on March 23, 2012 at 1:21pm

I doubt the following albums are all essentials, but they are the ones I like the most at the time:

The J-Hawks - Hollywood Town Hall

The J-Hawks - Tomorrow The Green Grass

Tony Rice Unit - Unit of Measure

Johnny Cash - Unearthed Box

Giant Sand - Chore of Enchantment/The Rock Opera Years

Los Lobos - Just Another Band From L.A.

Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead

Garcia/Grisman - Not For Kids Only

Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs (Bootleg Series Vol. 8)

Jerry Lee Lewis - Mean Old Man

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Smith on March 26, 2012 at 6:14am

nice selection.

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Permalink Reply by David Stephens on March 23, 2012 at 9:21pm

Alt-Country and Classic Country artists have been covered pretty good so far so I thought I would list a few albums by guitar pickers-songwriters-and roots rockers:

'The Impossible Bird'--Nick Lowe

'The Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods'--Bill Kirchen

'The Ragpickers' Dream'--Mark Knopfler

'The Houston Kid'--Rodney Crowell

'Time Out of Mind'--Bob Dylan

'Universal United House of Prayer'--Buddy Miller

'The Trinity Session'--Cowboy Junkies

'Pull Up Some Dust and Sit Down'--Ry Cooder

'Wrecking Ball'--EmmyLou Harris

'Blue Moon Swamp'--John Fogerty

'Behind the Levee'--The Subdudes

'Americanitis'--Will Kimbrough