Sometimes, a reissue or compilation can breathe new life into an older record or set of unreleased material. That was certainly the case for the following reissues of beloved folk albums and compilations. These releases refreshed the original material and exposed a new generation of listeners to the greatness of the artists who created them. Let’s take a look at just a few essential folk reissues that every fan of the genre should hear!
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‘Just Another Diamond Day’ by Vashti Bunyan
Vashti Bunyan became a bit of a cult success after Just Another Diamond Day saw a re-release in 2000. The original folk record came out way back in 1970. It follows Bunyan’s documentation of her travels by horse and wagon through Scotland. Sadly, the album was more or less ignored upon its release. Bunyan even opted to quit the music industry for a while.
The CD reissue in 2000 was a long time coming. It even included a few bonus tracks, including “Love Song”. The album blew up in a big way and inspired Bunyan to return to music to release a follow-up in 2005, called Lookaftering.
‘In My Own Time’ by Karen Dalton
Karen Dalton was one of the most sorely underrated folk artists of the Greenwich Village folk scene in the 1960s. She definitely got some love back then, but she’s rarely brought up in the same conversations that typically include Bob Dylan or Joan Baez. Dalton was a standout talent, and a new generation of listeners got to experience her talent with the reissue of the gorgeous 1971 album In My Own Time back in 2006.
Reissued by Light In The Attic, In My Own Time’s exposure to a new audience came years after her death. I can’t help but think she would have felt blessed to have so many people love her music today, even in a niche cult following.
‘Love Is Overtaking Me’ by Arthur Russell
Arthur Russell is the kind of musician I can only handle listening to in short bursts, during particularly low moods. His music is some of the most emotional work I’ve ever experienced. It’s wild to think that during his heyday in the 80s, he wasn’t hailed as one of the finest songwriters of the time.
Fortunately, among a sea of other folk reissues in the 2000s, the compilation album Love Is Overtaking Me was released in 2008. The release came after the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts acquired archives of the late great musician, and they put together this gorgeous mix of unreleased and previously unrefined material. The whole thing is food for the soul; his releases while he was alive were, too.
Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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